By james art 
Sunday’s Arizona Fall League game between the Scottsdale Scorpions and Glendale Desert Dogs was abandoned after half an inning. That half inning was everything Christian Curtis necessary for excellent performance.
Curtis, a 12th-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023 out of Arizona State, got the start for Scottsdale. Play was delayed by rain early on and the innings was not the cleanest. When he came back, he came back just long enough for Curtis to strike out the side in a zero frame.
The inning was not the cleanest for Curtis or the defense. There was a dropped popup in foul territory against the first batter that led to an error by Scottsdale third baseman Jacob Reimer. This shot, chosen to record Curtis’ lone hit.
Curtis responded with strikeouts, both batters spinning. His ability to swing and miss is what makes Curtis an interesting prospect to follow, but his control was what held him back. Those control issues came up briefly with a wild pitch to the last batter of the inning, moving a runner to second. Curtis got the last batter he wanted to end the frame. The rain resumed and ended his day.
Between his time in the AFL and the Single-A Bradenton Marauders this season, Curtis has more innings pitched in 2024 than in his entire NCAA career. He has a mid-90s fastball and several swing-and-miss offerings in his six-pitch mix. This is a case where I would attribute the control issues to a lack of experience. Curtis just doubled his effort on the mound in 2024 and has had plenty of outings like this where he’s shown his potential to shut down opposing lineups. I expect he will show more upside and fewer control issues as he gains more experience on the mound.
Scottsdale plays Peoria on Monday at 3:30pm EST.
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