All Things Valley League

Burton Settling In

ESPN writer Buster Olney headlined former Valley Leaguer Jared Burton (New Market 01) on a Wednesday (subscriber only) in April, as it seems Burton has claimed a regular spot in the Cincinnati Reds' bullpen.

Burton, last seen on this blog here as he was placed on the DL while attempting to make the Reds as a Rule 5 draft pick, went on to have an excellent 2007 season in Cincy. He ended at 4-2, 2.51 in 43 innings, assuring himself a shot at another season in the major leagues. So far this season, he is 1-1, 4.02, but with 22 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings (through May 7).

Why the success at this level? Jared told Olney: "I think it was just a matter of realizing my potential and how good I could be. I realized that the Reds had seen a lot in me and went out to get me, and I got a fresh start in the organization."

Another VBL success story!

Scott Starting off Fast

Austin, one of my faithful readers, sent me a tip about former Valler Leaguer Luke Scott (Staunton 99), who is getting regular playing time in the outfield for the surprising Baltimore Orioles. Austin got a chance to talk to Luke during the Orioles' FanFest on March 31, and Austin was happy to report that Luke has not forgotten his Valley roots, answering, "Yep, and we won it all that year!" when Austin asked Scott if he played in the Valley.

Scott is currently hitting 417/517/667 in 24 at-bats, with 3 doubles and a home run.  Luke came over to Baltimore from Houston in the Miguel Tejada trade.  For a short article on the trade's results so far, click here.

(Picture courtesy of Austin, too)

Timpner Makes Major League Debut!

The cool thing about playing in Triple-A?  One injury, one slump, one phone call away.

Former Valley Leaguer Clay Timpner (Staunton 02) learned that first-hand yesterday, as he was called up to the San Francisco Giants from the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies when Dave Roberts was placed on the disabled list.  Clay played in San Francisco's game Tuesday night, striking out in his first major league at-bat against San Diego's Cla Meredith.  Timpner remained in the game, playing left field.

It's unclear how much playing time Clay will receive; Dan Ortmeier and Rajai Davis will probably get the lion's share of Robert's time. However, he now has major league experience! 

Bocock Raps First Major League Hit

Last night, our latest Valley Leaguer to make the major leagues, Brian Bocock (Luray 04), hit safely for the first time in the Giants' game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a single to center field in the second inning against major league veteran Derek Lowe, who, coincidentally, was pitching in his 500th game.

Brian also drove in a run, sort of, with a bases-loaded walk in the 7th inning. He's now hitting 250/571/250 in his two games of major league experience.

While we're on the topic of Brian, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote a story about "long shots" who made the majors, and Brian is his #4.

Crasnick writes:  "When Omar Vizquel suffered a knee injury early in spring training, the Giants planned to hand over the shortstop position to Kevin Frandsen. Then Frandsen went through a rough stretch defensively and suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Rather than go out and acquire, say, an Alex Cintron, the Giants chose to bridge the gap until Vizquel's return with Bocock. The kid can handle the job defensively, but he has a ways to go before he's even Adam Everett-caliber good at the plate. Last year Bocock hit .220 in the Class A California League, which is known as a hitter's league. "He made every play this spring," said a scout. "With the glove, he's very sound. But that bat is really weak. I may be wrong, but I don't think he'll ever hit."

Well, ok then. You know, right in the middle of our fantasy rotisserie draft last Sunday (a great bunch of guys, I may add), someone made a disparaging comment about a player up for bids, and someone else mentioned that all major league players- every single one of them- is better at baseball than anyone in the room ever was or will be.  I know that columnists can't continually mention that "this player, although he struggles at the plate, is still a better player than I am," but it's a good thing to remember every now and then.

Go Brian!

Brian Bocock Makes Major League Debut!

We always celebrate here at All Things Valley League when a former player from the VBL makes the major leagues- so we're celebrating tonight!

Yesterday afternoon, former Luray Wrangler Brian Bocock (04) started at shortstop for the San Francisco Giants, the end result of a meteoric rise through the Giants' system. Brian was drafted out of Stetson in the 9th round in the 2006 draft. In 2006, Bocock was assigned to Salem-Keizer in the Northwest League, where he hit 223/305/282. He received a late-season promotion to Augusta.

In 2007, he started at Augusta, and he hit very well, going 292/354/379. He was again promoted mid-year, this time to San Jose, in the California League. He finished out 2007 hitting 220/293/328.  A highlight of his year was his opportunity to represent San Francisco in the Futures Game.

Today, Bocock started at shortstop and batted 8th in the lineup against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He had his first plate appearance in the 3rd inning against Brad Penny, and Brian worked a walk. In the 5th, he grounded out to third base, and he walked again in the 8th, only to get picked off by Dodger pitcher Joe Beimel.

Regardless, Brian Bocock will now have a permanent entry in the Baseball Encyclopedia and baseball reference!  Congratulations, Brian!   

The boxscore is here, while the play-by-play is here. 

Koshansky to Get Some Time

The Colorado Rockies are already set at first base with 34-year old Todd Helton. Helton, however, will not travel to away games this spring due to his bad back.

Who will get quite a bit of that time?  Valley League alum Joe Koshansky (Staunton 02-03), that's who.  Joe is coming off a 295/380/490 Triple-A season at Colorado Springs, where he hit 30 doubles, 21 home runs, and drove in 99 runs.

Joe is not a threat to take over Helton's job at this point, but getting more at-bats in front of manager Clint Hurdle this spring could be a very good thing if Helton gets hurt, or if the big league club needs a left-handed bat off the bench during the year.  In the meantime, Koshansky will wait for his next big-league opportunity.

To read the entire article about Koshansky's opportunity this spring on minorleaguebaseball.com, click here.

