Hillcats season wrap up: A few highs, but mostly lows

The Pirates promised a new day when the franchise completely overhauled its management from top to bottom in the offseason, hoping to end 15 years of futility and restock a minor league system in disrepair.

As the Hillcats’ 2008 season proved, that wave of change might take a while to reach Lynchburg.

The Hillcats played just about as poorly in 2008 as they did in 2007, when they had the worst record in team history. Only a four-game sweep of the hapless Avalanche over the final weekend got Lynchburg to a record of 58-80, only slightly better than last year’s 55-82 mark.

It’s a problem facing the Pirates’ entire minor league system. Yes, Pittsburgh has new people in charge, with a new general manager, scouting director and farm director. But the Dave Littlefield regime left little in the cupboard, with few legitimate prospects from the Double-A level down.

The 2007 records of those teams, then, make more sense. Double-A Altoona finished 65-77. Low-A Hickory was 52-87. And Short-Season Williamsport ended the season with an unfathomable 17-54 record, worst in baseball.

It’s been a trend for Pirates affiliates lately. Lynchburg hasn’t seen a good team since 2003. The Hillcats have failed to reach 60 wins in four of the last five seasons, topping out with 63 wins in 2006.

While this year’s team had its share of deserved promotions (Jim Negrych and Jamie Romak come to mind) and promising players (Brian Friday, Tony Watson and Brad Lincoln lead the pack), there still isn’t the depth in the organization’s lowest levels to suggest the Hillcats will be competitive any time soon.

That said, here are some highlights and lowlights from the 2008 season:

-Offensive MVP: Negrych. Finally healthy for a full year, the third baseman batted .370 prior to his promotion to the Curve in late July, breaking Chris Shelton’s team record (.359) and tying for the eighth-best single-season average in the Carolina League’s 64-year history. Negrych led Lynchburg in hits (143), runs (77), doubles (36) and on-base percentage (.448).

-Pitching MVP: Watson. The left-hander’s won-loss record (8-12) doesn’t scream staff ace, but Watson didn’t get much run support. He finished the season with lowest ERA on the staff (3.56), finishing sixth in the league. He had quality starts in nine of his last 15 outings.

-Biggest disappointment: Charles Benoit. The reliever had a strong 2007, going 9-3 with a 2.71 ERA in 50 appearances for Low-A Hickory, but he completely fell apart this year. The lefty was 0-4 with an astronomical 14.66 ERA for Lynchburg, with five outings of less than two innings that resulted in four or more earned runs.

-Career resurrection: Brian Holliday. Things looked bleak for the seventh-year minor leaguer when he lost eight straight decisions from May to June, but the left-hander turned things around, going 5-2 in the last two months with five quality starts, giving hope that his career, after a four-year stall in Lynchburg, is back on track.

-Most intriguing prospect: Friday. With respect to Lincoln (who played all of a month and a half for the Hillcats), Friday gave Pirates fans hope that he could be a big leaguer someday. A third-round pick out of Rice in 2007, Friday skipped over Hickory and went straight to Lynchburg this year, where he batted .287 with 59 runs and a .378 on-base percentage despite being limited to 85 games because of a back injury.

-Under the radar: Kris Watts. The catcher had a more prominent role after Steve Lerud’s promotion at the all-star break and finished with a .285 batting average despite a sub-par August. While his catching skills leave plenty to be desired, Watts proved he can swing the stick at the High-A level.

-Most disturbing trend: Position players pitching. The Pirates’ new staff was big on pitch counts (per inning and per game), meaning sometimes the bullpen was stretched beyond its limit. As a result, Lynchburg was forced to throw a position player on the mound four times this season. Not surprisingly, the Hillcats lost all of those games.

-Most telling stat: A 4.99 team ERA. Pitching wins championship — isn’t that the cliché? It holds true. Lynchburg hasn’t had a team ERA under 4.00 in four years, posting a 233-318 record in that time. By the way, Myrtle Beach, which finished with an 89-51 record, had a league-best 3.48 ERA.

-Media MVP: Romak. Certainly never lacking in confidence or one to shy away from commenting about anything (his performance, weaknesses of opposing pitchers, all-star snubs, Olympic roster selections, you name it), Romak was a go-to quote and easily the most engaging personality on the Hillcats’ roster.

-Something that will haunt Pirates fans for years: The team’s decision to select Daniel Moskos over Matt Wieters in the 2007 draft. Moskos may well turn into a very good major league pitcher, but the early returns aren’t good. Moskos struggled to find consistency, eventually moving to the bullpen to spare his fatigued arm. He finished with a 7-7 record and a bloated 5.95 ERA.

Wieters, on the other hand, could be the Orioles’ starting catcher next year. The former Georgia Tech standout, who the Pirates passed on with the fourth overall pick, batted .345 with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs in 69 games for Frederick before being promoted to Double A, where he put up even better numbers.

Just to twist the knife, he did most of his damage against Lynchburg, brutalizing the Hillcats for seven home runs, 14 RBIs and a .414 average in nine games.