To say the first month of the season was a rough one for Khristian Curtis might have been an understatement. In five starts during April, Curtis went 0-2 with an 11.48 ERA. He allowed 23 hits and 11 walks in just 13 1/3 innings pitched.

He kicked it into a different gear once May hit. Curtis posted a 2.87 ERA the rest of the way, striking out 102 batters over 97 1/3 innings pitched. Where opponents had a .359 average against him in April, they hit .190 the rest of the way. 

In total, Curtis finished with a career-high in both innings pitched (110 2/3) and strikeouts (119).

Curtis has a deep pitch-mix, throwing a fastball, slider, cutter, curveball, and change-up. The fastball can touch the upper 90s, while sitting in the 93-95, while getting good carry at the top of the zone. 

The biggest concern with Curtis was his control, as he dealt with nerve damage in 2024 after a botched surgery while he was in college that caused him to lose feeling in his hand at times. 

With that corrected, Curtis took a big step forward in 2025. With his pure stuff and deep pitch mix, there is some upside as a future #3/4. There is still some reliever risk, and a safer projection would see him as a back-of-the-rotation starter or a multi-inning guy out of the bullpen. 

Curtis should begin 2026 in Altoona, where he made one appearance late last season. A debut in 2027 would be more likely, but don’t rule out something out of the bullpen at the end of the season if all goes well.