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Eldred has been VERY, VERY impressive. He won't be in Altoona for much longer at all....


From http://www.altoonacurve.com:

Brad Eldred has picked up right where he left off for the Curve last August.

"Big Country" went 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in helping the Altoona Curve past the Reading Phillies, 11-2, Sunday afternoon at First Energy Stadium in Reading. With the victory, the Curve (2-1) earned a two-games-to-one series victory over the R-Phils.

Eldred, who hit 14 home runs last August for Altoona in being named the Eastern League's Player of the Month, finished the weekend in Reading 7-for-14 with three home runs and six RBI in three games.

Eldred's four hits paced a 15-hit Curve attack, which included three hits from Jose Bautista and two each from Vic Buttler and Ronny Paulino. Taber Lee also added his second home run of the season-opening series--a two-run shot in the fifth.

That offense was more than enough for Curve starter Paul Stewart, who shutout the Phillies on just two hits over five innings of work to notch the win in his first start of the season. The right-hander, who joined the Curve as a minor league free agent this past off-season, did not walk a batter and struck out three.

The Curve got started early in the first inning, when after Jose Bautista singled with two outs, Eldred hit a ball out to centerfield that barely cleared the fence against Phillies starter Edwin Moreno (0-1). His second home run of the season gave the Curve a 2-0 lead. However, Eldred would add on to his impressive start in the seventh inning.

Leading 7-0, Eldred hit his second two-run homer of the game and third home run of the season to extend the lead to 9-0. The two longballs marked the fourth time in his 42-game career with the Curve that he has belted two homers in one game.

With the victory, the Curve has won 29 of their last 42 games against Reading and avoided losing their first series to the R-Phils since early May of 2003.

The Curve will continue their season-opening seven-game road trip with the first of three games against the Trenton Thunder Monday night. In the series lidlifter, lefty Mike Connolly (0-1) takes the mound against Thunder southpaw Sean Henn (0-0). Game time is 7:05 PM.

I"m not realy familar with minor league baseball but I try to go to Curve games but I just haven't yet. Doesn anyone know how they finished last year and do they have a shot to do good this coming year?

If Eldred even continues any where close to this early season production, he will be out of Altoona by the end of May.

Also Ryan Doumit is off to a blistering start at Indianapolis. He has 4 HR's and is batting .500 through five games.

Doumit, Eldred and Ian Snell will likely be the next former Curve players to be wearing a Bucco's uniform.

Eldred, doumit, and snell are all solid prospects for the pirates.

Eldred is a beacon of hope for those searching for some power in the bucs line up in the future. His numbers speak volumes for him. The pirates are going to make him prove that he can handle the pitching at each level before they promote him. He has had trouble hitting offspeed pitches and has struck out his fair share as well. To get to the majors, he still has to make some improvements. I suspect he will get called up in September if he continues with this type of production. The pirates will have to find room for him on the roster next spring too. They need what he is selling.

Doumit is the best hitting catcher the bucs have, including the majors. The reason he is not starting for the bucs is because he does not have the experience behind the plate. Bringing Santiago in was a good move because he provides plenty of experience for this transition after Jason kendall was traded. He provides all the intangibles which are valued in a catcher. Look for doumit to have to wait for a september call-up, injury, or trade as well for his first chance in the majors.

Snell has been an excellent minor league starter. Most project him to be a middle reliever in the majors. He is pretty small, and many feel that his arm will not hold up under the duress which a major league starter has to go through. He reportedly has some personality issues. If he does not get in his own way, he will be one of the next guys called up when the pirates need an arm in the ‘pen.

the bucs have better prospects than these 3, but since they were mentioned, i thought i would give some insite.

As for the curve this year, they have some more good talent, just not as much as last year. They were completely loaded last season. They should challenge for a playoff spot. But if they make it to the championship game like last season, it would be a surprise. I’m not sure what type of talent the other teams in the eastern league have, so I could be wrong w/ that last statement. Brad Eldred 1b, Rajai Davis cf, Ronnie Paulino C, Jose Bautista 3b, and Paul Maholm SP are some names to watch. Davis will lead the eastern league in stolen bases.

Good assessment of each player Austin. I should've been more clear on my point with Eldred; he will be out of Altoona by the end of May. He will definitely have a stop at Indy along the way. He will not make the jump straight from the Curve to Pittsburgh.

Yes the Buc's have some better prospects but other than Duke, I think these three are the ones most likely to be in a Bucco uniform by the end of the season.

Two of the three (Doumit & Eldred) are in positions where the Pirates could use some help immediately.