All Things Valley League

Richardson Sells the Bandits

In the second change of ownership in the Valley League in two years, Stu Richardson, the founder of the Woodstock River Bandits, has sold the team to Jim Yates.

Yates, who lives in Rappahannock County, will have Richardson as a consultant for the upcoming season. In another change, Jerry Walters will relinquish the general manager duties of the team to Robert "Porky" Bowman.

In a Tommy Keeler article in the Northern Virginia Daily, Richardson said, "It's been great. I like to think we took the franchise and made it into one of the better ones in the league. I really hope the town stays on board with the team and it keeps on going. New Market just celebrated their 40th year as a franchise and it would be great if Woodstock would one day be able to do the same. I think having a Valley League team is great for the community. Every small town would love to have a franchise like this."

Welcome to the league, Mr. Yates, and thank you for all you've done, Mr. Richardson!

To see the entire article, click here.

Haran for MVP!

ATVL favorite Gerard Haran (New Market 06), a former interview subject of this site, is on the short list of MVP candidates for the Lancaster Barnstormers, an independent team in the Atlantic League.

After graduation from the College of New Jersey in 2007, Gerard signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, but was released after only 12 games.  He finished the year with St. George of the Golden League. In 2008, Gerard played for Washington in the Frontier League, and later with Newark of the Atlantic League.

This season, Gerard was released by Newark early on in the season, but was picked up by the Barnstormers, and it sure seems like he's found a home. On the season, he's hitting 288/370/481 in 71 games and 243 at-bats. He's hit 14 doubles, 11 home runs, and has a 27/37 BB/K ratio. His profile mentions that he's hit some of the longer home runs for the team this year.

All this to say that Lancaster has Gerard listed as one of five nominees for team MVP. They are allowing fans to vote, so let's go, people- time to vote for a Valley League alum. Go to this website, and vote for Gerard!

Masters is Dealing

Christopher Masters is not only the Atlanta Braves' 11th round draft pick in the 2009 draft, not only a former New Market Rebel (07), not only the Dodges' former summer son, but he's also tearing up the rookie Appalachian League for the Danville Braves! (Whoa- feeling a mite bit strange right now.)

Anyway, Masters has completely dominated the Appy league to the tune of 7-4, 1.53, with a 0.87 WHIP, 1.1 BB/9, and 10.7 K/9 in 64 2/3 innings. Opposing batters have hit .202 against him. In his last 33 innings, he's allowed 19 hits, 5 walks, 1 earned run, and struck out 38. I would say that he has little left to prove at this level.

Well done, Christopher!

Wood Goes Deep Twice

Former Harrisonburg Turk Ryan Wood (08 07) hit his first professional home run Tuesday night, and then followed it with another.

Wood, the 11th round pick of the Kansas City Royals this June, is playing for the Burlington Bees in the Midwest League. He started the year in Burlington of the Appalachian League. Weird.

Anyway, he's hitting 205/321/307 in 51 games and 166 at-bats so far this season. His last ten games, however, have been much better, as he's hitting .342 over that span. His splits, I've noticed, are pretty interesting. At home, Ryan is hitting 406/486/750, while he's only hitting 119/240/167 on the road. He's hitting about the same against lefties and righties.

Of course, we're dealing with small sample sizes here.

Congrats on the power, Ryan!

(Thanks to Teresa for the heads-up!)

Here's a Phillies Thought

**The timing here, with a monstrous Lidge blown save last night, might be a little off, but the sentiment remains...**

I stopped by Ted's yesterday, and he said something that I've been thinking about ever since: this might be the best time to be a Phillies fan ever.

Ever.

He went on to explain that the Phils are coming off a World Series championship, leading the NL East by 7 games, and building a strong minor league system.

Let's look at a few of the high points over history, shall we?

Phils went to the series in 1950 (swept by the Yankees). Even though the '50 Whiz Kids were just that- young- they sank right back to 73-81 and 5th place in 1951. (Geez- Robin Roberts was just 23 years old in 1950, and Curt Simmons 21! Richie Ashburn was 23, and Del Ennis was 25...) The team would not finish higher than 3rd place until 1964 (eek!). The Phils would not play again in the playoffs until 1976.

Thirty years later: 1980 World Series Championship against the Kansas City Royals, finished with 91-71 record. The team competed in the strike year of 1981, winning the first half with a 34-21 record. They fell apart in the second half, however, going just 25-27, and then losing to the Montreal Expos in the Divisional Series.

