As part of a recently started weekly look at the many independent baseball leagues across the country covered and streamed on this platform, FloBaseball’s Player of the Week series highlights the best of the best in independent ball.

The Long Island Ducks’ (Atlantic League of Professional Baseball) Adeiny Hechavarria, a former defensive stalwart in the MLB, was named the inaugural recipient of the honor last week. 

The Frontier League has earned the second nod, however, as New Jersey Jackals slugger Josh Rehwaldt has been named the recipient, following a powerful week for the best-performing team in the league.

Here’s a look at Rehwaldt’s week, along with his background and a peek into his 2023 season in the Frontier League.

Career Look-Back

Rehwaldt, a towering 6-foot-6 Minnesotan, is amid his third season with the Jackals and fifth overall.

He spent the 2019 season with the Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association of Professional Baseball and took part in the pandemic-affected 2020 season with the Washington Wild Things, who temporarily bolted from the Frontier League for the summer. 

A former NCAA Division II college player with the University of Sioux Falls (South Dakota), he’s found a liking to the independent level. 

Take a look at this angle of Josh's tape measure shot from earlier! pic.twitter.com/Kmz2IEh3yD

— New Jersey Jackals (@JackalsBaseball) July 24, 2022

A 47-game debut campaign with New Jersey in 2021 resulted in 11 home runs and 35 RBIs, but 2022 is when he came onto the radar of most in the Frontier. 

He enjoyed an All-Star season with New Jersey, in which he smashed a team-best 29 homers, good for third in the Frontier League, with 79 RBIs, though the Jackals missed out on playoff qualification in the East Division. 

But after being a major part of last year’s Jackals squad that tied the team’s single-season record for home runs with 127, Rehwaldt’s return to the fray for 2023 was a big moment for the club – and the work to bring him back is paying dividends now.

Standout Performances

Not missing a beat from his breakout 2022 season, Rehwaldt leads the Frontier League in home runs (12) and is fourth in RBIs (32), but his recent outings are why he’s been properly shouted out here – the Jackals, who’ve won nine straight games, are white-hot and are the best team in the league at the moment. 

Dating back to Sunday’s series finale against the Trois-Rivieres Aigles, Rehwaldt has homered in all three wins this week and driven in five runs. He has five hits across the stretch, unleashing his lofty power on multiple hurlers, as the Jackals just keep on rolling. 

The Jackals have been on a HOT streak, winning 9 in a row!

Let's cheer on our boys to close out our 3rd sweep in a row tomorrow ???#JerseySwag? pic.twitter.com/K1IkKW9UvR

— New Jersey Jackals (@JackalsBaseball) June 15, 2023

He’s gone yard both times in the ongoing series to date on the road against the Gateway Grizzlies, who New Jersey will try to sweep in the finale Thursday.

His first blast in Tuesday’s opener, a two-run bomb in the third inning, helped get his team a 4-1 victory, while his solo homer in the sixth inning in Wednesday's game helped the Jackals turn what was a five-run deficit into an eventual lopsided 16-6 victory – in which they scored 15 runs in the final four innings – to keep their win streak going.