All Things Valley League

Alonso and Others on the Cape

Each year, thousands of college baseball players play in over 20 different summer leagues. The league that draws the best talent year in and year out is the Cape Cod League. This summer, seven former Valley League players spent a bit of time in New England, with four playing significant roles with their team:

1. Yonder Alonso (Luray 06), from Miami, playing for Brewster. Yonder hit 338/468/497 in 151 at-bats, including 15 doubles and a 36/25 BB/K ratio. (Baseball America named Alonso the #2 prospect in the league; that post will come later)

2. Ben Guez (Covington 06), from William & Mary, playing for Bourne. Ben hit 282/382/410 in 156 at-bats.

3. Blake Tekotte (Woodstock 06), from Miami, playing for Brewster. Blake his 256/376/327 in 156 at-bats, while stealing 22 bases with one caught stealing.

4. Collin Cowgill (Covington 05), from Kentucky, playing for Yarmouth-Dennis. Collin hit 290/388/420 in 138 at-bats for the best team in the league.

The other three Valley Leaguers played minimal roles with their teams. They are: Trey Barham (Front Royal 06), from VMI, playing for Cotuit; Steven Caseres (Staunton 07), from JMU, playing for Falmouth; and Andrew Giobbi (Haymarket 06), from Vanderbilt, playing for Falmouth.

Yonder Alonso                                                            Blake Tekotte

Collin Cowgill

#10 Hitting Season in the Valley: Corey O'Neill

I enjoy lists.  Compiling them, while time-consuming, is a fun way to look at the season, or at least a part of the season. During this off-season, I will list the top 10 hitting seasons, top 10 starting pitchers, and top 10 relievers.  I will not necessarily post every day on a list, but I hope to finish all three before the college baseball season starts, for sure.

A couple notes before we start. I compiled this list, using my judgment and my judgment only.  Obviously, this is not an exact science.  If you have issues with my selections, click the "comment" link below the post, or send me an email, to let me know where I've gone wrong.  I'll listen and try to explain.

Playoff stats are included in the final stats on the league website, so Luray and Waynesboro players, for example, will have a few more at-bats than players from teams that failed to make the postseason.

Things that I value more than other stats: on-base percentage, home runs, and good pitch selection (it's easier to select a player with a 1/1 BB/K ratio than someone who strikes out 3 times to every walk. That makes for a good season, and, ultimately, a better hitter). Things that I value less: RBIs and runs (stats more of opportunity than skill, more or less).  Keep in mind that I'm not saying that runs and RBIs are worthless, just less of a consideration than OBP, for example.

THIS IS NOT A LIST OF THE BEST HITTERS, NECESSARILY, BUT A LIST OF THE BEST SEASONS.

All clear?  Ok, then!  On to the first installment of the best hitting seasons in the Valley list!

#10: Corey O'Neill, Haymarket, from Le Moyne

O'Neill was a mainstay in the Senator lineup in 2007, hitting 321/434/405 in 131 at-bats as the regular #3 hitter. He had 7 doubles, 2 triples, 0 home runs, 25 walks, and 21 strikeouts. He scored 13 runs and drove in 26, and stole 4 bases without being caught.  For bonus points, O'Neill was one of the few Haymarket players to stick it out the entire season.

Corey, a junior at Le Moyne, burst on the scene in college after two seasons of little playing time. As a freshman, O'Neill hit 154/290/288 in 52 at-bats. In his sophomore year, he ended at 194/256/278 in 36 at-bats.  With consistent playing time in his junior year, O'Neill dramatically improved his rates, ending at 312/384/519 in 154 at-bats. He added 14 doubles, 3 triples, 4 home runs, and a solid 19/24 BB/K ratio.

Perhaps with another solid season in college, Corey will get a chance to play professional baseball.

 

As might be imagined, it was very difficult to trim my list down to only 10 hitters. Here are hitters 11-15, in alphabetical order:

11. Ryan Adams, Waynesboro, from Elon
12. Bennett Davis, Front Royal, from Manatee Community College (transferring to Elon)
13. David Dennis, Harrisonburg, from Oklahoma City
14. Shayne Moody, Woodstock, from Charlotte
15. Ryan Semeniuk, Winchester, from Wake Forest

Disher Named a Top Returner

South Carolina's Phil Disher (Front Royal 05) had an excellent junior season in 2007, finishing with a 328/412/596 line in 235 at-bats. He was drafted in the 45th round by the San Francisco Giants this past June, but did not sign. 

South Carolina looks to again be a player on the national college baseball scene, and Disher's return may be crucial to the Gamecocks making a run at Omaha.  Rivals.com noticed, and named Disher a top returning senior and a top returning draft pick in separate articles this past week.

First of all, on August 26th, rivals writer Kendall Rogers named Disher the #7 returning senior in college. He wrote, "He might not be the best pure athlete in this group of players, but Disher is a valuable asset for coach Ray Tanner and the Gamecocks. After finishing last season with a Super Regional berth, Disher and the Gamecocks will enter fall workouts hungrier than ever. The veteran catcher will also have some personal motivation. As a junior last season, Disher batted an impressive .328 with 15 homers and 63 RBIs. He also slugged .596 and had a .412 on-base percentage. In addition, Disher ended the year with 16 doubles and 140 total bases. He's an asset in more ways than one."

