2016 Altoona Curve Final Notes
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EASTERN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS DIVISION CHAMPIONS PLAYOFF APPEARANCES PLAYERS TO MLB 2010 2004, 2010 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 137 2010, 2015, 2016 THE 18TH SEASON OF CURVE BASEBALL: The Curve finished the season 12 games over .500 and a half-game 2016 E.L. WESTERN STANDINGS behind Akron in the Western Division, clinching a wild card berth with a 2-0, ten-inning win over Richmond in the Team W-L PCT GB regular-season finale on September 5. 2016 marked the first time the Curve have made back-to-back postseasons Akron 77-64 .546 -- since going to four straight from 2003-2006, the first four playoff appearances in team history. Altoona took over first Altoona 76-64 .543 0.5 place in the Western Division for the first time on June 26, and held that spot for 55 of 63 games until Akron took it Harrisburg 76-66 .535 1.5 on the next-to-last day of the season. Richmond 62-79 .440 15.0 Erie 62-79 .440 15.0 IN THE PLAYOFFS: 2016 marked the seventh postseason appearance in Altoona franchise history and the fifth as a Bowie 56-86 .394 21.5 wild card qualifier. The Curve faced Akron in the Division Series for the fourth time, and have dropped all four series. In Game 1, the Curve held a 5-1 lead through two innings and led by a 7-3 score through six innings before Akron E.L. WESTERN DIVISION SERIES scored six runs in the seventh and won, 12-8. In Game 2, Erich Weiss and Barrett Barnes each drove in a run in the Date Opp. Result Series first inning to put the Curve ahead, 2-0. Akron scored a run in the fifth, but Stetson Allie hit his second homer of the 9/7 v. AKR L, 12-8 1-0, AKR series in the sixth, a solo blast. Clay Holmes picked up the win, while Josh Smith, Trey Haley and Jared Lakind pitched 9/8 v. AKR W, 3-1 1-1 3.1 scoreless innings to close out the win. In Game 3, Akron pulled ahead 4-0 before a four-run fourth inning by the 9/9 @ AKR L, 9-4 2-1, AKR Curve evened the score, including an RBI single by Jon Schwind, a bases-loaded walk from Chris Diaz, and a two-run 9/11 @ AKR L, 1-0 (10) 3-1, AKR double by Kevin Newman. Akron broke the tie with a run in the seventh and pulled away with a four-run eighth, in- Akron wins series, 3-1, to advance to ELCS cluding a two-run homer by Mike Papi. In Game 4, Brandon Waddell pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed just one hit as the game went into extra innings tied. Akron walked off with a double by Eric Haase in the tenth, handing 2016 CURVE AT A GLANCE the Curve a 1-0 loss and ending Altoona's season. Overall Record ..................................... 76-64 Home ............................................ 43-25 COMEBACK CURVE: The Curve had 36 total come-from-behind wins this season. They won seven times this year Road ............................................. 33-39 after trailing through eight innings, the most in the league (Five other teams did it four times). vs. E.L. Western ......................... 53-38 vs. E.L. Eastern ........................... 23-26 AUSTIN CITY LIMITS: OutfielderAustin Meadows returned to the Curve after a brief run with the team late in 2015. Place (E.L. Western) ................................2nd After hitting just .192 through his first 21 games, the Pirates second-ranked prospect compiled a 24-game hitting Games Ahead/Behind ........................... -0.5 streak from May 23 until his promotion to Triple-A on June 18, raising his average to .311, which was second-best in 16 Home Attendance ..................... 272,640 the league at the time. He had 12 multi-hit games during the streak, including five straight from May 27-31. He hit Home Openings .........................................66 .404 (38/94) during the 24 games with six triples, six homers, 17 RBIs, six stolen bases, seven walks, 24 runs scored Average Attendance ............................4,131 and just eleven strikeouts. The 24-game streak was the longest in the Eastern League this season and the longest in E.L. Rank .................................................... 7th Altoona franchise history. On June 14, Meadows broke the all-time franchise record of 21 games set by Kevin Sefcik CURVE IN THE LEAGUE LEADERS in 2002. He also compiled a 29-game on-base streak, dating back to May 15, the longest in the Eastern League this Batting season. He was named Eastern League Player of the week for the span of May 30-June 5. Baseball America named Average ...........Harold Ramirez (.311/5th)* Meadows as the Eastern League's "Most Exciting Player." *(Hit .306 with Curve. Played one game with NH) .................... Barrett Barnes (.306/6th) BIG SECOND HALF FOR BARNES: After hitting just one homer through his first 100 games, Barrett Barnes hit four Games played ........Erich Weiss (127/10th) home runs in six games from August 9-16 and hit eight homers in 23 games since August 9-29. He hit .249 in his Home Runs .... S. Allie/E. Wood (16/T-6th) first 70 games through July 4, but raised his average to .308, sixth-best in the league. In his last 54 