Valley League prospect reports

Official league website: www.valleyleaguebaseball.com
2015 Summer Collegiate Top Propsect Index
Valley Baseball League Top Prospect List (25)


The Valley Baseball League is one of the oldest collegiate summer leagues in the country, and in addition to having a rich history, the league again possessed an intriguing and deep crop of prospects this year.

The South Division appeared to be the strongest, with the Staunton Braves and Harrisonburg Turks both closing out the regular season with league-best 29-13 overall records. However, when the season ended, it was a team from the North Division—the Strasburg Express—that won the title. The Express rallied back from a 3-0 deficit in the decisive Game 3 of the championship series to win 4-3.

There were plenty of eye-catching individual performances, with two College of Charleston players—pitcher Hayden McCutcheon and infielder Bradley Jones—in particular making waves for their impressive production. McCutcheon was named Pitcher of the Year while Shane Billings (Wingate) was praised by all of the league managers, won the batting crown, and was also named Player of the Year.


Year established: 1923
States represented: Virginia
No. of teams: 12
Regular season champion (best overall record): Staunton Braves, Harrisonburg Turks (29-13)
Postseason champion: Strasburg Express
No. 1 prospect, 2014: Matt Rose, 3b, Harrisonburg (Georgia State)
First 2014 player selected, 2015 MLB draft:Reece Karalus, rhp, Aldie (Santa Clara/Tampa Bay Rays, 8th round)

Player of the Year: Shane Billings, of, Harrisonburg (Wingate)
Pitcher of the Year: Hayden McCutcheon, rhp, Charlottesville (College of Charleston)

BATTING LEADERS

Batting average: Shane Billings, of, Harrisonburg (Wingate) (.418)
Slugging percentage: Bradley Jones, ss, Charles Town (College of Charleston) (.590)
On-base percentage: Shane Billings, of, Harrisonburg (Wingate) (.483)
Home Runs: Bradley Jones, ss, Charles Town (College of Charleston) (6)
RBI: Weber Pike, of/1b, Aldie (South Carolina) (42)
Stolen bases: Jose Carrera, ss/2b, Covington (Manhattan) (22)

PITCHING LEADERS

Wins:Corey Sessions, rhp, Front Royal (Davenport); Matt Hartman, rhp, Harrisonburg (Arizona) (5)
ERA: Daniel Johnson, lhp, Charlottesville (Charleston Southern) (1.51)
Saves: John Barr, rhp, Winchester (South Alabama); Cody Strayer, rhp, Covington (Shawnee State) (7)
Strikeouts: Steven Ridings, rhp, Charles Town (Messiah College) (60)

BEST TOOLS

Best athlete: Jack Schaaf, of, Staunton (Florida International)
Best hitter: Shane Billings, of, Harrisonburg (Wingate)
Best power: Bradley Jones, ss, Charles Town (College of Charleston)
Best speed: Edgar Lebron, of, Front Royal (Lindsey-Wilson)
Best defender: Jack Schaaf, of, Staunton (Florida International)
Best velocity: Garrett Cave rhp, Staunton (Florida International)
Best breaking stuff:Hayden McCutcheon, rhp, Charlottesville (College of Charleston)
Best command: Hayden McCutcheon, rhp, Charlottesville (College of Charleston)


TOP 10 PROSPECTS

1. Garrett Cave rhp, Staunton (Florida International/SO in 2016)
Cave was a 17th round selection of the New York Yankees in the 2014 Draft, but he elected to attend Florida International instead of sign and advance to profiessional baseball. The 6-foot-4 righty has continued to add weight to his frame, and he now weighs closer to 200 pounds instead of the 170-180 pounds he tipped the scales out in high school. He’s always had a fast arm, with area scouts in Florida having seen him progress from the upper-80s to the upper-90s in a couple of years time. He had a rough freshman campaign at FIU, walking 27 in 26 2/3 innings, but the arm strength is undeniable and he touched 99 mph in his last appearance of the summer. He still walked too many batters (27 in 29 innings) and he’ll definitely have to iron out his command woes, but he has flashes an above average quality slider to go along with the heater, so there is professional quality stuff in the arsenal.