Beneath 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 aid roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “place” column under: MIRP for multi-inning aid pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning aid pitchers. The ETAs listed usually correspond to the yr a participant must be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Handbook changes are made the place they appear applicable, however we use that as a rule of thumb.
A fast overview of what FV (Future Worth) means will be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview will be discovered right here.
All the ranked prospects under additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the location affords 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 staff’s checklist so readers can evaluate prospects throughout farm programs. It may be discovered right here.
Different Prospects of Notice
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 median 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 turn out to be very fascinating in a short time. His supply is out of sync quite a lot 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 top 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 far more wayward than his stroll charge 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 charge 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 working a 3% strikeout charge and 89% contact charge as of publication. He isn’t a toolsy athlete or something like that, so he’ll have to preserve hitting close to this stage as he climbs to show it’s actual, and for now, I’m skeptical. One other man whose Okay% has been low sufficient to advantage a scouting double examine, Encarnacion is a barely older DSL infielder with an inside-out swing and robust fingers 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 nasty oppo contact hitter, however he lacks bat pace. His prospectdom relies 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 fingers, however he lacks something near the ability 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 choose who was traded to Miami as a part of the Jesús Luzardo deal. His early-career contact efficiency was spectacular and his potential to button fastballs (92% contact charge) continues to be so, however Boyd is allergic to spin and has a 62% contact charge in opposition to secondary pitches. That’s an unlimited hole. He has turn out to be a greater middle area defender over the past two seasons, however he most likely must turn out 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 in opposition to pitches all around the zone. Vargas is a small-ish athlete with out massive 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 technique to Excessive-A, then was traded to Miami within the Tanner Scott deal. He has a .750 OPS at Beloit and has roughly common massive 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 checklist 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 reasonably 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 “straightforward and comfy trying” and others would possibly name “sluggish” in a bat pace sense. Trimble was hitting properly 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 best way his fingers rip by contact from that aspect generates truthful energy for a catcher, however his swing additionally leaves him susceptible 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 charge to date this yr and hit his technique 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 strong common middle area 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 to date this yr, however I’m skeptical about his swing taking part in long-term. It’s not going to supply the sort of energy you’re searching for 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 cope with 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 staff 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 massive league debut in 2022. He was traded to Oakland as a part of the Sean Murphy deal however struggled to interrupt by there partly on account of damage. He was a Phillies minor leaguer final yr and now could be with Miami. Violent deception and a deep repertoire (he has an excellent 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 an almost 20-year-old FCL righty with massive 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 median slider and curveball. Carpio is a 22-year-old A-ball reliever sitting within the mid-90s however strolling almost a batter per inning.
System Overview
This is likely one of the deepest couple of programs within the recreation, partly as a result of the Marlins have prioritized getting depth again within the trades they’ve made throughout the early rebuild section of the Peter Bendix period. Take a look at final yr’s rundown of transactions and you may see the Marlins getting two, three, or extra gamers again in mainly each commerce they made. Loads of these prospects are lower-ceiling’d position participant sorts, however whenever you gather sufficient of these guys and provides them extended taking part in time throughout the early levels of the rebuild, you open your membership as much as the chance 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 immediately. You fill the vacuum of your departed gamers with younger gamers nonetheless beneath staff management who is perhaps your staff’s Cedric Mullins. This is applicable to gamers who aren’t on this checklist, after all, guys like Kyle Stowers (who I appreciated as a prospect), Connor Norby (who I largely didn’t), Xavier Edwards, and Otto Lopez, who have been all crowded off of different rosters and now get a chance to point out that they need to not have been. This feels lots like a turbo-charged model of the Rays’ basic method to snowballing expertise. The Marlins ought to proceed to be lively on the margins of the roster throughout the occasions of yr when there may be extra expertise floating round on waivers.
Miami additionally has probably the most entertaining DSL group I’ve studied throughout this checklist cycle. It’s such a proficient bunch that I’d purchase it in the event you 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 may be wonderful. It’s uncommon for that stage to see anybody sitting 95-plus, however the Marlins have a number of pitchers who’re.
The Marlins ought to be focusing on upside in each beginner markets, taking each alternative to accumulate a participant who they’d by no means be capable to signal on the open market. It’s going to take stars for them to take care of 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.
