Two Royal Oak Leprechauns Picked for Major League
(Mark H. Stowers, July 16, 2025)
Royal Oak, MI – Two Royal Oak Leprechauns had their names called in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft.
Aidan Cremarosa from the 2024 team was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth round as the 237th overall pick. Cremarosa appeared in six games last season, earning one win while pitching 23.1 innings against 104 batters, giving up 24 hits and 10 walks, with 21 strikeouts. He finished with a 2.70 ERA and a WHIP of 1.46.
At Fresno State University, the right-hander was named Mountain West Pitcher of the Year following his junior season and his first as a starter for the Bulldogs. As the Saturday starting pitcher for the Bulldogs in 2025, Cremarosa led the Mountain West in strikeouts with 112 in 95.1 innings over 17 starts. He also led the team with a 4.34 ERA and posted a 6-6 record. In his three seasons on the mound for the Bulldogs, he pitched in 143.1 innings across 44 outings and 17 starts. He has a career record of 8-7 and ERA of 4.65 for the Diamond ‘Dogs. Cremarosa collected 156 strikeouts and allowed only 43 walks as a Bulldog.
Current Leprechaun, Jake Shelagowski, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals as the 390th overall pick in the 13th round. Shelagowski struck out 10 in 5.1 innings of work for Royal Oak this summer and reached 98 mph on the Memorial Park radar gun. The Saginaw Valley State University redshirt sophomore right-hander appeared in five games this season.
With this year’s two picks, the Leprechauns now have had eight players drafted in franchise history.
The Royal Oak Leprechauns are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 24 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind.
A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, nearly 2,400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 400 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Page | 2 Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX).
For more information, visit www.royaloakleprechauns.com
