BRADENTON -- The Florida State League playoffs are under way and for the first time since 2009, they are missing the Bradenton Marauders.

The Pittsburgh Pirates' high Single-A affiliates, the Marauders made the postseason in each of their first two seasons.

The streak, however, is over.

After a last-place finish during the first half of 2012, the Marauders were in the hunt for South Division crown late before fading to fifth place, 7 1/2 games behind champion Jupiter.

Overall, Bradenton went 60-77.

Despite the sour ending, the 2012 season wasn't a complete loss for Bradenton.

Some highlights:

n First baseman Alex Dickerson was named the league's player of the year, the first Marauder to earn that honor. The Pirates third-round pick in 2011, Dickerson hit .295 while finishing second in the league in RBIs (90) and third in hits (144) and doubles (31). He also hit 13 home runs.

Dickerson was especially prolific at McKechnie Field, where he hit .307 in 64 games.

n Marauders fans may have gotten a glimpse of the Pirates' future in first-round draft picks Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon, a pair of pitchers with big potential and bigger arms.

Both were impressive, landing on the South Division's All-Star team.

Cole, the first overall pick of 2011, was promoted to Double-A Altoona before the All-Star game. He went 5-1 with a 2.55 in 13 starts at Bradenton and pitched to a 2.90 ERA in 12 starts with the Curve despite a 3-6 record.

He didn't stop there. Cole made his way to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he won his lone start with the Indians.

Taillon, a first-round pick out of high school in 2010, posted a 6-8 mark and a 3.82 ERA before he was bumped to Altoona. Taillon was even better in Double-A, winning all three of his starts with a 1.59 ERA while striking out 18 and walking one in 17 innings.

Cole and Taillon pitched for the United States in the Futures Game.

n Gift Ngoepe brought some history to McKechnie Field. The first black player from South Africa to sign a baseball contract, Ngoepe became a fan favorite. The shortstop swiped 22 bases while batting .232 with five triples in 124 games.n The Marauders led the league with five complete games, with Taillon tossing two and Tyler Waldron, Eliecer Navarro and Matt Benedict throwing one each.

n At the turnstiles, Bradenton attracted in the best average attendance in franchise history, drawing 1,515 fans per game, eight more than last season.