From the Altoona Curve:
Pirates Reveal 2024 Altoona Curve Break Camp Roster
The roster features 20 players who have previously suited up for the Curve.
CURVE, PA – The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Thursday an initial list of 30 players reporting to Altoona for the 2024 season. The player list features six players that are ranked in the Pirates Top-30 prospects by MLB.com, including four in the Top-10 and two players ranked among the top-100 prospects in all of Minor League Baseball.
MLB Pipeline ranked Pittsburgh’s minor league system as the ninth best among all organizations entering 2024, marking the sixth straight year that Pittsburgh’s minor league system is ranked in the top 10 by MLB Pipeline. The Pirates have the only minor league system with four pitchers ranked in the Top 100 Prospects by MLB Pipeline, with all four having worn an Altoona Curve uniform (Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Anthony Solometo, Bubba Chandler).
Headlining the returning group of position players for the Curve are No. 8 Pirates prospect INF Tsung-Che Cheng and No. 21 Pirates prospect OF Jase Bowen. On the pitching side, three are ranked in the Pirates Top-10 by MLB.com include No. 4 LHP Anthony Solometo, No. 5 RHP Bubba Chandler, and No. 7 RHP Braxton Ashcraft.
To view a complete list of players reporting to Altoona, click here.
On the mound, 11 pitchers who have spent time with the Curve are slated to open the season in Altoona including Ashcraft, RHP Brad Case, Chandler, LHP Nick Dombkowski, RHP Grant Ford, RHP Cameron Junker, RHP Valentin Linarez, RHP Justin Meis, LHP Tyler Samaniego, Solometo, and RHP Sean Sullivan.
Additional returners among the position player group include C Abrahan Gutierrez, C Dylan Shockley, Cheng, INF Jackson Glenn, INF Mike Jarvis, INF Aaron Shackelford, OF Matt Fraizer, Bowen, and OF Connor Scott. Shackelford last played for Altoona in 2022, where he hit 26 home runs in 110 games with the Curve, good for the second-most in a single season in Curve history.
Rounding out the pitching staff are RHP Po-Yu Chen, RHP Chris Gau, RHP Isaac Mattson, and RHP Eddy Yean. Yean, who was acquired by the Pirates from the Nationals in the Josh Bell trade in 2020, and Chen will make their Double-A debuts with Altoona. Gau and Mattson each have over 140+ games of experience in their minor league careers.
The position player group is also highlighted by C Wyatt Hendrie, INF Francisco Acuna, INF Seth Beer, INF Kervin Pichardo, OF Brenden Dixon, and OF Tres Gonzalez. Beer was a first-round pick with the Astros (28th overall in 2018) and earned major league experience with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021 and 2022, while Gonzalez is the Pirates No. 28 prospect and will make his Double-A debut after being drafted by the Pirates in the fifth round in 2022. Pichardo was acquired by the Pirates in a deal with the San Diego Padres in exchange for LHP Jackson Wolf on Tuesday this week.
For tickets and more information on the 2024 Altoona Curve Season, presented by Stuckey Automotive, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., during every home game and online 24/7/365.
