All Things Valley League

#9 Hitter: Cody Gaskill, Winchester

Our #9 hitter, besides having an excellent summer for the Winchester Royals, is special in another way- he's a second baseman. Getting his kind of production out of that defensive position is pretty rare.

At any rate, Cody Gaskill was a critical piece in the Royals' lineup, pounding out a 323/381/522 line in 47 games and 186 at-bats. He scored 33 runs, drove in 41, an hit 10 doubles and 9 home runs. His BB/K ratio was a solid 18/29. He finished 8th in the league in batting average, 7th in slugging percentage, 2nd in RBI, 4th in home runs, and 5th in total bases (with 97). With the struggles of Winchester's pitching staff, the team had to outhit their opponents, and as evidenced with their 29-21 final record, I would say that the bats did what was required.

Cody played at Volunteer State Community College as a sophomore, and hit .360 in 172 at-bats, with 14 doubles, 3 triples, 18 home runs, and 62 RBI. His slugging percentage was a hefty .791. He was rewarded with 2nd team All-TJCAA at second base. At Tennessee Wesleyan as a junior, Cody continued raking. He hit .392 with a .779 slugging percentage in 240 at-bats, with 26 doubles, 2 triples, 21 home runs, 68 runs, 94 RBI, and a 19/25 BB/K ratio. He was named the Appalachian Athletic Conference Player of the Year, to the All-Conference team, and a 2010 NAIA 1st team All-American at second base.

Picture courtesy of Haymarket Joe Photography!

Valley League Record Book: Saves

Almost done with the record book! Here are the closers with the most saves from 2004 to 2010. Take a look:

Saves
1	Chris Dennis	Winchester	2004	15
2	Derrik Lutz	Front Royal	2004	14
3	Brandon Dickson	New Market	2005	13
	Joel Brookens	Front Royal	2007	13
	Jimmy Stanley	Waynesboro	2007	13
	Shawn Griffith	Fauquier	2008	13
7	Bobby Hernandez	Staunton	2007	12
8	Chris Fessler	Harrisonburg	2005	11
9	Ryan Simpson	Woodstock	2007	10
	Tyler Thornburg	Winchester	2008	10
	Ryan George	Front Royal	2009	10
	Brian Burgess	New Market	2009	10

Interesting list (I know- they all are, aren't they?). No one from 2010, and the best from 2009 finish tied for 9th. The best two save seasons were in 2004. Lutz, Hernandez, and Fessler all got a short cup of coffee with a major league organization. Dickson, of course, is on the doorstep of the majors with the Cardinals, and Griffith and Thornburg are still active in pro ball. Stanley pitched in Indy ball last year.

At any rate, 15 saves in a 44-game regular season is a tough feat to top. One last list coming- strikeouts!

Kipnis Named Top AFL Prospect

Finishing up with the last prospect lists from the season, we have Jason Kipnis, the former Covington Lumberjack (06-07), who was assigned to the Arizona Fall League after his amazing run in the playoffs in the Cleveland Indians' minor league system.

Here is what Baseball America's Bill Mitchell had to say about Jason:

No. 10 Jason Kipnis, 2b, Indians

Scouts love this guy. The terms often used to describe the lefthanded-hitting Kipnis are "hard-nosed" and "blue collar." He shows a natural feel for second base in only his first season at the position and even threw in some third base. He's an aggressive contact hitter with gap power and the ability to also drive the ball out of the park. He tied for the AFL lead in doubles with 11 and batted .295/.337/.628. Kipnis, 23, should be ready for a move to Triple-A (where he finished the 2010 season) next year.

Don't be thrown off by the #10 ranking. This list is a cornucipia of top prospects, including Bryce Harper, Dustin Ackley, and Casey Kelly. It's an honor for Jason to make the list, even if it's in the #10 slot!

I will be surprised if Jason doesn't make his major league debut next season.

 

Gailey Named Jays All-Star

Former New Market Rebel Frank Gailey (05-06) has done very well in professional ball since he was drafted in the 23rd round of the 2007 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. In his four years of pro ball, Frank is 18-9, 2.15, with 3 saves, 1.02 WHIP, 1.9 BB/9 and 9.1 K/9 in 230 1/3 innings pitched.

Well, in MiLB.com's rundown of organization all-stars, Gailey made the cut at relief pitcher in John Parker's article. Here's his writeup:

Frank Gailey, Dunedin (45 games): Gailey did not record a single save in 2010 -- he only had one opportunity -- but pitched effectively over 91 2/3 innings for Dunedin, going 6-4 with a 2.55 ERA. The 24-year-old struck out 99 but, more impressively, issued only 10 walks all season. His 9.9 strikeout/walk ratio and 1.0 walks/nine innings mark both led the system by significant margins.

Well done, Frank!

