Marauders’ Ager Pleased with First Step to Pitching Professionally

Baradenton Marauders’ pitcher Matt Ager isn’t a fan of Florida’s summer humidity.

These days, it’s the pitchers, be it in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ pipeline or with the big-league club, who are making headlines. Paul Skenes. After billing him as the best, at least in the National League, no more description is needed of just how talented he is. Bubba Chandler’s call-up from Triple-A Indianapolis a couple of days back is creating a Skenes-like buzz at PNC Park.

Well, down on “the farm”, in the Florida State League, there’s Ager. Save some applause from other highly touted prospects at Double-A and with the Triple-A Indians for Ager. The kid is going to be a star.

Ager, 21, a right-handed starter (20 games, 17 starts), thus far in the 10-team FSL has tossed 68 innings. Eating innings has been a good thing for the Marauders’ pitching staff. Ager is quick to pass around compliments to Bradenton staffers for his success.

“We (Marauders) have a great trainer in Alex Dehaeseleer. Zach (Zach Palumbo, strength and conditioning coach) is doing a great job in getting me to lift, and have my body ready to go,” Ager told the Bradenton Times on Thursday.

Making the transition from college athlete to professional ballplayer has been a pleasant one for Ager. There is praise for Marauders’ pitching coach Renny Durarte and skipper Jim Horner, for their, at times, laid-back approach to molding the 6-foot-6 rookie from the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay area.

Listening to Ager speak of his transition from college to pro ball sounds simple, but it's very much a matter of “growing” as an individual, as well as a player.

“Everything is on you,” explains Ager, drafted by the Pirates in the sixth round in 2024. “You know that you have to throw, you have to lift. When the field is open, it’s up to you to get your work done. In college, everything is structured for you.”

The only knock on his introduction to Bradenton this season, Ager is still adjusting to the humidity. Coming from Pleasanton, CA, Ager understands playing ball in heat, but getting through the sweating, whether it be at LECOM Park when pitching, or working out in the outfield, remains a work in progress.

After his first month coming to work at LECOM Park, Ager began to feel comfortable with his surroundings and routines. After that “cool” moment of walking into the Marauders’ home park for the first time, Ager recalls his earlier years growing up a San Francisco Giants fan. Living about a 45-minute drive from Oracle Park and attending games there, Ager labels former Giants’ greats Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner as his favorites.

Although all in on everything Pirates since his name was called at the MLB Draft, Ager remains close to his college roots at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After the completion of the Marauders’ season next month, Ager plans on continuing his education towards earning a bachelor’s degree in economics.

As for keeping up with an off-season baseball program, in preparation for spring training in March, Ager has that covered. There are about a half dozen players from the UC Santa Barbara baseball alumni who Ager will be keeping busy with.

Compliments go all around by Ager for the Gauchos’ baseball program that allowed him to grow for three seasons in the Big West Conference. Head Coach Andrew Checketts, coaches Dylan Jones and Mike Fonteno, are mentors Ager holds in the highest regard. This is a program that produced several MLB players, including 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber.

“The program (UC Santa Barbara) is very good on developing pitchers, not throwers,” Ager tells.

At the Class-A level in the minor leagues, player development often takes precedence over winning. Bringing the best out of an individual’s talents prepares them to move up the chain of affiliates. Ager’s pitching is noticeably developing. Greensboro (High-A) or Double-A Altoona should be Ager’s next stops. When camp breaks next spring, Florida humidity will be far back in Ager’s pitching rear-view mirror.

A quality person making quality starts, what’s not to like about a Californian in Florida hoping for a future in Pennsylvania?