VA Baseball

Virginia Wesleyan Marlins: Stats, Standouts and Stars

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Virginia Wesleyan Marlins are one of the most exciting teams in college baseball. They routinely put on a great show for all of their fans, and many people include Marlins games among their fondest memories each summer. With the kind of players they have, it’s no wonder the Marlins are such a popular team to watch.

The Virginia Wesleyan marlins feature three very fluid hitters in their lineup. In the outfield, the Marlins are pleased to have the services of Shayne Paskanik. The junior slugger is one of the best hitters in the entire college baseball world, boasting a batter average way above .300 and he also leads the team in RBI.

Another huge asset to the Marlins is fellow outfielder Jacob Pierce. While Pierce spends some time at catcher, he does most of his damage in the outfield. At the plate, he leads the team in home runs, OBP and stolen bases. He is most likely the Marlins’ most valuable player, and their best overall player.

The final big piece to the Marlins’ success is Cameron Butler. He splits time between catching and pitching. He is very disciplined at the plate, and he rarely goes down on strikes.

Famous Cavaliers that Played in the Major League

admin — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The University of Virginia has produced a number of baseball players that have appeared in the Major Leagues, including several high-impact players in recent years. To find the most successful big league pitcher that’s ever come out of UVA, you’ll have to go all the way back to early in the 20th century. Eppa Rixey, a Cavalier in 1911 and 1912, won 266 big league games over 21 seasons and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. For a time, he held the all-time record for wins by a National League lefthander; Warren Spahn broke the record in 1959.

Mike Cubbage played for the Cavaliers in the early 1970s and went on to play nearly a decade in the Majors, followed by a long career as a Major League coach. Ricky Horton pitched at UVA later in the 1970s and spent several years as a starter in the Majors.

Ryan Zimmerman, one of the greatest Virginia players of all, currently plays third base for the Washington Nationals and is considered an established star at the Major League level. Mark Reynolds of the Baltimore Orioles, another third baseman, has been one of baseball’s top power hitters for several years now.

University of Virginia Cavaliers: Stats, Standouts and Stars

admin — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The University of Virginia baseball team is coming off of a great season in 2011. They had one of their best results ever in the College World Series by winning their Super Regional and then getting 3rd place overall in the tournament as well. This all capped of a very successful regular season in which they won both the conference regular season and the conference tournament championships as well. They finished with an overall record of 56-12 and a conference record of 22-8.

Their leaders on offense were John Hicks and Steve Proscia. Hicks hit .332 with 8 homers on the season and had 59 RBI. Proscia hit .320 and also had 8 home runs with 59 RBI. Pitcher Tyler Wilson went undefeated from the mound going 10-0 during the season with an ERA of 2.24. So they had good production in both the defensive and offensive phases of the game during the season. This is to be expected from a team with the kind of results that they had. This was the Cavaliers 3rd straight year winning the conference tournament and they don’t look to be slowing down any soon with some good newcomers coming this year to help fill the void left by some of the upperclassmen leaving the team.

Best Nationals Players RIGHT NOW

admin — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Sure it’s football season but if you’re sick of your direct tv NFL Sunday Ticket you’ve got to switch over and catch an old school Nationals game on your baseball stations! There has been a lot of talent on the team through the years and some players are worth noting:
Bryce Harper: He’s an outfielder and he’s got an arm like few have seen before. He’s a power hitter behind the plate and when he’s acting defense he runs like it’s his job. He’s barely on the roster so it is.
Brad Peacock: With a name like that he’s got to be good at something and it turns out that Brad’s best tool is his curveball. It’s wicked fast and he’s got the looks needed to be the face of the team if he keeps it up for a few years.
Eury Perez: What more could a player want than to have the best base-running skills on the team? Eury’s got them and with moves as quick as lightning he’s going to be driving home quite a few runs during his National’s career.

Top 5 Washington Nationals Infielders of All Time

admin — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

These are the best infielders that have worn the Washington Nationals’ uniform, based on what they did for the team.
5- Felipe Lopez, SS. 49 SB in 3 years made him part of this list.
4- Cristian Guzman, SS. Not the best defensive shortstop, but his .316 in ’08 was impressive.
3- Adam Dunn, 1B. 38 HR and 103 RBI in ’10, his first and only season as a full time 1B. Dunn was a very criticized sign, however his 76 HR in two seasons are very difficult to forget.
2- Nick Johnson, 1B. The OBP machine had two very good seasons in ’05-’06, then he was caught by his physical problems, and he played for the team only 140 games the last three years of his contract.
1- Ryan Zimmerman, 3B. He has been around since the franchise became the Nationals, and he could finish his career at the top of the all time leaders of the team, including the Montreal years. Two times Silver Slugger, one time All Star, 1 Gold Glove, at 26, Zimmerman is still one of the best young players of the game. 25 HR and 85 RBI are numbers you can count from him.

Top 5 Washington Nationals Outfielders of All Time

admin — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

While not one of the most storied franchises in baseball history, the Nationals/Expos have fielded some excellent individual talent over the years.
Warren Cromartie teamed with Andre Dawson in the late 70′s to make one of the longest ranged outfields in their era. Both had monster arms, and could throw a baserunner out from practically anywhere in the ballpark. A career .280 hitter for the Expos, Cromartie led the league in assists in the 1978 season.
Ken Singleton, while maintaining an above average career, had one great season in 1973. He batted .302, knocked 23 homeruns and drove in 103. That same season, he led the NL in on base percentage, with a .425 average. He would go on to become the first Expo to finish in the top ten in voting for MVP.
Had a player named Ricky Henderson not been playing at the same time, Tim “Rock” Raines would have been the most noted base stealer. Lightning fast on the bags, Raines stole at least 70 for six straight years, and in 1986 he won the NL batting title with a .334 average. He is the franchise leader in runs and triples, and is second in hits.
Andre Dawson, whom many consider the greatest National/Expo, was one of the most complete players in MLB history, let alone his era. He ranks in the top five in franchise history in every major offensive category, becoming a three time all star and winning three silver sluggers and six golden gloves.
Vlad Guerrero was cut from the same mold as Dawson, only more modernized. He is the career leader in team history in batting average (.323) and homers (235).

