Around the Curve | Curve in the Majors - Vol. 2
CURVE, PA. – Altoona has been a pipeline to the Major Leagues for nearly 26 years, with the current alumni count at 214 players achieving their dreams of becoming a big leaguer. This season, we want to look at some of the exciting accomplishments our alumni are achieving at the
CURVE, PA. – Altoona has been a pipeline to the Major Leagues for nearly 26 years, with the current alumni count at 214 players achieving their dreams of becoming a big leaguer. This season, we want to look at some of the exciting accomplishments our alumni are achieving at the Major League level. Every week, we will spotlight a handful of players who are succeeding at the next level and reflect on their time with the Curve, here on the Around the Curve Blog! Here is our second edition of: “Curve in the Majors.”
1. RHP - Paul Skenes - Pittsburgh Pirates
Season Stats: 1-0, 2.70 ERA, 2 Games (2 Starts) 10 IP, 3R, 6H, 3BBs, 18Ks
Pirates No. 1 Draft selection Paul Skenes made his much-anticipated Major League Debut last Saturday in front of a playoff-like atmosphere. Skenes immediately showed the reasoning behind the hype, striking out seven batters in four total innings. While he couldn’t go the distance after nearing a pitch limit, he was able to give many Pirates fans hope for the future.
As of the writing of this article, Skenes has just completed his second appearance in the black and gold against the Chicago Cubs. As if he had anything left to prove, Skenes struck out 11 batters in six innings of no-hit baseball. Consequently, this thrilling performance has made his legend grow even bigger in the minds of Curve and Pirate fans alike.
Skenes suited up just two times for the Curve before being shut down for the remainder of the 2023 season. During his time with the ball club, he finished with an ERA of 13.50 accompanied by five hits, five strikeouts, and two walks. It should be noted that the only time Skenes appeared in front of an Altoona crowd is now the franchise record for the biggest recorded attendance in Peoples Natural Gas Field history, at a whopping 10,164 fans.
2. C - Blake Sabol - San Francisco Giants
Season Stats: .313, 11 games, 2 2B, 1 RBI, .421 OBP, .375 SLG
Since leaving the Pirates organization, Blake Sabol has been on a tear throughout the Minor and Major Leagues. After recently being called up with the Giants for the second time in his young career, he’s argued to be in the Giants starting catcher picture for the future. Given San Francisco's current catching injury debacle, that just might be the case. He was promoted back to San Francisco on May 4 and has caught in eight of the 11 games he has played with the Giants this season.
Sabol appeared during most of the 2022 Curve season, coming out as a fan favorite and one of the top sluggers for that ball club that year. Before being called up to Triple-A Indianapolis towards the end of the season, Sabol would finish his stint with a .281 Batting average, 14 home runs, and 60 RBIs in 98 games.
3. RHP - Jameson Taillon - Chicago Cubs
Season Stats: 3-1, 1.61 ERA, 5 Games (5 Starts) 28.0 IP, 8 BBs, 18Ks
Jameson Taillon has started the 2024 campaign by throwing well in his first five starts with the Cubs this season. During this season, he’s allowed 11 runs on 23 hits, but only five of the runs are earned, leading to his strong ERA. What makes this stellar start more impressive is that Taillion is coming off a late spring training injury, causing him to miss opening week for the Cubs. He has bounced back to be one of the Cubs’ reliable arms in their rotation.
Taillon appeared 24 times in a Curve uniform, starting a total of 23 times. During his time in Altoona, Taillon pitched just over a total of 130 innings, averaging a strikeout per inning. Outside of those impressive stats, he was also named Eastern League Pitcher of The Week during the second week of August in 2012 and Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star in 2013.
4. RHP - Jared Jones - Pittsburgh Pirates
Season Stats: 3-4, 2.89 ERA, 9 Games, 53.0 IP, 63Ks, 7BBs
Jared Jones is yet another Pirates rookie that’s making waves this season. Jones started the season with the Pirates, after being a non-roster invited to spring training. Since being called up, he has lived up to the hype he built during his time in the minors, sliding his stellar slider highlight reel all over the country and becoming very well known for blowing off the doors of any offense he went up against. Jones most notably recent highlight came during the home series when the Pirates took on the Milwaukee Brewers. Not only did Jones pick up his second victory of the season but showcased his slider’s ability to make batters swing right out of their shoes.
Curve fans had a few opportunities to see Jones and his blistering fastball. Jones appeared in just 10 games with the Curve, tossing just over 44 total innings. During those 44 innings, he allowed just 11 runs on 32 hits while also walking 16 batters. Jones also struck out 47 Batters during that time frame, thanks in part to not only his lightning-quick fastball but also his quick sweeping slider.
5. OF - Bryan Reynolds - Pittsburgh Pirates
Season Stats: .254 avg., 46 games, 12 2B, 1 3B, 5 HRs, 20 RBIs
Bryan Reynolds is arguably the best player on the Pittsburgh Pirates right now and it’s not hard to see why. Not only has he been by far the most consistent player on the entire 40-man roster, but has consistently found ways to put more power into the sometimes underwhelming lineup. Reynolds currently leads the Pirates with 46 hits, 24 walks, and 12 doubles.
