I’m warning you now, dear reader: this is a monster post. I have gone through all 30 top prospect lists from BA (subscription required) and have them listed below with a short write-up. Out of the 12 players listed, four come from Charlottesville, three from Harrisonburg, two from Waynesboro and Strasburg, and one from Winchester. I will list them with their major league team (if a team is not listed, that means that there are no VBL top prospects in that organization):
Baltimore Orioles
17. Trace Bright, RHP (Charlottesville 2021): A fifth-round pick in 2022, Bright can run his fastball up there at 93-95 mph, and has a plus curveball. In the VBL, he pitched 11 2/3 innings in ’21, allowing six hits, six walks, and striking out 14. Weirdly, he went 0-11, 4.18 at Double-A Bowie last summer, with 60 walks and 120 K’s in 112 innings pitched. (I know wins and losses mean almost literally nothing in the minor leagues (well, maybe anywhere), but going 0-11 is just… odd.)
Toronto Blue Jays
2. Trey Yesavage, RHP (Charlottesville 2022): Picked at #20 overall in the 2024 draft, Yesavage brings a 93-95 mph fastball (and can touch 97), a slider at 86-87 (can touch 90), and a solid splitter. Keith Law also has him as a top 100 prospect. (See the article right before this one for more.)
14. RJ Schreck, OF (Harrisonburg 2019): Get your ogre jokes ready! Well, after crushing SEC play at Vanderbilt as a grad transfer in 2023 (.306/.454/.588), Schreck was drafted by Seattle in the 9th round that draft. Traded to Toronto for Justin Turner in late July, Schreck is considered a plus hitter who can barrel pitches with the best of them. At three minor league stops in 2024, he hit a combined .251/.388/.462 in 492 plate appearances, along with 29 doubles, 17 home runs, and a sterling 77/81 BB/K ratio.
Cleveland Guardians
7. Cooper Ingle, C (Charlottesville 2021): A 4th round pick in 2023, Ingle gets high marks for his contact skills at the plate and growing defensive ability. At two levels in 2024, Ingle hit .305/.419/.478 in 408 plate appearances, with 24 doubles, 11 home runs, and a wild 65/56 BB/K ratio. He also was named a top 100 prospect by Keith Law.
Houston Astros
16. Joseph Sullivan, OF (Waynesboro 2022): Ah, the good old days- I have fond memories of sitting in the Waynesboro press box and discussing Sullivan’s future with Brian Lundstrom and Tyler Hoffman. One night I think was the coldest summer night I could remember in all my years. Anyway, Sullivan is a supreme athlete- an above-average outfielder with an above-average arm, and excellent bat-to-ball skills. He has the upside of an everyday player. In Waynesboro in 2022, he hit .317/.461/.489 in 139 at-bats, coming in as my 4th best hitter in the league. In his pro debut in Fayetteville after being picked in the 7th round in 2024, Sullivan hit .250/.416/.324 in 89 plate appearances.
Washington Nationals
5. Seaver King, SS (Harrisonburg 2022): Seaver is no stranger to VBL fans- he was the South’s MVP in 2022 after hitting .313/.378/.487 in 172 plate appearances for the Turks. He transferred to Wake Forest for his junior year in 2024, and then was drafted by the Nationals 10th overall that summer. King made Keith Law’s top 100 list, so check out that article for more.
Cincinnati Reds
- Rhett Lowder, RHP (Strasburg 2021): So much ink has been spilled on Mr. Lowder already- he pitched one of the best College World Series games of all time, he was ATVL’s #1 prospect in 2021, he made his pro debut last season and had a 1.17 ERA in six starts…. see the last post for more info.
By the way, fun fact- Lowder’s 1.17 ERA in those six starts was the best debut by a Reds pitcher since Tom Browning had a 0.95 ERA in six starts over 1984 and 1985…. and Tom Browning pitched for New Market in 1980 and 1981.
Milwaukee Brewers
27. Carlos Rodriguez, RHP (Charlottesville 2021): Rodriguez threw a whole two innings for Charlottesville four years ago, but he still counts. He was Milwaukee’s minor league Pitcher of the Year in both 2022 and 2023 (sharing it in ’23), but 2024 was a bit down- he went 9-9, 4.51 in Triple-A, and made his major league debut… although it didn’t go well, either. In three starts, he went 0-3, 7.30, and was returned to Triple-A. Still just 22 years old, Rodriguez touches 95 with his fastball and has an above-average changeup.
St.Louis Cardinals
27. Zach Levenson, OF (Waynesboro 2021): Levenson blitzed the VBL in ’21, hitting .361/.449/.711 in 98 plate appearances for Zac Cole’s Generals. After two solid years after that at Miami, Levenson was picked in the 5th round of the 2023 draft. In his two pro years, he’s hit .233/.322/.404 in 433 PA, with 18 doubles and 14 home runs, while also dealing with a wrist injury.
San Diego Padres
26. Sean Barnett, OF/RHP (Harrisonburg 2023): I do love me a two-way player, and here we have one- Barnett is officially listed by the Padres as both an outfielder and a right-handed pitcher. As a hitter, he has “plenty of bat speed,” but his pitching is what has the Padres the most excited. His fastball has been clocked as high as 98 mph, with movement, and he has a power slider that hits 90. He has a long way to go, but his arm has upside.
San Francisco Giants
16. Sabin Ceballos, 3B (Winchester 2021): Ceballos was drafted by Atlanta in 2023, and traded to the Giants in the Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson trade. Ceballos has huge power, and will benefit if he can stick at third base.
23. Jonah Cox, OF (Strasburg 2022): Ah, a burner. Baseball America calls his speed “double-plus,” which makes sense for a player who has stolen 78 bases in 135 minor league games. (He stole 30 in 38 VBL games in 2022.)
All Things Valley League 