Current Pro Baseball Players from Virginia (MLB 2023)
Baseball Players, and athletes of all sports really, take pride in where they’re from. Whether it’s the state, city or area code – you always notice players wanting to rep their home area.
Fans tend to do the same thing. It’s always more fun to pull for a player when they’re from your home state (or even your hometown), especially when that player also happens to be playing on your favorite team.
With all that in mind, we went through MLB.com and pulled every player’s home state (or country) on the 40-man rosters for each team. We found 21 players from the state of Virginia on major league rosters. That’s enough to tie Virginia with Pennsylvania for 7th overall out of all 50 states.
As far as individual cities, Richmond is the most well-represented city with 5 players calling Richmond their hometown.
MLB Players from Virginia
Here are the 21 guys representing the state of Virginia on MLB Rosters at the start of the 2023 season including what town he’s from and what team he plays for.
| Name | City | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Knizner | Glen Allen | Cardinals |
| Brandon Lowe | Suffolk | Rays |
| Chris Taylor | Virginia Beach | Dodgers |
| Connor Overton | Richmond | Reds |
| Daniel Hudson | Lynchburg | Dodgers |
| Daniel Lynch | Richmond | Royals |
| Jackie Bradley Jr | Richmond | Royals |
| Jake Cave | Hampton | Phillies |
| JB Bukauskas | Ashburn | Brewers |
| Joe Mantiply | Danville | Diamondbacks |
| Josh Lowe | Chesapeake | Rays |
| Josh Sborz | Washington, DC | Rangers |
| Josh Winder | Richmond | Twins |
| Justin Verlander | Manakin-Sabot | Mets |
| Kevin Kelly | Springfield | Rays |
| Nate Eaton | Chester | Royals |
| Nathaniel Lowe | Norfolk | Rangers |
| Peter Solomon | Washington, DC | Diamondbacks |
| Taylor Clarke | Ashburn | Royals |
| Vinnie Pasquantino | Richmond | Royals |
| Zack Kelly | Roanoke | Red Sox |
Player Bios
Here is a little more info on a few of the standout players from the state of Virginia:
Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander, born in Manakin Sabot, Virginia, attended Goochland High School in Goochland, Virginia. He showcased his exceptional pitching talents early on and continued to develop his skills at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the first round of the 2004 MLB Draft, Verlander has established himself as one of the premier pitchers in Major League Baseball, playing a key role in the success of teams like the Tigers and the Houston Astros.
Brandon Lowe
Brandon Lowe was born in Suffolk, Virginia, and attended Nansemond River High School. There, he excelled on the baseball team, leading them to a district championship and earning first-team all-state honors. Lowe continued his baseball career at the University of Maryland, where he developed into a formidable player.
Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2015 MLB Draft, Lowe has become known for his versatile playing abilities and significant contributions to the Rays’ success.
Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor, born August 29, 1990, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, played college baseball for the Virginia Cavaliers. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB Draft and made his debut in the major leagues in 2014.
Taylor has become a valuable utility player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, known for his versatility in playing multiple positions and contributing significantly to the team’s offensive and defensive efforts.
Hall of Fame Players from Virginia
In addition to the current players from Virginia, we compiled a list of all players that have gone on to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame:
| Name | City | Induction Year |
|---|---|---|
| Jud Wilson | Remington | 2006 |
| Pete Hill | Culpeper County | 2006 |
| Leon Day | Alexandria | 1995 |
| Ray Dandridge | Richmond | 1987 |
| Eppa Rixey | Culpeper | 1963 |
Baseball Hometown Fun Facts
California, by far, has the most current MLB players of any state with 189.
The second most was the state of Florida with 89, followed by Texas (78), Georgia (40) and New York with 38.
The Dominican Republic has 120 players currently in major league baseball which is incredibly impressive considering the country has a total population of only 11 million people. By comparison, the state of California has a population of 39 million and the state of Florida has a population of almost 22 million.
Other States
We have compiled hometown guides for every state from the data we collected. Here are a few of the other states you can check out:
