It’s time for an update on former Valley League players who have played in the major leagues in the 2024 season so far.

By my count, 261 former VBLers total have played in MLB. Of these, twenty have appeared in a major league game in 2024. Here they are, with stats through Thursday, June 6 (in alphabetical order):

  1. Austin Adams, Oakland A’s (Staunton 2011): Adams has appeared in at least two games in every season since he made his MLB debut in 2017. In 2024, he is 0-1, 2.66 in 29 games and 20 1/3 innings, with 12 walks and 28 strikeouts. Adams’s contract was purchased from the Mets in March, and he’s been a steady contributor in Oakland’s bullpen.
  2. Justin Anderson, Chicago White Sox (Front Royal 2013): Before 2024, Anderson had not appeared in an MLB game since 2019. Signed as a free agent before the season, Anderson has now appeared in 10 games out of Chicago’s bullpen, going 0-0, 7.45, with six walks and 10 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings.
  3. Graham Ashcraft, Cincinnati Reds (Waynesboro 2018): Ashcraft made his debut for the Reds in 2022, and has been nothing but a starter since then- appearing in 57 games, all starts. In 2024, Ashcraft is 4-3, 5.05, with 21 walks and 49 K’s in 62 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, Ashcraft was sent down to Triple-A yesterday.
  4. Jonathan Bowlan, Kansas City Royals (New Market 2016): Bowlan made his MLB debut in 2023, appearing in two games that season. In 2024, he’s appeared in one game, a start in Toronto, in which he gave up four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings. He’s struck out 51 batters in 48 Triple-A innings for Omaha, though.
  5. Dominic Canzone, Seattle Mariners (Front Royal 2017): Canzone was traded from Arizona to Seattle during the 2023 season. For the Mariners in 2024, he’s hitting .171/.247/.395 in 85 plate appearances, with two doubles, five home runs, nine RBIs, and an 8/24 BB/K ratio. Canzone hit a cool .404/.457/.544 for the Cardinals in 2017 (he attended Ohio State). (Canzone was the 5th best hitter in 2017)
  6. Chris Devenski, Tampa Bay Rays (Woodstock 2011): Devenski has appeared in 12 games out of the bullpen for the Rays in 2024, going 1-1, 6.00 in 18 innings, with nine walks and 14 strikeouts. Home runs have been his issue thus far, having given up five of them in those 18 innings. He won a ring with the Astros in 2017 (yes, that was one of the “banging-on-a-trash-can” seasons in Houston).
  7. Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals (New Market 2016): Donovan finished third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, and added a Gold Glove in his debut season. In 2024, he’s hitting .236/.316/.364 in 250 plate appearances, with 14 doubles, one triple, and four home runs. Donovan and Bowlan played together in New Market in 2016- recruited by Zac Cole.
  8. Reed Garrett, New York Mets (New Market 2013): Garrett made his major league debut in 2019, appeared in seven games for the Nationals in 2022, and was battered to the tune of a 6.41 ERA with the Orioles and Mets in 2023. In 2024, however, he’s having a breakout season for the Mets, as he’s currently 5-2, 3.19, with three saves, 16 walks, and a whopping 49 K’s in 31 innings. He’s one of the few bright spots for the Metropolitans this season.
  9. Austin Gomber, Colorado Rockies (Luray 2012): Gomber is having, numbers-wise, his best season in the majors for the Rockies in 2024; he’s 1-3, 3.06 in 11 starts and 61 2/3 innings, with 20 walks and 43 strikeouts. Gomber came up with the Cardinals, and was included in the team’s 2021 trade for Nolan Arenado.
  10. Romy Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox (Staunton 2016): A utility player for the Red Sox, Gonzalez has hit .257/.308/.343 in 39 plate appearances so far in 2024. He has a double, triple, and two stolen bases. Gonzalez played in 2021-2023 for the Chicago White Sox, and was picked up on waivers by Boston in January. (A bit of a shame that he didn’t play for Charlottesville in 2016, which would mean he would have three different colors of socks… ba dum tis.)
  11. Kevin Herget, Milwaukee Brewers (Strasburg 2012): Herget has bounced back and forth between Milwaukee and Triple-A Nashville a few times in 2024 so far, and has appeared in four games for the Brewers. He’s 0-0, 2.35, with one save, three walks, and six K’s in 7 2/3 innings.
