All Things Valley League

Minor League Top Performers for Friday, May 30

Back from New Yawk City. All 15 students and 4 faculty members made it back safely, with no major problems. Today my daughters participated in "Soccer Fest" here in Harrisonburg, and played quite well. I'm just waiting for my life to cool down a little... but there's graduation tomorrow...

At any rate, here are the top performers from last night!  (By the way, I'm not sure how the VBL season will play out- I may have so much to cover that I'll drop this feature.  We'll see.)

Chris Carter (Waynesboro 01) went 2-3 with a home run, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs. He's hitting 325/379/540 over 200 at-bats. He's making a case to be bench help in Boston!

Cliff Pennington (Harrisonburg 03) went 2-4 with a home run, walk, and 2 runs scored in his Triple-A debut at Sacramento. Cliff ended his time at Double-A Midland hitting 260/379/314 in 204 at-bats.

Rowdy Hardy (Staunton 04, and pictured above) is really starting to come around! Last night, he threw 6 innings, allowing 5 hits, 3 walks, 1 run (earned), and striking out 4. He's now 2-4, 4.88, with a 1.48 WHIP, 0.9 B B/9 and 4.0 K/9 in 62 2/3 innings. He's thrown 3 good games in a row!

Erik Kratz (Waynesboro 00, Harrisonburg 01) went 2-3 with a home run, walk, 2 runs, and 2 RBIs for Triple-A Syracuse. He's hitting 231/275/415 in 65 at-bats in Triple-A.

Tony Thomas (Harrisonburg 05) went 3-5 with a double, home run, and 2 runs scored for High-A Daytona. Thomas is hitting 278/324/428 in 187 at-bats.

Eddy Rodriguez (Luray 05-06) makes his first appearance on this list, going 2-4 with an RBI for High-A Sarasota. Eddy is hitting 206/271/252 in 107 at-bats.

Joe Koshansky (Staunton 02-03) went 2-4 with a walk, home run, and 2 RBIs for Triple-A Colorado Springs. He's hitting 296/377/571 in 189 at-bats.

Dan Murphy (Luray 05) went 2-3 with a walk and 2 RBIs for Double-A Binghamton. He's hitting 335/388/517 in 203 at-bats!

Nick Stavinoha (Front Royal 03) continues hammering the ball, going 2-4 with a walk and a run for Triple-A Memphis. He's hitting a robust 358/387/513 in 187 at-bats.  CALL HIM UP!

Baseball! Tonight!

The day we've been waiting for has arrived!  The 44-game Valley League schedule begins tonight!

A full slate of games is on tap, with Waynesboro waiting one more day to begin:

New Market @ Woodstock   

Staunton @ Winchester

Luray @ Harrisonburg

Haymarket @ Fauquier

Covington @ Front Royal

All games begin at 7:30. Of course, as I write this, a monster storm just ripped through our place in Harrisonburg... and I live about 2 miles from Memorial Stadium, so we'll see if any of the games are postponed.

Jerry Carter will kick off his "Around the Valley League in 60 Days" promotion in Woodstock tonight. If you see him, say hello- and by all means, wherever you go, pick up a passport and begin the journey of seeing all the parks in the league!

I'll most likely go to Harrisonburg with such inclement weather- that way I won't have driven too far if the game is postponed.  Drop by and say hello if you're there!  (I'm a large man with too much hair on his chin- probably wearing a "Texas" tee-shirt...)

BA's 101-200 Draft List

If you may recall from earlier, Yonder Alonso and Blake Tekotte made Baseball America's top 100 list for the upcoming draft. Two players made BA's next hundred list (subscription only): Pete Andrelczyk (Waynesboro 07) and Collin Cowgill (Covington 05).

Andrelczyk has flown under my radar this year. A junior at Coastal Carolina, he's ranked at #149 by BA. He has pitched quite well out of the bullpen; he's 5-1, 3.38, with 9 saves, a 1.17 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9, and 10.5 K/9 in 42 2/3 innings for Carolina. BA has this to say in his writeup: "His velocity took another jump [from last year], and he's now considered to have a power package on the mound. Tallying better than a strikeout an inning, Andrelczyk works off a low-90s fastball that can touch 95 mph. He also has a hard slider that sits between 83-85 mph with tight rotation and late action that is especially tough on righthanded hitters. He has the best pure stuff on Coastal's team, and he profiles as a reliever in the pros as well. A late bloomer, Andrelcyzk was gaining momentum up draft boards at the end of the season." 