1983: A World Series loss to the Baltimore Orioles (4-1). The Wheez Kids were the anomaly of anomalies, with Pete Rose at 42, Steve Carlton 38, and only one regular (Von Hayes) under the age of 30. An old, old team that would fall back to 81-81 in 1984, and start a string of nine years of futility. (Seven years under .500, over 90 losses three times.)

1993: A World Series loss to the Toronto Blue Jays (4-2; darn that Joe Carter!). This team also came out of nowhere, finishing with a 97-65 record. They right away fell back to 54-61 in 1994 (another cursed strike year), and seven straight losing records. It has been suggested that most of the '93 team was on some major performance enhancers with all the career years (Daulton, Hollins, Dykstra, Jackson, for example).

Then 2008! World Series championship, now 72-51 record the following year. The team just traded for a Cy Young winner, while keeping the team's three best prospects (Taylor, Brown, and Drabek), and JA Happ.

Why was the development of the minor league players so bad for so long? Let's look at those drafts, starting in 1980. Following is the team's top pick listed first, and then any major league contributors after that.

1980: Lebo Powell. Steve Jeltz (9th), Darren Daulton (25th).
1981: Johnny Abrego. Charles Hudson (12th).
1982: John Russell. Lance McCullers (2nd- traded for Sixto Lezcano), Mike Maddux (5th).
1983: Ricky Jordan. Mike Jackson (29th).
1984: Pete Smith. Marvin Freeman (2nd), Todd Frohwirth (13th), Bob Scanlan (25th).
1985: Trey McCall. Bruce Ruffin (2nd), Wally Ritchie (4th), Jason Grimsley (10th).
1986: Brad Brink. Chuck McElroy (8th), Chuck Knoblauch (18th- didn't sign).
1987: Matt Rambo- 2nd round. (Lost first pick for signing Lance Parrish.) Kim Batiste (3rd), Toby Borland (27th)
1988: Pat Combs. Mickey Morandini (5th).
1989: Jeff Jackson (!!). No one else- a completely lost draft.
1990: Mike Leiberthal. No one else.
1991: Tyler Green. Kevin Stocker (2nd).
1992: Chad McConnell. Casey Blake (11th- didn't sign)
1993: Wayne Gomes. Scott Rolen (2nd).
1994: Carlton Loewer. Matt Beech (7th), Wendell Magee (12th).
1995: Reggie Taylor. Marlon Anderson (2nd), Ricky Williams (8th- too bad this isn't football!).

Just look at the above list. This is a pitiful, pitiful draft record. Scott Rolen is the only all-star type player drafted, with Mike Leiberthal and Kevin Stocker the only other regulars. Now, things start to turn:

1996: Adam Eaton. Jimmy Rollins (2nd). (Got lucky with a high school shortstop from California)
1997: JD Drew (didn't sign). Randy Wolf (2nd), Derrick Turnbow (5th), Johnny Estrada (17th).
1998: Pat Burrell. Eric Valent (1st supplemental), Jason Michaels (4th), Ryan Madson (9th), Geoff Geary (15th), Nick Punto (21st)
1999: Brett Myers. Joe Saunders (5th- didn't sign), Marlon Byrd (10th).
2000: Chase Utley. Taylor Buchholz (6th).
2001: Gavin Floyd. Ryan Howard (5th).
2002: Cole Hamels. Scott Mathieson (17th).
2003: No 1st pick (signed Jim Thome), no 2nd pick (signed David Bell). Tim Moss. Michael Bourn (4th), (Kyle Kendrick (7th).
2004: Greg Golson. JA Happ (3rd), Lou Marson (4th).
2005: Mike Constanzo (2nd- no first round pick). Matt Maloney (3rd), Josh Outman (10th).
2006: Kyle Drabek. Adrian Cardenas (1st supplemental), Jason Donald (4th), Dominic Brown (20th).
2007: Joe Savery. Michael Taylor (5th).
2008: Anthony Hewitt. Jason Knapp (2nd).
2009: Kelly Dugan (2nd- no first round pick).

Not great drafts, even with the bolded members of the 2008 World (F) Champions- just enough big scores to hit Utley, Myers, Burrell, Hamels, Rollins, and Howard.

