So who are those guys who controlled the strike zone in the minors the best?

2006-2019
1 Sherman Johnson Covington ’09-10 2015 89
2 Sherman Johnson Covington ’09-10 2014 88
3 AJ Kirby-Jones Waynesboro ’09 2012 86
4 Tyler White Haymarket ’10 2015 84
5 Tyler Bortnick Front Royal ’06 2011 79
Clint Robinson Harrisonburg ’05-06 2012 79
Joey Butler New Market ’06 2012 79
Ryan Schmipf Luray ’08 2013 79
9 Rob Kral Waynesboro ’09 2013 78
10 Sherman Johnson Covington ’09-10 2016 74

AJ Kirby-Jones never reached the major leagues, but he always had an interesting combination of patience and power. In 2012, he hit .248/.382/.461 in 399 at-bats, with 16 doubles, three triples, 21 home runs, and an 86/128 BB/K ratio. He was released in 2014, and spent ’14 and ’15 in the Indy Leagues… and hit 52 home runs and walked 111 times, too.

All-Time
1 Gary Jones Waynesboro ’82 1984 138
2 Gary Jones Waynesboro ’82 1986 128
3 Gary Jones Waynesboro ’82 1983 126
4 Gary Jones Waynesboro ’82 1987 123
5 Gene Richards Harrisonburg 1975 116
6 Billy Sample Harrisonburg ’75 1978 109
7 Frank Menechino Harrisonburg ’92 1997 105
8 Jeff Manto Front Royal 1987 102
Shawn Fagan Front Royal 2002 102
10 Frank Menechino Harrisonburg ’92 1995 96
11 Dan Pasqua New Market ’81 1984 95
12 Mike Cubbage Charlottesville 1973 93
Cliff Pennington Harrisonburg 2008 93
14 Mark Davidson Winchester ’82 1985 92
15 Lauro Felix Harrisonburg ’91 1996 92
16 Gene Richards Harrisonburg 1976 91
Jeff Manto Front Royal 1989 91
18 David Eckstein Harrisonburg 1999 89
Sherman Johnson Covington ’09-10 2015 89
20 Sherman Johnson Covington ’09-10 2014 88

Well, Gary Jones dominates this list in a rather obvious way! In 1982, for Lodi in the California League, Jones hit .291/.453/.391 in 471 at-bats, with 111 runs scored, 38 stolen bases, and a 138/94 BB/K ratio. Wow.

Gary Jones
AJ Kirby-Jones