All Things Valley League

Rounds 1-15, 2012 MLB Draft

So, I was teaching my little 9th grade Rosslynites a few weeks ago when the warm up question was "What are you looking forward to?" "Summer" was not an acceptable answer. We went around the room, each student mentioning something like going to the states for a trip, or going to Mombasa, and things of that ilk. 

They then turned the question on me- what are YOU looking forward to, Mr. Leonard? The answer that leapt to mind was the MLB draft. (My class sat, staring, with no idea what I was talking about. Kids in East Africa don't typically know much about baseball.)

If you're reading this blog, though, you know why I would love the draft- it's when I find out which former Valley Leaguers will have the opportunity to play professional baseball, which then means that I will follow the rest of their careers, celebrating when they are named to a prospect list, or when they eventually play in the major leagues (free Clint Robinson!!!).

Well, the draft began on Monday, June 4, with the first and first supplemental (sandwich?) rounds. Rounds 2-15 were held on Tuesday, June 5, with the remaining rounds (16-40) to be held today, June 6. 

So here, without further ado, are the former Valley League players who were drafted in the first 15 rounds. (And by the way, I have NOT checked the 2012 rosters yet, so I may be missing one or two, or even more. If you know any more, dear reader, please let me know in the comments.

2012 Drafted Players

Round, Pick, Name, College, VL Team, ML Team

 3  115 Johnathan (Mac) Williamson, Wake Forest (Harrisonburg 2011)- San Francisco Giants 

5  168 Matt Wessinger, St. John's (Fauquier 2009)- Colorado Rockies 

6  205 Eric Phillips, Georgia Southern (Luray 2010-11)- Toronto Blue Jays 

6  207 Eric Stamets, Evansville (Haymarket 2010)- Los Angeles Angels 

8  267 Austin Adams, South Florida (Staunton 2011)- Los Angeles Angels 

8  271 Nathan Minnich, Shepherd (Winchester 2010-11)- Boston Red Sox 

9  290 Richie Rodriguez, Eastern Kentucky (Covington 2009-11)- New York Mets

10  330 Jacob Wilson, Memphis (Luray 2009)- St. Louis Cardinals

10  337 Matt Snyder, Mississippi (Haymarket, Winchester 2011)- New York Yankees

12  394 Julio Felix, Pima CC (Harrisonburg 2011)- Detroit Tigers

13  399 Brian Holmes, Wake Forest (Harrisonburg 2010)- Houston Astros

13  409 Stuart Pudenz, Dallas Baptist (Front Royal 2011)- Oakland A's

14  447 Sherman Johnson, Florida State (Covington 2009-10)- Los Angeles Angels

14  450 Anthony Melchionda, Boston College (Rockbridge 2009)- St. Louis Cardinals

15  469 Vincent Voiro, Penn (Woodstock 2010-11)- Oakland A's

 

2011 Draft List

Ready for another list? Here is the list of players drafted from the Valley League. Please let me know about the ones I've missed! (Especially the free agent signees) *Updated December 21

