By: Preston Shoemaker
AltoonaCurve.com
Every season, Spring Training marks the exciting return for baseball after the long offseason. For many eager fans, this offers a glimpse of the next wave of Pirates stars as prospects share the field with current Major Leaguers. This year, a brand new event has been launched to offer fans a new opportunity to see these stars in action.
The MLB Spring Breakout is a new four-day event showcasing baseball’s future. The games will be played from March 14-17, 2024 at Grapefruit and Cactus league stadiums during Spring Training and will feature the top Minor League stars from every organization.
A series of 16 exhibition games will be played between teams comprised of each organizations top prospects, creating a new exciting event that fans can look forward to every spring. The Pirates will square off against the Orioles at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida on Thursday, March 14th at 7:05 p.m.
The Pirates roster consists of 27 prospects ranging from Triple-A experience to Rookie ball. There are nine players in the game who have played for the Altoona Curve, as the roster offers fans a chance to see big names like Paul Skenes and Anthony Solometo as well as gives many their first look at young talents such as David Matoma and Estuar Suero. Let’s take a look at the Pittsburgh roster for the event!
**Players in RED have played for the Curve in their career**
Pitchers
There are 10 pitchers on the Pirates roster for the Spring Breakout game, including six who have played in Curve, PA. Seven of these 10 pitchers rank in the Pirates Top-30 Prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.
RHP Braxton Ashcraft – Seen as the No. 7 prospect in the Pirates system, Ashcraft returned to the mound last season and pitched his way to Double-A for the first time after missing the entire 2022 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He earned a spot of the Pirates 40-man roster after the season, thanks to his 63 strikeouts in 52.2 innings along with a 2.39 ERA.
LHP Hunter Barco – Selected by the Pirates in the 2nd round of the 2022 Draft out of the University of Florida, Barco is entering his first full season as a Pirates minor leaguer after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2022. He returned to action last July and pitched in nine games between the Florida Complex League and Bradenton. Barco is the Pirates No. 14 prospect according to MLB Pipeline
RHP Bubba Chandler – The Pirates No. 5 prospect dominated on the mound in the second half of the 2023 season, leading to a Double-A debut where he retired 13 straight batters, allowing only a single on 9/8 vs. Harrisburg. Chandler, a former two-way player, is seen as one of the more athletic prospects in the Pirates system and is a likely candidate to begin the season in Altoona.
RHP JC Flowers – Flowers is a former 4th round draft pick by the Pirates in 2019 out of Florida State. He spent the entire 2022 season in Altoona, where he made 33 appearances with a 2.88 ERA out of the bullpen. Flowers saw his numbers drop in 2023 with Triple-A Indianapolis, but is still an intriguing bullpen option entering the season.
RHP Thomas Harrington – A former walk-on at Campbell, Harrington blossomed for the Fighting Camels and became the school’s highest drafted pitcher when the Pirates took him No. 36 overall in 2022. He showed stong control of five pitches last year pitching for Bradenton and Greensboro in his first season. The No. 6 prospect will likely make his Double-A debut for the Curve this season.
RHP David Matoma – Matoma is one of the youngest players on the breakout roster at just 18 years old (born in 2006!) The young prospect made nine appearances last season in the Pirates Dominican Summer League, allowing no runs and striking out 14 batters in 16.2 innings. Signed at 16 years old, Matoma is just the third Ugandan-born player to sign with a Major League team and the first for the Pirates.
RHP Patrick Reilly – Drafted last summer by the Pirates in the 5th round out of Vanderbilt, Reilly made nine appearances out of the bullpen in Bradenton to get his feet wet in Minor League Baseball. Seen as the Pirates No. 23 prospect, the 22-year-old has great potential for his pitch arsenal if he can develop more control on the mound.
LHP Tyler Samaniego – Samaniego has spent each of the past two summers working out of the Curve bullpen in Altoona. The southpaw was selected in the 15th round of the 2021 Draft out of South Alabama and has earned 16 saves at the Double-A level, working as a high-leverage arm in the backend of games for the Curve.
