Marauders Announce Preliminary Roster for 2019

Bradenton, Fla. - The Bradenton Marauders, High-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, today announced the roster that will open the team's 10th season at LECOM Park. The Marauders, under the guidance of new manager Wyatt Toregas, will play their first home game of the season on Saturday, April 6, at 6:30 p.m. The entire roster and coaching staff will appear at tonight's Meet the Marauders event at LECOM Park.
The Bradenton pitching staff features experienced Florida State League hurlers Luis Escobar , Oddy Nunez , Domingo Robles , Blake Cederlind , and Gavin Wallace . Those five pitchers saw time with Bradenton last season. Intriguing newcomers include righty starters Cody Bolton , Max Kranick , and Aaron Shortridge . Potential bullpen arms include right handers Joel Cesar , Drew Fischer , Hunter Stratton , Beau Sulser , and Ryan Valdes , as well as southpaw hurler Ike Schlabach .  
Bradenton has a tradition of strong play behind the dish, and the 2019 crop of catchers should uphold that standard. John Bormann , who made an MLB appearance with the Pirates in 2017, is joined by Raul Hernandez to start the season. Hernandez has shown his defensive prowess in previous short stints on the Bradenton roster.
The Marauders will have three of the top 10 Pirates prospects for the MLB Pipeline rankings anchoring the 2019 lineup. Outfielders Travis Swaggerty (2018 1^st Round Pick) and Calvin Mitchell (2017 2^nd Round Pick) join powerful infielder Oneil Cruz as highly touted bats to watch. Swaggerty is rated as the third-best prospect by MLB Pipeline, while Cruz checks in at fourth and Mitchell is seventh. Adrian Valerio lends a veteran presence and a slick glove to Bradenton's middle infield. First baseman Lucas Tancas returns as an experienced slugger.  
Dylan Busby , Robbie Glendinning , Mike Gretler , and Jesse Medrano will also contend for playing time in the Bradenton infield. Medrano got a brief taste of the FSL in 2018. Daniel Amaral , Ryan Peurifoy , Randolph Gassaway, and Chris Sharpe are looking to join Swaggerty and Mitchell to form a dynamic outfield. Peurifoy ended the 2018 season with a week on the Marauders roster.
Marauders fans have their first chance to meet the Marauders at LECOM Park tonight. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be attended by every player and the coaching staff. A formal announcement of the roster will take place at approximately 6:45 p.m., followed by an autograph session on the field. There is no charge to enter the event. Concessions will be available for purchase.
The Marauders play their first home game of the 2019 campaign on Saturday, April 6. Gates open at 5:00 p.m. for the 6:30 p.m. game. Bradenton will be embarking on a year-long celebration of the 10^th season of Marauders baseball in The Friendly City.
The LECOM Park ticket office opens for the season today. It will be open on Tuesday-Friday non-gamedays from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. On gamedays the box office will be open on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. until the end of the game and on weekends from two hours before first pitch until the end of the game. The box office will open two hours prior to any 10:30 a.m. games.
For more information about the Bradenton Marauders please call 941-747-3031, visit www.BradentonMarauders.com, or email [email protected].