The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted Matt Curry to Altoona, Pirates Prospects has learned. Curry, a left handed first baseman who was drafted in the 16th round of the 2010 draft, makes the jump from West Virginia, skipping over high-A Bradenton.
So far this season, Curry has a .361/.477/.671 line in 155 at-bats in West Virginia, with nine homers, 15 doubles, and three triples. His plate patience was amazing, with a 29:35 K/BB ratio. That’s a walk in 17.9% of his plate appearances, and a strikeout in 18.7% of his at-bats. He was blocked at first base in high-A by Aaron Baker, who got off to a hot start, but has since cooled to a .275/.345/.449 line in 178 at-bats.
The jump over high-A for Curry shouldn’t be a big problem for him. He was drafted as a college senior, so he’s already faced the talent level that he would have seen in high-A. He was a little too old for low-A, as shown by his dominating numbers. Curry turns 23 in July, so he’s now age appropriate for his level. This will be the first challenge he’s faced as a pro, and if he’s successful in AA, we could see him in the majors in 2012.
