All Things Valley League

2009 Stats from 2006 Draftees

If you thought that too many '07 Valley League draftees were released, hang on to your hat, dear reader: out of 23 hitters drafted in the 2006 draft, only 8 remain in pro ball. Out of 33 pitchers, 18 remain. That's a total of 26 left out of the original 56.

Four players have reached the majors from this class: Brian Bocock (Luray 04), Dan Murphy (Luray 05), Chris Perez (Staunton 04), and Tobi Stoner (Front Royal 05).

To see the entire crew on the '06 spreadsheet, click Players from 2006 Draft.

I'll list all the hitters, since only 8 are left...

Hitters

• Brian Baisley (Staunton 04): 256/333/353, 15 doubles, 21/68 BB/K in 215 at-bats for Charleston and Tampa

• Brian Bocock (Luray 04): 230/302/316, 26 doubles, 48/116 BB/K in 456 at-bats for San Jose and Connecticut

• Adam Calderone (Woodstock 04): 239/296/411, 23 doubles, 5 triples, 12 home runs, 28/81 BB/K in 401 at-bats for New Hampshire and Las Vegas

• Matt Camp (Covington 03): 284/329/344, 16 doubles, 19 stolen bases, 26/47 BB/K in 395 at-bats for Tennessee and Iowa

• Scott Cousins (Harrisonburg 05): 263/323/448, 31 doubles, 11 triples, 12 home runs, 27 stolen bases, 42/107 BB/K in 482 at-bats for Jacksonville of the Southern League

• Jeff Kindel (Covington 03): 265/363/369, 26 doubles, 68/87 BB/K in 464 at-bats for Tulsa of the Texas League

• John Raynor (New Market 04): 257/327/360, 24 doubles, 6 home runs, 19 stolen bases, 42/121 BB/K in 447 at-bats for New Orleans of the Pacific Coast League

• Dan Murphy (Luray 05): 266/313/427, 38 doubles, 4 triples, 12 home runs, 63 RBI, 38/69 BB/K in 508 at-bats for the NEW YORK METS!

Pitchers (just the best few)

• Mike Ballard (Staunton 04): 8-8, 3.97, 1.27 WHIP, 1.8 BB/9, 5.7 K/9 in 151 2/3 innings for Frisco and Oklahoma

• Brandon Dickson (New Market 06): 8-10, 3.78, 1.42 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 6.8 K/9 in 147 2/3 innings for Springfield of the Texas League

• Rowdy Hardy (Staunton 04): 7-5, 2.74, 1.29 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, 5.7 K/9 in 108 1/3 innings for Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas

• Derrick Lutz (Front Royal 04): 1-2, 1.98, 2 saves, 1.23 WHIP, 4.0 BB/9, 6.7 K/9 in 22 2/3 innings for Carolina in the Southern League

• Tim Norton (New Market 04): 2-1, 2.75, 1.11 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, 7.5 K/9 in 36 innings for Tampa of the Florida State League

• Ryne Reynoso (Waynesboro 05): 7-10, 3.71, 1.27 WHIP, 3.6 BB/9, 5.2 K/9 in 153 innings for Mississippi and Gwinnett

• Tobi Stoner (Front Royal 05): 9-9, 3.55, 1.15 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, 5.7 K/9 in 144 2/3 inning for Binghamton and Buffalo. He also gave up 4 earned runs in 9 innings pitched for the New York Mets.

• Lee Tabor (New Market 05): 3-2, 3.60, 1.31 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, 4.9 K/9 in 55 innings for 3 different levels in the Reds' system

• Chris Perez (Staunton 04): 1-2, 4.26, 2 saves, 1.19 WHIP, 4.3 BB/9, 10.7 K/9 in 57 innings in the majors for the St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians

I think Cousins, Raynor, and Reynoso will join the big four with major league experience eventually.

Well, this concludes the series of checking in with the '06-'09 drafted Valley Leaguers- hope you enjoyed it, fearless reader!

