Major League baseball has a first year player draft every June to assign amateur baseball players, from high schools, colleges, and other amateur baseball clubs, to its teams. The draft order is determined based on the previous season's standings, with the team possessing the worst record receiving the first pick.
To be drafted a player must fit the following criteria:
• High school players are eligible only after graduation, and if they have not attended college.
• Players at four-year colleges are eligible after completing their junior years, or after their 21st birthdays.
• Junior and community college players are eligible to be drafted at any time.
• Have never signed a major or minor league contract.
After these players are drafted they are placed on minor league clubs for their respective organizations and are assigned to levels (Rookie Level, Low A, A, High A, AA, AAA) by front office officials, based on their performance on the field. Hopefully their journey through the minor leagues takes them to the ultimate level, the Majors.
Contrary to Major League baseball, Northwoods League roster composition is largely based on relationships between universities and front office staff and coaches. To be eligible to play in the Northwoods League, all players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining to participate. Players in the league are not paid so as to maintain this eligibility. This limits the potential candidates to college freshman, sophomores, and juniors only. Because of these limits, there is usually quite a bit of turnover on teams in the NWL every year. The maximum years a player could partake in the league is probably three (with a few exceptions), but a player participating over a two year span is usually more common if the player excels in his first year.
There is also another factor that comes into play: The Major League draft. Players can be drafted after their junior year of college, so NWL teams that sign players currently in their junior year may never see them don their uniform if they are selected in the June draft and sign a professional contract.
Another note: If you notice that players on NWL teams have previously been drafted by MLB teams, it is because they were selected out of high school and chose to not sign a professional contract. Rather, they decided to attend college and increase their draft stock prior to becoming eligible again after their junior year. The NWL affords these players a chance to showcase their skills to MLB scouts, who have the opportunity to monitor progress and discover new talent in a convenient, centralized region of the country. Some players drafted out of high school choose to attend junior colleges, since they are allowed to be drafted at any time and don’t have to wait until after their junior season.
If a coach has a player that desires to play at the next level after college, wants them to improve in certain facets of their game, and that meets the criteria of the Northwoods League, they will explore whether there may be a fit with a team. This is always facilitated even more if a relationship and mutual trust exists between the college coach and the Northwoods League franchise. The coach wants to make sure that his player will be taken care of during the summer so he is healthy for when the college season begins again the following year. Most coaches realize the talent level and the competition in the NWL, as well as the opportunity that exists for their respective player to improve his game; this will most likely translate to benefit the college program the following year too.
The Northwoods League affords the unique opportunity for players to improve their skills during the summer months while gaining an experience in a similar setting to minor league baseball. By taking the elite players from high-end baseball programs across the country, the participating players have the opportunity to compete against talent that will likely follow them to the next level as well.
I hope this sheds some light onto how the Northwoods League rosters are usually constructed. Obviously stats from the previous year, a player’s high school performance and accolades, and video scouting each has its place when considering players. But it usually all starts with building positive relationships and sustaining them in hopes of providing a talent pool to choose from every year.
Only 144 days until Opening Day at Historic Witter Field! Make sure to follow this spring as the roster is unveiled and keep track of all former and “soon-to-be” Rafters during their spring collegiate seasons!
-John