We’ve reached the Elite Eight! In our first matchup, we have former MVPs Cory Spangenberg (Winchester 2010) against Jordan Tarsovich (Strasburg 2013).

  • Spangenberg got here by defeating Brandon Murray (83.3-16.77%) and Bradley Jones (75-25%). 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.)”
  • Tarsovich got here by defeating Nathan Minnich (80-20%) and Brad Zebedis (57.1-42.9%). “Tarsovich was the MVP of the league back in 2013, the second for the team in three years. He slashed .414/.511/.529 in 157 at-bats, with 34 runs scored, 10 doubles, a triple, two home runs, 10 RBIs, a 28/20 BB/K ratio, and 13 stolen bases. It’s clear to see why he was MVP; he led the league in all three categories- batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. He returned to VMI for his junior year in 2014, and hit .293/.392/.435 in 184 at-bats. In his (redshirt) senior year, he hit .337/.419/.568 in 199 at-bats, and found himself selected in the 22nd round of the 2015 amateur draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers gave him two years in pro ball while bouncing him around to five different levels. In January of 2017, the Dodgers traded him to the Oakland A’s. He spent that season in Double-A Midland, but was released the following spring. Tarsovich hit a total of .238/.338/.352 in 747 minor league at-bats. He currrently lives in Richmond.”

Who ya got?

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Spangenberg
Tarsovich