Khristian Curtis threw four shutout innings in the Arizona Fall League on Monday.
Curtis allowed a single hit, along with one walk, while striking out two. He retired the first eight batters he saw, before allowing a single. That was followed by a walk, before Curtis got a two out fly out to end the third inning. He returned for a scoreless fourth, striking out his final batter of the game. He threw 47 pitches, with 27 strikes.
Drafted in the 12th round by the Pirates in 2023, Curtis spent the entire 2024 season in Single-A Bradenton, getting work out of the rotation. Despite being drafted out of Arizona State, Curtis doesn’t have a lot of experience on the mound. He worked as a starter in Bradenton, showing promising stuff, but control issues to work through.
Curtis had a 4.06 ERA in 75.1 innings this year in Bradenton, with an 81:39 K/BB. His 85.2 innings between Bradenton and the AFL are more innings than he recorded while in college (83.0 IP).
The control issues have shown up in the AFL, though they weren’t present in this outing. With a mid-90s fastball and some swing and miss secondary in his six-pitch mix, this start is an example of how lights out Curtis can be when his game is under control. As he gains more experience on the mound, the hope would be that he would also gain more consistent control.
ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE
SCOTTSDALE lost 3-1
- RHP Khristian Curtis: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
- 2B Termarr Johnson: 0-for-2, 2 BB
- RF Sammy Siani: 1-for-4, RBI
Sammy Siani picked up the only hit of the day for the Pirates prospects, while also knocking in the only run for Scottsdale. Siani’s RBI came in the bottom of the ninth inning, when he grounded into a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded, with the out being recorded at second. He also singled with two outs in the second inning.
Termarr Johnson went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. He also walked twice. The first came to lead off the game, with Johnson erased by a double play to end the inning. He also walked with one out in the sixth inning. Johnson moved to third on a single, but was stranded when the inning ended on a strikeout.
TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE
- AFL: Scottsdale at Peoria (4:30 PM EST)
