As you can see by the headers on this site, dear reader, I used to, in the not-so-distant-past, write individual articles for the top hitters, starting pitchers, and relievers after each season. The time that is needed for such an endeavor has evaporated, so this year I’ll group the hitters in less posts.

A note about the process first. This list is based on production only. It is in no way a top prospects list. When ranking them, it doesn’t matter what school they go to, how old they are, or what their swing might look like. It’s all about production. Along those lines, the rate stats counted the most- OBP and slugging more than average- and OPS by extension. The actual process included listing out all possibilities and comparing them, one by one, to come up with a list that makes sense.

I’ve split the top 15 hitters into three posts, so today we’ll take a look at numbers 11 through 15.

#15: Connor Hincks, Charlottesville (Notre Dame): .310/.466/.363 in 113 at-bats, 23 runs scored, four doubles, one triple, 20 RBIs, 30/27 BB/K, six stolen bases. Hincks led the league in walks and finished 6th in on-base percentage. Hincks attended UVA in 2021, and transferred to Notre Dame in 2022. He appeared in seven games in 2023.

#14: Miles Hartsfield, Harrisonburg (Georgia Southwestern): .333/.457/.451 in 102 at-bats, 27 runs, 10 doubles, one triple, 10 RBIs, 20/19 BB/K, seven stolen bases. Hartsfield finished 8th in OBP. In his three seasons at Ga Southwestern, Hartsfield has hit a total of .321/.462/.429 in 546 at-bats, with 24 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs, 85 RBIs, 126 runs, and 31 stolen bases. He appears to be one of the best players ever for the Canes, as he holds multiple single-season and career records for the school.

#13: RJ Stinson, Woodstock (William Carey): .341/.428/.444 in 126 at-bats, with 33 runs, nine doubles, two triples, 19 RBIs, 16/15 BB/K, and 12 stolen bases. He tied for 2nd in the league in triples, 8th in batting average, 7th in runs scored, and tied for 9th in doubles. He was named All-VBL in the North and All-Defensive in the outfield. Stinson was a returner; he played for Woodstock in 2022 as well, hitting .279/.380/.364 in 150 plate appearances. In his four years playing for the Crusaders of William Carey, Stinson has hit .375/.461/.563 in 694 at-bats, with 194 walks, 34 doubles, 11 triples, 25 home runs, 175 RBIs, 30 stolen bases, and a silly 113/75 BB/K.

#12: Blaze O’Saben, Front Royal (Georgia Gwinnett): .328/.390/.525 in 122 at-bats, with 32 runs, eight doubles, two triples, four home runs, 20 RBIs, 12/22 BB/K, and 28 stolen bases in 29 attempts. He finished tied for 2nd in triples, tied for 5th in home runs, 8th in slugging percentage, and tied for 8th in runs scored. He was named All-League Honorable Mention. After two years at UMBC and two at Georgia Gwinnett, O’Saben has a career line of .338/.430/.453 in 580 at-bats, with 140 runs, 33 doubles, eight triples, six home runs, 108 RBIs, 67 stolen bases (in 74 attempts), and an almost-even 81/84 BB/K.

#11: Chandler Ballenger, Winchester (Shenandoah): .340/.407/.456 in 147 at-bats, with 24 runs, 15 doubles, one triple, 28 RBIs, 18/22 BB/K, and four stolen bases. He finished tied for 1st in doubles, 5th in hits, and tied for 9th in batting average, total bases, and RBIs. Ballenger played four seasons at Alderson-Broaddus, where he hit .339/.408/.469 in 390 at-bats, with 68 runs, 53 RBIs, 24 doubles, nine home runs, and 32/72 BB/K. As a grad student, the Winchster native has transferred to Shenandoah University, where he will continue to be very familiar with Jim Barnett Field.

The next five, numbers ten through six, are up next!