The Bradenton Marauders had the second worst record in the Florida State League in 2024, finishing next-to-last in their division in both halves of the season.
The Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates had the third-lowest OPS in the league, along with the highest strikeout total at the plate. The Marauders were filled with free swinging hitters focused on power.
From a pitching standpoint, Bradenton ranked slightly below-average across the board, getting help from an older staff after a pitching heavy 2023 draft.
The Marauders didn’t feature any of the top ten prospects in the system, though they had three of the top 17, and nine of the top 30 throughout the season. Their team was mostly built with the system’s prospect depth.
Below are the hitter and pitcher of the year, the top 10 prospects at the level, notable performers, and the early 2025 outlook.
Bradenton Marauders 2024 Top Performers
For the 2024 Bradenton Marauders hitter and pitcher of the year, preference was given to performance over prospect status.
Hitter of the Year: Esmerlyn Valdez, 1B – .226/.352/.464, 22 HR, 17 2B
Valdez has shown an ability to get on base, along with some power at a young age. In his age 20 season, he went to Bradenton for a full season and hit a team-leading 22 home runs, with 17 doubles. He didn’t hit for average, but maintained an on-base percentage over .350 for the fourth consecutive season. Valdez did strike out a lot, but his three outcomes approach worked for the Bradenton offense.
Pitcher of the Year: Carlson Reed, RHP – 2.43 ERA, 96:42 K/BB, 77.2 IP
Reed answered the challenge given by the Pirates. After drafting him in the fourth round last year as a reliever out of West Virginia, they moved him to the rotation. He was the best starter in Bradenton this year, and got better in Greensboro after his late-season promotion. Reed showed improvements to his control as the season progressed, and was one of the best strikeout pitchers in the Pirates’ system.
Bradenton Marauders Top 10 Prospects
Below are the top ten prospects of the players who spent significant playing time in Single-A this year. This list is based on my version 4.0 of my recent rankings, but writing up the yearly results, there are definitely some changes I’ll be making to this team for the Version 5.0 rankings.
- Michael Kennedy, LHP – The Pirates took Kennedy in the fourth round in 2022 out of high school, giving him an over-slot bonus. He’s not a hard-throwing lefty, getting up to 90-91 MPH, but he’s a smart pitcher who improved his secondary stuff to at least above-average this year. His cerebral approach on the mound, mixed with plus control and command, and his improved pitches, have made Kennedy a starter to watch in the lower levels. He had a 4.07 ERA in 73 innings this year, with an 80:16 K/BB. That was before moving up to Greensboro and allowing one run in 10.2 inning. Kennedy could eventually perform well at PNC Park, but will first start the 2025 season in Greensboro, with a chance to move to Altoona by the end of the year.
- Jhonny Severino, INF – After looking like one of the best hitters for the FCL Pirates this year, Severino was promoted to Bradenton to finish the season. He had a .291/.373/.545 line in the FCL, hitting ten homers and stealing 12 bases. He maintained the power and speed with Bradenton, hitting six homers, six doubles, and three triples, while stealing four bases in 114 at-bats. Severino didn’t hit for average or get on base. He should return to the level in 2025, and could end up in Greensboro by the end of the year if he starts hitting for average. The 19-year-old has the long-term potential to remain on the left-side of the infield, with plus power and speed on the bases.
- Carlson Reed, RHP – It was a bit unfair for the team’s pitcher of the year to be working all year in Single-A after previously pitching for a Division I program in college. Reed had an exception, due to the need for improvements to his control, along with his move to the rotation. He handled both exceptionally well, and could be a candidate to start the 2025 season in Altoona. He should definitely spend significant time at the level, which will give an opportunity to show whether he can remain a starter against advanced hitters.
- Keiner Delgado, INF – The Pirates acquired Delgado at the start of the season for JT Brubaker. The 20-year-old infielder from the Yankees system was coming off a year where he hit .293 with a .414 OBP in the FCL, while stealing 36 bases. Delgado stole 25 bases with Bradenton, but saw his numbers tank to a .231 average and a .318 OBP. He doesn’t hit for much power, with the chance for double-digit home runs. He profiles more as a speedy leadoff hitter who can play defense up the middle. Delgado got away from that this year.
- Antwone Kelly, RHP – One of the biggest sleepers on this pitching staff was Kelly. He had a mid-season injury, and struggled at the end of the season, resulting in a 4.43 ERA in 69 innings, with a 65:34 K/BB. Before the injury, he showed improvements to his control, and flashes of an ability to be a starter in the upper levels. He’s got a mid-90s fastball that touches 97-98, along with a cutter and changeup that both generate swing and miss. Kelly should move up to the Greensboro rotation in 2025, and will be a guy to watch for improvements over his Bradenton numbers.