Cowgill, coming in at #194, has a larger profile. He was drafted last year by the Oakland A's but didn't sign, and returned to Kentucky for his junior year. He has hit all year long, as his rate stats are 359/487/687 in 217 at-bats. He has 13 doubles, 18 home runs, a 48/46 BB/K ratio, and has stolen 23 bases for good measure. BA says this: "Cowgill is just 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, but he plays bigger than his size and tools, which aren't lacking. He has a discerning eye and plenty of bat speed, allowing him to wait on and attack vulnerable pitches. He hit 16 homers in 2006 and 18 more during the regular season this year. He's a slightly below-average runner out of the batter's box and a slightly above-average runner under way, yet his instincts allow him to steal bases and track down most balls in center field. He also has a strong arm for the position. Cowgill's demographics aren't ideal—he bats righthanded and throw lefthanded, and he's 22 after losing a year to injury—but his gritty makeup and the results he gets are reminiscent of Reed Johnson."

To see the entire list of 100 players, click the "hundred list" link above, but the article is subscription only!

Luray Roster Available!

The very last Valley League roster is now available!  The Luray Wranglers have their list of players up on their new site.

The Wranglers have a few returners: Jordan Yost, from West Virginia, Donald Jordat, from Miami-Dade Community College, and Austin Markel, from West Virginia (played for Waynesboro last year). Jordat had an excellent season last summer: I named him the #4 reliever in the league.

Two local boys are on the team: Josh Wright, who is from Bridgewater and attends Old Dominion, and Andrew Armstrong, from Harrisonburg, who attends Ohio State.

Mike Bocock is back to manage the team, and Jimmy Hamilton, last seen as a pitching coach for Staunton, will join Randy Smith as an assistant coach.

BA's Top 100 Draft List

The June draft isn't very far away (yay!), so Baseball America has started updating top prospects. In past years, they have covered top prospects in each state, but they haven't started that just yet.

What they DO have, is a list (subscription only) of the top 100 players.

Two former Valley Leaguers show up on this list: Yonder Alonso (Luray 06) and Blake Tekotte (Woodstock 06).

Alonso is no surprise, as he's been listed in the top 15 of mock drafts for quite some time now. BA has him at #12, with the following comment: "Alonso has always hit for average and power, and he is considered one of the most professional hitters in this year's draft. Blessed with superior plate discipline, Alonso has a great strikeout-to-walk ratio and has an advanced approach. He swings lefthanded and has power to all fields, making consistent contact...Alonso's professionalism and makeup are both strengths as well, making him a safe pick to reach the major leagues."  I've seen several major league team blogs mention Alonso as a possible fix for their middle-lineup blues.

Tekotte came in at #85. He's been hitting better and better this year, and Miami is loaded with prospects, so scouts know what he is. BA says: "He has been a spark plug for the Hurricanes all season hitting out of the leadoff spot and could fit the same role as a big leaguer. Hitting from the left side, Tekotte puts pressure on the defense with his above-average speed and ability to put the ball in play. He also steals bases—more than 20 this season—and has shown occasional power this spring...He is an above-average college center fielder, and could be average there in the pros despite his below-average arm strength."

These numbers put Alonso, obviously, in the middle of the first round, and Tekotte in the late 2nd or early 3rd. 

(As long as nothing comes up, I'll be following along on draft day!)

All Haran Does is Hit

Somebody needs to give this guy another shot at organized baseball.

Former New Market Rebel (06) and All Things Valley League interview subject Gerard Haran, signed by the independent Atlantic League Newark Bears after being cut by the St. Louis Cardinals, is showing again that all he does is hit.

Haran, playing at this level for the first time, is hitting 345/406/552 after 10 games and 29 at-bats. While this is a small sample size, Gerard seems to be well on his way to show major league organizations that he can hit wherever he plays.  In a related story, Newark is off to a hot start, leading the Freedom Division with a 16-9 record. 

(Stats are through Thursday, May 22)

Perez Makes Major League Debut!

Add another former Valley Leaguer to the list of Major League players!

The latest success story is Chris Perez, who threw for Staunton back in 2004. For the Braves, he went 2-1, 2.36, with 1 save, a 1.24 WHIP, 4.0 BB/9, and 13.8 K/9. He had a whopping 41 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings!

After his junior year at Miami, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round, 42nd overall, in 2006. He was immediately assigned to Quad City in the Midwest League, where he went 2-0, 2.15, with 12 saves, a 1.33 WHIP, 5.8 BB/9, and 9.8 K/9 in 29 1/3 innings.