Back to the original thought: yes, I believe that this is the best time ever to be a Phillies fan. The team is leading the division, and still has Drabek, Brown, and Taylor in the wings. From 1883 to the present- this is the time. Now, of course, the team may not play in the World Series this year, but we (we Phillies fans, I mean) need to enjoy this while it lasts!

Kipnis Keeps Right on Hitting

If you've paid attention to this site in the past two years, you know that Jason Kipnis (Covington 06-07) can hit. He was, according to ATVL, the best hitter in the league in 2007. He went on, as a transfer to Arizona State, to be named a first team All-American.

We saw it first in the Valley, as he almost single-handedly drove the Lumberjacks into the playoffs in '07.

Jason was a 2nd round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians back in June, and he has signed and begun his pro career at Mahoning Valley in the New York-Penn League. In what should be no surprise to anyone, he's also hitting against pro pitching. In fact, he's hitting 344/397/563 in 16 games and 63 at-bats. Small sample size, sure, but the guy can hit.

This is what Kevin Goldstein over at Baseball Prospectus.com had to say about Jason:

I'm not going to couch things here, I'm a big Kipnis fan, and I think the Indians got a great pick when he fell a bit later than expected to the 63^rd overall pick in June. He's not a human toolshed as much as he's a solid-across-the-board type, and by going 5-for-12 over the weekend with three doubles and four RBI, he's now batting a healthy .345/.403/.586 in his first 15 professional games.

I would be surprised if any other 2009 draft pick from the Valley makes it to the majors before Jason does.

Tatum Makes MLB Debut!

The 2009 major league baseball season has not been quite the success that 2008 was, at least in terms of former Valley Leaguers making their major league debuts. Last season, over 10 players made the majors, while only 4 have made it this year.

Three of those four have been celebrated in these pages: Jack Egbert, Hunter Jones, and Brad Mills.

The fourth? Craig Tatum (Covington 02).

By my count the second Covington Lumberjack to make the majors, Tatum was a 3rd round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds back in 2004. He culminated his slow, steady climb up the ladder with a call-up on July 21st. In the ensuing month, Tatum has hit 105/227/132 in 14 games and 38 at-bats.

He was hitting 239/300/338 in 64 games and 213 at-bats for the Triple-A Louisville Bats before his call-up.

Congratulations, Craig!

A Couple Players of the Week

Returning to study alumni in the minor leagues, I stumbled upon two former players named players of the week in their leagues. The information is a bit old (for the week ending August 2), but they were still honored:

Rebel Ridling (Covington 06, and pictured left) was named the Midwest League player of the week. Drafted by the Cubs in 2008, Rebel hit .556 for thew week, including two 4-hit games. Over the season at Peoria (through 8/21), Rebel is hitting 299/349/464 in 472 at-bats, with 31 doubles, 15 home runs, and 89 RBI.

In the same week, Joey Butler (New Market 06) was named the California League player of the week after going 17-26, including seven multi-hit games. A Texas Rangers minor league player, Joey is now hitting 283/352/416 in 459 at-bats, with 29 doubles, 10 home runs, and 63 RBI.

Congratulations to both!

Final Draft Update

The signing deadline has come and gone, so I can do a final count of drafted Valley league alumni. Here's the list, with signed players in bold, and singing bonuses where known:

