Saturday’s winner was Erik Kratz, who awaits the winner of this matchup.

Monday’s Match

Tom Brookens (Waynesboro) vs. Aubrey Huff (Staunton 1997)

  • Brookens defeated Luke Scott (57.1-42.9%) to get here. This is what I wrote for him the last time: “Brookens, from Mansfield University, played in Waynesboro. He was the 4th overall pick in the 1975 January draft of the Detroit Tigers. He reached Detroit in 1979, and spent the next 12 years in the major leagues. He won a World Series with the Tigers in 1984, and reached the 1987 ALCS as well. After his playing career, he went on the manage in the minor leagues for five seasons, winning a Midwest League title with West Michigan in 2007. Even on teams with Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, and Jack Morris, Brookens was considered a fan favorite because of his hustle, glasses, and awesome mustache.”
  • Huff, from the University of Miami, played in Staunton in 1997. He was picked in the 5th round of the 1998 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, and made his major league debut just two years later, on August 2, 2000. He put in his best hitting season with the Rays in 2003, when he slashed .311/.367/.555, with 47 doubles, three triples, 34 home runs, and 107 RBIs in 636 at-bats. He finished 24th in MVP voting after the season. He was traded to Houston late in 2006, signed with Baltimore as a free agent after the season, and after spending the end of 2009 with Detroit, signed as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants twice, and won two titles there, in 2010 and 2012. He second best season was in 2010, when he hit .290/.385/.506, with 35 doubles, five triples, 26 home runs, and 86 RBIs in 569 at-bats. He finished 7th in the MVP voting that year. He also received MVP votes, along with the Silver Slugger award, in 2008 with the Orioles. He retired after the 2012 season. In more than 6,100 at-bats in his career, he hit .278/.342/.464, with 360 doubles, 24 triples, 242 home runs, and 904 RBIs.

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And by the way, if you want to read much, much more about the 2019 VBL season, be sure to check out the 2019 Valley League Annual! (Or 2015, too, for that matter.)

Tom Brookens when he was managing in the minors
Huff