As discussed in the POY post a couple days ago, this award is presented to the best hitter (also Valley League alum, of course) in High-A East, West, and Central.

So the inaugural High-A HOY award goes to Vinnie Pasquantino, who manned first base for Charlottesville in 2017 (sensing a theme yet?).

Pasquantino, who split his 2021 minor league season between High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas, lit it up for both teams, but in High-A, he hit .291/.384/.565 in 237 at-bats, with 44 runs, 20 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 42 RBIs, an outstanding 33/38 BB/K ratio, and even four stolen bases. He had a fantastic season; combined with his Double-A stats, he hit .300/.394/.563 in 513 at-bats, with 79 runs, 37 doubles, three triples, 24 home runs, 84 RBIs, and an even 64/64 BB/K ratio. I am convinced that he will eventually play in the major leagues. (With that strike zone control, how can he NOT?)

Others to Consider

  • Andrew Moritz (Harrisonburg 2016): Rome: .280/.332/.322 in 261 at-bats, with eight doubles, one home runs, ten stolen bases, and a 20/48 BB/K ratio
  • Jacob Rhinesmith (New Market 2017): Wilmington: .253/.345/.383 in 300 at-bats, with 21 doubles, six home runs, nine stolen bases, and a 40/59 BB/K ratio
  • Bryce Windham (Charlotteville 2017- Pasquantino’s teammate): South Bend: .273/.360/.398 in 176 at-bats, with nine doubles, two triples, three home runs, and a solid 24/29 BB/K
  • JD Mundy (Covington 2018): Aberdeen: .278/.361/.521 in 194 at-bats, with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, and a 22/59 BB/K
  • Will Simoneit (Staunton 2018): Lansing: .273/.360/.435 in 322 at-bats, with 20 doubles, 10 home runs, and a 38/85 BB/K
  • Luke Berryhill, our Low-A winner (Purcellville 2018): Asheville: .277/.373/.543 in 94 at-bats, with 10 doubles, five home runs, and a 10/38 BB/K ratio