- Omar Alfonzo, 1B/C – For a team that was filled with three-outcome hitters who had low on-base rates, Alfonzo brought the ability to get on base with his modest power. He hit .253/.353/.388 with eight homers and 15 doubles, before moving up to Greensboro. He improved his power and on-base abilities at the higher level. Alfonzo can also handle the catching workload, while having enough power for first base. His father was a former Major League catcher, and Alfonzo could get to the Majors as well with his power and on-base ability.
- Esmerlyn Valdez, 1B/OF – The hitter of the year has a three-outcomes approach at a young age, with some of the best early power on the team. Valdez doesn’t project for speed or defense, so the power will need to carry him to the Majors. He has enough power that he could play a corner spot, but will need to cut down the strikeouts and improve his contact in Greensboro next year in order to maximize his raw power.
- Axiel Plaz, C – Plaz didn’t join the Marauders until the middle of May, yet he still managed to hit 15 homers in 242 at-bats. That started with homers in his first two games, and his hitting never really slowed down. He’s another player who didn’t hit for average or get on base at a high rate. Plaz gets bonus points for being a catcher with power, though it’s too early to tell if he will stick behind the plate. Right now, power at the age of 19 is driving his value.
- Javier Rivas, 3B – The Pirates promoted Rivas to Greensboro at the end of the season, but not before he hit 19 doubles and 12 homers. He had some of the most consistent hard hit exit velocities at the plate. The downside to the game from the 6′ 6″ shortstop is a lot of swing and miss, leading to a low average and an on-base percentage below .300. Rivas will be challenged in High-A by more advanced pitchers, and won’t be able to rely exclusively on his power.
- Carlos Jimenez, RHP – Featuring one of the best changeups in the system, Jimenez has been held back by his control. That reached a low point at the start of this season, when he was walking more than a batter an inning for months. Jimenez improved as the season continued, working in a swingman/spot starter role. He ended with a 3.42 ERA in 71 innings, with an 88:66 K/BB. The Pirates moved him up to Greensboro at the end of the year, where he allowed one run in 4.2 innings across three appearances. He should return to Greensboro in 2025, possibly working out of the rotation with his mid-to-upper 90s fastball and the potential for two more plus pitches.
Notable Performances
The Pirates traded Garret Forrester at the deadline as part of the Bryan De La Cruz deal. Forrester was drafted in the third round in 2023, and was in Bradenton working on making the move behind the plate. He hit .273/.413/.382 with one homer and nine doubles with the Marauders, before missing time with an injury.
Khristian Curtis was drafted out of college in the 12th round in 2023. He didn’t have much experience on the mound with Arizona State, and the Pirates pushed him to the rotation in Bradenton. He had a 4.06 ERA in 75.1 innings, with an 81:39 K/BB. Control was a problem at times, but Curtis featured some of the best velocity on the team, along with a six-pitch mix that had some swing and miss offerings. He’ll get a look at upper-level hitters in the Arizona Fall League this offseason.
Garrett McMillan pitched 49.1 innings in relief for Bradenton, with a 2.92 ERA and a 53:16 K/BB. He moved up to Greensboro and helped them out of the rotation by the end of the season. The end of the year surge has the 24-year-old McMillan on a deep sleeper watch, especially if he can carry his success over to the upper levels in Altoona next year.
Two lefties stood out in Bradenton this year. Magdiel Cotto was drafted in the 11th round last year, and pitched most of this season in long-relief. He had a 2.63 ERA in 48 innings, with a 49:25 K/BB. Cotto features a fastball that gets up to 94-95 MPH consistently. The Pirates promoted him to Greensboro by the end of the season. Inmer Lobo was promoted from the FCL, and had a 1.65 ERA in 32.2 innings with Bradenton, along with a 31:15 K/BB. Unlike Cotto, Lobo doesn’t bring a lot of velocity, with a fastball that sits mid-to-upper 80s. That makes him less likely to have this level of success beyond A-ball.
The biggest promotion from the FCL was Zander Mueth. You can read about him and all of the FCL and 2024 draft pick debuts in my recent feature on those players.
Early 2025 Outlook
Zander Mueth will lead a rotation that could have some of this year’s middle round college pitchers in the mix. The 2025 pitching staff figures to be just as promising as 2024, with a few young arms making their way up from the FCL.
The offense should be highlighted by the debut of this year’s ninth overall pick Konnor Griffin. He should be joined by Jhonny Severino, Yerry De Los Santos, Carlos Caro, other 2024 FCL hitters, and the potential for other prep hitters from the 2024 draft.
Bradenton’s 2024 team was raw, with more polish on the pitching side, but more quantity of players with potential on the hitting side. Next year’s team figures to be just as raw, though the top three players — Griffin, Mueth, and Severino — will give them early-season stability.
