10 Former Marauders to Follow in Big-League Spring Training

10 FORMER MARAUDERS TO FOLLOW IN BIG-LEAGUE SPRING TRAINING

BRADENTON, Fla. – As the 2026 Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day Roster beings to take shape this March, several familiar faces will be participating in big-league Spring Training, eager to make a lasting impression.

Many players who spent time with Bradenton in recent seasons have either earned spots on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster or received non-roster invitations.

Here’s a look at 10 former Marauders to keep an eye on this spring:

INF/OF, KONNOR GRIFFIN – At 18 years old last year, Griffin appeared in eight big-league Spring Training games before even making his official-professional debut, and turned heads out of the gate. Highlighted by a sparkling diving catch and an opposite-field homer that spring, the 2024-first-round pick broke camp with Single-A Bradenton and proceeded to take the Florida State League by storm.

In 50 games with the Marauders, Griffin slashed .338/.396/.536, blasting nine home runs and swiping 26 bases. His dynamic blend of power, speed and advanced feel for the game provided fans in Bradenton an early glimpse of a franchise cornerstone.

Griffin finished his Marauders tenure with more multi-hit games (22) than hitless games (15) before being promoted to High-A Greensboro. He continued his rapid ascent, finishing the 2025 campaign with a 21-game stint at Double-A Altoona, where he slugged .542. Across 122 games at the three levels, Griffin ranked fifth in Minor League Baseball with 161 hits while registering a .942 OPS. His 165 wRC+ – with 100 representing league average – led all MiLB hitters with at least 450 plate appearances.

The Florence, Mississippi native enters 2025 as the consensus No. 1 prospect in Major League Baseball, becoming the first former Marauder to claim the honor from MLB Pipeline. Griffin will report to Major League Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. He will turn 20 this April and remains on a trajectory to contribute at the Major-League level as early as this season.

C, DEREK BERG – Berg, a tenth-round pick in 2024 out of the United States Military Academy, broke camp with Single-A Bradenton where he powered five homers over 52 games in 2025. The backstop was promoted to High-A Greensboro in July before he completed the season with Double-A Altoona. Berg made the most of his time with the Curve, finishing 9-for-28 (.321) in nine games.

During his time in Bradenton, Berg made a name for himself as a premium defender behind the dish. With the Marauders, Berg sported the Florida State League’s quickest average pop time to second base at 1.91 seconds. In the process, the Texas native cut down 17-of-42 would-be base stealers, good for a staggering 40.4 percent caught-stealing rate.

Including his time with Greensboro and Altoona, Berg gunned down 31-of-71 runners (43.6 percent) and allowed just two passed balls.

At the plate, he displayed a patient and powerful approach, accumulating a 14.3 percent walk-rate while seeing an average of 4.2 pitches per plate appearance – both the best marks among Pirates minor leaguers with at least 300 plate appearances. He also ranked in the top third of Marauders in terms of hard-hit rates.

Berg appeared in one big-league Spring Training game in 2025, catching a scoreless eighth inning for Joey Wentz. The 24-year-old was named a non-roster invitee by the Pirates in February ahead of the 2026 campaign.

RHP, KHRISTIAN CURTIS – Curtis made his professional debut in 2024 with the Marauders, registering a 4.06 ERA over 16 starts and 75.1 innings of work. The right hander began 2025 with High-A Greensboro, where he posted strong numbers despite spending a bulk of his outings in the hitter-friendly confines of First National Bank Field. Over 108.2 frames, he pitched to a 3.98 ERA while limiting opponents to a .222 average.

Despite a slow start, Curtis finished the season in dominant fashion, posting a 2.60 ERA over his final 12 outings and 11 starts.

On July 5 at Aberdeen, Curtis fanned ten hitters over six dominant innings to lead the Grasshoppers to a combined perfect game. He finished the campaign with Double-A Altoona where he made one regular season and one postseason outing.

Curtis was also named a 2026 non-roster invitee by Pittsburgh. The 23-year-old's first appearance will mark the his first big-league Spring Training outing.

OF, ESMERLYN VALDEZ – Valdez spent all of 2024 with Single-A Bradenton where he saw his power flourish. After totaling just 12 home runs across his first three minor-league seasons, the right-handed hitter blasted 22 long balls in 107 games, tying Dylan Busby (2019) for the most home runs in a single season by a Marauder.

Looking to sustain that momentum, Valdez burst onto the scene in 2025. In 72 games with High-A Greensboro, Valdez batted .303 while slugging 20 round trippers, earning himself a promotion to Double-A Altoona at the beginning of July. Later that month, he represented the Pirates alongside Konnor Griffin at the All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta.

In 51 games with Altoona, the 22-year-old hit six homers and produced a stout .772 OPS. For his performance with Greensboro, Valdez was named the South Atlantic League Most Valuable Player.

Valdez capped the calendar year in the Arizona Fall League, batting .368 and slugging a league-best .842 with eight homers for the Salt River Rafters. That performance earned him the AFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Award. He also placed second, behind fellow Pirates prospect Tony Blanco Jr., in the league's Home Run Derby.

