Mountaineers in MiLB: 12 Former WVU Standouts Begin Minor League Seasons

After the minor league baseball season was cancelled in 2020, many minor leaguers had not played in professional baseball games in nearly two years when the 2021 minor league season kicked off last week.

West Virginia had a few former players in the majors in 2020 and a handful more at teams’ alternate training sites, but the majority of former Mountaineers were inactive. That has changed this season, however, as a dozen former WVU standouts have begun their minor league seasons already.

Triple-A

• P Alek Manoah – Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays)

Double-A

• C Chase Illig – Somerset Patriots (New York Yankees)
• P Michael Grove – Tulsa Drillers (Los Angeles Dodgers)
• P Chad Donato – Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros)

High-A

• 2B Kyle Gray – Hudson Valley Renegades (New York Yankees)
• P Sam Kessler – West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers)
• P Nick Snyder – Hillsboro Hops (Arizona Diamondbacks)
• P Kade Strowd – Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore Orioles)
• P Braden Zarbnisky – Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Philadelphia Phillies)

Low-A

• C Ivan Gonzalez – Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox)
• OF Darius Hill – Mrytle Beach Pelicans (Chicago Cubs)
• OF Brandon White – Inland Empire 66ers (Los Angeles Angels)