Team Pro Report: Waynesboro Generals

In our second-to-last look at the pro players that each Valley League team has “developed,” we have the Waynesboro Generals!

The Generals may not have as many as a couple of teams (Staunton, Harrisonburg), but they still have a good number with some major leaguers at the top…

1. Erik Kratz (2000), 29th round pick 2002: Erik has created quite the career for himself. A late pick out of a D-III school (Eastern Mennonite), Erik is now 37 years old, and is still playing at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He has played in 977 minor league games and 228 major league games. He hit his 151st total home run on May 11th- the last time he played.
2. Adam Liberatore (2007-08), 21st round pick in 2010: Adam is also in his 30’s- he’s 31. He’s currently in the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and, in fact, finished off a combined no-hitter on May 4th. He’s 1-1, 2.35, with 8 K’s in 7 2/3 innings for the Bums.
3. Kaleb Fleck (2008, 2010), free agent signee in 2011: A 6-foot-2 righthander, Kaleb has pitched in 260 minor league games after being signed as a non-drafted free agent. He had spent his entire career in the Diamondbacks’ system until this offseason, when he ws scooped up in the Rule 5 draft by the Nationals. In his career, he’s 20-15, 3.79, with a 1.426 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, and 10.2 K/9 in 304 1/3 total innings.
4. Eric Stout (2012), 13th round pick in 2014: Eric is the 3rd major leaguer on this list, after making his major league debut this season for the Royals. He’s back in Triple-A Omaha now, and overall in his minor league career he’s gone 17-9, 3.46, with a 1.255 WHIP, 3.0 BB/9, and 7.5 K/9 in 228 2/3 innings.
5. Patrick Mazeika (2013), 8th round pick in 2015: Patrick can hit. He’s in Double-A in the Mets’ system right now, and has hit 304/407/447 in 933 minor league at-bats. He was ATVL’s 2015 Rookie-level Hitter of the Year.
6. Tyler Cyr (2014), 10th round pick in 2015: Tyler is also in Double-A, in Richmond, VA, but he’s currently on the disabled list. He misses bats out of the bullpen; he’s 12-9, 2.87, with 24 saves, a 1.302 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, and 10.6 K/9 in 153 2/3 minor league innings.
7. Aubrey McCarty (2015), 26th round in 2017: Aubrey hit 207/275/248 in his first taste of pro ball in 2017 at Boise, and has not been assigned to a full season team in 2018.
8. Wills Montgomerie (2015), 6th round pick in 2017: I’m pretty excited about Wills’s arm. He’s currently at Great Lakes in the Midwest League, after spending 3 games in 2017 in the Arizona League and 3 more at Great Lakes. Overall, Will is 0-1, 1.67, with a 1.195 WHIP, 5.7 BB/9, and 10.8 K/9 in 37 2/3 overall innings. (I would bet that Wills will be the first 2017 VBL draft pick to make the majors)
9. Alex Mauricio (2015), 27th round in 2017: Alex, a two-way player both in college and in Waynesboro, is now “just” a pitcher for the Yankees. He played in the Gulf Coast League in 2017, striking out 17 in 16 2/3 innings. He did not make a full season team in 2018.
10. Ryan Gridley (2015), 11th round pick in 2017: Ryan was a full-time player at Vermont in 2017, where he hit 262/357/333 in 210 at-bats. He did not make a full season team in 2018.
11. Michael Brosseau, (2015), free agent in 2016: Michael was quite good in Waynesboro in 2015, and in Oakland over his career, but did not get drafted. That hasn’t stopped him yet, as he’s advanced all the way to Double-A Montgomery this season- only his 3rd season in the minors. Overall, he’s hit 306/387/447 in 683 plate appearances. He was ATVL’s 2017 A-ball Hitter of the Year. And by the way, he played in Australia in the 2017 off-season, where he hit 427/496/729 in 96 at-bats. He laid waste to that league.
12. Zach Sterry (2016), 8th round pick in 2017: The 2016 Valley League MVP started the season in extended spring, but has been assigned to Greenville, in the South Atlantic League. He went 4-6 with 4 RBIs just last night, raising his 2018 numbers to 333/366/436 in 39 at-bats. He split 2017 between Lowell (New York-Penn League) and the Gulf Coast League.