games after July Triples..........................Erich Weiss (9/T-3rd) 5, Barnes hit .378 (68/180), tops in the E.L. during that span, with eight homers, 16 doubles and 31 RBIs. Barnes was ..................Austin Meadows (8/T-6th) named the Eastern League Player of the Week twice in the month of August, winning the honor for the week of Au- ...................... Barrett Barnes (7/T-8th) gust 14 and was named Player of the Week again on August 28. He was named E.L. Player of the Month for August, Strikeouts ..........Stetson Allie (110/T-10th) and selected as the 2016 Altoona Curve Most Valuable Player. On-Base % ..... Barrett Barnes (.377/T-4th) Slugging % ......... Barrett Barnes (.477/7th) DU-RAP IT UP: Altoona closer Montana DuRapau finished second in the Eastern League with 22 saves this year, fourth-most in Curve history. It was tied for the second-most for a Curve pitcher in a season since 2007, behind only OPS .................... Barrett Barnes (.853/6th) 24 by Noah Krol in 2011. He finished first with 43 games finished and fourth with 50 appearances. The Curve are 58-2 when leading heading into the ninth inning, and Akron went 1-50 when trailing entering the ninth. Pitching ERA ..................... Cody Dickson (3.60/7th) BOMBS AWAY: Curve outfielderStetson Allie finished the year in third place on the Curve's all-time list with 54 Wins ......C. Dickson/C. Holmes (10/T-5th) regular-season home runs, dating back to 2014. Allie moved ahead of Ray Sadler with his 42nd career homer on May .........................Tyler Eppler (9/T-10th) 27 at Bowie for third all-time. Josh Bonifay and Adam Hyzdu both share the franchise record with 55 homers hit Losses ......................Tyler Eppler (10/T-6th) while wearing an Altoona jersey. Dating back to the start of the 2014 season, Allie leads the Eastern League in home Games .............Montana DuRapau (50/4th) runs, ahead of Jake Fox (50), Quincy Latimore (45), Dean Green (41), Dylan Cozens (40), Rhys Hoskins (38) and Steven ........................... Jared Lakind (47/9th) Moya (35). Games started .......Tyler Eppler (27/T-2nd) ......C. Dickson/C. Holmes (26/T-5th) BRINGIN' THE LUMBER: Third baseman Eric Wood had a breakout season in 2016. He hit a career-high 16 home Saves ..............Montana DuRapau (22/2nd) runs after having 15 combined through his first three professional seasons. He was also named as Baseball America's Innings pitched ....Tyler Eppler (162.1/1st) "Top Defensive Third Baseman" in the Eastern League. ...................Cody Dickson (140.0/8th) Hits ......................... Tyler Eppler (176/2nd) SHINING STARS: Four players were selected to represent the Curve in the Eastern League All-Star Game at Akron's Runs .........................Tyler Eppler (78/T-7th) Canal Park on July 13. Pitchers Tyler Eppler and Jared Lakind, as well as first Earned Runs ...........Tyler Eppler (72/T-6th) baseman Edwin Espinal and outfielderHarold Ramirez played for the West- Home Runs .............Tyler Eppler (14/T-8th) CURVE RANKS IN THE E.L. ern Division in the game. Erich Weiss was selected as an Eastern League Hit batters ..................Clay Holmes (14/1st) Batting Post-Season All-Star at second base, and Eric Wood earned the same honor ...C. Dickson/D.Whitehead (9/T-7th) Average ....................................................... .265 (T-2nd) Base on Balls .......... Cody Dickson (93/1st) Runs ....................................................................616 (4th) at third base. Hits ................................................................... 1231 (5th) ........................... Clay Holmes (64/5th) Doubles .............................................................255 (4th) GLOBAL AFFAIR: This year's Curve roster featured representatives from .................. Brandon Waddell (61/6th) Triples..................................................................... 55 (1st) seven different countries. 28 players were born in the United States, includ- Strikeouts ............. Tyler Eppler (106/T-8th) Home Runs..........................................................84 (7th) ing eight from the state of Texas. Five players represented the Dominican Holds ....... B. McKinney/J.Smith (12/T-4th) RBI .......................................................................577 (5th) Games Finished ........M. DuRapau (43/1st) Base on Balls ....................................................457 (8th) Republic and there were five from Venezuela. The Curve also had a player Strikeouts ....................................................... 956 (11th) from Canada (Eric Wood), Lithuania (Dovydas Neverauskas), Taiwan (Jin-De Lowest BB/9 IP (SP) .. T. Eppler (1.83/2nd) Stolen Bases .....................................................67 (11th) Jhang) and Colombia (Harold Ramirez). Manager Joey Cora is a native of On-Base Percentage.................................. .355 (2nd) Puerto Rico. 2016 AWARDS & HONORS Slugging Percentage ................................... .398 (3rd) 2016 E.L. MID-SEASON ALL-STARS OPS ..................................................................