When the Pirates announced their Opening Day rosters for each of their minor league affiliates, Bradenton was a very intriguing one. They had a blend of college players, and younger prospects with a higher ceiling, but without much of an established floor.
Two of the bigger names originally listed, Termarr Johnson and Shalin Polanco, both would miss the start of the season with injuries, with the latter joining the Marauders sooner than the former.
With some of the more raw players taking on some prominent roles on the roster, it probably wouldn’t have been the most surprising thing to see them struggle out the gate – and to an extent they did.