Under is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Miami Marlins. Scouting experiences have been compiled with info offered by business sources in addition to my very own observations. That is the fifth yr we’re delineating between two anticipated reduction roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “place” column under: MIRP for multi-inning reduction pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning reduction pitchers. The ETAs listed typically correspond to the yr a participant needs to be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Guide changes are made the place they appear acceptable, however we use that as a rule of thumb.
A fast overview of what FV (Future Worth) means could be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview could be discovered right here.
All the ranked prospects under additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the positioning presents that includes sortable scouting info for each group. It has extra particulars (and up to date TrackMan knowledge from numerous sources) than this text and integrates each workforce’s listing so readers can evaluate prospects throughout farm methods. It may be discovered right here.
Different Prospects of Observe
Grouped by sort and listed so as of desire inside every class.
DSL Pitching
Adriano Marrero, RHP
Ramon Sanchez, RHP
Elier Morillo, LHP
Marrero is a 17-year-old DSL righty with a 3,000 rpm slider and a mean changeup. He’s solely sitting within the higher 80s proper now and is comparatively bodily mature, but when higher mechanical sequencing can enhance his velocity and management, he’ll grow to be very fascinating in a short time. His supply is out of sync plenty of the time proper now. Sanchez is a 23-year-old short-striding DSL righty who was launched by the Rays final summer time, however was sitting 94-96 towards the tip of final week in his first outing with the Marlins. Morillo is a 5-foot-11 teenage lefty in his second DSL season. He’s sitting 91-94 with flat angle and carry, and bending in a plus-flashing curveball within the 76-79 mph vary with 18 inches of horizontal break. His numbers are absurd, however his command is rather more wayward than his stroll price would possibly lead you to imagine, so for now he’s extra of a DSL sleeper than a real prospect.
DSL Hitters
Anthony Abreu, INF
Luis Arana, INF
Diwarys Encarnacion, 2B/3B
Abreu is a reasonably bodily 6-foot-1, lefty-hitting infielder with above-average low-ball bat pace. His swing’s size has his contact price hovering round 70%, which isn’t nice within the DSL, however there’s sufficient lefty pop right here to make Abreu a notable prospect, particularly if he can keep at shortstop or third base. Arana and his funky, duck-footed batting stance has been the hardest Marlin to strike out within the DSL, as he’s operating a 3% strikeout price and 89% contact price as of publication. He isn’t a toolsy athlete or something like that, so he’ll must maintain hitting close to this degree as he climbs to show it’s actual, and for now, I’m skeptical. One other man whose Ok% has been low sufficient to benefit a scouting double examine, Encarnacion is a barely older DSL infielder with an inside-out swing and powerful palms within the field.
Gamers Traded For
Garret Forrester, C/1B/3B
Abrahan Ramirez, 2B/3B
Emaarion Boyd, CF
Echedry Vargas, 2B/3B
Jay Beshears, 1B
John Cruz, OF
Shane Sasaki, CF
Brayan Mendoza, LHP
Forrester was a profession .326/.470/.500 hitter at Oregon State who was traded to Miami as a part of final yr’s Bryan De La Cruz swap with Pittsburgh. The Pirates initiated a catcher conversion try right here, which Miami has continued. Forrester is extremely selective and isn’t a foul oppo contact hitter, however he lacks bat pace. His prospectdom depends on him enhancing as a receiver. Ramirez came to visit from the Yankees as a part of final yr’s Jazz Chisholm Jr. commerce. He’s a slick third base defender with good hitting palms, however he lacks something near the facility essential to profile there. He’s a smaller-framed 20-year-old who, barring him actually outgrowing the power projection for an athlete his measurement, realistically has a bench infield ceiling. Boyd was a Phillies highschool draft decide who was traded to Miami as a part of the Jesús Luzardo deal. His early-career contact efficiency was spectacular and his skill to button fastballs (92% contact price) continues to be so, however Boyd is allergic to spin and has a 62% contact price towards secondary pitches. That’s an unlimited hole. He has grow to be a greater heart discipline defender over the past two seasons, however he in all probability must grow to be plus or higher on the market to be rostered.
Vargas, who was acquired from Texas in final yr’s Jake Burger commerce, is a pull-rate darling whose spray chart seems like a shrunken model of Isaac Paredes‘, with a ton of airborne pull contact towards pitches all around the zone. Vargas is a small-ish athlete with out large uncooked energy, and he’s additionally been one of many extra chase-prone hitters within the minors the final a number of years. Beshears transferred from Northwestern to Duke for his draft yr, was San Diego’s sixth rounder, slugged his approach to Excessive-A, then was traded to Miami within the Tanner Scott deal. He has a .750 OPS at Beloit and has roughly common large league uncooked energy at age 23, however the concern right here is Beshears’ protection. He’s quickly trending towards a primary base-only match and wishes work to be good there. Cruz and Sasaki have been acquired as a part of the three-way Ben Rortvedt commerce. Cruz, initially a Yankee, is tremendous projectable 19-year-old outfielder with a protracted swing. He’s struggled to hit above .200 since leaving rookie ball. Sasaki was a Hawaiian excessive schooler initially signed by the Rays who’s now a Double-A middle fielder and good upper-level depth man due to his protection. Mendoza is a soft-tossing 21-year-old lefty starter who got here from Texas within the Burger commerce. He’s in Beloit’s rotation working with a 90-mph fastball and 45-grade secondary stuff.