In an August 22nd article, Rogers named Disher the #8 returning draft pick. Again he wrote: "Disher has flown under the radar since the end of the 2007 season, but will likely earn more headlines as the 2008 campaign approaches. To the surprise of many, Disher was drafted late by the Yankees.(sic-Giants) His decision to return to South Carolina was a good one. As a junior last season, Disher batted .328 and was a consistent power producer. The veteran finished the year with 15 homers and 63 RBIs. He also slugged .596 and had a .412 on-base percentage. With the return of Disher and first baseman Justin Smoak, among others, the Gamecocks should be in great shape offensively.

Our take: After getting drafted in the late rounds, Disher made a smart decision to return to South Carolina this fall. Not only does he bring a wealth of experience to the diamond, he's also a consistent power producer."   (If you want to see the complete articles (they're worth it), click on the above links)

I certainly agree with Rogers here- any time a player can possibly finish a degree while improving his draft status, it's quite likely to be a smart decision. As a 45th round pick, the Giants wouldn't have much incentive to keep Phil around, but if he can improve his draft position, he can enter pro ball next year more highly touted.

Whichever way Disher's career turns out, All Things Valley League will be following along.....

Egbert Throws Fine Game

Friday night, Jack Egbert (Winchester 03) pitched another excellent game for double-A Birmingham. He threw 6 solid innings against Montgomery, giving up 3 hits, 4 walks, 1 run (earned), and striking out 11. (His bullpen imploded in the last three innings, giving up 9 runs (4 earned) while blowing his 2-1 lead.)

Egbert has continued his slow, steady climb up the White Sox's chain this season, going 12-8, 2.89 in 26 starts, with a 1.11 WHIP, 2.5 BB/9, and 9.3 K/9. With results like these, it won't be long before Jack is knocking on the door in Chicago!

(Picture is from a couple years ago, when Egbert threw in Kannapolis.)

Three Named Arthur Ashe Scholars

Three former Valley Leaguers were named 2007 Arthur Ashe Scholars, an award established by the publication Diverse: Issues in Higher Education to honor undergraduate students of color.  The Diverse website explains the criteria: "To be included, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.2; and be active on their campuses or in their communities."

The three players listed, out of only seven nation-wide, are Chris Anninos, from St. John's (Waynesboro 06-07),  Luis Fernandez, from Seton Hall (Front Royal 07), and Dan Lopez, also from Seton Hall (Front Royal 07).

All three players spent their 2007 summer in the Valley: Anninos hit 275/441/335 in 167 at-bats for Waynesboro, Lopez hit 270/317/331 in 163 at-bats for the Front Royal Cardinals, and Fernandez finished at 1-0, 5.28, with a 1.53 WHIP, 3.5 BB/9, and 8.8 K/9 also for Front Royal.  (Anninos hit 310/401/381 in 155 at-bats for Waynesboro in 2006.)

Congratulations to all three men for receiving such a prestigious award!

Dan Lopez                                Luis Fernandez

      
            Chris Anninos

More All-Americans

In this post, I'll finish up all the remaining Valley League All-Americans, including Freshmen, Division II, Division III, and D I and DII Junior Colleges.  All of the following information, except the Freshmen All-Americans (June 15), comes from the July 13 issue of Collegiate Baseball.

Freshman All-Americans (Division I)

Steven Caseres, JMU, 1B (Staunton 07): 298/382/551 

Division II Gold Glove

Zach Cooper, USC-Aiken, OF (Front Royal 05-06)

Division III

First Team: Gerard Haran, TCNJ, C (New Market 06): 327/447/661 (this is the 3rd year Haran is All-American!)

Second Team: Matt Hudgins, Virginia Wesleyan, C (Woodstock 05): 447/552/759

Third Team and Gold Glove: Dan Zeffiro, Kean University, P (New Market 06): 9-1, 1.66, 0.98 WHIP, 1.8 BB/9, 6.6 K/9

NJCAA Division I

Second Team: Joe Agreste, Potomac State, INF (Winchester 06-07): hit .373
                    Elih Villanueva, Miami-Dade CC, P (Luray 07)

NJCAA Division II

First Team: Kade Keowen, LSU-Eunice, OF (Staunton 05-06): 401/438/675
Gold Glove: Sammy Lee, Redlands CC, OF (Harrisonburg 07)

Congratulations to all!

