Luplow named Pirates Minor League Player of the Year
CURVE, Pa. - 2017 Altoona Curve outfielder Jordan Luplow was named the Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League Player of the Year, Pirates' Director of Minor League Operations Larry Broadway and the club announced on Saturday.
CURVE, Pa. - 2017 Altoona Curve outfielder
Luplow, a 23-year-old left fielder, hit 16 home runs with 37 RBIs and a .287 batting average over 73 games with the Curve prior to a promotion to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 30. His home run total was tied for fifth-best in the Eastern League at the time of his promotion and was the most on the team this season.
A third-round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Pirates out of Fresno State, Luplow played 44 games with Indianapolis and hit .325 with seven home runs. Luplow was promoted to the Pirates and made his Major League debut on July 28. In 22 big league games, Luplow is currently batting .203 with two homers and nine RBIs.
An Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star selection this year, Luplow is the 11th player to be named as the Pirates' Minor League Player of the Year during a season in which he suited up for Altoona. He is the first Curve player to receive the honor since Max Moroff in 2015.
Luplow became the fastest Curve player to hit 16 homers to open a season, reaching that mark on June 20 through 68 games played. He also posted the most home runs by a Curve player prior to the All-Star Break since 2005. Luplow was tied for third in the league with 45 runs scored at the time of his promotion to Triple-A.
His 23 total home runs with Altoona and Indianapolis were the most by a Pirates' minor leaguer since 2014.
The Pirates today also named 2015 Curve pitcher Steven Brault as their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. The two players will be honored in an on-field ceremony prior to Saturday night's game in Pittsburgh.
Curve players to be named Pirates' Minor League Player of the Year during a season in which they played for Altoona are listed below:
2003: Chris Shelton
2004: Brad Eldred
2005: Jose Bautista
2006: Andrew McCutchen
2007: Steve Pearce
2008: Jim Negrych
2009: Pedro Alvarez
2010: Alex Presley
2013: Andrew Lambo
2014: Josh Bell
2015: Max Moroff
2017: Jordan Luplow
Season tickets for the 2018 Altoona Curve season are currently on sale as the club looks to defend their Eastern League championship. For more information, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the Peoples Natural Gas Field box office.
-CURVE-