In Single (A) ball for the Carolina league the Lynchburg Hillcats(Pirates affiliate)are having another good season. They post a 33-28 record, coming off two straight wins against the Wilmington Blue Rocks(Boston). Their team leader, first basemen Pat Magness has 21 homeruns and 84 RBIs. Other notable key players are OF Vic Bulter and 3B Avelino Asperilla. There is no doubt Magness is destined for the major leagues. The team holds second place in the division, trailing the Frederick Keys(Baltimore) by 3 games. With a week or so left in the season they've got some ground to make up. Lynchburg has been Carolina league champs three times in the past 8 years. That's not too shabby. A night at the old ball park watching the Hillcats play wouldn't be complete without their furry, big headed mascot Southpaw. He can be seen dancing on top of dugouts (showing off is more like it) and playing with kids around the stadium, serving as a personal punching bag at times. That's what helps make this team so special.
Throughout the years the Lynchburg teams have seen a lot of top minor league players come and go. As affilates of the Mets, Red Sox, and now the Pirates such players as Lenny Dykstra, Doc Gooden, Trot Nixon, Aaron Sele, Frank Rodriguez, Jose Guillen, Aramis Ramirez, Kris Benson, Zach Duke, and several others have entered the major leagues. They began to develop into future professional baseball players in Lynchburg, Virginia. Recent acquisitions for the Pirates have been Brad Eldred(1B) and Zach Duke(SP) who's jumped on the scene with a 6-0 record and low ERA(averaging slightly above 1 run a game). Lynchburg fans who watched these guys play minor league ball in Single (A) or even Double (A) can brag that they got to see their talent first before they reached the big leagues. The Pirates farm system will have more star players come up through the ranks in the future as they will start their career journey with the Lynchburg Hillcats
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