Alex Dickerson named FSL Player of the Year



photo by Paul Videla

 Bradenton Marauders first baseman Alex Dickerson has been named the Player of the Year in the Florida State League.
The announcement came Monday from league president Chuck Murphy, who also unveiled the league's postseason All-Star team.
Dickerson is batting .299 with 12 home runs and 88 RBI in 124 games with Bradenton and is second in the league in RBIs, hits (141) and doubles (31).
The Marauders are in second place in the FSL South Division, 2 1/2 games back of first-place Jupiter. Their game Monday was postponed in anticipation of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac.
They host Fort Myers in a doubleheader beginning 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Jameson Taillon earns another Pitcher of the Week award

photo by Tiffany Tompkins-Condie

Jameson Taillon has been named the Florida State League's Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season.
The righty didn't allow an earned run in two starts from July 30-August 5, giving up four hits, striking out eight and walking three in 12 innings.
Taillon is 6-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 21 starts, and has 92 strikeouts and 34 walks in 115 innings. Taillon has allowed five earned runs in his 23 2/3 innings of work.

Getting to know Erik Turgeon

Consider this a homecoming of sorts for Erik Turgeon, the Marauders' newest pitcher.
The Pirates' signed the righty and assigned him to Bradenton, bringing Turgeon back to his roots - he was born in Palm Harbor and graduated from Dunedin High School.
Turgeon was a 49th-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in 2005, but he chose to play college ball at UCONN before the New York Mets drafted him during Turgeon's junior year.
Turgeon has spent last few seasons with the Mets' Double-A team in Binghamton, N.Y., and was 1-3 with a 7.40 ERA in 17 games while battling injuries this year. He has a career record of 15-13 with a 4.19 ERA in 164 professional appearances, all in relief.
He made 22 appearances in 2010 with the Mets' Florida State League team in St. Lucie.
"I want to thank the Pirates for this opportunity," Turgeon wrote on his Twitter page. "Excited to get goin!" [sic]
The Marauders also announced they added Jhonathan Ramos from Double-A Altoona. It is the second stint in Bradenton this season for the lefty, who was 4-1 with a 3.93 ERA with the Marauders and 2-1 and with a 2.61 ERA in 13 games with the Curve.

Alex Dickerson named FSL Player of the Week

photo by Paul Videla

Marauders first baseman Alex Dickerson has been named the Florida State League's Player of the Week for July 23-29 after batting .462 during that time with two home runs, seven RBIs, four doubles and 10 runs scored.
He currently leads the league in RBIs (77) and total bases (175),  is third in hits (113), fourth in doubles (26) and eighth in slugging (.461) and hitting (.297). Dickerson is also batting .330 in July and .311 since the All-Star break.
Dickerson was a third-round pick of the Pirates in 2011.

What's a Baby Bobble?



photo courtesy of Bradenton Marauders

 It's been six months since Trevor Gooby delivered a memorable moment at McKechnie Field.
The Marauders plan on celebrating in style.
The team will host Babies on Deck Night on Tuesday, Aug. 28, six months to the day after Gooby, the Pirates director of Florida operations, delivered a baby boy outside the gates of the venerable ballpark during a Spring Training kickoff event.
The baby, a boy aptly named McKechnie, is the first one to be delivered at McKechnie Field, which opened in 1923 and has served as the Pirates' spring home since '69.
The first 1,000 fans that night receive a Baby Bobble figure of Gooby holding McKechnie. The night will also include baby-themed activties including a stroller obstacle course and a diaper changing relay.
The Marauders meet the Fort Myers Miracle at 6:30 p.m. Gates open at 5:30.

Pirates intend to promote Starling Marte

One of the original Marauders is going to be a Pirate.
The Pirates announced they will call up outfielder Starling Marte for Thursday's game in Houston.
Marte was rated baseball's 73rd-best prospect heading into the season by Baseball America and was batting .286 with 12 home runs, 61 RBIs and 21 steals in 98 games with the Pirates' Triple-A team in Indianapolis.
Marte hit .315 with 22 stolen bases and 70 hits in 60 games with the Marauders in 2010 before suffering a season-ending wrist injury.
He is a career .304 hitter in six professional seasons

Cain, Grossman dealt to Astros

photo by John Lembo

A current Marauder and a former one are on the way to Houston.
The Pirates announced Tuesday they have dealt Colton Cain and Robbie Grossman to the Astros in exchange for pitcher Wandy Rodriguez.
Cain is 3-5 with a 4.20 ERA in 16 starts with the Marauders. He was an eighth-round pick of the Pirates in 2009.
Grossman, above, earned the organization's Minor League Player of the Year award last summer with the Marauders and was invited to his first big-league camp in the spring. He began this season with Double-A Altoona, where he was batting .262 and was fourth in the Eastern League with 58 runs scored.
Pitcher Rudy Owens was also traded to Houston. Owens was never a Marauder but made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Pirates in 2007.
This is the second straight year a Marauder was dealt at the deadline: First baseman Aaron Baker was traded to Baltimore last year for Derrick Lee.