Valley League Record Book: Wins

Next up: most wins since 2004. And they are:

Wins
1	Dustin Umberger	Luray	2007	9
2	Clarence Nicely	Covington	2005	7
	Robert Gilliam	Luray	2007	7
	Jon Dages	Waynesboro	2007	7
	Andy Altemus	Waynesboro	2008	7
	Taylor Sandefur	Waynesboro	2010	7
	Matt Benedict	Haymarket	2010	7
8	13 Tied with 6

Fascinating to me how six of these seven pitchers threw for excellent teams. In 2007, Luray went 26-18; Covington went 27-15 in 2005; Waynesboro went 30-13-1 in 2007 and 30-14 in 2008, and ; and Haymarket went 33-16. The only exception is Taylor Sandefur, who threw for the 23-24 Waynesboro Generals of 2010.

This seems pretty close to an unbreakable record to me; I can't see how anyone can win nine games over one summer.

#10 Hitter: James Roche, Front Royal

Yes, it's that time again, Brilliant Readers. I'm getting a bit of a late start, but it's now time for ATVL to begin the process of running down the top 10 hitters, starting pitchers, and relievers in this space.

As always, please remember that these are the rankings of one person, without long-term ability as a factor. These are, in my opinion, the top ten hitters in the Valley League in 2010, based on their statistical output.

That said, let's get to it. Our #10 hitter is James Roche, the Front Royal outfielder, and a senior at Bentley. James put up a hefty OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging) at the Bing this year, finishing at 294/408/518 in 197 at-bats, for a 926 OPS. He scored 41 runs, hit 18 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs, and drove in 32 runs. He ended up with a 30/56 BB/K ratio. He finished second in the league in runs, 8th in hits, 3rd in total bases (102), 2nd in doubles, and 5th in home runs.

James also played in Front Royal in 2009, when he put up 296/377/556 numbers in 42 games and 132 at-bats. He added 8 doubles, 9 home runs, 27 runs, 31 RBI, a 15/51 BB/K ratio, and added 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts.

At Bentley, James has hit over .300 in all three of his college seasons. His totals are impressive: in 141 games and 561 career at-bats, he's hit 324/393/535, with 96 runs, 109 RBI, 27 doubles, 8 triples, 25 home runs, a 61/120 BB/K ratio, and 25 stolen bases in 31 attempts.

Roche, along with Sean Jamieson, Will Walsh, and Matt Holland, were important bats for the Cardinals, as they advanced to the finals against Luray.

Well done, James!

James ready to hit in the home run derby

Bortnick Named Rays All-Star

Nearing the end of the MiLB.com organization all-stars, today we have the Tampa Bay Rays. (The site is posting the reports in alphabetical order.) Tyler Bortnick (Front Royal 06) made the list at second base. Here is Josh Jackson's writeup:

Second base -- Tyler Bortnick, Bowling Green (113 games), Charlotte (12 games): Bortnick, a 16th-rounder out of the 2009 Draft, enjoyed a solid first full season. He hit .295 with a .400 on-base percentage and a .445 slugging percentage while stealing 41 bases across Class A and Class A Advanced ball. His theft total ties him for second among Rays Minor Leaguers.

The 23-year-old Mentor, Ohio native spent the vast majority of the season at second base, but he also filled in at shortstop and DH.

Congrats, Tyler!

Valley League Record Book: ERA

Turning our attention towards the pitching, today we'll look at the best ERAs since 2004.

ERA
1	Drew Rucinski	Luray	2008	1.13
2	Ben Wade	Covington	2005	1.17
3	Robert Gilliam	Luray	2007	1.26
	Lance Baxter	Staunton	2008	1.26
5	Dustin Umberger	Luray	2007	1.29
6	Adam Liberatore	Waynesboro	2008	1.36
7	Jon Dages	Waynesboro	2006	1.60
8	Greg Nappo	Haymarket	2010	1.64
9	Dusty Davis	Luray	2006	1.65
10	Paul Burnside	Winchester	2006	1.70
	Alex Wimmers	Luray	2008	1.70

Dominated by Luray! The Wranglers have placed five players on the 11-man list. Waynesboro has two, and Covington, Staunton, Haymarket, and Winchester each have one. Gilliam, Baxter, Liberatore, Burnside, and Wimmers are all  currently in the minor leagues. (Wimmers, of course, was a first round draft pick in 2010!) Rucinski and Nappo will probably be drafted in 2011, and Wade, Dages, and Davis did not play pro ball.

Anyone still wondering why Luray has had such a dominant run in the Valley League over the past few years?

Update on 2009 Draft Class

Even though it's a little early to pass any kind of judgement on the last two draft classes, we are nothing if not thorough here at ATVL. So, let's take a look at the 2009 draft class.

To see the entire register of the 58 players drafted, click Download 2010 Statistics Players from 2009 Draft.

The Numbers

A total of 58 players were drafted or signed into organized baseball in 2009; 30 hitters and 28 pitchers. Only seven were released after one year, not counting Riley Cooper (New Market 08, Haymarket 09), who has not begun his baseball career yet, but who is catching passes from Michael Vick for the Philadelphia Eagles.

No one has played in the major leagues yet.

Best 2010 Seasons

Pro Player List Available

Just in case you, dear reader, thought I was slacking off the past week or so, here is a link to my list of players who are still active in organized baseball. (This list does not include players in Independent ball, or any overseas (hello Gary Kahn!).)

If you care to take a gander: Download Pro players 2011 VERSION. (It's an excel file. Excel and I get along quite well these days.)