Minor League Review: West Virginia

West Virginia may have been the team with the least amount of prospects on it in the Pirate system. There is a mix of draft picks from the past two seasons, a few Latin players making jumps to full season North American ball, and guys that have been in the system for a few years.

All that mix made for an interesting team though. There were a few hitters to pay attention to Aaron Baker, Jarek Cunningham, Rogelios Noris, and Evan Chambers. The pitching had a mismash of players, which could have had better depth, if not for injuries. 

Most Improved Player: Kyle McPherson - A 2007 draft pick McPherson has not moved all that much since being drafted. He seemed to be stuck in that organizational depth mode. While it is better late than never, McPherson has now jumped to fringe prospect territory. His strikeout numbers jumped considerably in what is perhaps his best professional season.

Least Improved Player: Wes Freeman - Drafted in 2008, Freeman has not done a whole lot in his professional career. This season he started in WV, but was later demoted to Bradenton. Freeman batted .155 in 84 at bats with the Power while striking out 44 times. He really looked over matched.

Biggest Surprise Player: Kyle McPherson - He took advantage of the injuries and made himself into one of the staff's better pitchers.

Disapointing Player: Jesus Brito - Coming over from the Indians in the first Brian Bixler trade, Brito looked like he could be a diamond in the rough. He was a little older, but had a good year last year. The hope was that we might have a hidden gem, but Brito has not progressed at all, if anything he has regressed from his what now looks like a fluke in performance.

One to Watch: Evan Chambers - Chambers may be the most selective hitter in the organization. He drew 92 walks, but only batted .239. If he can expand his zone a bit, we would see the average go up and perhaps his power grow as well, he did hit 12 home runs. His being selective is a good thing, refreshing even, as so many of his teammates were swing and miss types.

One to Worry: Jarek Cunningham - Granted he was coming back from injury this season, and personally I am not all that worried about him, but he did strikeout a ton and did not draw a bunch of walks. That is causing for some alarm.

Best Pitcher: Philip Irwin - The Ole Miss product had an excellent season for the Power. He had 111 strikeouts and only 20 walks, with holding the competition to a .235 batting average. Irwin might have had one of the quieter seasons in the entire organization.

Best Hitter: Aaron Baker - It is close between Baker and Evan Chambers, but Baker led the team in home runs and in RBI, as well as having more hits than Chambers. Next season could be a big breakout for him.

Top 5 Prospects:
1. Evan Chambers
2. Jarek Cunnigham
3. Quinton Miller
4. Aaron Baker
5. Jason Erickson