CHASE D'ARNAUD

1/21/87; '08 4th; Pepperdine Univ.
R/R; 6-2, 200

Level	BA	OBP	SA	AB	2B	3B	HR	BB	K	SB	CS
2006 NCAA	.282	.353	.385	195	14	0	2	19	26	2	0
2007 NCAA	.331	.371	.446	175	9	1	3	10	24	4	2
2008 NCAA	.314	.415	.547	223	17	1	11	33	36	10	6
2008 A-	.286	.333	.423	168	10	5	1	11	30	14	2
2009 A+	.295	.402	.481	210	19	4	4	30	41	14	5
2009 A	.291	.394	.427	213	14	3	3	30	31	17	3

In the Pirates' 2008 draft, D'Arnaud was the second in a spree of left-side infielders that included Jordy Mercer, Benji Gonzalez, Jeremy Farrell, Matt Hague, Jarek Cunningham and Matt Payne. The team was no doubt conscious of the fact that it's very short on infield prospects. D'Arnaud's draft stock went up when he moved from third to short in 2008. According to Baseball America, he was above-average defensively at third and average at short. Offensively, he showed a lot of improvement, both in power and plate discipline, in his junior year, although BA characterized his power as gap rather than HR power. Both D'Arnaud and third rounder Mercer, also a shortstop, signed at the beginning of the New York-Penn League season and were assigned to State College. The Pirates decided soon afterward that they preferred to separate that two so both could remain at SS, so they moved Mercer up to Hickory. The Pirates are determined to develop their prospects as long as possible at the most challenging position they might be able to handle.

D'Arnaud started slowly, posting a .517 OPS in brief June action, then missed most of July with an ankle problem. He got hot in August, hitting 343/393/490, although he slumped late in the month and on into September. His plate discipline improved after he had eleven whiffs and no walks in June and July. He showed good gap power and surprising speed, if the triples and stolen bases are any indication. He had a strong platoon split, with an OPS of .910 against LHPs and .717 against RHPs. D'Arnaud played a little at short but mainly at third. With D'Arnaud, Farrell, Payne and Andy Vasquez all squeezed into the 3B and SS positions, outside of Vasquez playing a little at 2B, it's puzzling that D'Arnaud didn't spend some time at 2B to avoid having non-prospect (since released) Chad Rice end up with the majority of the playing time there.

Opening 2009 at West Virginia, D'Arnaud played short exclusively. He had a solid first half, showing impressive plate discipline and more base stealing ability than expected. The Pirates moved him up to Lynchburg in late June and he hit even better there, despite missing some time in July with a wrist injury. He showed more power than he had previously, and continued to draw walks and steal bases effectively. He hammered LHPs all year, with an OPS against them well over 1.000 at both stops. Of course, that means he didn't hit RHPs very well. With Lynchburg, D'Arnaud split his time between the two middle infield positions, sharing short with Mercer and second with trade acquisition Josh Harrison. Oddly, he had a .975 fielding percentage at short and .920 at second. That probably resulted from his unfamiliarity with the position. In the long run, though, according to BA and Baseball Prospectus, scouts think D'Arnaud will end up at second because his range may not be quite good enough for short.

At this point, D'Arnaud looks like the Pirates' best middle infield prospect, which makes him a key player because they desperately need help there. Some caution is in order, as the Pirates have seen with Brian Bixler and Brian Friday that college infielders hitting well in class A doesn't mean they'll continue to do so as they move up. D'Arnaud, however, has a broader skill base than Bixler or Friday, with more power and better plate discipline, and possibly a more consistent glove. He should open 2010 at Altoona, possibly still sharing infield positions with Mercer and maybe Harrison. It'd be nice to see him play his way to AAA by mid-season.

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