In what should not be a surprise to anyone, the final matchup of top hitters since 2010 is between two Strasburg players- Brandon Quaranta (2016-17) and Carter Pharis (2016).

  • Quaranta defeated Leo Rojas, Zach Sterry, Aidan Nagle, and Jordan Tarsovich (three MVPs) to get here. “Brandon Quaranta was a monster in Strasburg’s lineup… and on the hill. Let’s see: in 2016, he hit .375/.425/.713 in 80 at-bats, with seven doubles and six home runs. He went on to hit .448/.500/1.034 in the playoffs to help the Express to a title. On the mound, he didn’t allow an earned run in 7 1/3 regular season innings and four postseason innings. Then, 2017. In 151 regular season at-bats, he hit .331/.448/.623, with 11 doubles, 11 home runs, 49 RBIs, and a 25/32 BB/K ratio. He hit another home run and walked 11 times in nine playoff games, too. On the mound, he went 0-0, 1.58, with four saves in 11 1/3 regular season innings, and 1-2, 1.42 in 6 1/3 playoff innings. He was ATVL’s 2nd best hitter that year (behind only Michael Wielansky). He played all four years at Philadelphia U (changed to “Jefferson” in 2017, I believe), and hit .318/.449/.630 in 462 at-bats, with 24 doubles, 38 home runs, 123 RBIs, a 92/97 BB/K ratio, and 25 stolen bases in the four years. He was not drafted after his college eligibility ended.”
  • Pharis beat Cole Gruber, Michael Wielansky, Max Wood, Shane Billings, and Andrew Eyster (also three MVPs) to get here. “Carter Pharis was a four-year starter at UAB who came to Strasburg after his freshman year in 2016. All he did that summer is hit .342/.440/.535 in 155 at-bats, with 35 runs scored, 13 doubles, a triple, five home runs, 30 RBIs, and a 21/19 BB/K ratio. He helped the Express to a 30-12 regular season record, and the franchise won its second straight title. He was ATVL’s fourth best hitter from that year, and made the All-Decade second team at third base. In four years at UAB, Pharis hit a combined .298/.390/.442 in 801 at-bats, with 125 runs scored, 57 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 137 RBIs, a 103/135 BB/K ratio, and 36 stolen bases while only getting caught twice. He played pretty well in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2017, but was not drafted after his senior season in 2019.”

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  • Pharis- (Rich Cooley, Daily)
  • Quaranta