2: 63: Jason Kipnis, Arizona State (Covington 06-07), Cleveland Indians ($575,000)
3: 85: Tyler Townsend, Florida International (Winchester 08), Baltimore Orioles ($417,600)
5: 146: Ashur Tolliver, Oklahoma City (Harrisonburg 07), Baltimore Orioles ($200,000)
5: 151: Joseph Sanders, Auburn (Winchester 07), Colorado Rockies ($168,300)
5: 160: Ryan Schimpf, LSU (Luray 08), Toronto Blue Jays ($155,700)
8: 243: Robert Gilliam, UNC Greensboro (Luray 07), Oakland A's ($105,000)
10: 296: Jacob Cowan, San Jacinto (Waynesboro 07), Baltimore ($175,000)
11: 328: Christopher Masters, Western Carolina (New Market 07), Atlanta Braves
11: 332: Ryan Wood, East Carolina (Harrisonburg 07), Kansas City Royals
11: 349: Alex Koronis, Tampa (Luray 08), Tampa Bay
12: 356: Steven Bumbry, Virginia Tech (Woodstock 09), Baltimore Orioles
13: 411: Jeremy Cruz, Stetson (Luray 07-08), Los Angeles Angels
14: 426: Brent Greer, Western Carolina (Fauquier 07), Arizona Diamondbacks
16: 487: Michael Pericht, St. Joseph's (Harrisonburg 07-08), LA Dodgers
16: 499: Tyler Bortnick, Coastal Carolina (Front Royal 06), Tampa Bay
19: 563: Eric Thomas, Bethune-Cookman (Harrisonburg 08), Seattle
19: 586: Scott Krieger, George Mason (Haymarket 08), Milwaukee
19: 589: Scott Shuman, Auburn (Winchester 07), Tampa Bay
22: 660: Matt Mansilla, Charleston (Woodstock 07), Detroit Tigers
22: 662: Ryan Dennick, Tennessee Tech (Fauquier 08), Kansas City
22: 680: DJ Fitzgerald, Dyersburg State (Woodstock 08), Chicago Cubs
23: 686: Michael Mooney, Florida (New Market 08), Baltimore Orioles
23: 697: Jimmy Marshall, Florida State (Harrisonburg 06), LA Dodgers
23: 708: Chris Court, Stephen Austin (Covington 08), Boston Red Sox
24: 714: Bo Davis, Southern Mississippi (Covington 05-06), San Diego Padres
24: 731: Mike Modica, George Mason (Haymarket 07), Houston Astros
25: 744: Ty Wright, Georgia Southern (Woodstock 08), San Diego Padres
25: 754: Riley Cooper, Florida (New Market 08), Texas Rangers ($250,000)
25: 759: Josh Squatrito, Towson (Staunton 08), St.Louis Cardinals
25: 761: Nick Stanley, Florida Southern (New Market 07-08), Houston Astros
26: 773: Chris Sorce, Troy (Harrisonburg 09), Seattle Mariners
28: 847: Bobby Hernandez, Barry (Staunton 07), LA Dodgers
29: 868: Bobby Rauh, Daytona Beach CC (Winchester 09), Atlanta Braves
30: 908: Harold Brantley, Connecticut (New Market 07), Florida Marlins
30: 916: Brandon Sizemore, Charleston (Waynesboro 06-07-08), Milwaukee Brewers
31: 923: Clint Dempster: Mississippi Gulf Coast JC: (Harrisonburg 09): Seattle Mariners
31: 941: Travis Smink: VMI (Front Royal 06, Luray 08): Houston Astros
33: 985: Pat Irvine: Elon (Waynesboro 07): Seattle Mariners
34: 1020: Derek Kline: Millersville (New Market 08): Detroit Tigers
34: 1039: Kyle Spraker: Loyola Marymount (Harrisonburg 06): Tampa Bay Rays
35: 1044: Adalberto Santos: Oregon State (Woodstock 08): San Diego Padres
35: 1047: Brandon Graves: Valdosta State (Haymarket 07): San Francisco Giants
35: 1063: Danny Wiltz: Tennessee (Waynesboro 08): Chicago White Sox
36: 1073: John Housey: Miami (Woodstock 07-08): Seattle Mariners
37: 1120: Shawn Griffith: George Mason (Fauquier 08): Toronto Blue Jays
37: 1122: David Gutierrez: Miami (Luray 07): Minnesota Twins
38: 1145: Robert Sabo: Kent State (Waynesboro 09): Cleveland Indians
39: 1163: Greg Waddell: Florida International (Woodstock 08): Seattle Mariners
39: 1183: Paul Burnside: Auburn (Winchester 06): Chicago White Sox
41: 1244: Travis Ozga: Florida Atlantic (Front Royal 07): New York Mets
42: 1279: Bennett Davis: Elon (Front Royal 07-08): Tampa Bay Rays
43: 1284: Chadd Hartman: Central Florida (New Market 07): San Diego Padres
43: 1289: Ricky Bowen: Mississippi State (Covington 06): Cincinnati Reds
44: 1323: AJ Huttenlocker: Missouri Western State (Luray 06): Oakland A's
47: 1424: Ryan Mollica: Florida International (Luray 06-07): New York Mets
48: 1438: Jamie Hayes: Rider (Staunton 07): Atlanta Braves
48: 1441: Clint McKinney: Clemson (Luray 07): Colorado Rockies

Signed as Free Agents

Austin Markel: West Virginia (Waynesboro 07, Luray 08): Florida Marlins
Nolan Cain: LSU (Luray 06-07): Detroit Tigers
Paul Heidler: Longwood (Haymarket 08): New York Yankees
Gerard Hall: Old Dominion (Luray 07): Kansas City Royals

So I've got a final count of 57 drafted, 52 signed, and 4 undrafted players signed as free agents. I may have missed a few, though, so if anyone out there knows of more, please leave a comment for me!

