Around the Curve | Fox Returns to Development Roots in Managerial Role with Altoona

This story is part of the series 2025 Spring Break: Young Bucs Edition, a compilation of reports from Bradenton leading up to Opening Day.

BRADENTON, Fla. – It has been a little while for Curve Manager Andy Fox since he last managed a minor league club. In fact, it’s been since 2006 when he piloted the Clinton Lumberkings, the Texas Rangers affiliate in the Midwest League. But that’s not to say that he’s not well-suited to the role. Throughout his coaching career, he’s always relied on the lessons he learned as a player.

“There’s elements to teaching and development and things that always are with you,” Fox shared after an intrasquad game at Pirate City on Wednesday afternoon. “With my path as a player, I’ve always appreciated the whole development piece of it.”

Fox was a second round draft selection by the New York Yankees in 1989 as a shortstop. Listed at 6’4’’, Fox was taller than the average shortstop, in the days when big shortstops became a trend with the likes of Cal Ripken Jr. and Alex Rodriguez starring in the majors. Though, Fox had to find his own path to the big leagues.

“Mine was being versatile and doing things on the margins to help me get there, I was lucky to come up with a great organization and I thought they did a pretty good job developing me into a major league player.”

Fox jumped into the coaching world after his career wrapped up in 2005 and joined the Boston Red Sox in 2011 as their minor league Infield Coordinator. Fox’s hiring coincided with an impressive run of success in the big leagues, often fueled by young stars like Xander Bogarts, Rafael Devers and Mookie Betts.

“Those were some special players and people, and I think just being part of that and having a little part of their progression in their career is special,” Fox says with a smile. “That’s why you do what you do, you appreciate people that helped you and just pay it forward and go on.”

Though, when it comes to his own Managerial style, Fox admits it’s still to be determined.

“Not sure I have one yet!” Fox relays with a laugh. “I worked under Alex Cora, played for Joe Torre, Buck Showalter and Jeff Torberg and learned a lot from those guys, how they handle players, how they communicate. I do understand how hard the game is and what it takes, and you need patience, it’s a grind and not overreact. Communication is a key in developing relationships.”

Curve Cuts

• An intrasquad scrimmage at Pirate City saw 2024 Curve righty Thomas Harrington toe the rubber. Harrington, who earned the Eastern League’s Pitcher of the Month award in July, tossed three scoreless innings against a collection of Pirates minor leaguers. Likely ticketed for the rotation at Triple-A Indianapolis to start the year has continued his quick rise through the Pirates minor leagues thanks to additional physical development in the off-season.
• Jase Bowen rocked a solo homer to left center in Wednesday’s intrasquad. Bowen spent his off-season training in Alabama to escape the cold. But he said with a laugh that there were still far too many chilly days for his liking. Bowen is likely to return to the outfield for Altoona to open this season alongside Sammy Siani and Tres Gonzalez.
• There was a similar sentiment shared by former Curve righty Drake Fellows. Fellows re-signed with the Pirates as a minor league free agent this offseason and spent most of his time in the St. Petersburg-area to avoid the chilly winters in his native Chicago. Fellows was a valuable member of the Curve pitching staff in 2024 and is likely slotted into a similar swing role this year where he can provide length out of the bullpen or start on short notice. His slider remains one of the best ones in the upper levels of the Pirates minor league system and a fully healthy offseason for him should go a long way toward him reclaiming the prospect status he garnered as a Freshman at Vanderbilt.
• Justin Miknis, a Dubois, PA native, caught for one team in Wednesday's intrasquad. Miknis, who spent his season in Bradenton and Greensboro playing in 39 combined games, spent much of his offseason in Florida and made a few trips back and forth to Central PA. This off-season he’s been focused on trying to build muscle and get stronger and is optimistic he’ll get a chance to go to Greensboro at some point this year. Miknis, who played for former Curve pitcher Mike Connolly’s Flood City Elite Baseball program also played some travel ball with Curve broadcaster Preston Shoemaker.

Stay tuned to the Around the Curve blog all week for our 2025 Spring Break: Young Bucs Edition series, with Jon Mozes and Preston Shoemaker reporting from Bradenton.