Around the Curve | Curve in the Majors - Vol. 5

CURVE, PA. – Altoona has been a pipeline to the Major Leagues for nearly 26 years, with the current alumni count at 215 players achieving their dreams of becoming a big leaguer. This season, we want to look at some of the exciting accomplishments our alumni are achieving at the Major League level. Every week, we will spotlight a handful of players who are succeeding at the next level and reflect on their time with the Curve, here on the Around the Curve Blog! Here is the fifth edition of: “Curve in the Majors.”

1. INF - Oneil Cruz - Pittsburgh Pirates

Season Stats: .246 AVG, 66 games, 9HRs, 30RBIs, .423 SLG

Where do we even start to describe that star power that is Oneil Cruz? From highlight reels to breaking stat cast records, very few things seem to be impossible for this young slugger. Since being acquired in the Tony Watson trade in July of 2017, he’s done everything he’s been expected to do and so much more. Since joining the Pirates in Pittsburgh that toasty October night, he’s hit a solid .240 batting average with 149 hits and 91 RBIs.

This year, Cruz has picked up where he left off after his short season last year due to an injury. Since Opening Day he’s been raking at the plate, hitting for a .246 batting average with a .719 OPS. Even as recently as the last ten games, Cruz is currently leading the team in RBIs and is constantly within the top five of the other most important categories such as OBP, SLG, and OPS.

While Cruz spent the better part of three years in Altoona, it was easy to notice the potential he had. Standing at a whopping six feet and seven inches, he towered over almost any opposing pitcher he faced in the Eastern League. From 2019 to 2021, Cruz batted a career average of .285 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. Unsurprisingly, he was named a postseason All-Star in the Eastern League during his time on the team.

2. RHP - Carmen Mlodzinski - Pittsburgh Pirates

Major League Stats: 1-2, 4.42 ERA, 13 Games ( 2 Starts) 18.1 IP, 9BBs, 17Ks

Former Altoona Curve starting pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski has become a critical piece in the Pirates bullpen, coming in during high-stakes moments and serving the purpose of getting out of any jam he’s placed in. Last year, he was considered to be one of the shining stars to make the successful jump from starter to reliever that year.

As previously mentioned Mlodzinski has been one of those relievers that would come in during the middle of the game when stakes are high. But recently he’s been given the “opener” rule when deemed necessary. His 2024 campaign so far has been a success, starting two of the 13 games he’s appeared in this season. Within that handful of games, Mlodzinski has tossed 18.1 innings allowing 12 runs on 16 hits, bringing his ERA to 4.42 overall. However, he has blossomed over his last eight appearances, allowing just one earned run over 11.2 IP with 12 strikeouts.

Mlodzinski was one of the stronger pitchers for the Curve during the 2022 season, starting 22 of the 27 games he appeared in. Within that almost full season of appearances, he came in second with six wins and eight losses. He also recorded 111 strikeouts while only walking 40 batters the entire season.

3. INF - Adam Frazier - Kansas City Royals

Season Stats: .208 AVG, 56 games, 2 HRs, 10 RBIs, .595 OPS

A one-time All-Star, Adam Frazier was drafted by Pittsburgh in the sixth round of the 2013 MLB Draft. He earned a spot in the All-Star game in 2021 as a Pirate. However, just a few weeks after the All-Star game, Frazier would be dealt to the San Diego Padres in exchange for Cash and Altoona Curve alums Tucupita Marcano and Jack Suwinski.

While Frazier has been in the majors for almost a decade now, he’s still finding ways to produce at the plate. Since joining the Royals in the early months of 2024, he’s been known as a reliable bench player who can pinch hit whenever necessary. This season he’s knocked a dependable .208 batting average with ten RBIs and seven doubles.

Frazier’s Curve career is often overlooked when it comes to dominant players of recent memory. While he never set or broke any record in Altoona, he still constructed a very impressive stat line. During the 103 games he appeared in, he punched an imposing .324 batting average along with a satisfactory OPS of .800. It should also be noted that during this time, he was named a mid-season Eastern League All-Star.

Other Notes:

• Braxton Ashcraft has taken like a fish to water in Triple-A Indianapolis, Since being promoted earlier this month, he has tossed just over 10 innings of one-run baseball with eight strikeouts.
• Cal Mitchell is still hitting a hot bat but now with El Paso Chihuahuas, who are the Triple-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. This season so far, he’s recorded a stat line of .266 Avg, 9 HR, and 26 RBIs with an 862 OPS.
• The Cinderella story continues for Drew Maggi, now with the Staten Island FerryHawks in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Maggi, who took the baseball world by storm last season when he made his Major League debut, smacked his first home run since 2021 this month and has three on the season in 24 games, showing that he still has it at 35 years old.

Stay tuned all season long for more exciting content on the Around the Curve Blog!