CurveBall Blog is the official blog site of the Altoona Curve, Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com Click here to view the box score Why it mattered Stephen Strasburg, known as “The Phenom” back then, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft by the Washington Nationals and signed for a record-breaking $5.1 million in mid-August, delaying his Minor League debut until 2010. The Nationals … More From the Vault: Stephen Strasburg’s MiLB Debut
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com View the box score by clicking here Why it mattered Peoples Natural Gas Field welcomed a stadium record 10,116 fans to watch the second exhibition game between the Curve and their MLB affiliate, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The crowd shots during this game are jaw-dropping. Every area of the ballpark is packed. As … More From the Vault: 2013 Curve-Pirates Exhibition Game
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com Today would have been Major League Opening Day. Instead, we are reminiscing fond memories of seasons past. If you haven’t re-watched the Pirates-Reds 2013 Wild Card Game yet, I highly recommend that you do. To draw this back to an Altoona perspective, we often celebrate former players that went on to play … More MLB Longevity of Curve Alumni
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com Pirates Spring Training is just a few weeks away (pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 10) and the club announced 11 additional invitees to camp. That brings the total to 51 players at big league camp when the first full-squad workout takes place on Feb. 17. Among the 11 new players, nine … More Pirates add 11 NRIs to Spring Training roster
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com As we close out the decade, the Altoona Curve enjoyed a 10-year span of rich history both on and off the field. Here is a look back to the best moments from 2010-2019. There is no specific order to this list but for simplicity, we chose five different achievements by the team … More Best of the Decade: 2010-2019
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com The Pirates’ 40-man roster stood at 39 entering Wednesday’s 8 p.m. deadline and they protected five players from the Rule 5 Draft. Infielders Ke’Bryan Hayes, Will Craig and Oneil Cruz along with right-handed pitcher Blake Cederlind and Cody Ponce had their contracts selected. Ponce is the only player not on the Bucs’ … More Rule 5 Preview: Pirates protect five with 40-man promotions
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com The Arizona Fall League concluded last week after the Salt River Rafters bettered the Surprise Saguaros in the league’s championship game. Seven members of the 2019 Altoona Curve represented the Pittsburgh Pirates and played next to prospects from the Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners that comprised … More 2019 AFL Recap: Pirates Prospects in Peoria
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com Two former Altoona Curve infielders, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Will Craig, were chosen as 2019 Rawlings Gold Glove Award® winners on Monday by Minor League Baseball and Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. Hayes (32nd overall in 2015) and Craig (22nd overall in 2016), both former first-round draft selections by the Pirates, spent the … More Alums Craig, Hayes win MiLB Gold Gloves
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com A few days before Jared Oliva was named to the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game, he stated that the opportunity would be “the cherry on top” to his experience in the desert. Let’s just take a step back to analyze his 2019 resume: First Double-A season. Check. All-League performer. Check. Arizona … More Jared Oliva: Fall Stars Game “the cherry on top”
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com The field is set for the 2019 MLB Postseason and it all begins tonight at Nationals Park with Milwaukee visiting Washington in the National League Wild Card Game. The Pirates missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season in 2019, but several Curve alumni are in the hunt for the World … More Curve alumni in the 2019 MLB Postseason
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