The Royal Oak Leprechauns of the Northwoods League — a collegiate summer wood-bat league — hired former Major Leaguer DJ LeMahieu to manage the team for the 2026 season on May 6, according to a team press release.
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The Leprechauns open their 2026 season on May 25 at Memorial Park in Royal Oak, Mich., at 6:35 p.m. EDT against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks.
All Northwoods League games can be streamed on FloSports, which acquired exclusive media rights to the league in December 2025.
The three-time All-Star was released by the New York Yankees on July 10, 2025, three days before his 37th birthday, and had been exploring options after 15 seasons in the majors.
During his big league career, LeMahieu played for the Chicago Cubs in 2011, the Colorado Rockies from 2012-18, and the Yankees from 2019-25.
LeMahieu was an All-Star in 2015, 2017, and 2019, was named to the All-MLB First Team in 2019 and 2020, won Gold Gloves in 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2022, won Silver Sluggers in 2019 and 2020, and was the MLB batting champion in 2016 and 2020.
LeMahieu was born in Visalia, Calif., before moving to Madison, Wisc. for middle school and later settling in Bloomfield Township, Mich., where he attended Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills.
Teammates celebrate with New York Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu, center, after he hit a walkoff RBI single during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
LSU second baseman DJ LeMahieu throws to first base to take out Virginia’s Danny Hultzen in the third inning of an NCAA College World Series baseball game, in Omaha, Neb., Saturday, June 13, 2009. Virginia’s Keith Werman scored on the play.(AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
Colorado Rockies second baseman D.J. LeMahieu, top, looks to first base after forcing out Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo at second base during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Thursday, July 31, 2014. Starlin Castro was safe at first base. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chicago Cubs second baseman DJ LeMahieu, top, looks down after forcing out New York Yankees’ Mark Teixeira during the first inning of an interleague baseball game in Chicago, Sunday, June 19, 2011. The Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez was safe at first base. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
He played under head coach Bob Riker at Brother Rice. As a senior, he hit .574 and finished with a .459 career batting average, earning All-American honors. He was named twice to Michigan’s All-State Dream Team, an AFLAC All-American as a junior, a four-time member of the Detroit Metro Catholic All-League Team, and was a two-time Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year before heading to Louisiana State University to play for legendary head coach Paul Mainieri.
A two-way player at shortstop and on the mound at Brother Rice, LeMahieu’s high school stats included eight home runs, 201 hits, 16 doubles, seven triples, 70 runs scored, 32 RBIs, and 39 stolen bases, along with two strikeouts in 92 batters faced. He was selected in the 41st round by the Detroit Tigers in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft, but did not sign with the organization, opting to play in Baton Rouge, La.
In his two seasons at LSU from 2008-09, LeMahieu was selected for the 2009 College World Series All-Tournament Team, named to the 2009 First-Team All-Louisiana, was a Louisiana Hitter of the Week (March 3, 2009), selected to the 2008 NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team, and was named the 2008 Louisiana Freshman of the Year.
LeMahieu also played in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the 2008 Harwich Mariners, where he was named a league all-star, earned the team’s regular-season MVP award, and was ranked the No. 6 prospect in the Cape Cod League by Baseball America prior to his sophomore season at LSU.
During LSU’s 2009 NCAA national title run, in which the Tigers beat Texas in three games of the championship series, LeMahieu hit .444 (12-for-27) in six games with one double, one triple, one home run, four RBIs, and nine runs scored. He hit .426 (20-for-47) across LSU’s 11 NCAA Tournament games with three doubles, one triple, one home run, 10 RBIs, and 15 runs.
In the 2009 NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, LeMahieu hit .417 (5-for-12) with one double, five RBIs, and two runs, and posted a 14-game hit streak from April 11 to May 2 that was tied with Micah Gibbs for the team lead.
LeMahieu finished the 2009 season with a nine-game hit streak. He hit a game-winning walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth against Auburn on April 25, and went 2-for-3 with two home runs and a career-best four RBIs against UCF on Feb. 27.
LeMahieu also owns and operates Stevens Complex, a baseball and softball training facility in Troy, Mich., in the Detroit Metro region. The complex serves as the home field for Brother Rice High School and focuses on elite player development clinics for youth and amateur players.
In a press release announcing the hire, Royal Oak general manager Danny Weiss said LeMahieu has been “hands-on throughout the entire offseason, and that’s meant everything to our staff.”
“As he steps into the field manager role, that same commitment carries over to the players he leads,” Weiss said. “He cares deeply about building a culture players want to be part of — and that’s going to set the standard for everything we do in 2026 and beyond.”
