As far as I know, they haven't mentioned Marcus Rediker (or any specific scholars), so I'm speculating here. But I mean -- like you're saying, the connections seem obvious. As far as other scholars in this area, I can't recommend highly enough the Oxford Bibliographies article on Piracy, by Kris Lane, if you have access to it through a university. Failing that, Peter Earle, David Cordingly, Kenneth Andrews, & Jon Latimer are a few people to check out. :)

xx

Jenny @ Reading the End