Our next installment of the major league record book is career hits. Here ya go:

2006-2017
1 Dan Murphy Luray ’05 1323
2 Jon Jay Staunton ’04 889
3 Jason Kipnis Covington ’06-7 886
4 Yonder Alonso Luray ’06 685
5 Cory Spangenberg Winchester ’10 228
6 Tommy La Stella Haymarket ’09 174
7 Collin Cowgill Covington ’05 161
8 Clint Robinson Harrisonburg ’05-6 133
9 Eric Campbell Luray ’06 97
10 Ryan Schimpf Luray ’08 86
11 Joey Butler New Market ’06 75

The top six are all still active, as is #10 and #11. Eric Campbell, #9, played in Japan in 2017.

All-Time
1 Steve Finley Harrisonburg ’85 2548
2 Juan Pierre Harrisonburg ’97 2217
3 Aubrey Huff Staunton ’97 1699
4 Reggie Sanders Winchester ’87 1666
5 Mo Vaughn Harrisonburg ’87 1620
6 Mike Lowell Waynesboro ’93 1619
7 David Eckstein Harrisonburg ’95-6 1414
8 Dan Murphy Luray ’05 1323
9 John Kruk New Market ’81 1170
10 Brandon Inge Waynesboro ’96 1166
11 Johnny Grubb Charlottesville 1153
12 Brett Gardner New Market ’03-04 1107
13 Gene Richards Harrisonburg 1028
14 Darren Lewis Harrisonburg 1021
15 Tom Brookens Waynesboro 950
16 Jon Jay Staunton ’04 889
17 Jason Kipnis Covington ’06-7 886
18 John Flaherty Front Royal 849
19 Denny Walling Waynesboro ’75 799
20 Chad Tracy Staunton ’99 741

Fourteen former VBLers have topped 1,000 hits in the major leagues, with Jay and Kipnis closing in. Not bad! Murphy will most likely, barring injury, pass David Eckstein to move into 7th place in 2018. Gardner could move all the way from 12th to 9th as well.

Jay
Pierre