Down on the Farm: Low-A Bradenton Marauders Preview

With the Pirates no longer having the Short Season West Virginia Black Bears, the Low-A Bradenton Marauders are going to be the introductory team to many in the Pirates organization. With young talent comes a hunger to prove themselves and the Marauders will feature a lot of internal competition.

It is every high school and college baseball player's dream to be drafted into Major League Baseball. However, after the glitz and glamour of the MLB Draft is over, the work begins as the player begins his ascent to the Major Leagues. With the loss of Short-Season West Virginia this year, many of these players will get their first taste of pro-ball with the Class Low-A Bradenton Marauders. After serving as the High-A affiliate for the Pirates for the last 10 years, Bradenton got moved down to the Low-A affiliate due to the Minor League realignment. The move makes sense as LECOM Park is right by Pirate City, giving the new prospects full access to the Pirates training facility.

While the division stays the same, a lot of the faces from previous years have changed, with some exciting players set to make their Big League debuts. Development starts from the bottom and goes through the entire organization to make the organization a successful one. Marauders manager Johnathan Johnson and his staff have the important task of introducing players to the Pirates organization and his success will then translate to success as his players climb the Minor League ladder. While the official roster has not yet been announced, the 2021 team will be a mixture of players from the Dominican Summer League, the Florida State League, and the 2020 Draft. With all these exciting young prospects, it can be hard to keep track of them all. Today, we highlight just a few of these exciting prospects in our Bradenton Marauder season preview.

Bringing the Power

The Flordia State League has always been known as a pitcher-friendly league, so if you have power in your arsenal, it is sure to be tested. The Marauders feature two young players who have shown power in the rookie leagues and are looking to continue that power with the Marauders. The first is outfielder Jack Herman, who was a 30th round draft pick in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Eastern High School in Vorhees, New Jersey. He started his pro career in the Gulf Coast League in 2018 and showed his contact hitting .340 with two home runs and 22 RBI. However, the transition to the South Atlantic League in 2019 gave the Pirates a glimpse of his power potential. His average dropped to .257, but he was able to hit 13 home runs and drive in 34 RBI in 75 games played.

The FSL is going to test Herman's true power potential to see whether he can sustain it, or if strikeouts will become too much of a problem for the 21-year-old. Joining Herman in the middle of the lineup will be infielder Justin Harrer. Unlike Herman, Harrer hasn't shown the contact ability but has been showing some pops of power. After struggling in his first year of pro ball, he advanced to pro ball where he hit .231 with six home runs and 21 RBI. Not only did he show home run power, but the ability to drive the ball to the gap as he collected a total of 21 extra-base hits in 2019. He is 24-years old and needs some movement in his career, and a strong power showing could be the push he needs.

New Pitchers Get Their First Show

One of the biggest problems with the 2020 Minor League shutdown was that some players acquired did not get to show off for their new teams. Some of the big prospects include Liover Peguero and Brennan Malone, but other less known prospects are also looking to make their Pirates debuts. One of those players is pitcher Alex Aquino, who the Pirates claimed off waivers from the Atlanta Braves in December of 2019. After two rough seasons in the Braves system, he finally started to turn things around in 2019 and made 12 relief appearances going 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA. He struck out 22 batters in 20.1 innings of work while walking seven and allowing an opponent batting average of just .153. He is an older prospect at 24-years-old, but the Pirates are hoping he can quickly rise through the system and possibly impact the Big League club someday.

Another pitcher looking to show that his 2019 Low-A preview wasn't a fluke is RHP Will Kobos. After struggling in the low levels of the Minor Leagues, the Pirates advanced him to Low-A Greensboro in a last-ditch effort to turn things around. He responded well in his first seven starts in the South Atlantic League, going 2-3 with a 2.12 ERA in 34 innings of work. At 23-years-old, he is one of the older prospects at the Low-A level, but he is just starting to put things together. The key to his success was a heightened strikeout rate. He set down 41 batters in 34.1 innings of work and allowed an opponent batting average of just .144. His fastball goes up to 95 miles per hour and he started to get a grasp on locating it. 30th round picks don't normally make it to the Major Leagues, but if Kobos can show his sharp improvement was no joke, he could climb the system ladder in 2021.

Roster Updates Throughout the Season

One of the biggest adjustments for the Marauders as they transition to Low-A ball is the ever-changing roster. In High-A Ball, you have more consistency as guys are making the jump to Double-A Altoona. However, with Low-A Ball you constantly have rookies who advance from rookie ball into the Low-A system. Because of this, there is a lot of roster turnover and the Marauders will have to be able to adjust. The Florida State League is more of a developmental league than a results-driven league, but the team still needs to gel throughout the season. The Marauders feature a mixture of teenagers and young 20-year-olds with the same goal of making the MLB.

Because of this, the Marauders are going to have to make some tough cuts throughout the season. Guys will fall off the wagon and will be replaced with younger rookies who are ready for the transition. The Marauders will also be responsible for developing the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and they do this through an ever-changing roster. There are some big pieces in Low-A right now that will be a part of the Pirate's future, and there will be players who won't make it past this season. It is the Marauder's job to identify which prospects are for real and which can take a back seat. It will be exciting to watch these players take their first steps in pro baseball, as they navigate the pitcher-friendly Florida State League.

The Pittsburgh Pirates (12-12) kick-off a three-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals (13-12) tonight at 6:35 pm. JT Brubaker (2-1, 2.01) takes the mound as he looks to bounce back from a tough-luck loss last time against John Gant (1-2, 2.25) for the Cardinals. You can watch the game live at AT&T Sportsnet or listen on 93.7 The Fan.