#3 Hitting Season in the Valley: Ryan Sontag

(We're back online this week- I think there'll be time enough to post!) 

The second Winchester Royal on my top ten list, Ryan Sontag, like Jose Cueto before him (#6 on the list), was a rock in the middle of the Royal lineup this summer.  He played in 30 games, and over his 119 at-bats hit an excellent 361/430/546. He scored 19 runs, had 43 hits, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 32 RBIs, a 12/26 BB/K ratio, and 6 stolen bases. He finished tied for fourth in the league in RBIs, 2nd in batting average, 7th in on-base percentage, and 3rd in slugging percentage.

Ryan played at Michigan State as a freshman, hitting 349/467/463 in 149 at-bats. He was subsequently named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He transferred to Arizona State for his sophomore year, and hit 319/423/447 in 141 at-bats. In 2007, as a junior at ASU, Ryan finished at 345/415/448 in only 58 at-bats. 

For his heroics in the Valley last summer, Ryan was named the #8 prospect in the league by Nathan Rode of Baseball America. In his writeup, Rode says that Sontag profiles better as a #1 or #2 hitter in a lineup, and should make a good senior sign after this next college season in Arizona, even though he went undrafted after his junior season.

Coming soon: the most difficult decision yet- who had the top two hitting seasons in the 2007 Valley League?

Picture courtesy of Haymarket Joe