The Bradenton Marauders may have gotten off to a slow start this April at 1-8, but there is still plenty of incentive to head on over to LECOM Park and catch a game. For one, the team is loaded with up and coming young talent. Between MLB Pipeline and Baseball America six of the top 30 prospects in the farm system are currently on the Marauders’ roster. The 10-team Florida State League represents a crucial juncture in the development of young players. The Single-A level is the first real taste of Minor League competition that these players will face after graduating from the Florida or Arizona Complex Leagues. If a player can make it past Single-A and into High-A–for Bradenton players that would mean moving up to the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the South Atlantic League–then they have a real shot at eventually cracking the Major League roster.

Watch prospects like third baseman Garret Forester, a 2023 third round draft pick out of Oregon State or infielder Jesus Castillo, one of just eight players in the Minor Leagues to walk over 100 times last year, while you still can. With strong seasons, both of them could be playing for the Greensboro Grasshoppers by August.

Additionally, this weekend is jam packed with promotional nights at LECOM Park. Every year, Marauders General Manager Craig Warzecha and his team gather together to brainstorm different opportunities, first among themselves and later with other Minor League organizations. New to the organization this year is Friendly City Fridays, a promotion that will promote local nonprofits and businesses throughout the summer. In a nod to Major League Baseball’s City Connect jerseys, the Marauders will wear their all-new Friendly City Friday jerseys that sport “Bradenton” in a script font across the chest during these games. This Friday’s game will also host a Women in Sports discussion panel pre-game and is the team’s first Kids Club game, in which kids 12 and under can run the bases post-game. Other promotional nights on this homestand include Thirsty Thursday, Margaritaville Night on Saturday night’s game–in which the Marauders will sport specialty Margaritaville-themed jerseys–and a Hispanic Heritage Celebration on Sunday’s game, where the Marauders will rebrand to the Bradenton Barbanegras for the day.

LECOM Park, 1611 9th St W, Bradenton.