*** Diamonds In the Rough - Kevin West ***

The My Sportsbook

by Nick Colangelo, Minor League Baseball Staff Writer

Philadelphia, PA - When you hear about recent hitters coming through the Minnesota Twins farm system, the names most commonly mentioned are Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer, and Jason Kubel. With Mauer, Morneau, and Cuddyer all making the jump to the big leagues, and Kubel crushing International League pitching with Rochester, baseball fans may be wondering who the next big hitter to develop through the system will be. They may have to look no further than New Britain, where Kevin West is quietly putting together the best season of his professional career.

Entering the 2004 season, West flew under the radar of many prospect publications and previews, including that of The My Sportsbook, who listed the Twins top ten prospects, one of which was not West. After a decent 2003 campaign in which he hit .279 with 41 doubles, 14 home runs, and 79 RBI in his first season with New Britain, West has taken his game to the next level in 2004, and is beginning to earn some well-deserved recognition.

So far this season, West already has already improved his power numbers from last season, and his batting average has floated around .300 for most of the year. In 97 games, the 6-2, 210 pound outfielder/designated hitter is hitting .297 with 20 home runs and he has knocked in 78. West has also stroked 30 doubles and has scored 55 times.

Currently, West is tied for fifth in the Eastern League in hits with teammate Luis Maza. His 30 doubles are second best in the Eastern League. West is also tied for fourth in the league in homers, second in RBI, second in total bases, and seventh in the league with a .549 slugging percentage.

The 24-year-old California native has had quite a few impressive achievements during his career year to date. West had a 19-game hitting streak from April 27th-May 17th, which at the time was the longest in all of baseball. He also had back-to-back walk-off RBI on April 19th/20th, as the Rock Cats defeated the Binghamton Mets 7-6, and 6-5.

His hot start earned him Eastern League Player of the Week honors for consecutive weeks during the span of May 24th-June 6th, in which he hit .468 with six homers and 17 RBI. To cap off his hot start, West was recognized as the Topps Player of the Month for the Eastern League for the month of May, not to mention being named to the Northern Division squad for the Eastern League All-Star game on July 15th in Bowie, MD.

Kevin West has played well enough to earn a promotion to Triple-A Rochester, however the line of outfielders ahead of him reads like a perennial All-Star team of its own. With big-time prospects Kubel and Michael Restovich at Rochester, and Lew Ford and Cuddyer settled in with the Twins, not to mention Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones, and Shannon Stewart, West seems to be behind the eight-ball as far as Minnesota's outfield depth chart is concerned. He could be used as a designated hitter, but that spot is currently filled by Morneau, and may be for some time. So, what do you do with a hot hitting prospect with no where to put him? The Twins could dangle West in some trade talks, but it is more likely Minnesota would package a higher-touted prospect in a trade for the stretch run. More than likely, West will have to continue to impress and wait for a spot to open up. Until that happens, his stock will only continue to rise.