2009 Stats from 2007 Draftees

Now we're getting into strange territory: out of the 57 Valley League alumni who made professional debuts in 2007, 30 of them did not play for an organized team in 2009. Thirty! Compared to that, only one player has reached the major league: Brad Mills (Harrisonburg 05). I would love to see some research about how long most minor league players remain active in professional ball before they are released or retire. Are the majority out of pro ball within two years?

Anyway, to see the entire spreadsheet of all of the 57 players and their career stats, click Players from 2007 Draft.

Here are the top 5 hitters and pitchers from this draft class:

Hitters

• Wally Crancer (Covington 04): 302/342/470, 8 doubles, 8 home runs, 13/40 BB/K in 215 at-bats for Frederick of the Carolina League

• James McOwen (Luray 05-06): 340/393/494, 23 doubles, 8 triples, 10 home runs, 40/70 BB/K in 447 at-bats for High Desert of the California League

• Clint Robinson (Harrisonburg 05-06): 298/356/463, 31 doubles, 13 home runs, 35/79 BB/K in 436 at-bats for Wilmington in the Carolina League

• Bobby Spain (Harrisonburg 06-07): 275/336/361, 15 doubles, 4 home runs, 28/59 BB/K in 335 at-bats for West Virginia of the South Atlantic League

• Tony Thomas (Harrisonburg 05): 251/341/389, 24 doubles, 11 home runs, 50/106 BB/K in 427 at-bats for Tennessee in the Southern League

Pitchers

• Frank Gailey (New Market 05-06): 3-2, 1.93, 1 save, 1.09 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9, 8.3 K/9 in 65 1/3 innings for Lansing in the Midwest League

• Josh Judy (Haymarket 06-07): 4-3, 2.83, 14 saves, 1.06 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9, 11.7 K/9 in 54 innings for Kinston and Akron

• Cole McCurry (New Market 05): 6-9, 2.71, 1.17 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9, 9.3 K/9 in 139 2/3 innings for Delmarva of the South Atlantic League (will he pitch for Frederick next year?)

• Garrett Parcell (Covington 04): 1-0, 0.44, 1 save, 0.84 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, 9.7 K/9 in 40 2/3 innings for Jupiter and Jacksonville

• Joey Williamson (Luray 05): 13-3, 3.17, 3 saves, 1.13 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 8.6 K/9 in 113 2/3 innings for Tulsa and Modesto

As a group, this bunch doesn't look as strong at the 2008 draftees...but, of course, I could be wrong. Again, Mills made the majors for the Blue Jays this year, and most of the players on this list have reached Double-A, so they are only a phone call away.

#4 Hitter: Mike Schwartz, Harrisonburg

The higher we go on this list, the more impressive the hitting stats. ATVL's #4 hitter, Tampa's Mike Schwartz, was a mainstay in the Harrisonburg Turk lineup in 2009.

In 44 games and 127 at-bats, Mike hit 323/508/535, with 23 runs, 11 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 28 RBI, and an unreal 43/14 BB/K ratio. Yes, you read that right: the fan favorite walked 43 times and struck out only 18 times. He led the league in walks, on-base percentage, and OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). There were four guys who finished with an OPS over 1.000; Schwartz finished at 1.043. Oddly enough, Mike was not invited to either the All-Star game in Woodstock or the Classic against the Cal Ripken League, but he did participate in the un-exciting home run derby.

Mike spent his first two college seasons at Hillsborough Community College, where stats were unavailable. The only stats ATVL could unearth were his averages: .433 as a freshman and .403 as a sophomore, and that he hit 5 home runs and drove in 43 runs as a freshman. He was given the Rawlings "Big Stick Award" and was an All-American as a sophomore, and was first team All-State both seasons.

In 2009, Mike played for Tampa, and continued his hit-tastic ways. He finished at 368/477/653, with 52 runs, 12 doubles, 14 home runs, 58 RBI, and a 27/30 BB/K ratio in 55 games and 190 at-bats. Then the awards came flowing in. Schwartz was named a Division-II All-American by the Jewish Sports Review, a member of the Division-II All-South Region Team by NCBWA, All-South Region second team by Daktronics, and was named to the All-Sunshine State Conference team.