Depth Bats
Troy Johnston, 1B
Johnny Olmstead, SS
Fenwick Trimble, OF
Carlos Sanchez, C
Jesus Hernandez, UTIL
Victor Mesa Jr., CF
Gage Miller, 2B/3B
Johnston has been hovering on this part of the Marlins listing for years as an undersized, however hitterish, lefty-hitting first baseman. He’s in his prime and doubtless has a window looming right here the place he’s an above-replacement participant. Olmstead was a senior signal out of USC in 2023 who has already reached Double-A. He can play a fairly good shortstop (he’s plus at third base). Trimble was final yr’s fourth rounder out of James Madison, a big-framed, righty-hitting outfielder with a swing that some name “simple and cozy trying” and others would possibly name “gradual” in a bat pace sense. Trimble was hitting nicely at Beloit and promoted to Pensacola not lengthy earlier than he tweaked his hamstring and was placed on the IL. He hasn’t performed since mid-Could. Sanchez, 20, is a 5-foot-9, Venezuelan switch-hitting catcher with above-average lefty bat pace. The way in which his palms rip by means of contact from that aspect generates truthful energy for a catcher, however his swing additionally leaves him weak to fastballs up and away. His throwing isn’t constant sufficient to make him a lock at catcher. Hernandez is a 21-year-old Venezuelan third baseman (and 2B/SS/LF) who has posted an above-average hard-hit price up to now this yr and hit his approach to Beloit. His peak exit velos and visible scouting look don’t point out there’s truly above-average energy right here. Mesa is a stable common heart discipline defender and due to this fact a viable depth possibility, however nothing about his offense is common. Final yr’s third rounder out of Alabama, Miller has as many walks as he does strikeouts at Beloit up to now this yr, however I’m skeptical about his swing enjoying long-term. It’s not going to supply the type of energy you’re in search of in a part-time 2B/3B, even when the contact portion holds up.
Extra Relievers
Anderson Pilar, RHP
Freddy Tarnok, RHP
Matt Pushard, RHP
Michael Perez, RHP
Dameivi Tineo, LHP
Jhon Cabral, RHP
Jesse Bergin, RHP
Samuel Carpio, RHP
Pilar was initially a Rockie however elected free company after the 2023 season, signed a minor league take care of Miami, moved to the bullpen, and had sufficient of an uptick in stuff to draw the eye of the Braves in final yr’s Rule 5 Draft. Pilar didn’t make the workforce and was returned to the Marlins. He’s a cutter-heavy depth reliever who sits about 93. Tarnok was initially a Courageous and made a one-outing large league debut in 2022. He was traded to Oakland as a part of the Sean Murphy deal however struggled to interrupt by means of there partially as a consequence of harm. He was a Phillies minor leaguer final yr and now’s with Miami. Violent deception and a deep repertoire (he has an amazing curveball) outline Tarnok’s skills. Pushard is a former undrafted free agent from Maine, a big-bodied Triple-A reliever with a 95-mph fastball and two serviceable breaking balls, however crude command. Perez, 22, is a bodily Dominican righty flashing a plus curveball and changeup in Jupiter. His fastball motion and command are under common. Tineo is a long-levered lefty with a whippy arm motion. He’s sitting 93-94 in Jupiter and has a plus slider, the look of a lefty specialist down the road. Cabral is a virtually 20-year-old FCL righty with large stuff (as much as 98, sitting 94-97), however he’s walked over a batter per inning for a number of years and is now in his third advanced season. Bergin is a 25-year-old reliever at Pensacola who’s sitting 93-94 with a mean slider and curveball. Carpio is a 22-year-old A-ball reliever sitting within the mid-90s however strolling practically a batter per inning.
System Overview
This is without doubt one of the deepest couple of methods within the recreation, partially as a result of the Marlins have prioritized getting depth again within the trades they’ve made in the course of the early rebuild section of the Peter Bendix period. Take a look at final yr’s rundown of transactions and you’ll see the Marlins getting two, three, or extra gamers again in mainly each commerce they made. Lots of these prospects are lower-ceiling’d function participant varieties, however while you gather sufficient of these guys and provides them extended enjoying time in the course of the early phases of the rebuild, you open your membership as much as the likelihood that a few them will exceed your expectations and stick round lengthy sufficient to be a part of the younger core. Entrance-loading the rebuild with acquisitions like this will get the ball rolling on these alternatives straight away. You fill the vacuum of your departed gamers with younger gamers nonetheless underneath workforce management who could be your workforce’s Cedric Mullins. This is applicable to gamers who aren’t on this listing, in fact, guys like Kyle Stowers (who I preferred as a prospect), Connor Norby (who I principally didn’t), Xavier Edwards, and Otto Lopez, who have been all crowded off of different rosters and now get a chance to indicate that they need to not have been. This feels rather a lot like a turbo-charged model of the Rays’ normal strategy to snowballing expertise. The Marlins ought to proceed to be energetic on the margins of the roster in the course of the instances of yr when there’s extra expertise floating round on waivers.
Miami additionally has essentially the most entertaining DSL group I’ve studied throughout this listing cycle. It’s such a gifted bunch that I’d purchase it for those who instructed me that town’s proximity to the Dominican Republic gave them a aggressive benefit in that market. The high-end pitching the Marlins have down there’s wonderful. It’s uncommon for that degree to see anybody sitting 95-plus, however the Marlins have a number of pitchers who’re.
The Marlins must be focusing on upside in each novice markets, taking each alternative to amass a participant who they’d by no means have the ability to signal on the open market. It’s going to take stars for them to cope with the Mets and Phillies, and the one method Miami goes to have these is to draft and develop them. Their final couple of drafts have been tailor-made this manner, with the PJ Morlandos and Thomas Whites of the world introduced into the fold.