2011 Drafted Players

Round, Pick, Name, College, VL Team, ML Team

 1   10 Cory Spangenberg, Indian Valley CC (Winchester 2010)- San Diego Padres ($1,863,000)
 3  117 Corey Williams, Vanderbilt (Winchester 09)- Minnesota Twins
 5  162 Jack Leathersich, UMass-Lowell (Haymarket 09)- New York Mets
 6  187 Taylor Hill, Vanderbilt (Winchester 08)- Washington Nationals
 6  205 Sean Buckley, St.Petersburg JC (Staunton 09-10)- Cincinnati Reds
 6  206 Mark Lamm, Vanderbilt (Waynesboro 10)- Atlanta Braves
 8  266 Tom LaStella, Coastal Carolina (Haymarket 09)- Atlanta Braves
10  315 Drew Martinez, Memphis (Luray 09)- Los Angeles Angels
10  323 Rob Kral, College of Charleston (Waynesboro 09)- San Diego Padres
10  324 Joe Maloney, Limestone (New Market 10)- Texas Rangers
11  345 Garrett Baker, Liberty (New Market 09)- Los Angeles Angels
11  353 Casey McElroy, Auburn (Waynesboro 09)- San Diego Padres
12  386 Matt Chaffee, Arizona (HArrisonburg 08)- Atlanta Braves
14  424 Cody Weiss, LaSalle (Luray 10)- Seattle Mariners
14  426 Nick Rickels, Stetson (Luray 10)- Oakland A's
15  461 Andrew Moye, Georgia Southern (Luray 09)- Milwaukee Brewers
15  471 David Herbek, JMU (Haymarket 08)- Chicago White Sox
15  479 Tyler Molinaro, Pitt CC (Rockbridge 11)- New York Yankees
16  506 AJ Holland, St.Joseph's (Rockbridge 10)- Atlanta Braves
17  526 Sean Jamieson, Canisus (Front Royal 10)- Oakland A's
18  553 Greg Nappo, Connecticut (Haymarket 10)- Florida Marlins
18  558 Ben Alsup, LSU (Luray 09, Staunton 10)- Colorado Rockies
19  575 Dustin Ward, Central Arkansas (Winchester 10)- Baltimore Orioles
19  599 Ben Paullus, Memphis (Woodstock 10)- New York Yankees
20  616 Kurt Wunderlich, Michigan State (Harrisonburg 10)- Oakland A's
20  623 Chris Haney, Dallas Baptist (Luray 08)- San Diego Padres
21  634 John Griffin, Central Florida (Luray 10)- Arizona Diamondbacks
22  676 Rhett Stafford, Marshall (Waynesboro 09)- Oakland A's
22  690 Brad Hendrix, Auburn (Winchester 08)- Tampa Bay Rays
22  691 Matt Holland, Texas A&M, Corpus Christi (Front Royal 10)- Philadelphia Phillies
23  700 Ruben Sosa, Oklahoma City (Harrisonburg 10)- Houston Astros
23  709 K'Shawn Smith, Indian River State JC (Winchester 11)- Toronto Blue Jays
24  733 Tony Caldwell, Auburn (Waynesboro 09)- Florida Marlins
24  742 Drew Turocy, Akron (Waynesboro 10)- Boston Red Sox
25  757 Erick Fernandez, Georgetown (Woodstock 10)- Washington Nationals
25  766 Chad Oberacker, Tennessee Tech (Fauquier 09)- Oakland A's
25  771 Chris Devenski, Cal State Fullerton (Woodstock 11)- Chicago White Sox
25  796 Sam Roberts, VMI (Rockbridge 09)- Oakland A's
26  801 Grant Buckner, West Virginia (Waynesboro 07-08)- Chicago White Sox
26  810 Raymond Church, Florida Atlantic (Winchester 10)- Tampa Bay Rays
27  817 Bobby Lucas, George Washington (Staunton 08)- Washington Nationals
28  857 Guido Knudson, UC San Diego (Woodstock 09)- Detroit Tigers
29  886 Nate Eppley, Rider (Staunton 09)- Oakland A's
29  900 Jonathan Koscso, South Florida (Woodstock 09)- Tampa Bay Rays
30  902 Matt Benedict, Western Carolina (Haymarket 09-10)- Pittsburgh Pirates
30  910 Jordan Steranka, Penn State (Winchester 09)- HOuston Astros
30  914 Adam McConnell, Richmond (Rockbridge 09)- Los Angeles Dodgers
30  931 Mike Marshall, Lubbock Christian (Woodstock 08)- Philadelphia Phillies
32  975 John Leonard, Boston College (Winchester 08)- Los Angeles Angels
32  976 Drew Granier, Louisiana-Monroe (Harrisonburg 09-10)- Oakland A's
33  993 Jeremy Dobbs, Austin Peay (Waynesboro 09)- Seattle Mariners
33  997 Trey Karlen, Tennessee-Martin (New Market 10)- Washington Nationals
35 1059 Ian Dickson, Lafayette (Rockbridge 10)- Chicago Cubs
36 1084 Bryan Henry, Keystone (Rockbridge 10)- Arizona Diamondbacks
36 1091 Mitch Connor, Elon (Luray 10)- Milwaukee Brewers
36 1095 Brandon Brewer, West Florida (Front Royal 09)- Los Angeles Angels
37 1116 Matt Wessinger, St.John's (Fauquier 09)- Kansas City Royals
38 1151 Chad Pierce, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Fauquier 08-09)- Milwaukee Brewers
38 1165 Daniel Bowman, Coastal Carolina (Luray 09)- Cincinnati Reds
41 1245 Brandon McNelis, Northeastern (Staunton 10)- Los Angeles Angels
42 1263 David Villasuso, Miami (Luray 10)- Seattle Mariners
42 1269 Brad Zapenas, Boston College (Winchester 09)- Chicago White Sox
43 1305 Kyle Mahoney, High Point (Staunton 09)- Los Angeles Angels
44 1327 Matt Snyder, Mississippi (Haymarket 11)- Washington Nationals
44 1330 Blake Ford, Lamar (Front Royal 10)- Houston Astros
46 1388 Robert Nixon, Adelphi (Front Royal 09)- Cleveland Indians
47 1415 Devan Conley, New Mexico JC (Woodstock 10)- Baltimore Orioles
47 1433 Vincent Voiro, Penn (Woodstock 10)- San Diego Padres
48 1451 Mike Francisco, Villanova (Front Royal 08)- Milwaukee Brewers
48 1455 Rick Pacione, Marist (Fauquier 09)- Los Angeles Angels
49 1495 Eric Alessio, Marist (Fauquier 08, New Market 09)- Cincinnati Reds