  12. Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers (Charlottesville 2021): Langford made his major league debut on March 28, after crushing Spring Training pitching. He has found the regular season a bit tougher- he’s hitting .224/.286/.293 in 161 plate appearances, with three doubles, two triples, and a home run. He’s just recently returned to active duty after straining a hamstring on May 4. (He also was famously the victim of Angel Hernandez’s strike zone in an at-bat on April 12. To Langford’s credit, he didn’t even complain! The announcers were sure complaining…) (Langford was the 10th best hitter in 2021)
  13. Kyle McCann, Oakland A’s (Harrisonburg 2019): McCann, like Langford, made his major league debut in 2024. McCann’s was two days after Langford, on March 30. McCann made the A’s as a backup catcher out of Spring Training, and is hitting .288/.373/.470 in 75 plate appearances, with three doubles and three home runs. He has an 147 OPS+! He’ll stick around for a long time if he keeps hitting like this.
  14. Kyle Nicolas, Pittsburgh Pirates (Charlottesville 2018): Nicolas is 0-1, 5.65 in 14 1/3 innings this season, with 10 walks and 18 K’s. He can throw in the high 90’s.
  15. Connor Norby, Baltimore Orioles (Waynesboro 2019): The newest player on this list, Norby made his major league debut just four days ago, on June 3. He’s 2-10 with a home run so far. (This is a situation to watch- Norby is playing second base for Baltimore, the same position that Jackson Holliday played for 10 games in April. Holliday is the more highly regarded prospect, but we’ll see if Norby can hang on to a roster spot in the meantime.) (Norby was the 12th best hitter in 2019)
  16. Emilio Pagan, Cincinnati Reds (Harrisonburg 2010): Pagan signed with the Reds as a free agent in the offseason (leaving the Minnesota Twins). In 2024 so far, Pagan is 2-3, 4.19 in 19 1/3 innings, with seven walks and 25 K’s. Pagan has just come off the IL after recovering from a triceps injury.
  17. Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals (Charlottesville 2017): The first C-ville player in the “modern era” to make the majors (in 2022), Pasquantino is hitting .243/.313/.433 in 243 plate appearances. He has 17 doubles, a triple, and seven home runs. He has a great eye at the plate- in 801 career plate appearances, he has 81 walks against 99 strikeouts. (Pasquantino was the 13th best hitter in 2017)
  18. Nate Pearson, Toronto Blue Jays (Staunton 2016): Coming exclusively out of the bullpen in 2024, Pearson is 0-1, 4.44, with one save and 29 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. He’s given up three home runs- one of them was Connor Norby’s first major league hit. Pearson would have been teammates with Romy Gonzalez, albeit very briefly, in Staunton in 2016.
  19. Carson Spiers, Cincinnati Reds (Charlottesville 2017): Spiers has appeared in four games for the Reds; he’s 0-0, 3.29, with 15 hits, three walks, and eight K’s in 13 2/3 innings. Spiers and Pasquantino played on the same team in 2017- recruited by Jeff Burton, I do believe.
  20. Ryan Yarbrough, Los Angeles Dodgers (Luray 2012): Yarbrough is 3-1, 3.05 in 41 1/3 innings (all in relief), with one save, only 29 hits, 11 walks, and 18 K’s. He’s not striking many batters out, but he’s not allowing many hits, either. (Yarbrough and Gomber were teammates on that 2012 Luray Wrangler squad- recruited by Gerald Harman, I think.)

To put this in context, the 20 players in 2024 is pretty normal. There were 22 total MLB players in 2023, 18 in 2022, and 25 in 2021. Charlottesville leads the way with four players; New Market and Staunton have three; Harrisonburg, Front Royal, Waynesboro, and Luray have two; Woodstock and Strasburg have one; Purcellville, Covington, Winchester, and Culpeper don’t have any (Culpeper has existed for all of one season, so they get a pass).

Players who might make their MLB debut at some point in 2024 (these are guesses on my part, with the factors of being close to the show and performing well, too):

  • Wes Clarke, Milwaukee Brewers (Waynesboro 2019)
  • Brooks Wilson, Atlanta (Waynesboro 2018)
  • Trace Bright, Baltimore Orioles (Charlottesville 2021)
  • Rhett Lowder, Cincinnati Reds (Strasburg 2021)
  • Lael Lockhart, Detroit Tigers (Woodstock 2019)
  • Luke Berryhill, Houston Astros (Purcellville 2018)
  • Bryce Teodosio, Los Angeles Angels (Waynesboro 2018)
  • Darrell Thompson, Milwaukee Brewers (Winchester 2014-2015)
  • Spencer Packard, Seattle Mariners (Front Royal 2018)

From left to right: Langford, McCann, Norby