Top 5 Washington Nationals Pitchers of All Time

admin — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

One of the truest statements regarding baseball is ‘defense wins championships.’ Because of this, it is vital to a team’s success to invest in qualities pitchers. Here is a list of the top five Washington Nationals:

5. John Lannan – currently in the rotation for the Nats, looking to make gains with each season

4. Livan Hernandez – career that spans from 1996 to current, Hernandez is back on the Nationals, bring with him his 26-25 record and a 3.41 ERA.

3. Javier Vasquez – Vasquez played for the Nationals – then called the Expos – from 1998 to 2003 and amassed a 50-45 record and a 3.65 ERA.

2. Steven Strasburg – One word – phenom. Strasburg was drafted 1 overall and quickly rose through the minors to help a hurting Nationals team. In one season, Strasburg went 5-3, with 92 Ks and only 17 BBs in 68 innings. If he can recover from recent injury to play a full, healthy season, his statistics will be jaw-dropping.

1. Although Strasburg may eventually go down as the best pitcher in Nationals history, currently Steve Rogers holds the title. With 2837.2IP for the Expos, Rogers racked up a 158-152 record.

My favorite site for finding baseball stats is, www.baseball-reference.com

Breakthrough Year Ahead for Nationals?

www.vabaseball.com — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In many ways 2010 was more of the same for this historically losing Nationals/Expos franchise. However, the season was not without its highlights. Moving forward, despite a 69-93 final record, Nats fans can look ahead with tempered optimism. As fans of the local franchise, here’s a few things to hang your ballcap onAdam Dunn is in Chicago Rarely is losing a 40 home run candidate to free agency a positive building block for an organization. Dunn’s first base play in the field was atrocious, however, and the Nats have replaced the lost power in some degree with Adam LaRoche, a 25 homer guy the past two seasons, not to mention one of the better defensive first basemen in the league. Yes, Dunn’s lumber in the middle of the lineup will be missed, but LaRoche drove in just 3 less runs last year while playing for the Diamondbacks. Meanwhile, a more competent fielder at first should help mitigate the error-proneness of potential laden shortstop Ian Desmond.Jayson Werth and Rick Ankiel Join the Outfield Werth and Rick the Stick should help to provide additional power, collectively more than making up for Dunn’s departure, with Werth also showing the ability to swipe a base from time to time. Between Ankiel, Werth, Zimmerman and LaRoche, the Nats lineup features 4 batters all capable of 25 homeruns this year, with Nyger Morgan and Desmond playing table setting roles and speed on the basepaths.The Bullpen Looks Solid A breakout season by -p man Tyler Clippard, coupled with the blossoming of 2009 first round pick Drew Storen, coming off a solid rookie campaign, has the Nationals’ relief in good shape. Storen should get first shot at closing duties, though Clippard may be in line for saves as well, giving the Nationals a good chance to hold leads in close games. The only question is whether the underwhelming rotation can hold the line long enough (without wunkderkid Stephen Strasburg) to give the bullpen anything to work with.

Born-Virginian Big Leaguers

www.vabaseball.com — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 22:31:28 +0000

Not only is Virginia a great place to be a baseball fan, it’s also a great place for a baseball player to be born. Below is a list of active Major League Baseball players (as of the end of the 2010 season) who call the Old Dominion home, complete with their current major league team and debut year. Bear in mind, Virginia has produced hundreds of big leaguers since the first games were played more than a century ago. This is merely a look at the latest and greatest who continue to contribute to our national pastime at the highest level.-In alphabetical order:

Kevin Barker (Free Agent, debut 1999
Brain Bocock (Philadelphia Phillies), debut 2008
Travis Bowyer (Florida Marlins), debut 2005
Bill Bray (Cincinnati Reds), debut 2006
Shawn Camp (Toronto Blue Jays), debut 2004
Michael Cuddyer (Minnesota Twins), debut 2001
Jason Dubois (Chicago Cubs), debut 2004
Josh Hall (Free Agent), debut 2003
Daniel Hudson (Arizona Diamondbacks), debut 2009
Brandon Inge (Detroit Tigers), debut 2001
John Knott (Free Agent), debut 2004
Mat Latos (San Diego Padres), debut 2009
Sean Marshall (Chicago Cubs), debut 2006
Cla Meredith (Free Agent), debut 2005
Clay Rapada (Texas Rangers), debut 2007
Josh Rupe (Free Agent), debut 2005
Joe Saunders (Arizona Diamondbacks), debut 2005
Scott Sizemore (Detroit Tigers), debut 2010
Wyatt Toregas (Cleveland Indians), debut 2009
B.J. Upton (Tampa Bay Rays), debut 2004
Justin Upton (Arizona Diamondbacks), debut 2007
Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers), debut 2005
Billy Wagner (Atlanta Braves), debut 1996, retired as of 2010 season’s end
David Wright (New York Mets), debut 2004