JAMES NEGRYCH

3/2/85; '06 6th; Univ. of Pittsburgh
R/R; 5-10, 180

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
2004 NCAA
.378
.464
.592
201
20
1
7
33
36
12
7
2005 NCAA
.349
.471
.694
186
14
1
16
44
37
11
2
2006 NCAA
.396
.515
.654
182
14
0
11
40
42
6
2
2006 A-
.267
.327
.384
146
7
2
2
13
19
1
1
2007 A
.282
.340
.365
340
14
4
2
27
48
4
1
2008 AA
.310
.394
.368
87
5
0
0
11
14
5
1
2008 A+
.370
.448
.508
386
36
1
5
55
55
7
6
2009 AA
.272
.366
.362
323
18
1
3
45
37
8
1

Negrych is a local product who did one thing exceptionally well in college, and that was hit.  The ability earned him a variety of All-America and All-Big East honors.  He has below average speed and is poor defensively, but he had an excellent line drive bat with some power and was regarded by scouts as playing above his tools.  Negrych signed quickly after the draft and played for Williamsport.  He started very slowly, but got hot after the first few weeks.  Unfortunately, he tore ligaments in his thumb in early August, ending his season after he had batted .474 in the first six games of that month.  He was ready to go at the start of 2007, but had only a fair year at Hickory.  He hit for a decent average and made contact, but didn't show any power or get on base at an especially good rate.  He struggled against LHPs, which he hadn't done at Williamsport, posting only a .565 OPS against them.  He missed over a month with an oblique strain and may still have been suffering some effects from the thumb surgery.  Defensively, he at least didn't have problems with errors, committing only ten.

Negrych moved to 3B at Lynchburg in 2008, possibly in an effort to see if he'd be useful in a utility role.  The thumb injury must have had something to do with his weak 2007 season, because he did nothing but hit in 2008.  He's never likely to hit for power beyond doubles, but he has an excellent eye and makes consistent hard contact.  He had a significant platoon split again.  Negrych adjusted well to AA after a late season promotion.  He played strictly 3B in AA and only 17 games at 2B at Lynchburg.  His position probably isn't terribly relevant because he is not good defensively, and by this I don't mean "shaky" or "inconsistent," I mean he just doesn't have the tools to play defense.  He committed 31 errors in 2008.  He's awkward in the field and doesn't have good hands or a good arm.  The Pirates gave up on the third base experiment and started Negrych back at second with Altoona in 2009.  He actually showed some improvement defensively, but this time he didn't hit well.  He started off hit, batting .373 in April, but in May he hit .194 with no extra base hits and in June he hit .229.  He had the same OPS against LHPs and RHPs, so he at least made some progress hitting the former.  He started coming around in July, hitting .310 and slugging .464, but late in the month he suffered an abdominal injury in a collision with shortstop Brian Friday.  The injury was diagnosed as a hematoma and Negrych had season-ending surgery.  The injury is not considered career-threatening and he should be back for the 2010 season.

Negrych's long slump hopefully was some kind of fluke.  His excellent plate discipline didn't falter.  He has to hit for a high average, much higher than .272, because it's his only selling point.  He presented a tough choice for the Pirates because he'll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft in the fall.  He doesn't have great upside, but he could be a very good bat off the bench in the majors if his hitting returns to its 2008 form.  He wouldn't be hard for a team to hide in the majors for a year.  Nevertheless, the Pirates left him off the roster.  If he returns, he should move up to AAA, but it's not a given.

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