This past off season, Valdez was added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, aligning him for his first Major League Spring Training opportunity in 2026. He finished 2025 ranked as the Pirates No. 16 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

RHP, BRANDAN BIDOIS – The Australian right hander authored one of the most dominant relief seasons in Minor League Baseball in 2025. After opening the year on the injured list, Bidois returned to game action in late April when he made one rehab appearance for the Marauders. He was quickly transferred back to High-A Greensboro where he baffled South Atlantic League hitters. Across 21 frames, he allowed just two earned runs.

The right hander was promoted to Double-A Altoona in late June, where his excellence continued. Through 25 innings, he surrendered three earned runs while allowing just ten hits. He finished the campaign in Triple-A Indianapolis where he gave up one hit over 13 scoreless innings.

In total, Bidios compiled a 0.74 ERA between 61 innings across the four levels. Between July 29 and September 14, he didn’t allow a hit over 18 consecutive frames. Overall, opponents batted a meager .110 and slugged .130 against him.

Like Valdez, Bidios was added to the Pirates 40-man roster over the offseason, teeing him up for his first big-league Spring Training.

INF, TERMARR JOHNSON – Ranked the No. 7 prospect in the Pirates system, Johnson also received a non-roster invitation to big-league camp this February.

Between 2024 and 2025, the 2022 first-round pick appeared in 19 Spring Training contests with the big-league club, going 9-for-30 with two homers.

Johnson spent all of 2025 with Double-A Altoona where he batted .272 and reached base at a .363 clip in 119 games. His defining trait continues to be his ability to control the strike zone. Since the start of 2023, he has drawn 245 free passes, and recorded 16.2 percent walk rate, leading all Pirates-minor-league hitters over that stretch in both categories. Across all of Minor League Baseball, just three players have walked more than him during that stretch.

Johnson spent parts of 2022 and the majority of 2023 with the Marauders, slashing .248/.416/.448 over 89 games between the two seasons.

C, OMAR ALFONZO – A fan-favorite during his time in Bradenton, Alfonzo blasted 12 home runs and drove in 71 runs over two seasons with the Marauders. The catcher spent the bulk of his 2025 season with High-A Greensboro, where he boasted an .829 OPS through 67 games before a mid-season promotion to Double-A Altoona.

His 14 total home runs led all Pirates minor-league catchers, and his disciplined approach at the plate – boasted by a 13.2 percent walk-rate – helped him reach base at a .354 clip between the two levels.

The backstop was also named a non-roster invitee by the Pirates ahead of Spring Training. Since 2023, Alfonzo is 0-for-8 with one RBI over eight Spring Training games with the big-league club. He finished 2025 ranked as the Pirates No. 20 prospect by MLB Pipeline.

RHP, WILBER DOTEL – The 23-year-old pieced together a strong 2025 where he tossed a career-high 125.2 innings over 27 starts. In the process, Dotel posted a 4.15 ERA and punched out 131 hitters. Last November, the Pirates selected his contract and added him to their 40-man roster.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Dotel signed with Pittsburgh as an international free agent in October of 2020. The right-hander made a name for himself with Bradenton in 2023 when he delivered a 3.09 ERA through 78.2 strong innings of work.

Dotel finished 2025 ranked the Pirates No. 28 prospect. 2026 will mark his first opportunity to pitch in a big-league Spring Training game.

RHP, ANTWONE KELLY – Kelly was added to the Pirates 40-man roster last November after a solid 2025 where he combined for 25 starts between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona. The now 22-year-old fired a career-high 107.1 innings and punched out 116 hitters. In 2024, Kelly made 14 starts and pitched to a 5.09 ERA for Single-A Bradenton.

While Kelly will be getting his work in with the big-league club in February, he will be away from the team for much of March. Born in Oranjestad, Aruba, he will represent the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. Still awaiting his Major League debut, the tournament will provide Kelly the biggest stage of his professional career yet. He also represented the Dutch in the 2023 tournament, when he tossed a scoreless frame against Chinese Taipei.

RHP, RYAN HARBIN – Harbin also had his contract selected by the Pirates last November after logging the largest workload of his professional career in 2025. The right hander appeared in 50 games, totaling 63.1 innings acorss High-A Greensboro, Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis.

While command remains a work in progress, the 24-year-old’s over-powering arsenal continued to dominate opposing hitters. Last season, he fanned 93 hitters, generating a 31.3 percent strikeout rate, good for the highest mark of any Pirates minor leaguer with at least 40 innings pitched last season. He features a fastball that has touched 100 miles per hour, as well as a slider and splitter.

Harbin was drafted by Pittsburgh in the 17th round of the 2022 draft out of Bartow High School, roughly 65 miles east of LECOM Park. Over three stints with the Marauders, Harbin tossed 38.1 innings where he surrendered just three earned runs (0.70 ERA) and struck out 52 hitters.

The Pittsburgh Pirates open their 2026 Spring Training season at LECOM Park on Sunday, February 22 versus the Tampa Bay Rays.

The LECOM Park box office hours are 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on weekdays, and 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on Saturdays when there is not a Pirates home game. On gamedays, the box office will open 4 hours prior to first pitch and close 30 minutes after the final out.

For tickets and more information about Pirates Spring Training, please call 941-747-3031, visit www.Pirates.com/SpringTraining, or email [email protected].