Some News

My self-imposed hiatus is over, so let's get to the offseason, shall we? First of all, I've spent some time over the past couple days preparing my top lists of hitters, starters, and relievers, and I will begin those lists soon.

First, though, we have some news we have to get out of the way: I have left the ownership group of the Waynesboro Generals.

The first question that is asked in these situations is why? Let me be very, very clear about this. I am leaving the Generals because of my family. It sounds like a cliche, or at least a cop-out, but it is not. It is the truth. My daughters are nine years old (well, Anisa turns 10 today), and while they enjoyed some of the experience, they missed me, especially at bedtime, when they need that last hug and prayer from Dad. Those who know me well understand what my family means to me: it means, well, everything. I look at parenting as one shot to do the best possible job to give your children what they need to become highly functioning, well-adjusted, happy adults. I will not shirk that responsibility.

I am leaving the team on very good terms with Jerry, Chris, Crystal, and all the others down in the 'Boro. I am not running from anything besides the huge time commitment that the job entailed. Is that clear? Good.

Now, on to something fun: what did I learn this summer?

1. Jerry Carter is an amazing guy. I met no one else over the summer that combines two qualities- being a people-person and thinking about the betterment of the league- than Jerry does. Jerry has a way of making everyone feel heard and important- and trust me, as a teacher in the people business, this isn't easy. I watched him one night, harried from trying to get things done right before the game, stop because a kid wanted to ask him a question. Jerry, in a hurry, totally stopped what he was doing and listened to a child for a few minutes. Did what the kid say matter? Maybe, maybe not- but Jerry took the time to make it matter.

He also thinks- constantly- about how to make the Valley League better. This vision, in my opinion, is a critical piece as the league moves forward. Jerry is not only concerned about the Waynesboro Generals, but the Staunton Braves, and the Haymarket Senators, and the Fauquier Gators, and all the others. He wants this league to be a close second to the Cape Cod League.

2. Running a baseball team takes an incredible amount of coordination and people, but once those people are in place, good things can, and will, happen. The folks down in Waynesboro did a great job this season with their team. The team didn't win as much on the field as desired, but off the field, the season was a success. Chris and Crystal, Brian, Beth, Scott, Keith, Nat, Bill, Webber, Richard, Chuckie, Mike, Benji, and of course, the Carter family- Jerry, Linda, Sabrena, Josh, Becca, Chris, and even Charlie and Jane- did a wonderful job with this team. Mistakes were made, sure, but I wouldn't bet on those mistakes being made a second time.

3. Every fan of the Valley League should take some time to thank the folks running their hometown team. The Valley League is something special- high-quality baseball played with players from all over the country, in your small town in Virginia. The Valley League is a jewel, and too few of us are thankful about what we have. Take some time- right now!- to thank the folks running your team.

4. My daughters absolutely adore the funzone in Waynesboro. They also love the food, chasing foul balls, and every now and then, getting an autograph. Don't worry- we'll still be coming to games next season.

5. I also learned that I enjoy broadcasting baseball games. If I were a little younger, maybe I would go back to school.... ah, never mind. Hanging out with Chris down the left field line and chatting was a blast. I feel like we fell into a rhythm in most games and did a very good job describing the action. (And Chris eats a hot dog faster than anyone I've ever seen!)

This all started with a sit-down with Jerry Carter back in November, when he offered me a chance to come along for the ride. Even though I'm hopping off the wagon at this point, I'll still be doing my little blog, and watching from afar. And maybe showing up at Kate Collins every now and then, hopefully with daughters in tow. Jerry, a million thanks for allowing me the opportunity to join you for this little while. I believe that it won't be long before Waynesboro's organization is run as well, if not better, than every team in this league. Waynesboro, your team is in good hands.

Sincerely,

JLL