EVAN CHAMBERS
3/24/89; '09 3rd; Hillsborough (FL) CC
R/R; 5-11, 210
| Level |
BA |
OBP |
SA |
AB |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
| 2009 NJCAA |
.338 |
.456 |
.613 |
168 |
14 |
1 |
10 |
32 |
45 |
27 |
2 |
| 2009
A- |
.245 |
.393 |
.380 |
200 |
15 |
0 |
4 |
50 |
78 |
6 |
0 |
Chambers went to the University of Florida for his first
year of college in 2008, but transferred to Hillsborough after getting only
eight at-bats with Florida. He's strong and stocky, allowing him to
hit for good power. This, of course, draws the inevitable Kirby
Puckett comparisons. Baseball America thinks his speed is good enough that
he might be able to play in center as a pro, although his arm is just
adequate. The other sources I've seen, though, describe him as
a corner outfielder, and BA itself listed him in an overview of corner
outfield prospects. Despite
good bat speed, his ability to
hit as a pro is in question, as the high
K total suggests. BA rated him #181 overall among draft prospects, stating
that some
scouts considered him more of a 6th to 10th round
pick. Like several other early round Pirates' choices, he appears to have
been a little overdrafted. He signed several weeks after the
draft and reported to State College, where he was
the regular in center. At bat, he clearly takes a lot of pitches, as
he put the ball in play in fewer than half his plate appearances. The
walks are fine, but his K rate was alarming. Chambers struggled early, with an OPS of .631
in July, but he improved to .881 in August. He
had a big platoon split, but the sample size is small. He'll be one
of the more interesting players in the system to follow in 2010, which
he should open in center at West Virginia.
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