Baseball / The Valley League All-Decade Teams

The Valley League All-Decade Teams

Date:  Source: Valley League Baseball

As a decade-end celebration, All Things Valley League has named an All-Decade first and second team of players who performed the best in their summer season:

First Team

Catcher: Brad Zebedis, Strasburg 2011. The league MVP in Strasburg’s inaugural season, Zebedis hit .420/.490/.638 in 174 at-bats, with 19 doubles, two triples, five home runs, and a 22/20 BB/K ratio.

First Base: Jimmy Yezzo, Winchester 2012. Yezzo hit .362/.401/.679, with 21 doubles and 16 home runs (37 extra base hits!), along with 51 runs scored and 62 RBIs.

Second Base: Michael Wielansky, Charlottesville 2017. Wielansky was the MVP in 2017 after he hit .432/.489/.677 in 155 at-bats, with 18 doubles, four triples, four home runs, a 20/15 BB/K ratio, and 11 stolen bases.

Shortstop: Cory Spangenberg, Winchester 2010. Also MVP, Spangenberg hit .399/.463/.527 in 203 at-bats, with 15 doubles, a triple, three home runs, a 24/27 BB/K ratio, and 21 stolen bases.

Third Base: Michael Garza, Woodstock 2010. Garza hit .388/.403/.565, with 13 doubles, four triples, three home runs, and 23 stolen bases.

Outfield: Andrew Eyster, New Market 2018. Also MVP, Eyster hit .421/.511/.781 in 114 at-bats, with 14 doubles, nine home runs, and an 18/21 BB/K ratio.

Outfield: Aidan Nagle, Woodstock 2019. Nagle, yet another MVP on this list, hit .406/.492/.675 in 160 at-bats, with 10 doubles, 11 home runs, nine stolen bases, and a 23/26 BB/K ratio.

Outfield: Jordan Tarsovich, Strasburg 2013. Yup, also MVP, Tarsovich hit .414/.511/.529 in 157 at-bats, with 10 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 13 stolen bases, and a 28/20 BB/K ratio.

Utility: Brandon Quaranta, Strasburg 2016-17. Quaranta was good for two years. In 2016, he hit .375/.425/.713 in 80 at-bats, with seven doubles and six home runs. On the mound, he didn’t give up an earned run in 7 1/3 innings pitched. In 2017, he hit .331/.448/.623 in 151 at-bats, with 11 doubles and 11 home runs. On the pitching side, he went 0-0, 1.59, with four saves, a 0.99 WHIP, 4.0 BB/9, and 11.1 K/9 in 11 1/3 innings.

Starting Pitcher: Ricky Winters, Woodstock 2013. Winters went 5-0, 0.44, with a 0.707 WHIP, 1.5 BB/9, and 9.4 K/9 in 41 innings pitched.

Starting Pitcher: Steven Ridings, Charles Town 2015. Ridings, in 45 2/3 innings pitched, went 3-1, 2.17, with a 1.160 WHIP, 1.4 BB/9, and 11.8 K/9.

Starting Pitcher: Zach Peek, Strasburg 2017. Peek, who was just traded from the Los Angeles Angels to the Baltimore Orioles, went 4-1, 1.80, with a 0.886 WHIP, 1.5 BB/9, and 10.3 K/9 in 35 innings pitched.

Starting Pitcher: Hayden McCutcheon, Charlottesville 2015. The pitcher of the year in 2015, McCutcheon went 3-1, 1.75, with a 0.972 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, and 11.3 K/9 in 46 1/3 innings pitched. He was pitcher of the year.

Starting Pitcher: Jordan DeLorenzo, Front Royal 2013. In 58 2/3 innings pitched, DeLorenzo went 4-3, 1.69, with a 0.818 WHIP, 1.4 BB/9, and 9.8 K/9.

Relief Pitcher: Adam Zipko, New Market 2013. In 22 innings pitched, Zipko went 0-2, 0.00, with 17 saves, a 1.000 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, and 13.9 K/9.

Relief Pitcher: Shay Maltese, Haymarket 2012. Maltese went 2-1, 0.44, with five saves, a 0.837 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, and 17.7 K/9 in 20 1/3 innings.

Relief Pitcher: Anthony Zimmerman, Purcellville 2018. Zimmerman, in 16 1/3 innings, went 3-0, 0.55, with seven saves, a 0.675 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9, and 18.2 K/9.

Relief Pitcher: Reece Karalus, Aldie 2014. In 15 2/3 innings, Karalus went 2-0, 0.57, with four saves, a 0.510 WHIP, 0.6 BB/9, and 14.9 K/9.

Relief Pitcher: Zach Blatt, Luray 2010. Blatt went 2-1, 0.69, with two saves, a 0.808 WHIP, 1.4 BB/9, and 11.1 K/9 in 26 innings pitched.

Second Team

Catcher: Wes Clarke, Waynesboro 2019. Clarke hit .364/.500/.645 in 121 at-bats, with 14 doubles, a triple, and six home runs. He also had a fantastic 27/15 BB/K ratio. The Generals set a franchise record for winning percentage in 2019 (by going 31-11).

