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Appalachian League: Data Darlings (All-Star Game + End of Season)

August 13, 2024
Seth Fromowitz, Alex Cullen & Jackson Gormely

 

One aspect of the Appalachian League that distinguishes it from other collegiate summer leagues is its technology and data integration. Through the league’s data coordinators, all Appy League players have readily available information to help evaluate, scout and develop their skill set while directly distributing that information to all 30 Major League teams. Taking a deeper look into the numbers that have stood out across the season, we’ve picked out “data darlings” from each team to highlight the players who have displayed eye-opening metrics during the 2024 Appy League season.

Click here to read the first edition of the Appalachian League’s Data Darlings series.

Bluefield Ridge Runners

RHP Tristan McGregor (Presbyterian) - Starting the Appalachian League All-Star Game for the East, McGregor has been one of the Ridge Runners’ more reliable starters as he’s held a 2.36 ERA and striking out 29 batters in 34.1 innings of work. Finding success against batters by inducing soft contact on the ground, he’s held batters to a hard-hit rate of 12.4% with ground balls 48.5% of the time.

INF Noah Smith (Illinois State) - Starting at third base for the East squad in the All-Star Game, Smith has cemented himself in the top of Bluefield’s order. Generally, he’s had success against each pitch he’s seen over 100 times, especially the changeup, hitting .474 and slugging .737 with a .576 wOBA, whiffing at a low rate of 12.2% of the time. As the league holds an average strikeout rate of 16.6%, Smith has made himself a tough batter to put away, striking out only 11.3% of the time. With his overall slash-line, Smith has excelled compared to his expected numbers, batting .326 (.220 xBA), slugging .426 (.299 xSLG) and holding a .386 wOBA (.306 xwOBA).

Bristol State Liners

RHP Zach Neville (Miami (OH)) - One of the State Liners' two pitching All-Stars, Neville has led the team with 13 appearances, averaging 12.37 strikeouts per nine innings. Where the Miami (OH) transfer dominated the league was with his sinker. Batting .083 against the pitch, opposing batters whiffed 30.5% of the time, and it was painted on the corners at a rate of 22.8%. With his sinker moving 15.7” horizontally arm-side and 13.5” of inverted vertical movement, the curveball offers the opposite look to work well side-to-side in the zone. He was moving nearly the same distance in the opposite direction horizontally at 15.5” to make for an effective pitch-mix.

OF Dylan Mass (Saint Leo) - Starting in center field for the East in the All-Star Game, Mass didn’t bring much power to the plate but brought a disciplined approach and the ability to spray the ball all over the field. A chase rate of 19.3%, a whiff rate of 18.2% and a zone whiff rate of 14.9% allowed him to walk 11.6% of the time and strike out at the same rate.

Burlington Sock Puppets

RHP Aiden Weaver (Duke) - Weaver instilled himself as one of the league’s more impactful starters, averaging nearly two strikeouts an inning and top-5 total with 48 over seven starts (30 innings). Ranging between 92-94 mph on his fastball, he’s seen the pitch jump up to 97.8 mph for the fastest recorded pitch across the entire league. With a more complete mix that goes with his starter profile, his Appy-best heater is complemented well by a tight slider and impressive changeup that has 8.5” IVB and 14.9” of horizontal movement. With the speed change in his pitches, Weaver had been able to generate whiffs 53% of the time and struck out one-third of the batters he faced with the Sock Puppets.

INF Lee Trevino Jr. (Fresno State) - Despite not being on the East All-Star roster, the Appy League veteran has been the Sock Puppets most consistent bat. The team leader in average (.323), hits (41), and tied for the lead in RBIs (18), Trevino has been a driving force for a Burlington team that clinched its third consecutive playoff/championship appearance in the league’s current history. With his team-leading average, Trevino ranked well in on-base percentage (.423) due to a low strikeout rate (9.2%), above league average in walk percentage (10.8%) and better than the league average in whiff by 11 points (16.1%). Outside of his overall results, the Fresno State product wasn’t fooled when facing the changeup. Against changeups, he's hitting .429 with a 2.6% strikeout rate and a whiff of 17.9%.

Danville Otterbots

RHP Kobie Cushing (Lenoir-Rhyne) - Owners of the best record in the league, Danville’s bullpen dominance was led by Cushing, who did not blow any of his league-leading eight saves. With a minuscule 0.51 ERA, he allowed one hit to the 64 batters he faced this season. Blowing batters away with a 43.4% whiff rate, 26.1% of the time batters have struck out. The slider has been one of his best offerings, moving -8.2” horizontally at 82 mph. Creating strikes 55.8% of the time, batters have also been whiffing at a rate of 42.9%.

