Yesterday’s winner is Carter Pharis (Strasburg 2016) in a landslide; he’ll move on to face Michael Wielansky in the next round.

Today we have Jerry Downs (Winchester 2014) vs Ryan Sullivan (Covington 2012)!

  • Jerry Downs came to the Valley from NAIA St. Thomas in 2014, after his sophomore year. The brother of prospect Jeter Downs, Jerry was the second best hitter in the summer season, slashing .355/.476/.497 in 155 at-bats, with 30 runs scored, seven doubles, five home runs, 25 RBIs, an outstanding 33/24 BB/K ratio, and 15 stolen bases in 16 attempts. At St. Thomas, he was a monster. In three years covering 165 games and 570 at-bats, Downs hit .325/.459/.474, with 144 runs scored, 32 doubles, four triples, 15 home runs, 131 RBIs, a 94/98 BB/K ratio, and 33 stolen bases in 39 attempts. The Boston Red Sox picked him in the 15th round of the 2015 draft, and he’s spent five seasons in the minor leagues, reaching Double-A Portland for 55 games in 2019. He’s hit a total of .231/.331/.365 in 1,078 minor league at-bats so far.
  • Ryan Sullivan joined Covington in 2012 from Seton Hall after his junior year. While ATVL named him the fourth best hitter in the league that summer, he actually led the league with an 1.192 OPS. Overall, he hit .375/.516/.676 in 136 at-bats, with 35 runs scored, nine doubles, a triple, 10 home runs, 44 RBIs, and an unreal 42/22 BB/K ratio. A three-year starter at Seton Hall, Sullivan hit a total of .233/.308/.329 in 484 at-bats, with 18 doubles, eight triples, four home runs, 52 RBIs, a 44/107 BB/K ratio, and 22 stolen bases. He was not drafted after his senior year in 2013.

Vote by going to twitter.com/JohnATVL! (Closes Saturday morning)

And by the way, if you want to read a ton about either the 2015 or 2019 VBL season, be sure to check out the 2019 Valley League Annual!

Downs (Scott Mason/Winchester Star)
Sullivan