After being acquired in the Andrew McCutchen trade in 2017, Reynolds quickly made his way to the Curve roster. He went on to play 88 games with Altoona, dropping an impressive .302 avg with seven home runs and 46 RBIs.
Other Notes:
- Ji-Hwan Bae is once again ripping through International League opposing pitching, riding high with an impressive .345 batting average and .467 OBP. While Bae has yet to suit up for Pittsburgh this season, it's hard to see a reality where we don’t see Bae in a Pirates uniform soon.
- Canaan Smith-Nijgba has been a recurring player in the Indianapolis Indians lineup this season as he's appeared in 27 games. He is sporting a .381 on-base percentage and has seven extra-base hits with 10 RBI on the season. Smith-Njigba was designated for assignment by the Pirates earlier this season and is off the 40-man roster.
- Hammering Henry Davis is back at it again with the Indianapolis Indians after his recent option down from the Pirates on May 3. Since then, Davis has reached base safely a total of 10 times in his last nine game appearances. He has added a double and a home run in his brief time in Indy.
Stay tuned all season long for more exciting content on the Around the Curve Blog!
How clubs across Minor League Baseball are celebrating PLAY BALL Weekend
PLAY BALL Weekend is almost here, and Minor League clubs have put together an exciting calendar of events to celebrate MLB’s youth engagement initiative. Some clubs are hosting youth clinics or other events in their home ballparks while others are bringing the joy of baseball and softball into the local
Here are the weirdest plays and stats from MiLB in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Podcast features first-base promotions for Caglianone, Eldridge
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Cubs' Rojas, Mets' Tong headline May's Minor League Players of the Month
Minor League Baseball announced the Player and Pitcher of the Month Award winners for May in Major League Baseball’s player development system.
Minor League Baseball, Joe Torre Safe At Home partnership enters ninth year
For the ninth year, Minor League Baseball and Joe Torre Safe At Home have teamed up to raise awareness about violence and abuse and to inspire fans of all ages to join them in SAH’s critical work. This year, 63 MiLB teams will participate in an in-ballpark initiative from May
MiLB podcast discusses Anthony, Caglianone at Triple-A
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
These are the greatest Minor League promos happening in June
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
New playoff format coming to 2025 Dominican Summer League
Minor League Baseball announced the 2025 Dominican Summer League (DSL) season will begin June 2 with Opening Day festivities taking place at the Boston Red Sox Academy in Guerra. The 2025 campaign will also see the introduction of the DSL Cup, a new playoff format that will see 16 DSL
Debating best Minor League home caps on podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
The Omaha Storm Chasers' 'Take Meow-t' cat night included a Litter Box Sundae
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Boston's Triple-A affiliate throws birthday bash for Roman Anthony
With all the hype that has surrounded Roman Anthony over the past two seasons, it’s easy to forget how young he really is. MLB's No. 1 prospect played 70 games at the highest level of the Minors before he could order a beer. But he can now. Roman Anthony turned
Friendly foes, 2024 first-rounders Moore and Caglianone trade first Triple-A homers
For years, Christian Moore and Jac Caglianone laced up their cleats against one another in the SEC. A rivalry that spanned Florida, Tennessee and other landmarks across the South moved to Salt Lake City this week as the Royals and Angels' top prospects got simultaneous Triple-A promotions. So it was
Phillies' Moore, Fausnaught join MiLB podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Red Sox prospect rips double THROUGH Fenway-esque scoreboard
Red Sox No. 4 prospect Franklin Arias, an infielder for High-A Greenville, REALLY didn’t want to let visiting Asheville score any runs in the top of the eighth inning on Friday night. With runners on first and second base in the bottom of the fourth, Arias showed he apparently held
April's hottest hitting prospects -- one for each organization
The Minor League season is a month old and several of the game's best hitting prospects are off to fast starts. Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony is tearing up Triple-A (just like he did at the end of last year), Padres shortstop Leo De Vries is leading the High-A Midwest
Check out the best -- and wackiest -- Minor League promos happening in May
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Orioles' Honeycutt joins The Show Before the Show
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
MiLB podcast coming LIVE to a Somerset this June
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
New ballparks highlight 2025 MiLB road trip stops
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from the Baseball Traveler newsletter, presented by Circle K, is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
Minor League Baseball partners with TruGreen
FRANKLIN, Tenn. -- TruGreen, the nation's leading lawn care treatment provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Minor League Baseball that includes activations across all 120 clubs, a makeover of the home dugout in each market, sponsorship of select MiLB team grounds crews, and a new initiative called
Podcast explains why the Syracuse Mets are looking for Jim Morrison
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Dash im-prom-tu promo and Mets' Suero joins the podcast
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other
Minor League Baseball partners with Circle K
Minor League Baseball announced a new national partnership with Circle K, which will see the convenience store giant become the “Official Convenience Store of Minor League Baseball.” During the 2025 season, the Circle K brand will be integrated into the MiLB in-stadium experience through in-game video board assets at most
These 15 moments led to season No. 15 of Minor League road trips
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This excerpt from his newsletter is a mere taste of the smorgasbord of delights he offers every week. Read the full newsletter here, and subscribe to his newsletter here.
MiLB podcast crew makes Opening Day predictions
Check out the latest episodes of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review on Apple Podcasts. The podcast is also available via Spotify, Megaphone and other