Free Agent Signings

Tucker Jensen, Embry-Riddle (Luray 10)- Toronto Blue Jays
George Carroll, NY Tech (New Market 09)- Toronto Blue Jays
Brian Edelen, Western Kentucky (New Market 10)- Kansas City Royals
Ryan Durrence, Bethune-Cookman (Covington 09)- Chicago Cubs
Zach Maxfield, Florida Gulf Coast (New Market 08)- Detroit Tigers
Joe Witkowski, St. John's (Rockbridge 09)- Houston Astros
Nick Cicio, Central Florida (Staunton 10)- Minnesota Twins
Bryam Garcia, Florida International (Winchester 09)- Atlanta Braves
Tim Kiley, Tampa (Harrisonburg 09)- Chicago White Sox
Drew Rucinski, Ohio State (Luray 09-10)- Cleveland Indians
Jim Birmingham, Coastal Carolina (New Market 08)- Philadelphia Phillies
Derek Hamblen, Belmont (Waynesboro 08)- Kansas City Royals
Justin Fradejas, Auburn (Luray 10)- Kansas City Royals
Matt Laney, Coastal Carolina (Luray 10)- Los Angeles Dodgers
Garrett Wittels, Florida International (Luray 09)- St.Louis Cardinals
Yoandy Barroso, Florida International (Haymarket 10)- Chicago White Sox

#6 Hitter: Mike Martinez, Covington

Moving on down the list, today we have our #6 hitter in the Valley League in 2010, Covington's Mike Martinez.

Mike, now a junior at Florida International, obviously had an excellent season in the furthest reaches of the league. He hit 336/384/600, with 24 runs, 3 doubles, 10 home runs, 36 RBI, and a 10/22 BB/K ratio in 32 games and 125 at-bats. He finished 6th in the league in batting average, 3rd in home runs, tied for 7th in RBI, and tied for second in slugging percentage.

Mike has also clearly proven himself at the college level. As a freshman in 2009, he hit 335/427/495 at FIU, with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 6 home runs, and a 24/38 BB/K ratio in 182 at-bats. He was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.