In 2007, he split the year between Double-A Springfield and Triple-A Memphis. At Springfield, he went 2-0, 2.43, with 27 saves, a 1.11 WHIP, 6.2 BB/9, and 13.7 K/9 in 40 2/3 innings. He gave up only 17 hits, but gave up 28 walks.

At Memphis, the trend continued. He went 0-1, 4.50, with 9 saves, 1.36 WHIP, 8.4 BB/9, and 9.6 K/9 in 14 innings. He allowed only 6 hits... but walked 13.

Heading into 2008, it was no secret: if Perez could throw strikes, he could eventually be the Cardinal's closer in St. Louis. He was assigned back to Triple-A, and in 18 games, the numbers looked similar: 1-1, 2.04, with 8 saves, 1.19 WHIP, 4.6 BB/9 and 11.2 K/9 in 17 2/3 innings.

Then Jason Isringhausen started to struggle, and ended up punching something out of frustration. Welcome to the DL!  The Cards called up Perez on May 16, and he made his major league debut that night with a shutout inning and 1 strikeout.

So far, through May 23, Chris is 1-0, 0.00, with a 0.27 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9 and 4.9 K/9 in 3 2/3 innings. (Obviously a tiny sample size, but he's off to a good start!)

Congratulations, Chris! 

(To read MiLB.com's article on Chris, click here.)

ATVL Heads to the Big City

I leave this afternoon for a school trip to New York City. (Reminds me of the cowboys sitting around the fire in an old salsa dip commercial years ago- they look at the salsa and notice that it was canned in NYC, and they yell, with disgust, "Neeewww Yawk City?!?!?"  And then do something inappropriate to the cook.  Anyone else remember that one?)

Anyway, I won't return until Friday night. While I'm gone, I will have minimal, if any, time on a computer (keeping track of 17 students in the "big city" will eat up time, I've found). I have a few posts to go up that are not "time-sensitive," so I'll attempt to post those.... but don't be surprised if the site isn't updated a day or two.

I'll be back with a vengeance Friday night, which also happens to be the last night without Valley League baseball for a while!

Alumni in Conference Tournaments

College conference tournaments are finishing up this weekend, as the NCAA will announce the 64-team championship brackets Monday afternoon.

A few Valley League alumni played very well on Friday and Saturday- keep in mind that these are the ones that I either happened upon or were emailed to me, so I'm sure I'm missing a few other VBLers who have played well.  Here are the ones I know of:

Miami is playing in the ACC championship game against Virginia Sunday afternoon after a huge comeback against Georgia Tech on Friday and a 5-2 win over North Carolina State Saturday.  On Friday, Blake Tekotte (Woodstock 06) went 4-5 with his 10th home run, a walk, 3 runs, 3 stolen bases, and an RBI. Yonder Alonso (Luray 06) went 2-5 with 2 home runs (his 20th and 21st of the year) and 4 RBIs. Carlos Gutierrez (Luray 07) received the win, his 4th, for the 'Canes.

Miami upended NC State 5-2 on Saturday to reach the finals behind 7 shutout innings by Enrique Garcia (Winchester 05-06) for his 6th win. Carlos Gutierrez finished the game for his 11th save.

Although Liberty fell short in the Big South Conference tournament to Coastal Carolina, Dustin Umberger (Luray 07) pitched an excellent game Friday evening against Radford. He threw a complete game, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs (earned), and striking out 10. I named Dustin the #1 starter in the Valley League last season.

In a game filled with former Valley Leaguers, Vanderbilt ended South Carolina's run in the SEC Tournament. First of all, Phil Disher (Front Royal 05) blasted his 18th and 19th home runs on the season i nthe losing effort.  Vanderbilt received a 2-run home run from Andrew Giobbi (Haymarket 06), his 3rd, and a save from Russell Brewer (Waynesboro 07), his 7th. Brewer was my #5 starter.

JMU has won the CAA championship for the first time in school history. Steven Caseres (Staunton 07) was named to the All-Tournament team.

Congratulations to all!

Minor League Top Performers for Friday, May 23

For whatever reason, minorleaguebaseball.com has not updated their site with top performers from each game, so this feature is on hold for now.

One of their headlines, though, mentioned the Hickory Crawdads, and Tom Hagan (Covington 04-05) had an excellent game for them: he went 3-3, with 2 doubles, 2 walks, 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs. He played a rather large part of the Crawdad's 12-2 over Columbus.  Tom is hitting 304/360/440 in 125 at-bats.