Congratulations on your excellent summer, Mike!

Pictures courtesy of Haymarket Joe Photography!

Riley Cooper's Ridiculous Catch

The Valley League does really have exceptional athletes: as proof ATVL offers up Riley Cooper, currently a wide receiver for the #1-ranked Florida Gators. Last summer, he spent a little but of time in the outfield for the Haymarket Senators, and the summer before, he spent most of the season in center field for the New Market Rebels. On October 31, Riley made a ridiculous one-handed catch for a touchdown- here it is:

To see ATVL's interview with Cooper, click here!

2009 Stats from 2008 Draftees

Similar to the 2009 debuts posted a couple days ago, ATVL has updated the spreadsheet of Valley League alumni who were 2008 draftees. A total of 50 players were drafted and/or signed that June, and only 9 of the 50 were out of pro ball in '09. None of the 50 have made a major league debut (yet). (Watch for Yonder Alonso next year, though!) To see the entire sheet, click Players from 2008 Draft

Let's take a look at some of the top hitters and pitchers, in alphabetical order, from the '09 season.

Hitters

• Yonder Alonso (Luray 06): 292/374/464, 24 doubles, 9 home runs, 52 RBI, 41/46 BB/K in 295 at-bats over three levels (Reds' system)

• Tyson Auer (Luray 05-06): 277/344/346, 18 doubles, 5 triples, 84 runs, 43 stolen bases, 45/117 BB/K in 491 at-bats for Cedar Rapids of the Midwest League

• Joey Butler (New Market 06): 280/343/416, 33 doubles, 12 home runs, 82 runs, 76 RBI, 46/146 BB/K in 522 at-bats for Bakersfield in the California League

• Eric Campbell (Luray 06): 249/352/360, 25 doubles, 53/58 BB/K in 361 at-bats for two different teams (Savannah, St. Lucie)

• Steven Caseres (Staunton 07): 260/360/468, 25 doubles, 6 triples, 15 home runs, 54/116 BB/K in 393 at-bats for Inland Empire of the California League

• Ben Guez (covington 06): 275/320/483, 34 doubles, 7 triples, 12 home runs, 64 RBI, 18/95 BB/K in 404 at-bats for West Michigan in the Midwest League

• Tyler Kuhn (Luray 06-07): 289/334/361, 24 doubles, 5 triples, 55 runs, 32/68 BB/K in 477 at-bats for Kannapolis and Winston-Salem.

• Rebel Ridling (Covington 06): 310/357/466, 34 doubles, 16 home runs, 74 runs, 97 RBI, 40/95 BB/K in 536 at-bats for Peoria in the Midwest League

• Blake Tekotte (Woodstock 06): 258/345/396, 24 doubles, 5 triples, 13 home runs, 83 runs, 56 RBI, 68/97 BB/K for Fort Wayne of the Miswest League

Pitchers

• Pete Andrelczyk (Waynesboro 07): 4-6, 2.71, 19 saves, 1.21 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9, 11.0 K/9 in 69 2/3 innings for Greensboro and Jupiter

• Trey Barham (Front Royal 06): 4-1, 1.24, 2 saves, 0.85 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9, 8.4 K/9 in 43 2/3 innings for Kane County of the Midwest League

• Michael Bowman (Staunton 06): 8-5, 2.60, 1.40 WHIP, 3.6 BB/9, 6.9 K/9 in 131 2/3 innings for Wisconsin and Brevard County

• Zach Foster (New Market 08): 2-0, 1.24, 1 save, 1.00 WHIP, 5.0 BB/9, 8.1 K/9 in 29 innings for State College of the New York-Penn League

• Carlos Gutierrez (Luray 07): 3-6, 3.70, 1.36 WHIP, 3.9 BB/9, 5.5 K/9 in 107 innings for Fort Myers and New Britain

• Elih Villanueva (Luray 07): 9-13, 3.54, 1.14 WHIP, 1.1 BB/9, 6.2 K/9 in 168 innings for Jupiter and Jacksonville

• Bryan Woodall (Winchester 07): 4-5, 3.24, 1.35 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 9.9 K/9 in 66 2/3 innings for South Bend in the Midwest League

There are some really good bats and arms in this class. Time will tell, of course, but I think at least four of these players will play in the majors. (The four I would bet on, if I were a betting man: Alonso, Tekotte, Gutierrez, and Andrelczyk.)

