Here’s a great note from Altoona Curve broadcaster Garett Mansfield on the MLB playoff series between the Yankees and Rays.
Former @AltoonaCurve pitchers having a series 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/trNKarrklE
— Garett Mansfield (@GarettMansfield) October 8, 2020
As Garett points out, the winning pitchers of the first three games — Gerrit Cole, Tyler Glasnow and Charlie Morton — all pitched for the Altoona Curve at some point. That’s pretty darn amazing for a Double-A team that is NOT an affiliate of either big league club.
It’s also pretty painful for the Pittsburgh Pirates, because all three of those pitchers once played for the Buccos. Now they’ve gone on to achieve much more success elsewhere.
These two Twitter replies sum it up for Pirates fans.
thanks, I hate it
— Long-Time Rays Fan (@Cutch_22) October 8, 2020
this hurts to look at tbh
— Mitchell Nagy 🎃 (@mryannagy) October 8, 2020
Cole and Glasnow played for the Curve coming up through the Pirates’ system. Morton rehabbed with the Curve in 2013 and 2015.
Cole was never going to be able to stay with the Pirates long term because of finances, and everyone knew that.
The Pirates blew it with Glasnow, as I point out here in this video.
As for Morton, well, this one is painful, as well. He pitched for the Pirates from 2010-15 and, despite having good stuff and some success, was never able to put it all together. Then the Pirates made a dubious trade, dumping Morton’s salary in a trade with the Phillies for minor league pitcher David Whitehead.
That trade was a disaster, as this is what happened to Whitehead, while Morton went on to great success.
As Charlie Morton is shutting down Yankees in playoffs, this is your annual reminder that Pirates traded Morton for minor league pitcher David Whitehead.
Whitehead went 2-6 with a 7.83 ERA for AA @AltoonaCurve in 2016 and was out of baseball two months later.— Cory Giger (@CoryGiger) October 8, 2020
