SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Everyone knows one another in Hedgesville, West Virginia, which boasted a population of just 300 during the most recent census at the turn of the decade. There’s a Subway, a Burger King and three stop lights. There’s even a King’s New York Pizza, which in hindsight, could have been a harbinger of things to come for Kyle West, now a prospect making his way through the Yankees’ system.

West is West Virginia through and through. He starred for the same Hedgesville (W. Va.) High School program as Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter, one year his junior. West began his collegiate career at Division II University of Charleston before transferring to the University of West Virginia for two seasons before New York popped the left-handed-hitting slugger as a senior sign in the 13th round of the 2025 Draft.

West still lives in the state during the offseason, and while it might not seem like a one-for-one comparison, being a star in a place that is mad about college baseball might make him uniquely suited for the rigors of being a prospect who dreams of one day wearing pinstripes inside Yankee Stadium.

“I've never played in the Bronx, so I can't say it's just like it,” said West, “but if I were to put a finger on it -- West Virginia baseball is the New York Yankees to West Virginia citizens. They live and die by the Mountaineers.”

West has already spent considerable time in Hudson Valley with the Yankees’ High-A affiliate, where he enjoyed a record-setting 2026 campaign. By finishing with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases, he was one of 59 Minor Leaguers to reach that plateau, but also the first in Renegades franchise history.

Despite the accolades, it wasn’t all roses. West ran a 29.8 percent strikeout rate and hit .226 with a .694 OPS and 81 wRC+, scuffling to find that day-in, day-out consistency during his first full year of pro ball. So after the grind of 124 regular-season games, West headed … well, west, to the Arizona Fall League to get more at-bats under his belt.

“I punched out a lot, you can look at the stats,” said West. “There were a lot of down parts of the year, but to look back and see there were bright spots throughout the year, it's pretty rewarding. Because if you always look at the negative, you'll just get trapped in it. If you just use that negative part of the season as fuel to see, ‘This is where I can get better,’ then the sky's the limit after that.”

West has been a sponge during his first few weeks with the Salt River Rafters, picking up intel wherever he can, whether it be coaches or the bevy of fellow top prospects who make up the rosters, including Yankees top prospect Dax Kilby (MLB No. 78), whom he’s rooming with in the desert.

“No one's ever a finished product but you always learn, so I think now it's really growing into myself and understanding what my superpower is,” said West. “To me, I hit the ball very hard, so I’m trying to maximize that by getting more balls in the air because more balls in the air gives them a chance to leave the yard.”

The data backs up West’s thought. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound first baseman put six balls in play in excess of 108+ mph entering play Thursday, tied for the most in the Fall League with the Reds’ Yerlin Confidan. But none of those went over the fence. 

During the regular season, his 43.4 percent ground-ball rate ran around the middle of the pack in the High-A South Atlantic League. But with a swing geared for impact, he’ll need to find a way to tease out more loft heading into 2027. West saw the third-most pitches of any Yankees Minor Leaguer in 2026, giving him a wealth of information to work with. A self-professed “visual learner,” he’s been able to bank how opposing pitchers have attacked him -- now it’s just a matter of adjusting to their adjustments.

“There were times this year where I was on top of the world and everything was in the air,” said West. “I have it in there. It's just a matter of being super-consistent with it.”