ALTOONA, Pa. — Phoenix area residents who attended Arizona Fall League games in 2017 got a sneak preview of the Class AA Altoona rotation. Before Mitch Keller, Taylor Hearn, J.T. Brubaker and Brandon Waddell opened the season together with the Curve, they were Glendale Desert Dogs, polishing their skills in the Arizona Fall League.
“It was so much fun,” Hearn said. “I tell people all the time, if you get that chance to go, go.”
Now the Eastern League is getting a taste. Altoona has a 3.10 staff ERA, third in the league, and three starters who began the season in Class AA rank in the top six in ERA.