Hague recalls joys of Curve’s 2010 EL title
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One of the most reliable and productive players in Curve history is back in town this week, 12 years after helping the club to its memorable first Eastern League championship.
Matt Hague was a big reason why that Curve club won the title, serving as a key bat in the middle of the order.
"That ring was a fun one," Hague said with a smile. "I still have the ring at my house. It's just something you look back, no matter where you're at, a championship is always special."
Hague had not been back in Altoona since the end of the 2010 season, until returning this week as hitting coach of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The 36-year-old is in his second season in that role after retiring as a player following the 2018 season.
Hague had a fantastic season for the Curve in 2010, driving in 86 runs, which ranks fifth in franchise history. The first baseman batted .295 with 15 homers, 30 doubles and an .817 OPS, while also drawing 61 walks to go with just 62 strikeouts.
The guy could flat out hit. No doubt about it. Hague put up big numbers and always seemed to come through in the clutch on a team that featured an outstanding offense.
The core group of that 2010 team was the infield of Hague at first, Jordy Mercer at second, Chase d'Arnaud at short and Josh Harrison at third.
Harrison is still playing in the majors, while Mercer just retired a couple of weeks ago. Pitcher Justin Wilson from that team also is still in the majors, and Tony Watson retired just last week.
That Curve team was loaded, to say the least, and Hague was every bit as good -- or even better -- than all of those guys in 2010.
"There were like 10 or 11 big leaguers that played on that team, and that's pretty unheard of," Hague said.
"It was a special group. Not only were we all pretty good friends, but we played well together. It was a weird combination that we kind of came up with each other and then added with the older guys we already had."
Many of those players had won the championship at high-A Lynchburg in 2010, then did the same thing with the Curve a year later.
Hague's favorite memory was building the personal relationships with those teammates.
"Coming up through the system with the same guys that we won it the year before in Lynchburg, just creating those memories with the team that we had and the support that we had here," he said.
That Curve team made many, many special memories on the field in 2010.
"What jumps out to me is I vividly remember we were not out of any game," Hague recalled. "For instance, those two 10-run innings that we came back (against Harrisburg).
"There's a lot of memories, and of course the champagne and the fun when we celebrate the ring at the end of the year. ... The stadium around here, the atmosphere and environment the stadium provides was a different feel from what we had in high-A."
Hague played 10 seasons in the minor leagues and compiled a .298 career average. Again, the dude could flat out hit.
But for all of his minor league success, Hague only played 43 games in the majors. He was always just kind of the odd-man out in personnel situations, preventing him from ever really getting one extended shot at playing time.
For instance, Hague batted .400 for the Pirates in spring training in 2012, ripping seven homers with 14 RBIs in only 55 at-bats. He famously was given the nickname "the hit collector" by then-manager Clint Hurdle.
It didn't matter much, though, once the regular season started. Hague played just 30 games for the Pirates in 2012, batting .229 in 70 at-bats with no homers and seven RBIs. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Indianapolis.
He only got two more opportunities in the big leagues -- for three games with the Pirates in 2014 and 10 games with the Blue Jays in 2015.
Think about that: A guy who batted .298 in the minor leagues and had a gargantuan spring training one year was only given a chance to play in 43 major league games.
So, I asked Hague why he doesn't think he ever got an extended shot.
"Honestly, guys were really good who were in front of me," he said, seemingly at peace with it all. "I was a corner guy and didn't hit for much power, and I think that's something that's valued at the corner position.
"Looking back on it now, I wasn't nearly as like an athletic mover as a lot of those guys were."
Hague played a season in Japan in 2016, and remembers going up against Curve legend Brad Eldred there.
"He hit a lot of homers against us," said Hague, recalling that Eldred was just so much bigger than everyone playing in Japan.
Hague returned to the minor leagues in 2017 and played in Triple-A his final two seasons before calling it a career.
One would think Hague has found his perfect role as a hitting coach, given that he was such a productive hitter during his career. He also seems to have the right personality for it -- a humble demeanor and passion for helping others improve.
"On the coaching side now, it's showing them what they're really good at, where they need work, targeted work to help them develop," Hague said. "Basically, I'm just trying to instill confidence in them in drill work or providing them the why on everything.
"The ultimate goal as a coach is to really help fast track them through development, through experiences, through awareness of stuff. I enjoy being in the season with them and deep dives with them."