Today, we continue the 2016 Pirates Breakdown Awards with the Player and Pitcher of the Year awards for the West Virginia Power. The West Virginia Power finished the season in second place in the South Atlantic League Northern division with a record of 71-68. The Power finished 7.5 games back in the first half and nine games back in the second half to miss the playoffs.
Player of the Year: Mitchell Tolman
Tito Polo seemed destined to be the Power player of the year, but when the Pittsburgh Pirates announced Polo and Stephen Tarpley were the two players dealt to the New York Yankees to complete the Ivan Nova trade, Mitchell Tolman beat out designated hitter Jordan George to take home the award. Tolman being named as our player of the year speaks volumes about just how average the West Virginia Power were all season.
Tolman finished second only to Carlos Munoz on the team in hits. Tolman played the entire season with the Power after spending 2015 with the West Virginia Black Bears. Tolman slashed .265/.370/.371 in 2016, besting both of the Pirates’ young star infielders Ke’Bryan Hayes and Cole Tucker.
Tolman led the Power with 71 walks. He struck out just 68 times in 434 at bats. The next closest player was Daniel Arribas with 58. He finished in the top five in most other offensive categories. Tolman also made great leaps forward defensively at second base by following up his .929 fielding percentage with the Black Bears with a .984 fielding percentage for the Power.
In a crowded infield depth chart, Tolman is unlikely to factor into the Pirates’ long term plans. After struggling at the level at the plate, Tolman could even see some time back with the Power to prove whether he can make the adjustment and make the jump to the Bradenton Marauders. How the Pirates use Stephen Alemais moving forward will have a lot to say about Tolman’s future with the organization. Though he may never be a regular at PNC Park, he could play himself into a trade chip role if he can put it together at the plate like he did with the Black Bears.
Pitcher of the Year: Mitch Keller
Did you expect anyone other than the Pirates’ minor league pitcher of the year? The second round pick in 2014 started turning heads all around the country with one of the best statistical seasons on the mound in the entire organization. He ended the season with a clutch performance in his Bradenton debut, and Keller could continue to impress with what is likely to be an impressive infield behind him in 2017.
Keller finished with an 8-5 record and 2.46 ERA to lead the club, more than a run above the next closest teammate to make at least ten starts for the Power in 2016, Jonathan Brubaker, 3.48. What’s more impressive is that in 124.1 innings of work, Keller allowed just four home runs and 18 walks.
Keller also led all Power pitchers with 131 strikeouts and all starters with a 0.92 WHIP. His ERA was second in the South Atlantic League only to Brannon Easterling. His 18 walks tied with teammate Dario Agrazal for fewest among any starter in the league who started at least 20 games.
Mitch Keller is certain to begin 2017 with the Bradenton Marauders, but he could easily make the jump to the Altoona Curve before the end of the year if he can put up anything close to the results he had in 2016. If Keller is truly the real deal, as it appears he has the makings to be after this season, he could factor into the Pirates’ rotation as early as 2019, which would perfectly coincide with Gerrit Cole’s likely departure from the club for free agency. With Jameson Taillon, Tyler Glasnow, Chad Kuhl, and others likely to be the workhorses of the rotation for years to come, Keller could fill into the back of the rotation as an innings-eater starter.
Honorable Mentions – Position Players
As previously mentioned, Tito Polo would have been the player of the year and Mitchell Tolman would have found his way to this section, but it would be an oversight to fail to give him the credit he is due for his 2016 performance by not at least mentioning him again in the honorable mentions. If you were fortunate enough to make it down to Charleston, West Virginia for a Power game earlier this season, you probably had the benefit of seeing one of the Pirates breakout stars. For players still in the Pirates’ organization, Jordan George and Carlos Munoz get the honorable mentions for the Power.
After struggling with the West Virginia Black Bears, a trip across the state was exactly what Jordan George needed. The designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder, slashed .324/.455/.448 in 34 games and 105 at bats. While he draws a lot of walks, 24, George also strikes out at a decent clip, 22. He also doesn’t drive in many runs, 10, and George went the entire season without hitting a home run.
First baseman Carlos Munoz slashed .261/.341/.387 in 126 games and 452 at bats. Munoz led the power in doubles, 28, and RBI, 67. He hit seven home runs. Munoz had a .991 fielding percentage on the year and committed just six errors the entire season. With Will Craig getting time at first base and Ke’Bryan Hayes likely to repeat the level after struggling offensively and spending much of the season on the disabled list, Munoz is likely to be challenged offensively by being moved up to the Bradenton Marauders. The Pirates could also choose to have Craig split time between third and first to give Hayes and Munoz regular rest.
Honorable Mentions – Pitchers
While no pitcher jumped out quite like Mitch Keller, Logan Sendelbach, Dario Agrazal, and Bret Helton receive the honorable mentions for Power pitchers, although the inconsistency of each of this trio played a large part in the Power failing to be much more than an average team. All three will be moving on to the Bradenton Marauders either to start the season or after the first-year player draft refills their rookie ranks.
Bret Helton makes the list as a beneficiary of the recency effect. His solid performance in August makes his 4.44 ERA over 26 starts and 135.2 innings look about as bad as it really was. In five starts in August, Helton had a 2-0 record and 2.57 ERA, as he allowed eight earned runs over 28 innings. In his lone start in September, Helton would nearly match his August total for runs with seven allowed over 3.2 innings. Helton is highly unlikely to ever be more than an average minor league pitcher, but he still has time to discover the secret to breaking out.
Logan Sendelbach had a fantastic start to the year, and had he been able to keep that performance up, we may have had a more difficult decision to make when it came to the pitcher of the year. Sendelbach posted a 3.75 ERA over 26 starts and 139.1 innings. After May, Sendelbach struggled to keep hitters in the ballpark as he allowed nine home runs over the last three plus months of the season. He could fulfill his potential as a back of the rotation starter, but he is more likely to make the majors as a spot starter or average middle reliever, at best.
In 2017, Dario Agrazal could challenge Keller as the Bradenton Marauders pitcher of the year if he continues his trend of following up a down year with an outstanding year. Now in his fourth year in the organization, Agrazal posted a 4.20 ERA over 27 starts and 150.0 innings. Unlike in his first three years, Agrazal also struggled to prevent home runs, as he allowed 18 this season and just eight in his previous three seasons combined. He will also find a way to be more consistent in limiting hitters all-around offensively. He allowed 173 hits in those 150 innings, and hitters hit .294 against him in 2016. As he moves up in the organization, he could be a high-risk, high-reward rule 5 draft pick if an organization believes they can help him reach his upside.
Please keep watching as we continue to give out awards to each level of the Pirates Minor League system in the coming days.
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