Welcome to the top two!

According to ATVL, the 2nd best starter in the 2016 Valley League season is Strasburg’s Benjamin Dum, from VCU!

Benjamin dominated the opposition all summer long. In the regular seson, he went 4-0, 1.42, with a 0.868 WHIP, 1.4 BB/9, and 7.6 K/9 in 38 innings pitched. He gave up 7 total runs (6 earned) in 7 regular season starts. In the league, he finished 3rd in ERA, 3rd in WHIP, 2nd in BB/9, and 10th in K/9. He also threw an inning in the All-Star game.

In the playoffs, he went 2-0, 2.29, with 10 hits, 4 walks, and 7 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings pitched. He was the winning pitcher in Strasburg’s championship clinching game. He was named ATVL’s pitcher of the day 5 times in his 9 total starts. Wow.

His best two starts were on June 12, at Waynesboro, and July 24, at Winchester. (Actually, while we’re at it, here’s a weird fact- in the 10 total games Ben pitched in, he threw at home, at First Bank Park in Strasburg, only twice.) Against the Generals, he allowed 3 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, and struck out 5 in 6 innings of the 4-1 victory. Against the Royals, he threw 5 shutout innings, with 2 hits, 0 walks, and 5 strikeouts. The Express won that one, 12-2. Unsurprisingly, the league named him first team All-Valley.

For VCU in 2016, in his freshman year, Benjamin went 0-3, 10.29 in 21 innings, along with 26 hits, 16 walks, and 10 strikeouts. There is no question in my mind that Benjamin will radically improve these numbers in 2017.

Congrats on your excellent summer!