MLB: Toronto Blue Jays, other World Series contenders, have Virginia ties

Sean Ryan played baseball at the University of Richmond in the 1990s, and in his first year, his roommate was Mark Budzinski, now the first base coach for the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Almost immediately, I saw what made Mark so special. He had an incredible work ethic in everything he did, on and off the diamond. His work ethic and dedication to being the best player and best teammate resulted in him getting better and better each year,” Ryan wrote to AFP this month.

Now, 30 years after Budzinski was drafted by Cleveland, the former Spider standout is bidding to make his first trip to the World Series after Toronto took care of the New York Yankees in the ALDS. The Jays’ series in the ALCS with Seattle began on Sunday in Toronto.

Budzinski’s career as a player in the majors lasted just four games with the Cincinnati Reds in 2003, and he later managed in the minors with Cleveland – including a stop in the Single-A Carolina League with Lynchburg.

“He was one of our leaders, along with Sean Casey and Bobby St. Pierre, guiding a special group of players who remain tight to this day. You don’t get to where he’s at – all those years in the minors as a player, all the bus trips, starting at the bottom as a manager – without incredible work ethic, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to see him on this stage,” noted Ryan, who played with Budzinski at Richmond from 1993-1995, reaching the NCAA Tournament in 1995.

Casey, also drafted by Cleveland in 1995 out of Richmond, played in the Majors from 1997 to 2008 with a lifetime average of .302 with 1,531 hits.

St. Pierre, who went to DeMatha Catholic High in Maryland, pitched in the minors with the Yankees and Cleveland and is now a scout with the Houston Astros and based in Atlanta, according to Ryan, a former baseball coach at Benedictine and the co-founder of CollegeBaseballInsider.com.

Ryan coached 22 years at the private school before stepping down this summer, in part to focus on his work in public relations.

Budzinski, 52, has been the first base coach of the Blue Jays since the 2019 season. He ended his playing career at Triple-A in the Philadelphia Phillies system 20 years ago.

“We’ve wanted to win a World Series our entire careers,” said Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, to CNN.com. “We’re not there yet, but this is a huge step. It’s a blessing to be part of this group.”

Sadly, one of Budzinski’s daughters, Julia, was killed in a freak boating accident on the James River near Richmond during the 2022 season. She was a student at Glen Allen High School in Henrico.

More Blue Jays connections

Another state connection with Toronto includes former University of Virginia star Ernie Clement, an infielder who hit .277 in regular-season play with Toronto in 2025.

John Lannan is a mental performance coach with Toronto. The former lefty pitcher with the Washington Nationals also played in the minors in Woodbridge in the Washington system in 2007 while at the Single-A level in the Carolina League.

Will Wagner, a former infielder at Liberty University, began the season with the Blue Jays but was traded to the San Diego Padres during the season. He is the son of Hall of Fame pitcher Billy Wagner and appeared in the Rockingham County Baseball League (RCBL) in 2020.

The last time the Blue Jays won the World Series was in 1993. A backup catcher on that team was Randy Knorr, a former coach and minor league manager with the Washington Nationals. Knorr was one of several people in player development and scouting let go by the Nationals earlier this month by the new regime.

Knorr managed in Woodridge with Potomac in the Single-A Carolina League from 2006-2008 and had been a catching instructor in the minors for Washington, which fired former general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez this past summer.

One of Knorr’s pitchers with Potomac in 2007 was Lannan. Another pitcher on that 2007 Potomac team was Justin Jones, who went to Kellam High in Virginia Beach and was a second-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 2002.

The Nats purge

Another veteran in player development let go by the Nationals was Jeff Garber, a former infielder at JMU who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1988. He won a World Series ring while with Washington in 2019. In his tenure with the Nationals, Garber worked with infielders at all levels, including former UVA star Ryan Zimmerman.

“It is incredible to see all the hard work, dedication, belief and teamwork pay off to compete for the highest baseball team accomplishment,” Garber told this reporter during the World Series run in 2019.

Jake Lowery, who grew up in the Richmond area, will be retained in some role by Washington, according to published reports. He was the Johnny Bench Award winner as the top college catcher in the country with JMU in 2011. Lowery played in the minors with Cleveland and Washington.

His father, Tim, a former high school baseball coach at Clover Hill and Crosby, went into the Virginia Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame last year.

The younger Lowery managed Single-A Wilmington this year and led the Fredericksburg Nationals to a Carolina League title in 2024.

Paul Toboni is the new director of baseball operations with the Nationals.

Notes

The other three teams left in the playoffs also have Virginia ties.

• Former MLB slugger Justin Bour, who went to George Mason University, has worked the past two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in player development. He went to high school in Northern Virginia at Westfield, was drafted out of Mason by the Cubs, and played in the Majors with the Miami Marlins, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels, and overseas.
• Former UVA baseball star Chris Taylor began the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers but was let go in May in the final year of his four-year contract. He played at Frank Cox High in the Tidewater region before heading to Charlottesville.
• Will Rhymes, who starred at William & Mary, has worked in the front office of the Dodgers for several years in player development. The infielder player in the Majors with Detroit and Tampa Bay and at Triple-A in the Washington system in 2013-2014 to end his playing days.
• Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh was born in Harrisonburg while his father, Todd, was an assistant coach at JMU.
• Jerry Dipoto, the director of baseball operations for the Mariners, pitched at VCU.
• The last time the Mariners made the ALCS was in 2001. A pitcher on that team was Jamie Moyer, who played briefly for the Harrisonburg Turks of the Valley Baseball League while in college.
• Harrisonburg native and former Staunton High baseball star Tyler Zombro, 30, was hired by the Cubs last fall to work with pitchers in the system. The former right-hander also played for the Staunton Braves while in college at George Mason and reached the Triple-A level in the Tampa Bay and Texas The Cubs were knocked out of the playoffs by the Brewers on Oct. 11.