Rauch Signs New Contract

Former Valley Leaguer Jon Rauch (Harrisonburg) signed a new two-year contract with Washington, according to the Nationals.

The contract is for $3.2 million total, with $1.2 million slated for 2008, and $2 million for 2009. 

Rauch was very effective out of the bullpen in 2007, finishing 8-4, with 4 saves, 3.61 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9, and 7.3 K/9 in 87 1/3 innings.

Click the "Nationals" link to see the entire article.

Adam Everett and David Eckstein Sign

Back in 1996, Adam Everett patrolled shortstop for the Winchester Royals, while David Eckstein played the same position for the Harrisonburg Turks (he also played in the 'Burg in 1995). I wonder if they imagined, sitting on a bus hauling up and down I-81, 12 years ago, that they would eventually be free agents in the major leagues, and sign contracts worth millions.

Both players have signed with new teams this offseason. Everett, basically forced to leave Houston because of Miguel Tejada (steroids or no steroids), has signed with the Minnesota Twins for $2.8 million. Eckstein left St. Louis for Toronto and $4.5 million.  Everett has earned $5.8 million over his career, while Eckstein is up to $13.3 million (salary numbers courtesy of baseball-reference.com). (It should also be noted that Eckstein has two World Series rings, while Everett played in a Series.)

Well, there you go- if current players in the Valley League have ever needed motivation, this would be it...

The Mitchell Report and the Valley League

What do the two have in common?  Not much, thank goodness.

Except that at least one former Valley Leaguer was cited in the report: Mo Vaughn, a former Harrisonburg Turk.  To be fair, it looks like Mo was allegedly using human growth hormone to recover from an ankle injury.

In Friday's News Virginian, reporter Robert Sisk tackled the question of what the reporting of major leaguers on performance-enhancing drugs might do to the youth in the Valley. He spoke with Derek McDaniel, a Waynesboro General assistant coach (he's also a coach at Wilson Memorial High School).

This is part of what Sisk had to say:

With the high pressure of trying to land a major league contract, there is stress on players in the local Valley League to do whatever is necessary to better their stats, said Derek McDaniel, a Waynesboro Generals assistant. College athletes use the summer wooden-bat league to stay in shape over the summer and get noticed by big league scouts.

“I have had one I suspected in all my years in the Valley [League],” said McDaniel, who also coaches baseball and football at Wilson Memorial. “I approached him and he said, ‘No, I’m not taking any.’ I [had] noticed a big improvement in six months and, well, that don’t happen. In high school they are a little different. It’s a lot harder to judge freshman that are 5-10, 105 pounds that go to 190. Is that drugs or … nature [taking its] course?”

Students can be turned on to illegal substances by taking over-the-counter nutritional supplements such as creatine and protein shakes.

“Just like any drug,” McDaniel said, “you start out on this and you want more … I don’t doubt that like an addict or alcoholic, they just start smoking dope, then popping pills, then they have a needle in their arm.”

Well....I have mixed emotions about what Major League Baseball has done. Frankly, the way our society handles things like this, I think it will blow over in a matter of months. (Except maybe Roger Clemens. He's too good, a certain first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, to fade away; just like Barry Bonds.)  Everyone will go back to buying memorabilia and tickets, and talking about how the Phillies are running away with the NL East (hopefully). I think it's admirable that MLB wants to come clean, but many, many of the players mentioned in the report took these drugs when they were not against the rules in baseball (but, admittedly, some were against the law).  Maybe George Mitchell was right: where MLB goes from here is the most important thing.

San Diego Padres Prospects

Last offseason, I went on and on, ad nauseam, about Kevin Kouzmanoff (Winchester 02).  The grand slam, the high ranking on the Padres' Top 10 list, the starting position on my rotisserie team: I had the Crushin' Russian on the brain. (And I finished last in our Rot-ball League, too, in case you're wondering.)  Now, in case you haven't noticed, it's a year later, and Kouz, while finishing the year strong, did not exactly set the world on fire. He finished at 275/329/457, with 30 doubles, 18 home runs, and 74 RBIs, with a home stadium that plays as a pitcher's park. Solid numbers, but not wonderful.

ANYWAY, the Padres' new list is out at Baseball America, and guess who's at the top of the list?  No, not Kouz- his rookie eligibility is long gone. It's Chase Headley.  Now, while Chase isn't a graduate of the Valley League, I still have a connection with him (granted, it's a one-way connection). When Chase was playing in the California League in 2006, he was named to the All-Star team that played against the Carolina League in Salem, Virginia. I went down in a driving rainstorm with Ian and Eliot, in the hopes that the game wouldn't be canceled. The game went on, somehow, and I ended up with a seat right next to.... Chase's girlfriend. And a couple members of his family, too (not all in the same seat!). It was quite interesting to hear stories of how Chase was handling the grind of the minor leagues, and had great hopes for the future.  It certainly seems like the future is now, after his season at Double-A San Antonio!

In Matt Eddy's chat (subscription required), he covers what the Padres might do with Kouz and Headley:

"Q: Lincoln from Austin, TX asks: Do you think Headley pushes Kouz off the 3B spot in San Diego? Or do they trade one of them in the next year or so?

A: Matt Eddy: This is the Padres storyline to watch. Headley doesn't need much more- if any- minor league time. But then, Kouzmanoff overcame a putrid first half (my rotisserie team didn't!) to be a consistent producer for a 89-win team. Because Headley can hit righties and defend better than Kouzmanoff, I think he wins out.  Maybe the Padres let Kouzmanoff build trade value for a few months and then move him. Or maybe they move him to left field in spring training."

For what it's worth, BA lists Kouz as the left fielder in San Diego's projected 2011 lineup. I imagine that many of us will be watching in spring training this year to see what, if anything, the Padres do with the logjam at 3B.