Brief stay with Marauders has Overbay anxious for next season

However brief, Alex Overbay is proud to have worn a Bradenton Marauders uniform.

With Bradenton’s 17th season in the books, Overbay, drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth round this past July, was able to get a taste of what pro ball offers. As a pitcher, the 21-year-old from the State of Washington was shoehorned by Marauders’ skipper Gera Alvarez into three games. In total, the second-generation ballplayer threw foir six innings, logging seven strikeouts,

Now that Overbay knows his way around Pirate City and LECOM Park, when spring training opens in March for minor leaguers, there should be less jitters and increased confidence in how he goes about his business. But his first introduction to the “Pirates’ Way’ of building a career in baseball couldn’t have gone smoother.

“I was pretty excited. It was a dream come true, “Overbay said about his being drafted by Pittsburgh, prior to a game with the visiting Lakeland Flying Tigers last week at LECOM Park. “I was drafted on Monday, then I left for Pittsburgh on Thursday. Then I went out with my parents for dinner to celebrate.”

For Overbay, one of six children of Lyle and Sarah Overbay, packing his belongings and making a hasty exit from Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County for Southwest Florida to begin his career in pro baseball came pretty quickly. Life was coming full circle for Overbay, who split his college ball between UNLV and Arizona State University. His dad, Lyle Overbay, played first base for the Pirates in 2011.

Being welcomed by the Pirates back in July remains special to the rookie. His first taste of pro ball came at Pirate City, where he played in the Bridge League alongside a club full of recent draft selections.

“I threw once there, then was called up to Bradenton. Me being here (Florida) for two or three weeks felt short, but at the same time I had played a whole college season. It will be nice to have a whole offseason. I haven’t had time off from baseball in three-plus years.”

Overbay’s plan was to fly back on Monday to be back with his family in Washington. His baseball roots run deep in Tumwater County, which borders the state capital of Olympia on the southernmost point of Puget Sound. As a senior at Tumwater High School, Overbay racked up an 8-0 record and a very impressive 0.66 ERA.

Coming out of high school, where his dad has been the head baseball coach since 2021, UNLV and the NCAA Mountain West Conference would be Overbay’s starting grounds in college ball. He says that his experience at the Las Vegas school during his freshman and sophomore years laid a solid foundation for building the skills that ultimately put him on the Pirates’ scouting radar.

“I consider (UNLV) a good starting spot for me. That’s where I figured out who I am as a baseball player. First, I was hitting. Then in my second year there, I started pitching again. I moved on to ASU for a little better competition to set myself up for pro ball.”

Having a dad that played 14 MLB seasons (2001-2014) for six clubs has its perks for newbies in MiLB circles. Overbay has absorbed memories and simple advice from being in his father’s peripheral.

“Dad always says, just enjoy the moment. Don’t take anything for granted. Baseball is a special sport. He reminds me that we’re playing a kid’s game so you can’t act as an adult.”

Memories of the 2022 season when his dad was playing for Pirates’ skipper Clint Hurdle remain clear for Overbay, the 228th overall pick during July’s MLB Draft. The house that they lived in near Pittsburgh has special meaning to him. Then, there’s playing a wiffle ball game on Family Day at Yankee Stadium, batting against future Hall of Famer and then Yankee closer Mariano Rivera.

It’s these memory gems from his father’s career that Overbay says he uses as motivation to follow in his footsteps.

Upon his arrival at Pirate City, Overbay confides that coaches he ran into stopped to remind him of their experiences with him, either playing with or against him. What a wonderful decision to speak with Overbay. What an outstanding way to put a cap on the Marauders' 2026 season.

2027 is going to be awesome.