Pittsburgh Pirates: Ranking Each Minor League Affiliate

Bradenton Marauders

Deciding between the Altoona Curve and Bradenton Marauders for the no. 1 spot on this list was hard. However, I ultimately went with the Marauders at no. 1 because they have a well-rounded roster and one with depth too. They have plenty of pitching and hitting that give the Pirates a bright future.

On the pitching side of things, you have the big names like Bubba Chandler, Anthony Solometo, and Po-Yu Chen. However, you have many of the underrated international signees from previous seasons doing solid, like Carlos Jimenez and Joelvis Del Rosario. Bradenton has a lot more young pitchers who are still figuring things out after getting promoted from the Florida Complex League.

Bradenton also has a strong cast of hitters available to them. Rodolfo Nolasco has seemingly figured things out, having a wRC+ of 164 in his last 183 plate appearances. Jase Bowen is really flying under the radar. The utility prospect has been red hot this summer with a 148 wRC+ since June. Tsung-Che Cheng, Brenden Dixon, and Luke Brown all have a wRC+ of 100 or greater. Maikol Escotto was sent back to Bradenton to figure things out after struggling with Greensboro, giving them another talented infielder with a wRC+ above 110. Lonnie White Jr. is on the brink of joining Bradenton’s active roster, and 2022 draft pick Tres Gonzalez is also part of their roster.

There’s a lot to like about Bradenton’s roster. They have a lot of above-average hitters and above-average pitchers. There’s a lot of talent on the Marauders’ roster. The only rosters that could potentially out-do theirs is the Pirates’ FCL, and that’s mostly because they have all the new talent from the draft and international signing period.