CurveBall Blog is the official blog site of the Altoona Curve, Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com The first weekend of games in the Arizona Fall League are in the books with Monday, September 23 serving as the league’s first day off. The AFL is a six-week showcase of baseball’s future stars divided among six squads. Seven members of the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system are competing for … More The 2019 Arizona Fall League is underway
By Michael Marcantonini AltoonaCurve.com CURVE, Pa. — First-year Altoona Curve assistant coach Salvador Paniagua sits in the first base dugout and reminisces about the day he signed his first professional contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2001. He remembers what it was like to leave home, to be thrown into a new culture with … More Paniagua’s playing, life experiences translating to success as coach
By Jim Lane AltoonaCurve.com CURVE, Pa.—At 23 years of age, Curve infielder Robbie Glendinning has seen a lot of the world. He was born in Australia and went to college in Iowa and Missouri before signing a pro baseball contract with the Pirates in 2017. Now in his third season of minor league ball, Glendinning … More Player Profile: Robbie Glendinning
By Jim Lane AltoonaCurve.com CURVE, Pa.— Southern California athletes seldom move to the East Coast to develop their sport, but Curve pitcher Beau Sulser did. Sulser, who hails from Escondido, Calif. (near San Diego), went to Dartmouth before beginning his career in professional baseball, and he’s glad he did. “I followed my older brother out … More Player Profile: Beau Sulser
By Michael Marcantonini AltoonaCurve.com It’s not uncommon for an organization to move top prospects quickly through its minor league system. It is, however, uncommon to see a 22nd-round pick reach Double-A with less than two full minor league seasons under his belt–especially a player who’s spent most of his professional career in a utility role. … More Player Profile: Brett Pope
By Garett Mansfield AltoonaCurve.com It may not be much of a stretch to picture Blake Cederlind as one of the class clowns during his days at Turlock (Calif.) High School. However, the 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher has been no joke on the mound since he joined Double-A Altoona in early May 2019. “I keep it loose … More Player Profile: Blake Cederlind
By Jim Lane AltoonaCurve.com CURVE, Pa. – Highs and lows. Athletes experience them all of the time. Curve infielder Mitchell Tolman has had more than his share. After graduating from El Toro High School in Lake Forest, Calif., Tolman committed to Cal State Fullerton where he planned to play college baseball. “(But), the (Fullerton) coaches … More Player Profile: Mitchell Tolman
By Jim Lane AltoonaCurve.com CURVE, Pa. –The road to Altoona and Double-A professional baseball wasn’t an easy one for Curve center fielder Jared Oliva. “Not your typical story,” Oliva said matter-of-factly at Peoples Natural Gas Field recently. Actually, Oliva is considered a rags-to-riches story in some baseball circles. He didn’t earn a starting position at … More Player Profile: Jared Oliva
By Jim Lane AltoonaCurve.com CURVE, Pa. — One of the first things that catches your eye about Curve pitcher Blake Weiman’s biography is his high school alma mater: Columbine, Colorado. That’s right! THE Columbine High School in the Metropolitan Denver area where 12 students and one teacher were murdered on April 20, 1999. Twenty-one others … More Player Profile: Blake Weiman
By Jim Lane AltoonaCurve.com CURVE, Pa. – Many baseball players are drafted after their junior year in college and begin their professional careers that same summer. Curve catcher Jason Delay was selected in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB draft by the San Francisco Giants after his junior season at Vanderbilt, but didn’t … More Player Profile: Jason Delay
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