Pitching Prospect Proves Pirates Right After Promotion
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates gave a big opportunity to one of their best pitchers in the farm system and he took advantage of it in the best way he could.
Pirates right-handed pitching prospect Khristian Curtis made his debut for Triple-A Indianapolis, earning the start as they hosted Columbus (Cleveland Guardians) at Victory Field on June 13.
Curtis excelled in this outing, allowing just one hit and two walks over 5.2 scoreless innings and tying his season-high with 10 strikeouts over 90 pitches in the 6-1 victory for Indianapolis.
It's a great start for Curtis in Triple-A and bodes well for future starts like this and his development into the pitcher the Pirates hope he can be.
10. STRIKEOUTS.
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) June 13, 2026
In his first Triple-A game, Khristian Curtis punched out 10 batters – tying his career high. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/LbSaXnsnWp
How Curtis Dominated Columbus
Curtis had almost no trouble during his start, aside from a walk in the second inning and in the sixth inning before he departed, plus a single in the fifth inning.
He mostly went with his four-seam fastball, hitting as high as 97.0 mph, but also mixed in his cutter and changeup too, with his slider less so.
Curtis utilized his fastball and cutter early on, throwing his changeup more consistently later on.
Pitch | Usage | Average Velocity |
|---|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | 33/90 (37%) | 95.7 mph |
Cutter | 24/90 (27%) | 91.8 mph |
Changeup | 22/90 (24%) | 85.3 mph |
Slider | 11/90 (12%) | 84.5 mph |
He struck out two batters in the first inning, three batters in the second inning, one batter each the next two innings, two strikeouts in the fifth inning and then one more in the sixth inning.
His changeup was his most effective pitch, with seven whiffs on 13 swings (54% whiff rate) and five strikeouts, while also getting three strkeouts on his fastball, withsix whiffs on 13 swings (46% whiff rate).
Pitch | Whiff Rate | Strikeouts |
|---|---|---|
Four-Seam Fastball | 46% (6/13) | 3 |
Cutter | 36% (5/14) | 1 |
Changeup | 54% (7/13) | 5 |
Slider | 25% (1/4) | 1 |
Curtis got the chance to work with Pirates catcher Joey Bart in this win, as Bart started his rehab assignment with Indianapolis the same day.
Bart also came through a two-run home run in a six-run fifth-inning for Indianapolis, which helped earn Curtis the victory.
Why This Start is So Important for Curtis
Curtis spent all of this season with Double-A Altoona, before his promotion, where he posted a record of 0-7 in 12 starts, a 4.73 ERA over 53.1 innings pitched, 67 strikeouts and 25 walks, a .215 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 1.28 WHIP.
This was just his first win of the year and only his third scoreless outing, with his previous two with Altoona, he threw just 3.2 innings.
Curtis is one of the top pitching prospects in the Pirates farm system, with Baseball America and MLB Pipeline ranking him 11th and 21st, respectively, and the closest of their prospecs that hasn't made their MLB debut yet.
Him making his MLB debut this season isn't certain, but a great start to his time at Triple-A is always an important development that the Pirates will keep note of.
Curtis has a strong pitch mix, with his fastball and changeup performing well in that first start, and he'll have time to improve on it in Indianapolis.
He'll need to lessen the home runs he gave up with Altoona, 1.18 HR/9, but his 11.75 K/9 is incredibly encouraging so far, two strikeouts higher than his past two seasons, 9.68 K/9.
Curtis is trending towards making the Pirates next season and if he shows improvements at Triple-A, he'll definitely be on the right path towards a 40-man roster spot this offseason.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.