As we wrap up the Major League Baseball playoffs with the World Series, there are so many things to discuss. We could mention the Colorado Rockies' amazing winning streak (21 wins in their last 22 games) that has propelled them from playoff long shots to National League champions. We could talk about the Boston Red Sox coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the Cleveland Indians. On a larger scale, we could note the relative ease with which teams have won series this fall, including four sweeps before the seven-game battle between the Red Sox and Indians.
But I thought we could take a different route. Were you aware that three former U.Va. baseball players are associated with the playoffs this year? I'll give you a few paragraphs to flaunt your Mellow Mushroom skills and name those Hoos. One hint though: Ryan Zimmerman is not one of the answers. Though you probably know the Washington Nationals didn't make the playoffs, it might be a surprise to find out that Zimmerman is not the only former Wahoo currently in the MLB.
Nothing against Zim. He's a talented player and great representative of the University. I actually got the chance to play ball with him in the fall of my first year (way back before JPJ and the new O-Hill existed), and he was an all-around good guy. I think everyone who has played with Zimmerman could tell he had the makings of a leader in the MLB, but few thought he would get to the big leagues so quickly (after two months in the minors in 2005).
Having such a high-profile alumnus obviously has its benefits for Virginia athletics. At the same time, Zimmerman tends to overshadow former Hoos and current big leaguers Javier Lopez, Mark Reynolds and Joe Koshansky. Interestingly enough, all three of their respective teams made it to the postseason this year.
The first former Wahoo in the playoffs is Boston's left-handed pitcher Javier Lopez. Before being drafted in 1998 by Arizona and making his pro debut in 2003 with the Colorado Rockies, Lopez completed his career at Virginia with a 12-9 record and 130 strikeouts in over 160 innings. One of the highlights during his tenure was the fact that U.Va. had a winning record for three straight seasons for the first time since 1984 to 1986 (my, how the times have changed).
It's not surprising that Lopez is less heralded than Zimmerman because there aren't a ton of kids out there aspiring to be side-arm relievers when they can dream of being power hitting infielders like No. 11. Despite the lack of glamour, the 30-year-old native Puerto Rican finished the regular season with a solid 3.10 ERA and respectable 1.33 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) in 40.2 innings pitched.
Though his postseason numbers (mostly his 15.43 ERA) aren't impressive, they are bloated because of one poor outing in the desperate extra innings of Game 2 of the ALCS. In spots more familiar to Lopez, he threw a perfect eighth inning in Game 6 and induced a huge groundball out that prevented a big inning in Game 2 of the Angels series.
Unlike Lopez, the other two former Cavaliers are both power hitting corner infielders. Current Arizona Diamondback Mark Reynolds was a shortstop at U.Va. who hit a lot of homers, scored a lot of runs and stole a lot of bases. Reynolds received Second Team All-ACC honors in 2004, and when he left Charlottesville for the next level, he was tied for second in career home runs (35) and tied a single-season record for runs scored (60).
Reynolds made his major league debut May 16 and hasn't looked back since. Initially filling in for an injured Chad Tracy and remaining the starting third baseman into the playoffs, Mark finished the year with a .279 AVG, .349 OBP and 17 home runs. Though he struggled to a .154 AVG in the playoffs, Reynolds did hit two home runs and should help a talented Arizona team return to the playoffs in coming years.
Colorado's Joe Koshansky is the third overlooked former Cavalier currently in the major leagues. As a first baseman and weekend starting pitcher at Virginia, he set the single season record with 67 RBI and tied the record for career pitching victories with 21 (since broken by Sean Doolittle with 22). In 2004, Koshansky was not only first team All-ACC but also received the ACC Player of the Year Award to cap off a great career.
Koshansky, however, will not be joining his Rockies in the World Series because as a September call up, he didn't make the postseason roster. In any case, Koshansky (who is now solely a first baseman) is one of the Rockies' top power-hitting prospects. Before making it to the show last month, Joe hit .295 with 21 HR and 99 RBI for AAA Colorado Springs. This followed a 2006 campaign in which he earned billing as the Rockies' Minor League Player of the Year.
This postseason is only a preview of things to come for Virginia baseball alumni. Only nine former Hoos have reached the majors since 1988, but that number could potentially double within a few years. This past draft, a record six Cavaliers were taken and there are five other players drafted since 2004 who haven't made it to the major league level yet. With those figures and the top recruiting classes that current coach Brian O'Connor keeps churning out, the number of Wahoos in October is sure to increase in the near future.
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