First Base: Gunnar McNeill, Staunton 2014. McNeill won the league MVP by hitting .402/.469/.604 in 169 at-bats, with 16 doubles and six home runs, along with a 22/19 BB/K ratio. The Braves went 25-18 in the regular season.

Second Base: Austin Embler, Harrisonburg 2018. Embler hit a robust .388/.479/.621 in 116 at-bats, with seven doubles, four triples, and four home runs. He walked 21 times against 26 strikeouts as well. (The Turks went 20-22 in his season.)

Shortstop: Bradley Jones, Charles Town 2015. Jones was a beast at the plate, hitting .333/.380/.590, with 12 doubles and six home runs in 117 at-bats. He put on a show in the home run derby as well. (Cannons went 16-26 that summer.)

Third Base: Carter Pharis, Strasburg 2016. Pharis hit /342/.440/.535 in 155 at-bats, with 13 doubles, a triple, five home runs, and a 21/19 BB/K ratio. The Express went 30-12 and won the title in 2016.

Outfield: Shane Billings, Harrisonburg 2015. The MVP in 2015, Billings hit .418/.483/.549 in 153 at-bats, along with 45 runs scored, six doubles, four triples, two home runs, 21 stolen bases, and a solid 19/13 BB/K ratio. The Turks went 29-13 that summer.

Outfield: Julian Ridings, Waynesboro 2012. Ridings won the batting title and MVP award in 2012, hitting .419/.454/.657 in 172 at-bats, with 14 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, and 15 stolen bases.The Generals went 31-13 that summer.

Outfield: Mac Williamson, Harrisonburg 2011. Big Mac hit .381/.469/.706 in 126 at-bats, with 11 doubles and 10 home runs. The Turks went 32-12 that summer.

Utility: Rick Spiers, Charlottesville 2017. Spiers hit .333/.391/.487 in 117 at-bats, with five doubles, two triples, three home runs, and eight stolen bases. On the mound, he went 4-0, 0.78, with a 2.0 BB/9 and 10.6 K/9 in 23 innings pitched. He was on the mound for the final out of the final game of the 2017 championship series, after the Tom Sox went 32-10 in the regular season.

Starting Pitcher: Greg Nappo, Haymarket 2010. In 49 1/3 innings, Nappo went 5-1, 1.64, with a 1.034 WHIP, 3.3 BB/9, and 12.4 K/9. The Senators went 30-14 and won the regular season title that summer.

Starting Pitcher: Jared Wetherbee, Charlottesville 2018. Wetherbee won pitcher of the year in 2018 after going 3-1, 1.06, with a 0.830 WHIP, 5.0 BB/9, and 15.7 K/9 in 25 1/3 innings pitched. The Tom Sox went 25-18 and advanced to the championship round of the playoffs that summer.

Starting Pitcher: Erne Valdes, Front Royal 2016. Valdes went 2-1, 1.04 in 34 2/3 innings in 2016, along with a 0.836 WHIP, 3.4 BB/9, and 11.7 K/9. The Cards went 21-21 that summer.

Starting Pitcher: Tristen Bayless, Woodstock 2019. Bayless won pitcher of the year last summer after going 3-2, 1.92, with a 1.162 WHIP, 5.8 BB/9, and 13.8 K/9 in 32 2/3 innings pitched. The Bandits went from 5-37 in 2018 to 25-17 in 2019.

Starting Pitcher: Benjamin Dum, Strasburg 2016-2017.  Dum went 4-0, 1.42 in 2016, with a 0.868 WHIP, 1.4 BB/9, and 7.6 K/9 in 38 innings pitched. He also went 5-2, 2.77 in 2017, with a 1.8 BB/9 and 7.7 K/9 in 45 1/3 innings.

Relief Pitcher: Patrick Christensen, Harrisonburg 2011. Christensen went 2-1, 1.20, with 10 saves, a 0.833 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, and 13.8 K/9 in 30 innings pitched.

Relief Pitcher: Thomas Sutera, Purcellville 2017. The pitcher of the year in 2017, Sutera went 6-0, 1.57, with a 1.050 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, and 10.2 K/9 in 34 1/3 innings pitched. The Cannons went 26-16 that summer.

Relief Pitcher: Conor Miller, Woodstock 2019. Miller went 1-1, 0.47, with two saves, a 0.737 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, and 8.5 K/9 in 19 innings pitched.

Relief Pitcher: Trevin Eubanks, New Market 2018. Eubanks helped the Rebels to a title by going 2-0, 1.50, with a 0.833 WHIP, 4.5 BB/9, and huge 18.0 K/9 in 18 innings pitched.

Relief Pitcher: Zach Neff, Waynesboro 2016. Neff went 4-1, 1.08, with a 0.778 WHIP, 1.6 BB/9, and 9.7 K/9 in 16 2/3 innings pitched. The Generals won the division that year by going 30-12, but fell in the finals.

(Remember that the 2019 Valley League Annual is available to purchase now!)