Curve Name 2023 Team Award Winners
September 9, 2023 - Eastern League (EL)
Altoona Curve News Release
CURVE, PA - The Altoona Curve are pleased to announce their 2023 Team Award winners in celebration of 25 years of Curve baseball.
Infielder Liover Peguero was named the team's Most Valuable Player, relievers Cameron Junker and Nick Dombkowski were named the team's Firemen of the Year, right-hander Jared Jones was named the team's Pitcher of the Year and infielder Claudio Finol was named the team's Unsung Hero.
Acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019, Peguero returned to Altoona for the 2023 season and took his game to another level. After batting .259 with 22 2B, 5 3B, 10 HR, 58 RBI and drawing 29 walks in 121 games with Altoona in 2022, Peguero became one of the Eastern League's most impactful hitters during the 2023 season. He put it all together in the month of June, batting .307 with 8 2B, 7 HR, 13 RBI and 11 walks in 24 games played. In 69 games before his call-up to Triple-A Indianapolis on July 4th, Peguero batted .260 with 20 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 34 RBI and drew 32 walks with 19 stolen bases. Following a short stint with the Indians, Peguero was promoted to Pittsburgh on July 17th where he has remained for the rest of the season.
The Altoona bullpen has been asked to cover the third-most innings by an Eastern League team this season and the team's two Firemen of the Year, Nick Dombkowski and Cameron Junker, proved themselves as the most valuable members of the Curve pitching staff.
Dombkowski was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Pirates in 2021 out of the University of Hartford and quickly climbed the Pirates minor league system. Dombkowski entered the season rated by Baseball America as having the "Best Control" in the Pirates minor league system and hit his stride in mid-April with a 7.2 consecutive scoreless innings streak. As the calendar flipped to June, Dombkowski was asked for more slotting in as a starter for bullpen days including a career-long outing of 4.2 innings on June 16 at Somerset to lead Altoona to a victory. Dombkowski was one of the Eastern League's most reliable pitchers in the month of July, permitted just two runs in 16.0 innings. Since June 4th, the 24-year-old left-hander has a 4-4 record with a 2.97 ERA in 18 appearances and 6 starts with Altoona.
Junker was selected in the 10th round by the Pirates in 2019 out of Notre Dame and routinely throughout the season has been asked to pitch in some of the team's stickiest spots. Junker was unscored upon in ten outings in the month of May covering 13.2 innings pitched with 12 strikeouts. Junker went 25.1 innings to start the season before allowing a home run and has pitched well down the stretch of the season, recording a 2.63 ERA in 11 games since July 26.
The Curve's 2023 Pitcher of the Year, Jared Jones, delivered 10 electric starts to begin the season, recording a 2.23 ERA. Jones allowed two runs or fewer in each of his appearances with Altoona, highlighted by his most complete start of the season on June 8 at Richmond. Jones carried a no-hit bid into the seventh inning of his start recording five strikeouts in his longest start of the campaign, 6.1 innings. Jones struck out five batters or more in seven of his ten outings with Altoona. The 21-year-old from Whittier, CA was ranked as the No. 89 overall prospect in minor league baseball by Baseball America at the time of his call-up to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 14. In 108.1 innings with Altoona and Indy this year, Jones has struck out 128 batters, second-most among Pirates minor leaguers.
The team's Unsung Hero, Claudio Finol, has fulfilled an invaluable role for the team playing three infield positions and spending several games behind the plate this season. His versatility and positive attitude have consistently raised the mood of his teammates and coaches. Finol has made several impacts on the field throughout the year including catching his first career game in late-April at Reading and bunting home the winning run of Altoona's June 11th win in 10 innings at Richmond.
The Curve is proud to celebrate 25 years of memories in Curve, PA throughout the 2023 season. For tickets or more information, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99. CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during every home game and online 24/7/365.
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