Former Florence resident and Williston-Northampton School standout Erik Ostberg is back in the American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) news cycle. Just about a month ago, Ostberg was named an All Star and earned a spot in the AAPB Home Run Derby for his impressive first half of the season.
And last week, Ostberg was traded from the Milwaukee Milkmen to the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (North Dakota) as the RedHawks are in the midst of a playoff push. In the first 15 games after the All-Star break, Fargo-Moorhead went 13-2 and catapulted them to second place in the American Association’s West Division.
Adding Ostberg, who is hitting .291 with 16 home runs and 54 RBI, not only helps strengthen the RedHawks lineup, it also adds defensive depth as Ostberg is one of the premier catchers in the league.
The Milkmen in return received Alec Olund, three players to be named later and future considerations for Ostberg. The trade is considered to be one of the biggest in AAPB history in terms of the return for one player.
Ostberg leads all AAPB catchers this season in batting average, home runs, RBI and on-base percentage.
Ostberg was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2017 MLB Draft and spent six seasons in the Rays system before joining the Milkmen in 2024. Last season, he posted an impressive .311/.386/.503 stat line with 12 homers and 62 RBI. His 73 runs created were the most by a catcher, nearly 20 more than the next man on the list.
The RedHawks are hoping to make a postseason push, and acquiring Ostberg is certainly going to help.