The Pittsburgh Pirates have promoted left-handed pitcher Cam Vieaux to the Altoona Curve on Sunday afternoon. Outfielder Garrett Brown took his place on the Bradenton roster.
Vieaux has been at Bradenton since last year, making a total of 23 starts for the Marauders. He had a 4.69 ERA in 78.2 innings last year, with 48 strikeouts and a 1.42 WHIP. He has improved on all of those numbers this season, especially the strikeout rate. This year, Vieaux has a 3.81 ERA in 56.2 innings, with 52 strikeouts and a 1.27 WHIP.
We have seen him work his fastball in the high-80s in the past, getting it up to 90-91 MPH, but earlier this week he was throwing 93-94 MPH. At 24 years old, the 6’4″ southpaw looked ready to go to the next level. He should take the rotation spot of Austin Coley, who was placed on the disabled list this weekend.
Brown has been in Extended Spring Training since Opening Day. He played for West Virginia last year and he replaces Tyler Gaffney, who was promoted to Altoona yesterday. The 25-year-old Brown is considered one of the fastest players in the system.
