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Four former players in the Rockingham County Baseball League have appeared in a regular-season game in the Major Leagues this year: Turner Ashbys Brenan Hanifee (pitcher, Detroit Tigers), JMUs Chase DeLauter (outfielder, Cleveland Guardians), Miller School and Liberty University product Will Wagner (infielder, San Diego Padres) and Brenton Doyle (outfielder, Colorado Rockies), who is from Northern Virginia and played in college at Shepherd in West Virginia.
That is believed to be the first time four RCBL alums have appeared in a regular-season game in the same season.
All four saw action in The Show last season, but for DeLauter, it just came in the postseason when he made his debut in the bigs.
In 1990, three products of the RCBL played in the Majors: Staunton native Larry Sheets, Waynesboro native Reggie Harris and Harrisonburg native Daryl Irvine, who starred at Spotswood High School and in college at Ferrum.
One of Irvines pitching coaches in pro ball was former big-leaguer Rich Gale, whose son, Chris, pitched at UVA.
Rich was really good.
He thought I needed another pitch so he had me work on a cutter, Irvine told the AFP earlier this year.
With that much talent, its possible to come up with a Dream Team All-Star squad of RCBL alums.
This is based solely on their pro careers with how high they climbed and longevity, with RCBL team and years in the majors, or minors.
Starting lineup Catcher: Jerry May (Towers, 1964-1973) and Erik Kratz (Broadway, 2010-2020) Have to go with a tie here as Staunton native and North River High grad May was a regular catcher for an extended period, while EMU grad Kratz was usually a backup, but had a memorable postseason run with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Kratz is now the head baseball coach at Dock Academy, and his team won a state title in Pennsylvania this spring in a lower division.
Kratz played for nine MLB teams: both he and May played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals.
May ended his career with the New York Mets.
First base: Alan Knicely (Bridgewater, 1979-1986) The first TA grad to make the Majors, Knicely played mostly catcher in the bigs, but also saw time at first base and in the outfield.
He began his career in Covington as a pitcher in the Houston Astros farm system in 1974 after being drafted in the third round out of high school.
He hit .213 with 12 home runs in MLB.
Knicely was the Sporting News minor league player of the year with Wichita in 1984 and the Southern League player of the year in 1979.
He was teammates with Hall of Famer Johnny Bench on the Cincinnati Reds.
Second base: Wagner (Montezuma, 2024-present) Wagner was drafted out of Liberty by the Houston Astros the team that his Hall of Fame father Billy pitched for from 1995-2003.
The younger Wagner broke in with the Toronto Blue Jays before being traded to the Padres.
He has split time between Triple-A and San Diego this season.
Shortstop: Brian Bocock (Bridgewater, 2008 and 2010) The TA grad was the regular shortstop for the San Francisco Giants at the start of the 2008 season.
A Stetson University product, Bocock played in a few games with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010.
He spent time in the minors with the Triple-A team of the Washington Nationals later in his career, with Syracuse in 2013.
Third base: Tanner Morris (Stuarts Draft, minors 2019-2024) The Miller School and Virginia product didnt reach the Majors, but he did play at the Triple-A level with the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins before retiring.
Left field: Larry Sheets (Shenandoah, 1984-1993) The Staunton High grad was the Baltimore Orioles MVP in 1987 when he hit a career-high 31 homers.
The lefty slugger, also used as a designated hitter, had 91 homers in the Majors and also played in Japan.
He had some epic battles in basketball while at Staunton High while facing former Virginia star Ralph Sampson of Harrisonburg.
The most impactful athletic events that I ever played in, Sheets told the AFP earlier this year.
Center field: Brenton Doyle (New Market, 2023-present) Doyle has won two Gold Gloves in center field for the Colorado Rockies.
Right field: Chase DeLauter (Broadway, 2025-present) A first-round pick out of JMU by Cleveland, he used Country Roads as a walkup song last October before the U.S.
soccer team made it their own.
A high school player in West Virginia, he has dealt with injuries again this season while providing pop in the Cleveland lineup.
