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Around the Curve | Big Tuna of the Week - June 25-30

Recognizing the Top Players Each Week for Altoona.
By Ethan Ronan
July 2, 2024

The second half of the season is upon us, which means new beginnings and opportunities for players to rise above the rest. This week we look back at our most recent series against the Akron RubberDucks at Peoples Natural Gas Field. During the week, we experienced the phenomenon that is

The second half of the season is upon us, which means new beginnings and opportunities for players to rise above the rest. This week we look back at our most recent series against the Akron RubberDucks at Peoples Natural Gas Field. During the week, we experienced the phenomenon that is the Pirates No.1 Prospect Bubba Chandler, and the quick-footed bat that is Yoyner Fajardo. Let's look back at what they did to deserve the honor of being the first recipients of Big Tuna of the Week.

While Fajardo might be one of the newer additions to the team this season, he’s had no issue feeling right at home with Altoona. Since joining the team, he’s hitting.324 with seven RBIs and eight stolen bases. Additionally, Fajardo has reached base safely in 15 straight games, during which he's batting .345/.422/.382 with 2 doubles, five RBI, and seven BB. In the series, Fajardo recorded a team-high seven hits and reached base in every game.

Fajardo was originally a Pirates farmhand when he signed with the organization in 2018. After a strong 2022 campaign with High-A Greensboro, the Minnesota Twins selected him in the Rule V draft. Pittsburgh traded back for Fajardo at the beginning of June and assigned him to Altoona.

Moving onto our Pitcher of the Week, Chandler provided everything you could want out of a high-level prospect performance and more on Thursday night, as he bashed the Akron RubberDucks in his 6.2 inning win. While Bubba gave up two runs on three hits, he struck out a career-high 11 batters.

Since his return from the IL on May 29, Chandler has walked just 4 batters in 29.1 IP with 38 strikeouts, recording a 3-2 record with a 2.76 ERA (9 ER / 29.1 IP) with a 0.89 WHIP. Chandler was also named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week (June 17-23), the first to receive the honor since Mike Burrows and Quinn Priester took home weekly honors during the 2022 season. Bubba was also just named to the Futures Game during the All-Star Break in Texas.

Other notable performances in the series included Tsung-Che Cheng (6-for-20, 5 RBI), Charles McAdoo (5-for-26, 11 TB, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR), and Joe Perez (5-for-20, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI). However, Fajardo and Chandler shined above the rest.

The Altoona Curve hit the road for a special three-game series against the Harrisburg Senators, The Double-A Affiliate of the Washington Nationals. Stay tuned all season long for more exciting content on the Around the Curve Blog!