(I'm just going to post like I've not been away for a while...)

While seven former Valley Leaguers made their major league debut in 2011, there is a flip side to the industry- players who are released. Eleven players have been given their walking papers over the past few months. Here they are:

• Mike Schwartz (Harrisonburg 09) was released by the White Sox. Drafted in the 17th round of the 2010 draft, Mike hit 221/373/320 over 277 plate appearances in two seasons. You would think with that OBP, someone might take a flier on Mike...
• Gerard Hall (Luray 07), Kansas City. Gerard was a free agent signing by the Royals in 2009. In 818 plate appearances over parts of three seasons, Gerard hit 239/320/340. He topped out in Wilmington of the Carolina League.
• Derek Hamblen (Waynesboro 08), also Kansas City. Derek was signed as a free agent just this year, and hit just 121/216/167 in 66 at-bats in Burlington of the Appalachian League. 
• Justin Fradejas (Luray 10), also the Kansas City Royals. Justin, like Hamblen, was signed as a free agent just this year. Justin hit very well for Idaho Falls in the Pioneer League, ending with 310/414/429 numbers over 99 plate appearances.
• Jonathan Koscso (Woodstock 09), drafted in the 29th round of the 2011 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. Koscso, like Fradejas, hit well enough to have another chance, in my opinion. He hit 310/437/380 in 71 at-bats. 
• Travis Smink (Front Royal 06, Luray 08), was released by the Houston Astros. A 31st round draft pick in the 2009 draft, Travis went 6-5, 4.57, with 12 saves and a 1.371 WHIP over parts of three seasons.
• Jacke Healey (Waynesboro 08), also Houston. Jacke, a 27th round draft pick in the 2010 draft, hit 163/228/302 in 295 at-bats over two seasons. 
• Alex Jones (Covington 09), released by Milwaukee. A 27th round pick in the 2010 draft, Alex went 2-3, 3.98, with 2 saves and a 1.361 WHIP over parts of two seasons. 
• Matt Holland (Front Royal 10), released by the Philadelphia Phillies. Matt was drafted this past June in the 22nd round, and hit 236/309/409 in 110 at-bats in the Gulf Coast League.
• Nick Cicio (Staunton 10), released by the Minnesota Twins. Nick, a free agent signing this summer, went 2-0, 1.74, with a 0.871 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings pitched. This was in the Gulf Coast League.
• Matt Browning (Staunton 08), released by the Seattle Mariners. Drafted in the 43rd round in 2010, Matt hit 263/347/365 in 478 plate appearances. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1: "There is a time for everything, and a season for everything under heaven." (NIV)

Maybe you've noticed that the posts on this site have dried up; maybe not.I suppose it's time for an explanation.

Back in November of 2006, I started this blog because I just had to write about something. I love baseball, and I love writing about baseball, and here was this league right in my own backyard- and some of the players went on to the majors! If I was following them anyway, why not start to put some coherant thoughts together for public consumption?

Well, 1,711 posts and over 175,000 visitors later, it seems it's just about time to end the ride.

Back in December, my wife and I received an email from a school in Nairobi, Kenya, called Rosslyn Academy. Both English teachers by trade, we had taught there from 1999 to 2004. Besides the fact that we adopted our children there, we always felt like our years in Nairobi were some of the best of our lives: it was difficult at times, but overall the most enriching experience of our time on earth.

Well, we received an email from the superintendent asking us if we would like to consider returning to East Africa for the upcoming school year. We had to apply within ten days or so, and we had our interview via Skype at 6:00 AM in the morning... and to make an already-too-long story shorter, we were offered jobs just about two weeks ago. We have decided to accept the offer to return to Kenya for a minimum of two years. We will leave the states either in late July or early August, which would give me some time to say goodbye to some of my favorite people and places in the entire Valley.

Following God's call in my life has always been paramount. Writing this blog has brought me into contact with all kinds of people- most of whom I now consider friends. (Not just Facebook friends, either!) Just as important, I've felt like I was a part of something- something fun and exciting. I could go to games, interview players, and hold my little notebook and jot down thoughts. I could hold up my radar gun and pretend to be a scout. I could say hello to broadcasters, owners, and die-hard fans in many of the Valley League towns. But I just can't ignore that call.

I hope very much to do a couple things, even while we're living in another continent: I hope to keep up with my lists of players, both who have played in the league and who has been drafted by major league organizations, and stats of pro players, which is probably my most favorite aspect of tracking players. I may post these on this site, but I may not. I would also like to finish up my lists from the past season, but that may need to be a couple larger posts instead of individual ones.

Thanks so much for supporting this site as its season is coming to a close. And if any of you find yourselves flying into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, drop me a line!

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

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

 

 

Well, here we are again- it's time to look at the former Valley Leaguers who have been named top prospects by Baseball America.

We'll begin with the Atlanta Braves. BA has named former Woodstock Riverbandit (08) Brandon Beachy the #8 prospect in the system. Bill Ballew, in his writeup, says that Brandon has a "live, fresh arm with good overall command of three pitches...his hard, sharp-breaking curveball has quality depth...hitter rarely barreled [his] pitches last season, even when he reached the big leagues."

Then, about his future: "[His] repertoire and feel for pitching bode well for the long term."

 
Brandon was also mentioned in the Braves chat:

CJ (Charlotte): Is Brandon Beachy really good enough to be a #3 starter? He wasn't that impressive in his 2 - 3 starts in Atlanta last year.

Bill Ballew: Wasn't that impressive? Really? Here was a guy who had been shut down after the minor league season, only to get an unexpected call to make his major league debut in a pennant race. Plus, he wasn't even starting until the middle of the season. If that's not impressive, especially with his ERA, I don't know what is. He may not be a No. 3 guy with Atlanta, but he has that ability at the major league level. Beachy has a nasty repertoire with an even better feel for pitching. He's also versatile, a guy who could be as effective as a reliever as a starter. He was the sleeper of the 2010 season who should have even better days ahead.

Imagine this- Brandon was playing in Woodstock in the summer of 2008. Two summers later, after not even being drafted, he was pitching in the major leagues in the middle of a pennant race. It looks like he has a very bright future!