"He's gone through a couple of little stretches where he's cooled off," Pirates Minor League Field Coordinator Jeff Banister said. "He hasn't had many slumps - when you're hitting like he is you don't have many slumps. What a tremendous story - a guy that comes out of Boston College and in his first summer if you go back and look at his number they were not very good. After talking to him and watching the work that he's put in. As I've watched him progress so far I think that there is a lot of upside to this guy."
Delaney, 24, is a right-handed batter who was the Pirates' 12th-round pick in 2005 after playing four seasons at Boston College.
Delaney, 6 feet 3, 220 pounds, struggled his first half-season as a professional, taking some time adjusting to a wood bat. He batted just .213 with Williamsport in the New York-Penn League.
He hit .300 with 27 doubles, 9 home runs and 75 RBIs in 456 at-bats with Class A Hickory last season. This season, he led the Carolina League in hitting with a .340 average before his promotion. He also led the league in hits (85) and on-base percentage (.432).
He was third with 38 walks and fourth with a .536 slugging percentage. He had 16 doubles, 9 home runs, 44 RBIs and 52 strikeouts in 250 at-bats.
"He's made himself into a good hitter," said Gary Redus, the Pirates' minor-league outfield/base running coordinator. "He has a real good approach and has an idea of what he wants to do when he goes to the plate.
"It's very seldom that he goes up there and has a real bad at-bat where you don't know what he wants to do. He's made himself into a good ballplayer."
With Steve Pearce entrenched as Altoona's regular first baseman, Delaney will play left field for the Curve. Delaney will see some time at first base when Pearce serves as a designated hitter.