RHP Paul Skenes – MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 overall prospect in Minor League Baseball is the headliner on the Pirates Spring Breakout Roster. Skenes made headlines as the Pirates No. 1 overall selection last summer out of LSU. He made his Double-A debut on August 26 against Akron in front of a PNG Field record 10,164 fans and made two starts with the Curve at the end of the season. He was seen as the best college pitching prospect since Stephen Strasburg last summer, and he has a strong chance to make his Major League debut this summer. His high-velocity fastball that tops out at 102 mph and his sharp-breaking slider have proven to be his best offerings. Skenes will have the chance to pitch against the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball in this game, the Orioles Jackson Holliday.
LHP Anthony Solometo – Drafted in the 2nd round in 2021, Solometo made his High-A debut as the Opening Day starter for the Greensboro Grasshoppers last season and exceeded expectations from the start. Across 12 starts in Greensboro, he struck out 68 batters in 58.2 innings and allowed just one unearned run across 22.0 innings in his last four starts at High-A. This led to a mid-season promotion that made him the Eastern League’s youngest pitcher at 20 years, 6 months, and 15 days when he made his debut on June 17. He became the 13th player in Curve history to suit up for the Curve under the age of 21. He finished the season 7th among Pirates minor leaguers with 118 strikeouts and threw the third-most innings by a pitcher age-20 or younger at the Double-A level that season (50.1), walking just 6.5% of batters he’s faced. His strong season ranks him at the No. 4 prospect.
Catchers
There are three catchers on the roster for the Spring Breakout game, with Abrahan Gutierrez the lone Curve alum.
Omar Alfonzo – Alfonzo is a 20-year-old prospect who was signed as a free agent back in 2019. After reaching Low-A Bradenton for the first time last summer, he hit .273 in 52 games with four home runs and 37 RBI.
Abrahan Gutierrez – After joining the Pirates organization in 2021 in a trade from the Phillies, Gutierrez has shown good defense behind the plate and a powerful bat. He first made it to Double-A last season, playing in 33 games for the Curve before an injury ended his season early. Gutierrez is a strong candidate to catch on Opening Day for the Curve.
Axiel Piaz – Another 18-year-old prospect on the Pirates Spring Breakout roster, Piaz has spent the last two seasons working at the Dominican Summer League and in the Florida Complex League. In 65 career games played, Piaz sports a .242 average with four home runs and 34 RBI.
Infielders
A young infield roster is comprised of nearly all Top-30 prospects, but only one Altoona Curve alum in Tsung-Che Cheng.
INF Tony Blanco – At just 18-years-old, Blanco is the only infielder on the roster that has yet to crack the Top-30 prospect list. He has spent each of his first two seasons in the Pirates system in the Dominican Summer League, where he was named a midseason All-Star in 2023.
3B Jack Brannigan – Brannigan split last season between Bradenton and Greensboro, hitting 19 home runs in 87 games with a .275 batting average and 24 stolen bases. A former college pitcher at Notre Dame, he fits in well at third base but played exclusively at shortstop at the Arizona Fall League last season. Brannigan will likely spend time with Altoona this summer.
3B/1B Jesus Castillo – Seen as the No. 25 prospect in the Pirates system, Castillo spent the entire 2023 season at Bradenton, where he hit .209 with 39 stolen bases in 48 attempts. He won the Florida Complex League batting title in 2022 with a .352 batting average and is an exciting young utility player in the Pirates organization.
SS Tsung-Che Cheng – Cheng’s strong season at High-A Greensboro last season led to a postseason All-Star nod and a promotion to Altoona in July. After entering the year ranked No. 28 in the Pirates system, he finished the season 4th among PIT MiLB in runs scored (80) and ranked T-4th in 2B (23), 1st in 3B (10), T-7th in SB (26), and 9th in Batting Average (min. 250 PA) with a .278 mark. His 10 3B were T-3rd-most among all minor league players. He is seen as the No. 9 prospect in the Pirates system.
