Marauders Unveil 2011 Roster

The Bradenton Marauders, the advanced Single-A affiliates of the Pittsburgh Pirates, announced their 2011 roster at Tuesday's annual civic luncheon.

Among the nine returnees from last year's inaugural Marauders squad are outfielder Calvin Anderson, who hit 11 home runs last year as a first baseman, and outfielder Robbie Grossman, who led last year's team with 66 walks.

Also returning are pitchers Nate Baker, Tyler Cox, Phillip Irwin, Kyle McPherson, Matt McSwain, Hunter Strickland, and Duke Welker.

The pitching staff will be rounded out by Jason Erickson, Jeff Inman, Quinton Miller, Eliecer Navarro Jhonathon Ramos.

Also starting the year in Bradenton is major leaguer Joe Beimel. The veteran was injured in spring training and will be with the Marauders working his way back to Pittsburgh.  A veteran of 532 major league games, he is the most tenured big leaguer to play for Bradenton.

Joining Grossman and Anderson in the outfield are Evan Chambers, David Rubinstein and Cole White.

First base will be manned by Oklahoma University product Aaron Baker, who belted 18 home runs in 2010 for Single-A West Virginia.

The rest of the infield features Jarek Cunningham, Benji Gonzalez, Kelson Brown, Elevys Gonzalez and Adalberto Santos. 

Catchers Ramon Cabrera and Carlos Paulino make up the back end of the battery in 2011.

Read more about the 2011 Marauders players here.

The team will open its second season Thursday evening on the road at Port Charlotte. The two teams meet again Friday in Bradenton for the . The game begins at 6:30 p.m. at McKechnie Field and will be followed by a fireworks display.

The Marauders' open-to-the-public practice, set for 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at the ballpark, has been canceled due to inclement weather.

The team will be at from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday for a free meet-and-greet and autograph session.

For tickets and more information, call 941-747-3031 or visit the team's official site, BradentonMarauders.com.