As a sophomore, he hit even better, ending with a 378/448/580 line, with 19 doubles, 1 triple, 9 home runs, 47 runs and 55 RBI in 238 at-bats. He added a solid 26/45 BB/K ratio.

Congratulations on your excellent season, Mike!

Picture courtesy of Haymarket Joe Photography

#7 Hitter: Jordan Owen, New Market

Our #7 hitter started the season with a bang. On the opening night of the Valley League last June in Harrisonburg, New Market's Jordan Owen banged out 5 hits, including the game winning RBI single in the 10th inning.

That just got him started: Jordan swung a hot bat all season for the Rebels. He finished with a 345/402/454 line, with 31 runs, 8 doubles, a triple, 3 home runs, 22 RBI, a 10/21 BB/K ratio, and even added in 9 stolen bases. He was a critical bat in the middle of the Rebel lineup: the next closest batting average on the team (of those who were eligible for the batting title) was .239. (Although, to be fair, Brent Mikonis almost qualified, and finished with an average of .298.) Jordan finished 5th in the league in batting average, and tied for 6th in hits.

Now a junior at Tennessee-Martin, Jordan got started in college by hitting 269/338/448 as a freshman, with 11 doubles and 5 home runs in 145 at-bats. His numbers took a huge jump as a sophomore, when he hit 326/376/642 in 215 at-bats, with 14 doubles, 51 RBI, a 12/49 BB/K ratio, and a school-record 18 home runs.

Congratulations on your excellent season, Jordan!

Jordan running sprints before the all-star game

 

 

#8 Hitter: Shaun Cooper, Harrisonburg

The Harrisonburg Turks moved into a new stadium in he summer of 2010, and ATVL was curious to see how the field played with wood bats. While ATVL has not run the numbers on park effects (yet), our #8 hitter, Shaun Cooper, had an excellent summer swinging the bat in the 'Burg.

Cooper, now a junior at Utah, hit 303/370/600, with 29 runs, 10 doubles, 13 home runs, 36 RBI, and a 15/41 BB/K ratio in 45 games and 165 at-bats. He finished tied for first in the league in home runs, 4th in total bases (with 99), tied for 7th in RBI, and tied for second in slugging percentage.

Shaun spent his freshman year at Pima Community College, where he hit .330 with a .421 on-base percentage, along with 17 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 44 RBI, and 19 stolen bases in 197 at-bats. He then transferred to Arizona, where he received only 80 at-bats as a sophomore. Cooper has transferred to Utah for his junior season.

Congratulations on the excellent season, Shaun!

Picture courtesy of Haymarket Joe Photography!

Valley League Record Book: Strikeouts

And here we are, at the end of the record book. (I have a couple more lists, like games pitched and games started, but we'll pass on those for now.) So, the last one: strikeouts!

Strikeouts
1	Tim Gudex	Harrisonburg	2004	89
2	Dustin Umberger	Luray	2007	88
3	Cody Weiss	Luray	2010	87
4	Drew Granier	Harrisonburg	2010	84
5	Robert Gilliam	Luray	2007	81
6	Jeff Dagenhart	New Market	2004	79
	Josh Eidell	Woodstock	2007	79
8	Omar Aguilar	Covington	2004	76
	Sean Stidfole	Winchester	2004	76
10	Mike Wagner	Winchester	2004	75
	Brad Mills	Harrisonburg	2005	75

Gudex pitched in the Texas system for two years, Umberger went undrafted, and Weiss and Granier still have college eligibility. Gilliam is still in the Oakland system, Dagenhart and Eidell went undrafted, and Aguilar pitched in double-A in the Indians' system. Stidfole advanced to triple-A in 2009, but did not pitch in 2010. Wagner pitched in the Texas system for a couple years, and Mills, the crown jewel of the bunch so far, has thrown in nine games in major leagues so far.

Out of 11 players, only three did not get the opportunity to throw in professional baseball. Three are still active, and two still have a shot at the dream.

Well, that'll do it for the record book. Of course, ATVL will keep up with the changes from here...

#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!

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