1B Michael Callan Moss (North Florida) - It was the year of Moss as he was named the Appalachian Player of the Year and signed with the Kansas City Royals following Danville’s league championship. In his third year with the Appalachian League, Moss claimed the home run derby crown with jaw-dropping power. Then would break out of the All-Star break as the hottest hitter earning the July 24 to 31 Hitter of the Week and July Hitter of the Month. Finishing top of the league with eight home runs, four of them coming in his Hitter of the Week dominance, he finished with more this season than he had in his previous two seasons combined. With an overall average exit velocity of 92.7 mph, when Moss puts one over the fence, they get out in a hurry with an average of 101.5 and maxing out at 108.2 mph. With his best slash line across his collegiate career (.371/.531/.724), his advanced numbers pop even more with a league-leading OPS amongst qualified players of 1.255 and in wOBA at .527. With his high quantity of production, he boasted a hard-hit rate of 45.2% and barreled a quarter of balls in play.

Elizabethton River Riders

RHP Sam Novotny (Johnson County CC) - Novonty’s pitches featuring glove-side movement have brought batters trouble for an unpredictable bat. Ranging from 75-79 mph (T79), his curveball features pure diagonal movement with -10” Induced vertical break and horizontal movement that kept hitters to a .125 average and saw whiffs 30% of the time. A cut-fastball that’s seen 14.5” of IVB and 7.25” HB, sits at 86.6 mph and topping at 89. A .134 batting average against, 36.9% of the time it saw batters whiff with a 4.15% hard-hit rate.

C Jayden Lobliner (San Diego) - In a less-than-ideal season for offensive production with the River Riders, Lobliner was the bright spot as he outperformed the team’s combined slash line with plenty of power from the catcher position. The lone position player on the team named as an All-Star, he entered the home run derby tied for the lead with six home runs. Finishing the season where he barreled 10.4% of pitches with a hard-hit rate of 20.9%, when the game slows down Lobliner moves with it as he carried a .619 slugging percentage with a 38.9% hard-hit rate against the changeup.

Greeneville Flyboys

RHP Brock Toney (Grand Canyon) - In a split role between the West Division champion’s setup and closer, Toney racked up various achievements and recognitions this season, highlighted by Appy League Pitcher of the Year honors. He also suited up for the West when the Appalachian League took on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, represented the Flyboys in the 2024 All-Star Game and was named the July 24 to 31 Pitcher of the Week and July’s Pitcher of the Month. Leading qualified pitchers with a 44.4% whiff rate, Toney’s 47 strikeouts were fueled by his 74.5% swinging strikeout rate. Leading his arsenal in whiffs, the fastball and slider have been his go-to and have seen results. Sitting 90-92 mph (T94.3) with 18” IVB and 12” HB, the heater has seen a whiff rate of 48.1% with a zone-whiff rate of 46.4%. Toney’s slider has been even more effective as it was not a victim to a base hit, accounting for 42% of strikeouts and saw a whiff rate of 70.4%, with 54.5% of those whiffs coming inside the zone.

INF Brodie Johnston (Boyd Buchanan HS (TN), Vanderbilt commit) - As one of the 27 2024 high school graduates to appear in the Appalachian League, none made as big of an impact as All-Star Game MVP Brodie Johnston. Displaying one of the better power tools in Prep Baseball’s Super 60, Johnston’s game was able to translate as he got a taste of college competition before arriving at Vanderbilt this fall. Finishing tied for fifth across the league with five home runs, the Greeneville infielder finished first in RBIs with 47, only one away from tying the League’s current history for most in a single season (Ryan McCrystal BUR ‘22, Logan Sutter JC ‘23). With a max exit velocity of 107.5 mph during the regular season, Johnston’s 33 hard-hit balls (23.1%) rank second only behind Danville’s Moss with a sixth-best 14 barrels. When the league was put on center stage for the All-Star Game, Johnston recorded two of the three hardest-hit balls of the game. The second pitch the Vanderbilt commit saw, he took 369 ft at 106.9 mph for a home run. Later in the game, although not resulting in a base hit, lasered a 110.3 mph lineout to third base for the hardest hit ball in play of the game.

