Today’s matchup is between two shortstops…

  • Cory Spangenberg (Winchester 2010) got here by defeating Brandon Murray. Here was his writeup: “Cory Spangenberg, the MVP of the league in ’10, hit .399/.463/.527 in 203 at-bats that summer for the Royals, with 15 doubles, a triple, three home runs, a 24/27 BB/K ratio, and 21 stolen bases. Spangenberg joined the league the summer after his freshman year, hich he spent at VMI. (And crushed it there, too, hitting .370/.409/.596 in 235 at-bats, with 62 runs scored, 14 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 49 RBIs, 14/45 BB/K ratio, and 24 stolen bases.) He was in the middle of transferring, though, and his summer performance helped him land at Indian River State College in Florida. After his sophomore year in 2011, the San Diego Padres drafted him 10th overall, and thus began his pro career. He reached the major leagues in 2014, and has now spent parts of six seasons at the game’s highest level. In 419 games and 1,250 at-bats in the majors, he’s hit .256/.315/.389, with 49 doubles, 15 triples, 29 home runs, a 99/374 BB/K ratio, and 34 stolen bases. He played 2019 in the Milwaukee Brewers’ system, and is currently a free agent. (By the way, he might be a traditonal “tweener,” in that he’s too good to stay in Triple-A, but struggles to get time in the majors. He’s hit .301/.362/.433 in 2,100 minor league at-bats.)”
  • Bradley Jones (Charles Town 2015) arrived at this spot by defeating Jonathan Griffin. His writeup: “Bradley Jones was a beast at the plate in 2015 for the Cannons, hitting .333/.380/.590, with 12 doubles and six home runs in 117 at-bats. He put on a show in the home run derby as well, with his dad pitching to him. He didn’t win, but his semi-final round wowed the crowd. He was named to the All-Decade second team at shortstop. From the College of Charleston, Jones hit .277/.367/.479 over three years in college, and was picked in the 18th round of the 2016 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He spent all of 2016 and 2017 in the minor leagues, fighting through a wrist injury in the ’17 season, and then abruptly retired after 50-couple games in the 2018 season, where he was assigned to High-A Dunedin. In his three seasons in pro ball, Jones hit .274/.326/.482, with 42 doubles, six triples, 31 home runs, and a 54/219 BB/K ratio in 707 total at-bats.”

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

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Spangenberg
Jones