#5 Hitter: A.J. Wirnsberger, Luray

Like Aaron Dudley before him, AJ Wirnsberger is also a returning player to the Valley League.

Also like Dudley, Wirnsberger hammered the ball in his second time through the league. AJ hit 361/417/544, with 29 runs, 57 hits, 16 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 35 RBI, 86 total bases, and a 15/30 BB/K ratio in 37 games and 158 at-bats. He finished 2nd in the league in batting average and 1st in doubles (tied with Jared Simon). AJ also produced in both all-star games, going 1-3 in Woodstock, and 2-3 in Waldorf against the Cal Ripken League.

AJ also has been a consistent producer for Georgia Southern. As a freshman in 2007, Wirnsberger hit 287/392/426, with 14 doubles, 4 home runs, and a 20/39 BB/K ratio.

As a sophomore in '08, AJ broke out with a 325/398/671 season, with 63 runs, 15 doubles, 3 triples, 21 home runs, 74 RBI, and a 20/35 BB/K ratio in 243 at-bats. He was named to the 2nd team All-Southern Conference team, and set a Georgia Southern and Southern Conference record by hitting three grand slams in one season.

In '09 as a junior, AJ hit 323/394/574 in 55 games and 195 at-bats, with 10 doubles, 13 home runs, 58 RBI, and a 16/31 BB/K ratio.

Congratulations on your excellent season, AJ!

Picture courtesy of Haymarket Joe Photography!

2009 Minor League Debuts

At the end of each minor league season, ATVL updates his Valley League "Register:" an excel spreadsheet that includes every former Valley Leaguer that has played in the minor leagues. ATVL has separated the spreadsheets by year. For today, the focus will be on players who have made their minor league debut in 2009. The sheet includes 30 hitters and 26 pitchers (including Chris Court, Riley Cooper, and Jeremy Cruz, who all signed pro contracts but did not play in '09). To see the entire sheet, click here.

Here is a list of the top performers, in alphabetical order.

Hitters

• Tyler Bortnick (Front Royal 06), for Hudson Valley of the New York-Penn League: 300/386/470, 17 doubles, 4 triples, 4 home runs, 24 stolen bases, 27/38 BB/K in 217 at-bats

• Bo Davis (Covington 05-06), for Eugene in the Northwest League: 329/468/479, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 11 stolen bases in 73 at-bats

• Brent Greer (Fauquier 07), for Yakima of the Northwest League: 300/357/436, 12 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs, 14/66 BB/K in 273 at-bats

• Jason Kipnis (Covington 06-07), for Mahoning Valley of the New York-Penn League: 306/388/459, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 15/18 BB/K in 111 at-bats

• Austin Markel (Waynesboro 07, Luray 08), for the Gulf Coast League Marlins and Jamestown of the New York-Penn League: 289/371/479, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 16/48 BB/K in 121 at-bats

• Ryan Mollica (Luray 06-07), for Kingsport of the Appalachian League: 287/368/365, 6 doubles, 12/23 BB/K in 115 at-bats

• Ryan Schimpf (Luray 08), for the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays and Auburn in the New York-Penn League: 293/381/444, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 17/24 BB/K in 133 at-bats

• Brandon Sizemore (Waynesboro 06-07-08), for the Arizona League Brewers and Wisconsin of the Midwest League: 292/376/528, with 16 doubles, 3 triples, 8 home runs, and 19/50 BB/K in 195 at-bats.

