Our #13 hitter is here because of an amazing ability to control the strike zone, with more than two times the amount of walks than strikeouts.
That’s Winchester’s Devin Gearhart, from North Georgia, who hit 336/446/389 in 41 games and 149 at-bats, along with 32 runs, 25 RBIs, 8 doubles, and a 30/12 BB/K ratio. That, by itself, could get Devin drafted by a saber-friendly team. Devin went 1-7 with 2 walks in the playoffs, and represented the Royals in the all-star game. He also appeared 5 times on the mound, going 0-0, 3.17, with 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.
Devin is a redshirt senior at North Georgia, so we have three seasons of data to work with. As a freshman in 2013, he hit 263/331/281 in 160 at-bats, with 3 doubles and a 15/28 BB/K ratio. He did not play in 2014.
He returned in 2015, and hit 227/367/279 in 172 at-bats. He added 9 doubles, and hit plate discipline improved, as he walked 33 times against 26 strikeouts. Then, in 2016, he took off, hitting 314/428/429 in 191 at-bats, with 46 runs in 52 games, 30 RBIs, 14 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, and a 35/18 BB/K ratio. So, in other words, his success in the Valley League should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Devin also does well in the classroom; he was named a Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll Bronze Scholar (try saying that five times quickly) in 2014 and 2015, and was just given an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove at third base in 2016.
Congratulations, Devin!
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