Altoona Curve

Curve prep for season opener around bad weather

By Jarrod Prugar

For the Mirror

April showers are said to bring May flowers, but in the game of baseball rain is most certainly the enemy.

Spring rain is far from the norm in Central Pennsylvania, though, it does dampen the mood and the ability for many that need to be outside this time of year such as the Altoona Curve.

Members of the Curve roster arrived in Altoona hoping to get on the field and continue where they left off in Bradenton during spring training.

"We had a lot of stuff on the field planned to get everybody out there face to face basically for the first time," Curve manager Robbie Hammock said.

Mother Nature had other plans.

"All of us being on the field at the same time, working together with this exact group, it never even happened," Hammock said.

Adapting on the fly is nothing new for Hammock who begins his first year as Altoona's manager on Friday night in Akron. It fits his managerial style rather well.

"My philosophy is basically to adjust and adapt," Hammock said. "That's kind of how I look at it. I don't like to pin a certain philosophy."

Being able to do that should bode well for Hammock as he navigates an ever-changing roster and an unpredictable climate this time of year.

Hammock and his players, a roster which features top prospects in pitchers Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Anthony Solometo, will be inside if the rain comes as expected the rest of the week.

"We had to do stuff underneath in the cage so we worked through that today (Tuesday)," Hammock said. "Tomorrow, hopefully it's a different story."

The next time the Curve are able to get on the field together will be the first time, but the normalcy that the season brings is a welcome change for Hammock after the craziness of spring training.

"Spring training is a little hectic. There's guys coming and going from different levels," Hammock said. "It can get a little quick at times, but now that everything's settled and narrowed down, it's much easier to focus on the day to day and focus on your team"