Designated hitter/utility outfielder: Wayne Comer (Grottoes, 1967-1972) The Page County High grad was part of the 1968 Detroit Tigers that won the World Series.
He coached at Spotswood and his alma mater before passing in 2023.
Comer hit .229 with 16 homers in the majors.
His late brother, Buddy, played in the minors with the Washington Senators and as a high school coach won state titles in different sports 30 years apart boys basketball at Luray in 1971 and track at Page County in 2001.
Starting pitcher: Travis Harper (NA, 2000-2006) The Harrisonburg native played at Circleville High in West Virginia and at JMU before turning pro.
The right-hander made 14 starts in the majors early in his MLB career before moving to the bullpen with Tampa Bay.
He appeared in 240 games with an ERA of 4.94.
One of his teammates in Tampa Bay was fellow reliever Mike Venafro, who went to Paul VI High in Northern Virginia and JMU.
He is a dynamic person.
I really enjoyed my time with him, Harper told this reporter.
Bullpen Brenan Hanifee (Clover Hill, 2023-present) The right-hander broke into the majors with the Tigers after he was drafted out of TA by the Orioles in 2016.
He has split time this year between Detroit and Triple-A Toledo.
Daryl Irvine (Grottoes, 1990-1992) The right-hander appeared in 41 games out of the bullpen in three seasons with the Boston Red Sox.
Reggie Harris (Fishersville, 1990-1999) The Waynesboro High grad pitched in the majors for the Oakland As, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston and Milwaukee.
The right-hander was 2-3, 4.91 in 86 games with one start.
Dana Allison (Linville, 1991) The former JMU star from Warren County High pitched in 11 games with the Oakland As.
He and Harris once pitched in the same game out of the bullpen for Oakland on a day future Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley got the save.
Allison made the Opening Day roster of the As in 1991 under Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa.
I was in the right place at the right time, Allison said in an interview about six years ago.
Michael Schwimmer (Elkton, 2011-2012) A product of the University of Virginia, he played part of two seasons with the Phillies.
He has been a businessman since his playing career ended.
Ian Ostlund (Clover Hill, minors from 2001-2009) A lefty who played at TA, VMI and Virginia Tech, Ostlund made it to the Triple-A level with the Tigers and Cardinals.
He once fanned 21 batters while pitching for the Knights against Harrisonburg High.
He was with Triple-A Toledo in 2008.
That was the first time I felt really close to an MLB promotion, he said.
But a pitcher from Double-A got the call to Detroit.
Jimmy Hamilton (Clover Hill, minors from 1996-2002) Another lefty from TA, Hamilton pitched at Triple-A with the Orioles and Cleveland after starring at Ferrum.
Chris Huffman (Bridgewater, minors from 2014-2019) A former star at Fort Defiance and JMU, Huffman reached the Triple-A level with the Padres.
A veteran of the RCBL, he was the pitcher of the year in the league last season with Bridgewater.
Darrell Thompson (New Market, minors from 2016-present) The Winchester native and Shenandoah University product made it to the Triple-A level with the Brewers as a non-drafted pitcher.
The lefty reliever has pitched this season in Mexico.
Utility players Utility outfielder: Tommie Martz (Twin County, minors from 1960-1968) The Broadway High graduate was a lifetime .302 hitter and was in the Yankees system during an era when Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle and stars Roy White and Tommy Tresh were outfielders in New York.
Martz played several years in the RCBL after his pro career and went into the Hall of Fame for the League in 2019.
It was a huge honor, he told the AFP last year.
Utility first baseman: Lorenzo Bundy (Shenandoah, minors from 1981-1989) The former JMU slugger reached the Triple-A level with the Pirates and Montreal Expos as a player.
He hit 25 homers for Alexandria in the Carolina League in 1983.
He was an MLB coach for several teams and managed in the minor leagues and Mexico for several years.
Backup catcher: Adam Hackenberg (Montezuma, minors from 2021-present) The Miller School and Clemson product reached the Triple-A level with the Chicago White Sox before he was released earlier this year then picked up by the Blue Jays.
He was at Triple-A in the Toronto system before sent to Single-A in Florida.
Note: some players may have appeared with more than one RCBL club.