Pitchers

• Nolan Cain (Luray 06-07), at three levels of the Tigers' system: 0-2, 3.20, 1.10 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9, 5.6 K/9 in 33 2/3 innings

• Jacob Cowan (Waynesboro 07), for Aberdeen of the New York-Penn League: 1-2, 2.25, 1.08 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, 10.1 K/9 in 24 innings

• Ryan Dennick (Fauquier 08), for Burlington in the Appalachian League and Idaho Falls i nthe Pioneer League: 2-3, 2.66, 1.26 WHIP, 4.0 BB/9, and 8.9 K/9 in 40 2/3 innings

• Shawn Griffith (Fauquier 08), for the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays and Auburn in the NY-Penn League: 2-2, 0.54, with 9 saves, 0.68 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, and 13.9 K/9 in 33 2/3 innings

• Jamie Hayes (Staunton 07), for the Gulf Coast League Braves: 1-0, 0.61, with 4 saves, a 0.95 WHIP, 1.2 BB/9, and 6.7 K/9 in 14 2/3 innings

• John Housey (Woodstock 06-07), for the Arizona League Mariners and Pulaski of the Appalachian League: 6-3, 2.75, with a 1.07 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, and 9.9 K/9 in 72 innings

• Anthony Huttenlocker (Luray 06), for the Arizona A's and Kane County of the Midwest League: 2-3, 2.73, with 3 saves, an 0.85 WHIP, 1.0 BB/9, and 11.2 K/9 in 36 1/3 innings

• Alex Koronis (Luray 08), for Princeton of the Appalachian League: 1-3, 1.95, with 3 saves, 0.97 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, 11.1 K/9 in 27 2/3 innings

• Chris Masters (New Market 07), for Danville of the Appalachian League: 8-4, 1.42, with 0.89 WHIP, 1.2 BB/9, and 11.0 K/9 in 69 2/3 innings

• Scott Shuman (Winchester 07), for Princeton of the Appalachian League: 0-0, 0.82, with 3 saves, 1.23 WHIP, 3.7 BB/9, and 11.9 K/9 in 22 innings

• Josh Squatrito (Staunton 08), for Batavia of the New York-Penn League: 4-1, 1.37, with 1 save, 1.03 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9, and 12.0 K/9 in 26 1/3 innings

Wiswall #84 College Player

The College Baseball Blog, a rather informative site edited by Brian Foley, is currently running down a list of the top 100 college players.

Mickey Wiswall, a Winchester Royal in 2008, has made the cut at number 84. Wiswall had a tremendous season in the Valley in '08, hitting 336/408/557, with 8 doubles, a triple, 7 home runs, 36 RBI, and a 8/32 BB/K ratio. He finished 6th in batting average, 5th in slugging percentage, tied for 3rd in RBI, and also tied for 3rd in hit-by-pitches (with 9). He followed it up with another excellent summer season in '09, this time in the Cape. He hit 302/341/447, with 8 doubles, 5 home runs, and 30 RBI in 43 games and 159 at-bats.

I am very curious to see how much attention Mickey might get at Boston College in his junior year, and first shot at the draft.

Click the link above to see the article!

#6 Hitter: Greg Hopkins, Haymarket

The #6 hitter in the league is also the Most Valuable Player of the league: Haymarket's Greg Hopkins.

Hopkins, a current junior at St. John's, was a critical part of the Senator's lineup. (And of their soul, if ATVL's observations during the finals were correct.) He pounded the ball to the tune of 345/413/495, with 34 runs, 69 hits, 14 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 33 RBI, 99 total bases, and a 16/30 BB/K ratio in 51 games and 200 at-bats. He added 13 stolen bases in 15 attempts as well. Greg led the league in hits, finished 4th in total bases, and 5th in batting average.

Of course, Greg is no less a hitter with an aluminum bat in his hands. As a freshman at St. John's, he hit 304/386/473, with 12 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, and a 24/30 BB/K ratio in 184 at-bats. He really walloped the ball in his sophomore season, upping his numbers to 349/411/550, with 11 doubles, a triple, 7 home runs, and a 17/18 BB/K ratio in 169 at-bats.

