Hayes, Brubaker honored with Pirates minor league awards
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Pirates named Altoona Curve third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes as their Minor League Player of the Year and former Curve right-hander J.T. Brubaker as their Minor League Pitcher of the Year for the 2018 season, the club announced during a pregame ceremony at PNC Park on Friday
PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Pirates named Altoona Curve third baseman
Hayes spent the entire season with Altoona and was also named as an Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star, an Eastern League Season-Ending All-Star and earned a selection for the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park in July.
Currently rated by MLB.com as the Pirates' No. 2 prospect and the No. 5 third base prospect in baseball, Hayes set a franchise record with a .978 fielding percentage at third base, which is also the highest on record by a third baseman in the Eastern League (min. 75 games played) dating back to 1959, which is as far back as the data is available.
Offensively, Hayes ranked ninth in the Eastern League and seventh in the Pirates system with a .293 batting average. He set career highs this season in doubles (31), home runs (7), extra-base hits (45), RBIs (47), hits (128) and walks (57). Hayes also compiled a career-long 16-game hitting streak from July 29-August 15.
Brubaker began the 2018 season with Altoona and was the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Curve. Over six starts, he went 2-2 with a 1.80 ERA before a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis on May 10. At the time of his promotion, Brubaker ranked sixth in the league in ERA, tied for ninth with 35 innings pitched, eighth with 35 strikeouts and ninth with a 1.06 WHIP.
He spent the rest of the year with Indianapolis, where he went 8-4 with a 3.10 ERA in 22 starts. For the year, he combined to go 10-6 with a 2.81 ERA in 28 starts between Double-A and Triple-A. Brubaker led the Pirates organization with a 2.81 ERA, ranked second with 131 strikeouts and tied for seventh with 10 total wins.
Hayes is the fifth Curve player to be named as the Pirates' Minor League Player of the Year in the last six seasons and the 13th since 2003. Brubaker is the first Altoona pitcher to earn the Pirates' Minor League Pitcher of the Year award since 2011 and the seventh in team history.
2018 Curve Season Tickets are currently on sale, with discounted rates available for those who pay in full by Oct. 22. For more information, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the Peoples Natural Gas Field offices.
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