This is a very small item for a slow day, so no need to get excited, but: I was inspired by WTM's photo journal earlier today and I checked on a number of prospects in the Pirates' system. I think if I were writing another Top 30 prospects list now, I'd probably have to put State College outfielder and 2009 3rd-rounder Evan Chambers on it. Chambers has quietly had a very interesting season, and you don't get the full picture if you just look at his overall numbers. Here are his monthly splits.
July .176/.349/.282
August .303/.442/.438
September (3 games) .375/.545/.625
Look at the overall line (.247/.403/.374) and you might get the idea that Chambers has little going for him besides advanced control of the strike zone, but it might simply be the case that he took a month to adjust to pro ball and wood bats, because he's been awesome since then. He's struck out way too much so far (71 times in 182 at bats), but he has also walked 49 times. He'll need to be more selective as he rises through the system, but if his .300-plus batting average since the beginning of August is more indicative of what we should expect going forward than the .176 average in July, he may have the tools to do it. He's also only 20, so he has plenty of time to figure things out. Of course, the distribution of his hitting between July and August could just be a fluke and his overall line could be something close to his actual talent level, but I'd bet against that. Chambers appears to be one to watch when he heads to West Virginia next year.