Johnson City Doughboys

RHP Landon Crumbley (East Tennessee State) - With a mix of starts and appearances in long relief, Crumbley has been a reliable arm for a Johnson City team that struggled in pitching. Second on the team with 34 strikeouts, he saw batters chase 29% with a ground ball rate of 51.3%. Seeing lots of success with his curveball that sits at 77.6 mph, spinning at 2,444 rpm and featuring -4” IVB and -8.1” HB, the breaking ball created a 37% whiff rate and 25.5% strikeout rate.

INF Chase Bloomer (Southern Illinois - Edwardsville) - Despite finishing one game out of the playoffs and under .500, Johnson City’s infield was spoiled with offensive production between Carson Kerce, Gunner Boree and Bloomer. Finishing atop the league in hits (58) and doubles (13), he wrapped up the season with a .405 wOBA, outperforming his xwOBA of .282 with an OPS of .921. Finishing second behind Moss with 17 total extra-base hits, Bloomer peaked at a max exit velocity of 102 mph with 11 barrels and 17 hard-hit balls. Dominating against sinkers, he hit .400, slugged .533 with a final wOBA of .465, whiffing only 22.5% of the time at the pitch compared to the league average of 28% against an individual pitch.

Kingsport Axmen

RHP Duke McCarron (Maryland) - McCarron’s fastball during the regular season sat between 91 and 93 mph while maxing at 94.6 mph and touching 95 on the dot at the All-Star Game. Spinning at 2,500 rpm, the pitch has seen substantial movement with 19” of IVB and 11” HB, it carries a chase rate of 27.5%, a whiff rate of 40.7% and a strikeout rate of 25.6%. Complimented by his slider that was not hit this season, the pairing has seen batters whiff at a rate of 41.6% and accounted for 21.7 strikeouts.

1B Devan Zirwas (Eastern Michigan) - One half of the Axmen’s power duo with Cal Sefcik, Zirwas finished with one of the hardest-hit balls at 107.5 mph. Fitting the more typical power bat type of a higher strikeout rate and whiff rate, he still features discipline at the plate with a lower chase rate of 17.4% and a walk rate of 14.2%.

Pulaski River Turtles

RHP Matt Porter (Pittsburgh) - The July 1-7 Pitcher of the Week had one of the better performing seasons, finishing fifth in ERA (1.73) and WHIP (1.08) as well as tied eight in batting average against (.175), with a 2-0 record over six starts. En route to his success, batters have chased pitches outside of the zone 25.9% of the time and struck out 20.5% of the time. His curveball is particularly effective, opponents were held to a .063 average, slugged .125 and a .115 wOBA, with a 44% whiff rate.

OF Alec DeMartino (UNC - Wilmington) - Entering the All-Star break leading the league in average, slugging and OPS as well as the No. 1 seed for the East in the home run derby, DeMartino’s second stint in Pulaski saw him take a step up in power. Albeit with half as many games in the Appalachian League this year compared to his season with UNC-Wilmington, his production over the summer was elevated in comparison terms of general stats. Diving deeper into what drove his success this season that led to July 15 - 21 Hitter of the Week honors, DeMartino's 21.9% hard-hit rate and 12.5% barrel rate accounted for an eighth-best average exit velocity of 88.2 mph (T105). Swinging big, there was some whiff to his game; however, he stayed within the zone as he led the league with the lowest chase rate amongst qualified hitters at 13.9%.

Tri-State Coal Cats

RHP Josh Paulina (West Chester) - Coming back from Tommy John surgery, Paulina has found immense success in the back-half of the Appalachian League season with the Coal Cats. From June 29 to July 26, Paulina allowed only four hits with 21 strikeouts. In that span, he went 9.1 consecutive innings without allowing a hit, initiated by a five inning start that led to the first nine-inning no-hitter in the League’s current history. With a 65% ground ball rate, his curveball stumped hitters who only hit .061 off of it in the previously mentioned span. Breaking the pitch down, it sat 75.5 mph with -12.3” of IVB and HB, resulting in strikes 40.9% of the time.

OF Michael Rodriguez (Bethune-Cookman) - Sharing All-Appy League Team and All-Star honors with teammate Logan Poteet, Rodriguez would go on to finish top-10 in hits (44), doubles (11) and total bases (63) as the only Coal Cat to hit above .300 (.312). With an average exit velocity of 88.8 mph (T104.6), he was one of the more consistent hitters to hit the ball hard with the eighth most exit velocities over 95 mph (25) for a hard-hit rate of 25.3%. Beyond the hard hits, he boasted an even more impressive barrel rate of 15.2% with the league’s fifth-best 15 barrels.