Today, we have a 2012 Waynesboro General (Ridings) vs a 2015 Harrisonburg Turk (Billings). Both were MVPs.

  • Ridings defeated James Vazquez 87-13% to get here. His writeup: “Julian Ridings (Waynesboro 2012), a sophomore at Western Carolina at the time, came to Waynesboro and was one of the most impressive hitters in a summer full of them. In 172 at-bats, Ridings hit .419/.454/.657, with 45 runs scored, 14 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 39 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. His .419 batting average is still one of the best recorded in league history. He was ATVL’s 2nd best hitter (behind only Jimmy Yezzo). After his junior season at Carolina, Ridings was picked in the 18th round of the 2013 draft by the Tampa Bay Rays and spent two seasons in their system, hitting a total of .258/.290/.367 in 458 at-bats, with 22 doubles and eight triples. He topped out in High-A Charlotte of the Florida State League.”
  • Billings defeated Bradley Picha 87.5-12.5% to get here. “Shane Billings came to Harrisonburg in 2015 from D-II Wingate. He crushed everyone that summer, putting up a .418/.483/.549 slashline in 153 at-bats, with 45 runs scored, six doubles, four triples, two home runs, a 19/13 BB/K ratio, and 21 stolen bases. He was pretty obviously the MVP of the season. After a junior season at Wingate in which he hit an otherworldly .444/.502/.639 with 30 stolen bases, the St. Louis Cardinals picked him in the 13th round of the 2016 June draft. He played in parts of four seasons in the minor leagues, putting up a total of .274/.304/.342 in 1,024 at-bats. Weirdly, he was hitting .370/.393/.630 in 27 at-bats in Double-A Springfield when the Cards cut him loose in 2019.”

Who ya got?

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Billings at Johnson City
Ridings