04/16/25 Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Current Pittsburgh Pirate Hunter Barco pitched for the Curve in 2025.

A trip to the majors is not far away when you’re at the Double-A level.

Sometimes it’s only a phone call away as it’s becoming more prevalent for players to make the jump from Double-A to the major league clubs.

The call-up to the majors has already come for four players that were with the Altoona Curve last season in Hunter Barco, Cam Sanders, Konnor Griffin and Tyler Samaniego.

It always comes as a sobering reminder that players aren’t too far away from their childhood dreams at the Double-A level. Although it’s traditional to spend a little bit of time at the Triple-A level, it’s becoming a little more prevalent to skip Triple-A and go straight to the majors from the Double-A level. That possibility becomes even more real when Altoona is just a two-hour drive from their big league club in Pittsburgh.

“Sometimes you feel like you’re so far away, but you’re closer than you think,” Curve manager Andy Fox said.

“It’s a great example of guys being really close,” Curve utility player Mitch Jebb said. “You try to take it day-by-day. You’re one or two calls away.

“These guys are all my teammates. I couldn’t be more excited for them. For them to get a chance to play in the big leagues, that’s what we all dream about. You’re excited for all of them.”

Fans know the story on Griffin. He only needed about a month of baseball in Altoona, and just five games at Triple-A Indianapolis before getting the call to the majors. He ended up signing a nine-year, $140 million dollar extension last week.

But for every story like Griffin’s, there’s plenty more like Sanders and Samaniego.

Sanders, who was re-called by the Pirates on Friday, spent seven seasons in the minors after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 12th round in 2018. Sanders was signed by the Pirates as a minor league free agent before the 2025 season. While he was with the Cubs organization, he consistently had high earned run averages.

That turned around when he got to Altoona, going for a 1.90 ERA in 18 games. He also had a 2.30 ERA in 23 games in Indianapolis last season before getting the call to Pittsburgh to finish the season. He was back in Indianapolis this season, and pitching well through seven appearances before Friday’s call-up.

Barco went through the minor leagues fast. He ended the season in Altoona in 2024 before needing six games to advance to Indianapolis last season. He got the call-up in the final weeks of the season and made his first opening day roster in 2026.

He recently went back to Triple-A but will likely make his way back to Pittsburgh soon.

Samaniego was traded last offseason to Boston in the acquisition that brought back Jhostynxon Garcia to Pittsburgh.

Samaniego spent parts of four seasons in Altoona. After the trade to Boston, he started out in Triple-A Worcester before spending three games with the Red Sox earlier this season. He was sent back to Worcester earlier this week.

Even with old friends like Samaniego that are now outside of the Pirates organization, Fox still likes to keep tabs on his former players.

“Someone like Samaniego, he gets traded, but you always follow those guys,” Fox said. “Whether they’re here or some place else, you had them so you have a connection with them.”