Central ND News

Hayden Senger, Drake Baldwin, and Kristian Campbell, all former Northwoods League (NWL) players, have made their debuts in Major League Baseball (MLB). Senger, a former Lakeshore Chinook, played for the New York Mets, Baldwin, a former K-Town Bobber and Madison Mallard, appeared for the Atlanta Braves, and Campbell, a former Duluth Huskie, took the field for the Boston Red Sox. These players are the 373rd, 374th, and 375th NWL alumni to reach the MLB level.

Hayden Senger, who played college baseball at Miami of Ohio from 2016 to 2018, was drafted by the Mets in the 24th round of the 2018 MLB Draft. Senger's minor league career was spent primarily as a catcher, appearing in over 400 games. On Thursday, he made his MLB debut for the Mets in an eighth-inning substitution as the catcher, replacing Luis Torrens, and faced a strikeout with the bases loaded in the ninth.

Drake Baldwin, who played in the NWL in 2020 with the Bobbers and in 2021 with the Madison Mallards, began his professional career with the Braves' Rookie level team. In 2022, he performed well, making his way up from the Low-A Carolina League to the AAA International League. In his MLB debut with the Braves, Baldwin played as the starting catcher, although he did not manage to secure a hit, going 0 for 3.

Kristian Campbell, who played for the Duluth Huskies in 2022 and was later drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB draft, also made his MLB debut recently. During his college tenure at Georgia Institute of Technology, Campbell exhibited strong statistics which carried over into his professional career, notably with his brief stint in the Florida Complex League.

These athlete debutants are a testament to the development and scouting within the NWL, helping players transition to higher levels of baseball.