SS Yordany De Los Santos – After signing with the Pirates for $1.2 million in January of 2022, De Los Santos became one of the youngest regulars at Bradenton. The 19-year-old may not have had the best numbers in Low-A last summer, but the Pirates were pleased with how their young infielder handled the challenge. Seen as the No. 17 prospect, De Los Santos is a name to keep an eye on with exciting tools at the plate.
1B Garret Forrester – After starting at Oregon State for three seasons, the Pirates selected Forrester last summer in the 3rd Round. He is an advanced hitter who drew more walks than strikeouts in college. After serving mainly as a first baseman in college, he has gotten some reps at third base with the Pirates and will be an interesting candidate who could hit his way to Altoona this summer.
SS Mitch Jebb – Jebb is another well-versed infielder in the Top-10. He was the Pirates 2nd round selection last summer out of Michigan State. Ranked as the No. 8 prospect, Jebb was a three-time All-Big Ten honoree with the Spartans who put his name on the map with a strong showing in the Cape Cod League in 2022. The left-handed hitter has excellent bat control and great speed on the base paths. Jebb only played in 34 games with Bradenton last season after the draft, but he is another infield candidate who could play his way to Altoona this summer.
2B Termarr Johnson – Johnson was the Pirates No. 4 overall selection in 2022 and has impressed this spring at Major League camp. After a slow start to his first full season last year due to a hamstring injury, Johnson settled in at Low-A Bradenton to hit 13 home runs in 75 games before a late-season call-up to Greensboro. Johnson’s most impressive tools are his hitting and power at the plate, and it is very likely that the No. 2 prospect gets his first taste of Double-A action this summer in Altoona.
SS/3B Jhonny Severino – Severino joined the Pirates organization last summer as a part of the Carlos Santana trade, coming over from the Brewers organization He was a highly coveted amateur from the Dominican Republic who was a standout after last season for the Pirates at their Dominican Instructional League. The young infielder has good pop in his bat and will spend his first full season as a Pirates minor leaguer this summer.
Outfielders
There are five outfielders on the roster for the Pirates, with Jase Bowen being the lone member of the Curve’s all-time roster. All five players are ranked in the Pirates Top-30 prospects.
OF/1B Jase Bowen – A former 11th round selection out of high school in Ohio, Bowen put together a strong 2023 campaign that ended in Altoona. The 23-year-old hit 23 home runs and stole 24 bases in 110 games at Greensboro before playing the final eight games of his season with Altoona. He put together a strong showing at the Arizona Fall League and is likely to return to Altoona to start the season.
OF Tres Gonzalez – Gonzalez is another outfield prospect who could likely make it to Altoona this summer. The former Georgia Tech product was a fifth round selection in 2022 and split last season between Bradenton and Greensboro. As a left-handed hitter, he has strong bat-to-ball skills and will be intriguing to watch this summer.
OF Shalin Polanco – Polanco was in the top 10 of MLB Pipeline’s international prospects list in 2021 before signing with the Pirates for $2.35 million. A good runner, he got his first taste of full-season ball last summer with Bradenton, stealing 17 bases and hitting 12 home runs in 70 games. He is seen as the No. 16 prospect in the Pirates system.
OF Estuar Suero – Suero joined the Pirates organization last summer as a 17-year-old from the San Diego Padres as a part of the Rich Hill/Ji-Man Choi deal. After a strong showing in the Dominican Summer League for the Padres, he got a taste of the United States while splitting the season last year between Arizona and Florida after the trade. Standing a 6-foot-5, he is a switch hitter with raw tools and a good runner. The Spring Breakout game will give many fans their first glimpse of the prospect.
OF Lonnie White – White has an interesting resume as a Malvern Prep product. He signed well over slot in 2021 with the Pirates after he was taken No. 64 overall, luring him away from playing football and baseball at Penn State. Since then, White has only managed to play 61 games, including nine in 2021 and two in 2022 due to injuries. Despite this, he is still seen as the No. 12 prospect in the system and has advanced athleticism that can turn him into a top prospect if he stays healthy.
Make sure to catch the Pirates Spring Breakout game on March 14 at 7:05 p.m. Our own Jon Mozes will be onsite for the game and will bring updates on the future Pirates stars!
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