Continuing the series, today let’s take a look at the second set of best hitters in the Valley League season of 2023. If you, dear reader, have any questions about methodology, please read the first item in the series.

#10: Tomas Sanchez, Woodstock (Texas Wesleyan): .299/.403/.541, 40 runs scored, 15 doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 42 RBIs, 29/46 BB/K, and 25 stolen bases (in 28 attempts). He led the league in total bases, tied for the lead in RBIs and doubles, finished 2nd in walks, 3rd in runs scored, tied for 3rd in home runs, 6th in slugging percentage, 7th in hits, and 9th in OPS. He, like RJ Stinson, returned to Woodstock after a productive 2022, in which he hit .254/.315/.570 in 114 at-bats, with 10 home runs (17 in two years- not too shabby!). He also played for the Bandits in 2019, when he hit .257/.366/.314 in 84 plate appearances (but alas, no home runs). For college, Sanchez played for VCU in 2019, and Texas Wesleyan in 2022 and 2023. His college totals, in 434 total at-bats, come out to .335/.404/.557, with 104 runs scored, 38 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 90 RBIs, 31 stolen bases, and 37/88 BB/K. After the summer, he signed with the Washington Wild Things in the independent Frontier League, and appeared in 14 games, hitting .179/.281/.321 with a double and home run. He was named All-VBL in the North, and All-Defensive in the VBL in 2023 in the outfield.

#9: Kien Vu, Culpeper (Arizona State): Welcome to the very first Culpeper player to make an ATVL postseason list! Vu hit .340/.440/.534 in 103 at-bats, with 24 runs scored, six doubles, one triple, four home runs, 19 RBIs, 17/31 BB/K, and 12 stolen bases (in 13 attempts). Vu finished tied for 5th in home runs, 6th in both slugging and OPS, and tied for 9th in batting average. Vu hit .255/.379/.353 in 102 freshman at-bats for the Sun Devils, with 19 runs, five doubles, one triple, one home run, and a 16/35 BB/K ratio. He was named All-VBL in the outfield for the South as well.

#8: Joe Delossantos, Strasburg (William & Mary): Delossantos, in his third full season in the Valley, hit .318/.429/.627 in 110 at-bats for the Express, with 23 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 31 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, and 20/25 BB/K. He finished tied for 1st in home runs, 2nd in slugging percentage, 5th in OPS, tied for 5th in RBIs, tied for 7th in total bases, and tied for 8th in walks. His totals for three full seasons in the VBL (’21 and ’22 with Staunton, ’23 with Strasburg): .283/.393/.506 in 350 at-bats, 72 runs, 22 doubles, 18 home runs, 67 RBIs, 31 stolen bases, 54/90 BB/K. He was also named All-Defensive in the VBL in 2023 in the outfield and All-League Honorable Mention in the South.

#7: Joey Parliment, Staunton (Trevecca Nazarene): Parliment hit a robust .358/.462/.470 in 151 at-bats, with 39 runs scored, four doubles, two triples, three home runs, 33 RBIs, 21 stolen bases, and a super 27/12 BB/K ratio. He was named All-League and All-Defensive at third base. He finished in the top five of the league in the following categories: batting average, walks, total bases, RBIs, triples, hits, and runs. Parliment played two seasons at Columbia State Community College, and then transferred to Trevecca. In his junior year, he hit .369/.470/.602 in 176 at-bats, with 46 runs scored, nine doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 29 RBIs, and 29/18 BB/K.

#6: Micah Morgan, Harrisonburg (South Alabama): Morgan was named South MVP (and, obviously, All-League, at utility) after hitting .357/.452/.503 in 157 at-bats, with 29 runs, 15 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 42 RBIs, and an excellent 25/17 BB/K ratio. He finished tied for 1st in the league in RBIs, 2nd in total bases, doubles, and hits, and a top-five finish in both batting average and walks. Morgan played for two years at Division-II Spring Hill, and then as a junior at South Alabama. Check this out: in his sophomore season at Spring Hill, he hit .446/.560/.819 in 193 at-bats, with 24 doubles, 16 home runs, 84 runs scored and 77 RBIs in only 53 games, and 47/28 BB/K. He was named the Small College Athlete of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. After transferring up, Morgan hit .271/.317/.372 as a junior. (Photo Credit: Daily News Record)

It’s hard to believe that I deem five stat lines better than Morgan’s- any guesses, without looking, who they might belong to?