Obviously chosen to participate in the All-Star game, Greg went 2-4 in Woodstock, and then went 0-2 in the Mid-Atlantic Classic against the Cal Ripken League.

Hopkins showed his hitting chops in the first playoff series against the first-ranked Staunton Braves, going 5-10 in the two games, both Haymarket wins, with 6 runs scored and 5 RBI.

ATVL was able to ask Greg a couple questions last week- here's the transcript:

"ATVL: You've obviously been an excellent hitter for St. John's your first two years with aluminum. What was your approach to hitting with wood this summer?

GH: My approach with wood this summer was to use the whole field. It's easy to get away with being pull happy with aluminum. But my approach this summer was to use the whole field, I tried to stay up the middle of the field. I used [wood] last summer as well for the first time (other than in the cages), so I had a better feel and more confidence with the wood bat this past summer.

ATVL: How would you describe your experience over the summer?

GH: I wouldn't trade this past summer for a thing. Our team at Haymarket was something else, we had a good feeling from the very beginning of the summer. I made some great friends on that Haymarket team and had fun playing baseball, and won a championship, what else could you ask for? The coaches were awesome too, everyone was on the same page and things clicked from day one.

ATVL: What's it mean to be named MVP of the league?

GH: Being named MVP is definitely something I'm proud of. I had a good mindset going into this past summer, I went into it telling myself to work hard and have fun. And that's what we did, we had fun the whole summer. A lot of summer ball teams want to get home as soon as possible, but it was different with this team. We were simply having too much fun playing baseball. One of my best friends Mike Lang gets my vote for MVP though, we wouldn't have even made the playoffs if it wasn't for him. Also, Tom La Stella and Evan Noell were a huge part of the successful summer, we worked hard on and off the field, no one works harder at their game than those two. I wish them the best of luck this year at Coastal!"

Congratulations on your excellent year, Greg!

Pictures courtesy, as usual, of Haymarket Joe Photography!

More Releases

Unfortunately, a few more Valley Leaguers in the minor leagues have been released (or have retired):

• Eric Perlozzo (Woodstock 06)- by Cleveland. He hit 233/303/296 in 365 at-bats over 3 seasons

• Derin McMains (Winchester 00)- by San Francisco. Hit 257/333/352 in 1,791 at-bats over 7 seasons

• JP Martinez (Front Royal 01-02)- by Baltimore. 17-14, 3.35, 9.4 K/9 in 341 1/3 innings over 5 seasons

• Luis Bautista (Haymarket 06)- by Chicago Cubs. 315/371/499 in 409 at-bats in 2 seasons (That wasn't enough to stay in the minors?!?)

• Mark Fleisher (Waynesboro 04)- by Chicago White Sox. 270/340/463 in 1,323 at-bats and 4 seasons (Mark retired)

• Shane Buriff (Woodstock 07)- by White Sox. Got 17 2/3 innings total. And struck out 21 batters!

• Manny Miguelez (Staunton 05)- by Detroit. 7-11, 4.37 in 175 1/3 innings over 2 seasons

• Matt Mallory (Woodstock 04-05)- by Florida. 1-5, 2.83 in 73 2/3 innings over 2 seasons

• Tyler Belcher (Winchester 06)- by Florida. 230/259/306 in 278 at-bats over 2 seasons. (Tyler retired)

• Ben Harrison (Harrisonburg 01)- by Texas. 260/345/432 in 2,053 at-bats over 6 seasons

• Sam Walls (Covington 04)- by Philadelphia. 3-6, 3.50, 19 saves in 100 2/3 innings over 3 seasons

• Brian Baisley (Staunton 04)- by New York Yankees. 299/360/438 in 730 at-bats over 4 seasons

• Antoan Richardson (Winchester 03)- by San Francisco. 273/387/352, 187 stolen bases in 1,448 at-bats over 5 seasons

Good luck to all in the next stage of life...