Pirates Prospect Impressing Heading Into AFL Start
One week after delivering a solid outing en route to earning a win for the Scottsdale Scorpions, Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Khristian Curtis will have a chance to build on that performance.
Curtis is scheduled to get the start for the Scorpions (2-3) on Tuesday when they face the Mesa Solar Sox (4-2) at 9:30 p.m. ET in the Arizona Fall League. In the previous meeting between the two teams, the Solar Sox won 19-3.
MLB Pipeline writer Jonathan Mayo broke down each prospect for the Pirates playing in the AFL and touted the potential that Curtis has if he can stay healthy and improve his control.
"While injuries have plagued him in both college and in 2024, the Pirates’ 12th-round pick in 2023 has shown the ability to miss bats when he’s been on the mound," Mayo writes. "His fastball velocity took a nice jump this year, averaging 95.4 mph with Single-A Bradenton with much more vertical break. Curtis has a full array of secondary offerings in a cutter, changeup and two distinct breaking balls, and he just needs more mound time to trust his stuff and find the strike zone more consistently."
MLB Pipeline ranks Curtis as the No. 27 prospect on the Pirates.
Curtis' outing in the Scorpions' 9-7 win over the Salt River Rafters on Oct. 8 was a strong step in the right direction. The 6-foot-5 right-hander pitched three scoreless innings, sitting down all nine batters he faced and struck out two.
Curtis was taken in the 12th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Arizona State by the Pirates. He spent all of last season in High-A Bradenton, going 2-3 with a 4.06 ERA and struck out 81 batters over 75.1 innings pitched. The right-hander made 18 appearances in 2024, 16 of which were starts and tallied one save.
