Anchorage’s Curtis Hebert has averaged one strikeout per inning in his young career. Photo courtesy of Fayetteville Woodpeckers
There are two Alaskans playing professional baseball for MLB affiliates this season, and we finally saw one of them on the field on Tuesday, when Curtis Hebert pitched in relief for the Single-A Fayetteville Woodpeckers.
The 22-year-old right-hander from Anchorage didn’t have his best stuff but also didn’t get much help behind him in his 1.2 innings of work against the Charleston RiverDogs in a 13-5 loss in the Carolina League.
Coming on with two outs in the third inning and his team trailing 2-0, Hebert struck out right fielder Brailer Guerrero, a top 20 prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system, with a runner in scoring position.
In the fourth, he got the first batter to fly out before hitting the next guy. No worries, though, he picked him off. Two errors by his defense extended the inning and led to an unearned run. In the fifth, back-to-back walks doomed Hebert as it led to one run before the bullpen allowed another run charged to his ledger.
The 2022 Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year from South High was drafted in the 20th round by the Houston Astros last season out of the University of Portland.
Hebert has made five career appearances at Single-A, posting a 4.50 ERA with six strikeouts in six innings. He is one of 19 Alaskans to pitch at the Single-A level.
The other Alaskan playing pro ball right now is Anchorage’s Brody Jessee, another former South standout and MLB draft pick by the Cincinnati Reds. A third-year pro, Jessee is playing High-A for the Dayton Dragons and is yet to appear in a game this season.
With 78 career appearances in Single-A, Jessee ranks fourth among the 19 pitchers from the 49th state to throw at that level.
