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Northwoods Kalamazoo Growlers

Two Growler Alumni Receive Minor League Player of the Year Honors

September 25, 2023 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Kalamazoo Growlers News Release


Kalamazoo, Mich. - Two former Kalamazoo Growlers have been named as the 2023 Minor League Player of the Year underneath their respective organizations. 2020 and 2021 Growler Blake Dunn (Reds) and 2018 Growler Joey Loperfido (Astros) were awarded the honor by Baseball America on Sept. 19. Loperfido and Dunn become the third and fourth former Growlers to be named Minor League Players of the Year with all coming in the past two seasons. 2018 Growlers Nico Kavadas (Red Sox) and Matt Mervis (Cubs) were also named Minor League Players of the Year in 2022.

Reds winner Blake Dunn has a local connection to the Growlers and the Kalamazoo area. The 2020 and 2021 Growler from Holland, Michigan played all four years of his college career at Western Michigan University located in Kalamazoo. A career .331 hitter with 11 home runs and 50 stolen bases, Dunn was named Baseball America's 2nd best athlete in college baseball in 2020, a part of the 2020 Golden Spikes Watch List, and the MAC Preseason Player of the Year in 2021. In his first year with the Growlers, Dunn was the Rawlings Big Stick Award Winner after hitting .349 across 63 games. Dunn matched the average with a league-best 32 stolen bases and third-best nine doubles. Following his senior season with the WMU, Dunn appeared in 13 games with the Growlers before being drafted in the 15th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. After a pair of seasons derailed by injuries, 2023 proved to be his best at the minor league level. Hitting 23 home runs and snagging 54 bags, Dunn became one of just five players in the last 30 years with a 20-50 season in the minors. He joins the likes of Andrew Jones, Anthony Volpe, Ryan Bliss, and Jonatan Clase.

Joey Loperfido adds to what has been an incredible legacy for the Growlers 2018 team. 21 players on that squad have played affiliated baseball with three already having made their major league debuts. Loperfido came to Kalamazoo following his freshman All-American season at Duke University. Following a successful college career with the Blue Devils where he helped the group win their first-ever ACC Baseball Championship, Loperfido was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. This season, Loperfido skyrocketed up from High A to AAA across 124 games. Across the three levels, Loperfido slashed .278/.370/.510 with 27 stolen bases and a career-high 25 home runs and 78 RBI.

The #GrowlersPipeline continues to extend its reach across professional baseball having three K-Zoo alumni make their major league debuts this season. More is in store for 2024!



Northwoods League Stories from September 25, 2023


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