Over the off-season, Evan Chambers, an outfielder in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, passed away at his home in Florida. Chambers had played as high as Double-A ball, spending time with the Bradenton Marauders and the Altoona Curve. Both organizations will be paying tribute to Chambers in the next few weeks.
Altoona will be holding their tribute this Sunday night. The team will be wearing jerseys in the likeness of the 1992 Pittsburgh Pirates, with “EC” patches on the left sleeve. The jerseys will be auctioned off during the game, and all proceeds will be donated to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Evan’s memory.
The Bradenton Marauders will also hold a night in Chambers’ honor on Thursday, July 10th.
Evan was a good guy, who always had a smile on his face when I saw him, even when he was recovering from a broken foot during the 2013 season and wasn’t able to play baseball. Teams always have jersey auctions, and they’re always popular events. The fact that this will be going to a good cause in Evan’s name makes the auctions even better.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
Going to the game Curve game Sunday gonna try to bid on the Alen Hanson jersey I’ll try to post a picture of it if I have the winning bid.
Thanks for the link Jason – I was curious what caused his early death. I’m in Bradenton every March for ST and try to meet many of the prospects. Tim is right – Evan always had a smile & was very cordial and accommodating to the fans.
Great idea for a tribute!