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WVU baseball professionals: 2019 signees make debuts

By Staff | Oct 18, 2019

Kessler

MORGANTOWN — After what was arguably the most successful baseball season in school history, West Virginia University saw eight of its 2019 players sign professional contracts and begin their careers in the minor leagues.

West Virginia actually hosted one of the 16 far-flung Regionals in the 64-team NCAA tournament. Although Duke won the Mountaineer-hosted Regional, WVU was able to sell out every game the Mountaineers played in at the useful Monongalia County ball park.

The 38 wins the Mountaineers had was the second-most in school history.

Alek Manoah, a huge 6-foot-6, 260-pound righthander, was a first-round draft selection of the Toronto Blue Jays. After signing his professional contract, Manoah made his debut in late July with Vancouver in a short-season Rookie League.

Left-handed pitcher Nick Snyder signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and appeared in games with Hillsboro in another short-season Rookie League. Snyder’s pitching stints were usually short after the number of innings he pitched for the Mountaineers.

Gonzalez

Right-handed pitcher Kade Strowd began his pro career in the New York-Penn Rookie League with the Aberdeen IronBirds, a short-season affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.

Right-handed pitcher Sam Kessler was WVU’s closer during the 2019 season. Kessler signed with Detroit and then debuted in the Gulf Coast Rookie League. His appearances were short in duration, the same as they had been with the Mountaineers.

Outfielder Brandon White debuted with Orem (Utah) in the rookie Pioneer League after signing with the Los Angeles Angels.

Another WVU outfielder diving into the professional ranks was Darius Hill, who was signed by the Chicago Cubs. Hill began playing in July with the Eugene (Oregon) Emeralds in a short-season rookie league.

Ivan Gonzalez was a catcher/designated hitter at WVU and signed with the Chicago White Sox. Gonzalez was sent to Great Falls (Montana) in the Pioneer League, where he played against former teammate Brandon White and one-time Shepherd outfielder, Brenton Doyle, who spent the summer at Grand Junction (Colorado), an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

Hill

Chase Illig is another catcher. He signed with the New York Yankees and went to play at Staten Island in the New York-Penn League.

Manoah received by far the largest signing bonus of any of the eight Mountainneers, so his chances of reaching the Major Leagues are greater than any of the others, considering the “political” climate that continues to persist in professional baseball.

Manoah

WVU baseball professionals: 2019 signees make debuts

By Staff | Oct 18, 2019

Kessler

MORGANTOWN — After what was arguably the most successful baseball season in school history, West Virginia University saw eight of its 2019 players sign professional contracts and begin their careers in the minor leagues.

West Virginia actually hosted one of the 16 far-flung Regionals in the 64-team NCAA tournament. Although Duke won the Mountaineer-hosted Regional, WVU was able to sell out every game the Mountaineers played in at the useful Monongalia County ball park.

The 38 wins the Mountaineers had was the second-most in school history.

Alek Manoah, a huge 6-foot-6, 260-pound righthander, was a first-round draft selection of the Toronto Blue Jays. After signing his professional contract, Manoah made his debut in late July with Vancouver in a Class A Short-Season League.

Left-handed pitcher Nick Snyder signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks and appeared in games with Hillsboro in the same Class A Short-Season League. Snyder’s pitching stints were usually short, after the number of innings he pitched for the Mountaineers.

Gonzalez

Right-handed pitcher Kade Strowd began his pro career in the New York-Penn Class A Short-Season League with the Aberdeen IronBirds, an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles.

Right-handed pitcher Sam Kessler was WVU’s closer during the 2019 season. Kessler signed with Detroit and then debuted in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League. His appearances were short in duration, the same as they had been with the Mountaineers.

Outfielder Brandon White debuted with Orem (Utah) in the rookie Pioneer League, after signing with the Los Angeles Angels.

Another WVU outfielder diving into the professional ranks was Darius Hill, who was signed by the Chicago Cubs. Hill began playing in July with the Eugene (Oregon) Emeralds in a Class A Short-Season League.

Ivan Gonzalez was a catcher/designated hitter at WVU and signed with the Chicago White Sox. Gonzalez was sent to Great Falls (Montana) in the Pioneer League, where he played against former teammate Brandon White and one-time Shepherd outfielder, Brenton Doyle, who spent the summer at Grand Junction (Colorado), an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

Hill

Chase Illig is another catcher. He signed with the New York Yankees and went to play at Staten Island in the New York-Penn League.

Manoah received by far the largest signing bonus of any of the eight Mountainneers, so his chances of reaching the Major Leagues are greater than any of the others, considering the “political” climate that continues to persist in professional baseball.

Manoah