Curve Announce 2024 Team Awards

CURVE, PA – Prior to their penultimate game of the season on Saturday night the Curve honored four players with their annual team awards. Infielder Kervin Pichardo was named the team’s Most Valuable Player for 2024. Bubba Chandler was named the team’s Pitcher of the Year, Eddy Yean was named Fireman of the Year and Sammy Siani took home the team’s Unsung Hero award.

Pichardo, who was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for LHP Jackson Wolf on March 30, stepped into the lineup on Opening Day. Pichardo, a 22-year-old from the Bronx, NY batted .254 this season with the Curve highlighted by a walk-off hit in his team debut on Opening Night at PNG Field. Pichardo had the longest hit streak (12 games) and second-longest on-base streak (17) by a Curve batter this season.

“He just ticked up week-by-week. Weren’t really any highs or any lows and slowly but surely improved every week this season,” said Curve Manager Robby Hammock. “He was the most steady and consistent guy for us all season here.”

Right-hander Bubba Chandler earned the team’s Pitcher of the Year award. Chandler, the No. 38 prospect in the minor leagues according to MLB Pipeline, was named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 17-23 after he struck out ten batters in his start at Bowie. Chandler struck out 94 batters in 80.1 innings with the Curve before his promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis following his final start with the team on August 2 against Richmond.

Chandler became the third Curve pitcher to strike out 10 or more hitters in consecutive outings, joining Tyler Glasnow in 2015 and Roansy Contreras in 2021 when he followed up a ten-strikeout game at Bowie with an 11-strikeout game on June 27 against Akron. Chandler was the 22nd player in franchise history to be selected to the Futures Game, and tossed a scoreless 7th inning to earn the save for the National League, he struck out at least 7 batters in 6-of-8 outings to finish his tenure with Altoona.

“His maturity was the biggest difference-maker this year for him,” said Hammock. “He’s got big-time stuff and he amped up his preparation and started understanding game plans better and started understanding himself better. It’s not going to be long until he’s in the big leagues.”

Righty Eddy Yean earned the team’s Fireman of the Year award, given to the team’s most reliable relief arm during the season. Often called upon at the game’s highest-leverage moments, Yean ranks first in the Eastern League in appearances this year and first among Curve relievers with 65 strikeouts. Yean hit his stride on the mound beginning on May 16 where he went 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA across 12 appearances into late-June.

“He’s a guy who’s taken a huge leap forward from last year,” Hammock said. “He’s incorporated a lot more swing and miss and less hard contact than in the past. He’s a guy you can count on everyday to take the ball. One of the reasons we’ve been able to count on him late in games is that he’s always in the zone and how his stuff has developed.”

Outfielder Sammy Siani was named the team’s Unsung Hero for the 2024 season. Siani joined the Curve in early-May and made an immediate impact on the team’s lineup. With outstanding defense and speed on the basepaths, Siani hit his stride at the plate as the season progressed. From July 30 – September 13, Siani batted .311 with nine extra-base hits in 33 games with the Curve, recording an .813 OPS.

“He’s probably one of the most improved guys I’ve seen since last year,” Hammock shared. “He was going through some things mechanically with his swing and it’s made a huge difference.”

For tickets and more information on the 2024 Altoona Curve Season, presented by Stuckey Automotive, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., during every home game and online 24/7/365.