Kade Keowen                               Zach Cooper

Dan Zeffiro                                        Matt Hudgins

               Joe Agreste   
 

Division I All-Americans

It seems like every publication and organization that covers baseball chooses a post-season All-American team for Division I college players. I've decided to combine three of the lists into one handy post.  The three lists are from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), Baseball America (BA), and Collegiate Baseball (Louisville Slugger/TPX). The lists, as you might suspect, overlap quite a bit, but here they are:

1B- Yonder Alonso, Miami (Luray 06): BA 2nd Team, Collegiate 3rd Team

2B- Tony Thomas, Florida State (Harrisonburg 05): BA 1st Team, ABCA 1st Team, Collegiate 1st Team and National Position Player of the Year

3B- Greg Sexton, William & Mary (New Market 04): BA 3rd Team, Collegiate 3rd Team, ABCA 3rd Team

OF- Justin Jenkins, West Virginia (Front Royal 03, Waynesboro 06): Collegiate 3rd Team

OF- Clint Robinson, Troy (Harrisonburg 05-06): ABCA 2nd Team

DH- Phil Disher, South Carolina (Front Royal 05): ABCA 3rd Team

Congratulations to all!

   
Justin Jenkins                                                    Yonder Alonso

Tony Thomas                                                        Clint Robinson

Phil Disher

Banner Day for Valley League Alumni

One of the best sites I've found for minor league statistics and summaries is first inning.  Each day, the site posts the top performers in minor league baseball from the night before.  Last night, the Valley League had an incredible evening; four players were listed as top performers:

1. Scott Cousins (Harrisonburg 05)

Cousins, playing for the South Atlantic League Greensboro Grasshoppers (Florida Marlins), went off against the Hickory Crawdads, smoking three home runs and driving in 9 runs. For good measure, he walked once as well. Scott is now hitting 289/356/481 in 374 at-bats, with 21 doubles, 17 home runs, and 12 stolen bases. He's improved each month this year:

April: 246/266/410 
May:  250/339/344
June: 338/362/477
July:  315/376/565
August: 300/427/650

Now, that's a picture of someone who's "getting it."

2. Nick Pereira (Harrisonburg 04)

Pereira, playing for the double-A Connecticut Defenders (San Francisco Giants), shut out the Harrisburg Senators over 7 innings, giving up 2 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 4. Nick is now 8-9, 3.55, with a 1.34 WHIP, 4.2 BB/9, and 7.8 K/9 in 129 1/3 innings. Nick played in the Futures Game in 2006 after dominating the California League, and finished the year with 15 starts in triple-A. It looks like he has to work on his control, but his strikeout rate is good.

3. Tobi Stoner (Front Royal 05)

Stoner, playing for the high-A St. Lucie Mets, had an awesome game against Brevard County, throwing 8 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits, 0 walks, and striking out 10. Stoner improved his statistics over 2 levels to 7-8, 4.22, with a 1.37 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, and 7.1 K/9 over 130 innings. Stoner has given up 138 hits in those 130 innings, but he has very good walk and strikeout rates.

4. Nick Stavinoha (Front Royal 03)

Stavinoha, in AAA Memphis, ripped 4 hits against Albuquerque, including a double, home run, walk, and 3 RBIs. He raised his stats to 265/308/385 in 465 at-bats. It looks like Nick is a lefty-masher, as he's hitting southpaws at 359/418/469 and righties at 228/264/353.

Carter Freed!

The player to be named later in the Wily Mo Pena deal now has an identity- former Valley Leaguer Chris Carter (Waynesboro 01)!  I have written about Carter almost a dozen times in the last nine months; one of those times was when the Yankees traded Randy Johnson to the Diamondbacks- I wondered why the Yanks didn't ask for Carter, since he could help with their first base "situation."

Instead, eight months later, he ended up with the "other" AL East superpower, the Red Sox. This article speculates that Carter may be in the running for the first base job in Boston if two things happen: Mike Lowell leaves after the season and Kevin Youkilis moves to third base.  I imagine that Carter will get called up from triple-A Pawtucket in September to give the Sox another bat off the bench for the stretch run.

I wonder if this possibility ever crossed Carter's mind as he toiled in Waynesboro back in 2001?

Tony Thomas Once Again!

As I've posted before, Baseball America lists a "Prospect Hot Sheet" each week, detailing the minor league prospects who are playing extraordinarily well.

This week, Tony Thomas made the list at #15, beginning to prove that he's not just an aluminum bat college wonder.

Ba wrote a rather lukewarm summary of Thomas's showing thus far: "Despite being one of the most productive hitters in the country this spring at Florida State, scouts generally were not overwhelmed with Thomas' tools. He hit .430/.522/.733 for the Seminoles and was a first-team All-American, so the Cubs grabbed him in the third round. Thomas has so far rewarded the Cubs by becoming one of the best hitters in the Northwest League, hitting .308/.388/.566 on the year, including .368/.443/.627 in August. He also has 19 steals in 20 attempts as a professional after stealing 31 in 36 tries at Florida State. A big concern for Thomas, however, is his defense, as scouts felt it was below average in college, and he has already made seven errors in 24 games at second base. If Thomas does not improve enough defensively to stay at second base, his value would be significantly reduced."

Ok, then. Tell you what, though- if I had a choice, I would rather be a hitter who struggles to field than an excellent fielder who struggles to hit.  Look at Billy Butler, Jack Cust, Frank Thomas... while Tony is probably not a hitter to the caliber of these three, their teams found a place for them because of offense.  All teams need hitting.  Just sayin.'