Travel Baseball Teams in Virginia

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MLB Players from Virginia

MLB players David Wright and brothers BJ and Justin Upton are all from Norfolk, Virginia. Michael Cuddyer, Mat Latos, and Justin Verlander are also from the Old Dominion state. They are scarcely the only ones! They are just six of 24 MLB players who are currently active in the league (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/birthplace.php?loc=Virginia).

David Wright

David Wright was born in Norforlk in 1982. As a boy he was in Little League. He sometimes played against another future big leaguer, BJ Upton. Both he and Upton would join the Virginia Blasters, an AAU summer team.

Wright also played third baseman and shortstop at Hickory High School. His intent was to be an engineering major, but he was playing too well coming off his senior year. He was a late first round draft pick in 2001. He was just 18.

Wright played in the minors for the Capital City Bombers and St. Lucie Mets before progressing to the AAA Binghamton Mets.

Now of course he plays for the New Jersey Mets -- where he was named team captain in 2013. He has won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. He has also won the Sports Humanitarian of the Year award.

Wright started his own charitable organization, the Wright Foundation, in 2005 (http://mlb.mlb.com/players/david_wright/bio/index.jsp). His foundation has supported a variety of charities from the Make-a-Wish Foundation to Harlem Children's Zone. He also funds an engineering scholarship at Virginia Tech. (His brother attended the school at the time of the tragedy, but was not injured.)

BJ Upton

BJ Upton was born in Norfolk in 1984. As a youth Little League and AAU player, his path crossed that of several other future pros. His younger brother would also make the big league -- and play on the very same team.

BJ Upton played ball for Greenbriar Christian Academy. At 17, he was a high first round draft pick, selected by Tampa Bay. He played in the minors on the AA Montgomery Biscuits. He made his major league debut in 2004, not yet 20.

BJ and his brother, Justin Upton, play for the Atlanta Braves.

Justin Verlander

Justin Verlander was born in 1983. He began pitching at the youth level at age nine.

Verlander later pitched for Goochland High School. Then it was on to Old Dominion University where he was Rookie of the Year for the Colonial Athletic Conference. He was on Team USA in 2003.

Twenty-one-year-old Verlander was a very high draft pick in 2004 – number two overall. In the minor leagues, he played for Class A Lakeland, then AA Erie.

He spent only a short time in the minors, making his major league debut in 2005. Verlander has been with the Detroit Tigers his entire MLB career. He is active in Tigers charities and helped launch Wins for Warriors.

Tomorrow’s Ball Players in Virginia

Sports Illustrated has a photograph of David Wright and BJ Upton together on the Little League field in the 90’s (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/main/photos/1207/pro-athletes-in-little-league/39/).

Tomorrow’s ball players are most likely on Virginia youth baseball teams today. They are also working hard on the baseball field and in the classroom. They are learning sportsmanship as well as ball skills – just like Virginia's youth baseball alumni have done across their careers.

Says Wright in reference to long-time friend BJ Upton's recent baseball struggles, "You feel for him on one hand… On the other hand, he's in our division. So you want to see him do well. But you don't want to see him do that well to where he is single-handedly beating you like he can (http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140309)."

Verlander has said, “I want to show that I can pitch well and get along with the guys in the locker room (http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Verlander/Verlander_my-say.html).” Playing on a team is more than just what one player can do. It is about working togther. Team sports build strong character and help teach children skills they will use throughout their lives, not just in sports but in school and at work.

Travel Baseball Teams in Virginia

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