Marauders Promote Excitement

Pirates single-A club loaded with promise
By Joe Giardina

Tony Sanchez has no problem buying an expensive pair of jeans.

That is a luxury that comes with being selected fourth overall in the 2009 amateur draft.

"I can go to a mall now, and if I like a $100 pair of jeans I can buy them without worrying about what my mom is going to say," said the 22-year-old catcher, who received a $2.5 million signing bonus when he agreed to terms with the Pirates last June.

Sanchez also has no problem accepting instruction and acknowledging his weaknesses, making Kyle Stark's job a whole lot easier.

"Tony is a special kid," said Stark, the Pirates Director of Player Development. "When you take a guy that's drafted high, it's easy for him to look ahead or to focus on what he does well. But he is humble and always looking at how he can improve."

Sanchez spent last season catching in low-A for the West Virginia Power, where he hit .316 with seven home runs in 41 games. He opened the 2010 season with the Bradenton Marauders, the Pirates new high-A affiliate, of the Florida State League.

While he may be the face of the team, he is surrounded by a group young, talented prospects that make up the most exciting team in the Pirates' minor league family. 

Through the first month of the season, the Marauders boasted the pitcher with the best ERA (0.68) in the minor leagues (Bryan Morris); three players in the top 10 in hitting in the Florida State League (Brock Holt, Sanchez and Starling Marte); and two players in the top five in the league in RBI (Quincy Latimore and Jeremy Farrell).

But when measuring success at the low levels of the minors, statistics don't tell the whole story.

"[Single-A] is a different point in their development path," said Stark. "It's the level that we're trying to solidify the foundation, so that we can advance them to the upper levels and know if they struggle and resort back to what they know, their foundation is solid."

The development doesn't just end with setting a foundation, either. When you are part of a franchise that has known nothing but failure at the major league level since most of the Marauders were in diapers, a winning mentality has to be instilled.

"Obviously we have a bunch of talent," said Sanchez. "But it's a matter of knowing *how* to win, and that's something we are learning now."

Coming into this season, the Pirates front office hoped starting pitcher Bryan Morris would be an eager pupil in that learning process. A season removed from his well-documented fall from grace, the 23-year-old right-hander delivered.

After not allowing an earned run over his final five starts for the Marauders—a streak that spanned 30 innings—Morris was promoted to double-A Altoona in mid-May. General manager Neal Huntington said he may also find his was to triple-A Indianapolis this season if he continues to progress – offering a complete 180-degree turnaround from where he was headed last season.

"People took a situation and made it into an overall makeup evaluation of Bryan, which is unfair," said Stark, referring to the disciplinary action the organization took against Morris last season. "We had an incident and decided to tackle it aggressively. I think it really kind of made Bryan reevaluate where he was at and what he was willing to do. It humbled him, and set him up to be willing and open to make some adjustments. He's gone out and not only embraced them, but put them into action."

The Marauders will have no problem filling the gap at the top of the rotation due to Morris' departure, with righty Nathan Adcock (2.84 ERA) and lefty Jeff Locke (2.83 ERA)—each of whom have only walked seven batters in 40-plus innings—ready to step in.

There soon may be a hole to fill in the bullpen also, as right-hander Diego Moreno's days in Bradenton are numbered. At print time, the 23-year-old flame-thrower from Venezuela had given up a mere two earned runs in 24.1 innings (a 0.74 ERA), compiling 35 strikeouts while walking only one. Opponents are hitting a miniscule .098 against him.

"[Moreno's] been dominant," said Stark. "He has been throwing the ball over the plate with two plus pitches—a fastball and a slider—and he has forced our hand to put himself in line for a promotion sooner rather than later."

"He's absolutely lights out," added Sanchez. "You bring him in for two innings and he's going to give you two shutout innings – with no hits. He's really that good."

In addition, the Marauders will be without 21-year-old outfielder Starling Marte for several weeks as he recovers from hand surgery. Marte, much like most of the talent in Bradenton, is still raw, but has arguably the highest potential of anyone in the organization. Last season, his first in the United States, the Dominican product batted .309 with three homeruns and 24 stolen bases.

"He is the five-tool guy," said Sanchez. "He has a lot to learn, but he's got the speed, the arm, the defense, the power. He's the fastest guy I've ever seen. You could just send him out in centerfield and he'll catch anything with no right or left fielder."

It's safe to say Marauders manager P.J. Forbes has been equally impressed.

"His throws from center field are head-high on a line. And the ball just comes off his bat differently," Forbes said. "He's still green, but the skills are there. It's a matter of how he develops."

Yet the Bradenton roster is so deep that Marte, who Stark expects to make a full recovery, isn't even the top hitter: shortstop Brock Holt leads the team with a .347 average.

It goes without saying, however, that success at this level in no way guarantees results at the higher levels – something the players keep in perspective.

"We haven't proven anything yet," said Sanchez. "We are still in A ball, and we are nowhere near where we want to be. There is still a long journey ahead of us."

Which puts the pressure on Stark and Pirates management to remain patient with the players, even if they are struggling. Like Robbie Grossman, the outfielder selected out of high school in the sixth round in 2008, who after a strong rookie campaign last year in West Virginia has stumbled out of the gate in Bradenton (.217 avg). Or Gift Ngoepe, the 20-year-old South African second baseman who is still adjusting to professional pitching (.220 avg).

"This game takes a long time to master," said Stark. "You have stretches of good performances and you have stretches of bad performances. It's a long season. I think some of our worst decisions are made when you make them based on short-term performance."

Sanchez figures to be in double-A before the season is out; perhaps some others will follow him. But that isn't the Marauders' goal. They have their eyes set on something bigger.

"Right now, we are successful in the Florida State League," said Sanchez. "We do want to be successful here, but that's not what we are working towards. Our ultimate goal is to be successful in the big leagues. It's a long ways a way, but that's what we are working every day for."