Player notes, stats for all 20 Marlins non-roster invitees

[Kevin Barral]

The Miami Marlins have released their full list of 2024 Spring Training non-roster invitees.

On Monday, the Miami Marlins released their list of 20 non-roster invitees, a combination of minor league signings and some of the top prospects within the organization. Let's do quick hits about each of them.

 

Pitchers

The Marlins recently signed RHP Elvis Alvarado. Last year, he pitched in the Detroit Tigers system and then spent time in the Dominican Winter League with the Estrellas Orientales where he posted a 0.00 ERA in 12 ⅔ innings pitched. Alvarado at the age of 24 can still provide value as a prospect, so early on, it'll be interesting to see how he develops. Assuming he doesn't make the Opening Day roster, expect him to land in the AA-Pensacola or AAA-Jacksonville bullpen.

RHP Matt Andriese has Rays ties along with many years of experience. The last time he pitched at the big league level was in 2021 when he was with Boston and Seattle. Since then, he spent time in Japan and most recently at the AAA level where he posted a 6.05 ERA. Andriese will be depth for the Marlins to have to make spot starts or become an opener. Hard to see him cracking the 26-man roster.

RHP Luarbert Arias is one of the more underrated Marlins prospects. He had a 1.93 ERA at the High-A level and then a 1.69 ERA in AA. Based on performance and the nastiness of his slider, Arias certainly deserves the invite, especially at 23 years old, where he still has time to develop at his age.

RHP Jeff Lindgren and RHP Kyle Tyler fall into the spot starter/opener group like Andriese. They will most likely be in the AAA rotation and make the quick dive down to Miami just in case they are needed. Returning to Miami is LHP Devin Smeltzer, who made spot starts for Miami as well as giving them length to save up the bullpen for future games.

A 2023 Futures Game representative and Marlins Minor League Pitcher of the Year award winner, LHP Patrick Monteverde reached AAA-Jacksonville, but spent most of his time in AA last season where he posted a 3.32 ERA, 4.38 FIP, 9.00 K/9 and a 3.63 BB/9 in 114 innings pitched. Monteverde should get a start or two in the majors during the 2024 season, but hard to find room for him in the rotation initially.

 

Catchers

Will Banfield is coming off of his best offensive season, slashing .258/.302/.472/.773 with 23 home runs, 76 RBIs and a 100 wRC+ in AA. His raw power and plus defense behind the plate have always been there, but he's been lacking consistency, which is something that he needs to show in 2024 more than ever. Banfield will be able to elect minor league free agency after the season if not selected to the 40-man roster before then.

Bennett Hostetler was one of the most improved prospects this past season, mainly after he made it to AA where he slashed .249/.371/.481/.851 with 14 home runs, 42 RBIs and a 128 wRC+. Hostetler should see reps at the corner infield spots as well. He was Pensacola's main first baseman by the end of 2023.

Paul McIntosh is coming off a year where he didn't play as much due to injury, but was able to earn the promotion to AAA. In 2023, McIntosh slashed .244/.355/.419/.775 with 14 home runs and 46 RBIs. Where McIntosh struggled the most offensively was in AAA where he hit .230/.333/.380/.713 with five home runs, 13 RBIs and a 82 wRC+. His biggest question is behind the dish, given he has struggled there with throwing and blocking.

In 2023 with the AAA Reds affiliate, Jhonny Pereda slashed .325/.405/.468/.873 with six home runs, 36 RBIs and a 124 wRC+. It makes sense to bring on Pereda to help out as depth considering that the organization lost Austin Allen, Santiago Chávez and Jacob Stallings through free agency.

 

Infielders

Jacob Berry is set to appear in his second Spring Training with the team. He is coming off a disappointing year, but was able to end it on a strong note in the Arizona Fall League slashing .265/.329/.441/.770 with two home runs and seven RBIs. For Berry, there is still hope that in due time the bat can improve, but at the moment, third base has been a struggle for him and a move to first would benefit him.

Jose Devers made his MLB debut in 2021, but his name hasn't been heard much since then. He was finally healthy for the majority of 2023 and hit well at AA (.276/.352/.421/.773 with seven home runs, 46 RBIs and a 108 wRC+). Devers spent plenty of time at shortstop, but second base seems like the better fit for him right now.

The first signing of the Peter Bendix era was Tristan Gray, who is an intriguing type of player. In AAA for the Tampa Bay Rays, Gray slashed .235/.312/.485/.797 with 30 home runs, 98 RBIs and a 93 wRC+. However, he was limited to only two games on their active roster. Gray has seen action in multiple spots of the infield and could provide useful power.

Troy Johnston will have the opportunity to make the 26-man roster for the Miami Marlins this season. The first step will be improving on what he did last Spring Training, slashing .091/.167/.273/.440. His fantastic MiLB performance speaks for itself—he's ready for the next challenge once the Marlins have playing time available at first base or DH.

Trey Mancini has won a World Series (2022 with the Astros) and spent seven years in the league with three teams. This is a low-risk move with the Cubs still taking responsibility for the first baseman's salary this season. Mancini is likely to opt out of his minor league deal at the end of camp or early in the season if he isn't selected to the roster.

The youngest non-roster invitee is Javier Sanoja. The 21-year-old reached the High-A level in 2023. Overall, Sanoja slashed .298/.348/.388/.736 with four home runs, 67 RBIs and 37 stolen bases while playing in all 132 regular season games. This invite will help him gain valuable experience, but he realistically won't be called up to Miami until 2025 at the earliest.

 

Outfielders

Griffin Conine, son of Jeff Conine, earns the first Spring Training invite of his career. Despite a 20-home run season, Conine had a strikeout percentage of 34.9%. That's actually an improvement from his previous Marlins minor league seasons, but still concerning. His power to all fields and arm strength in the corners stand out. The 26-year-old will be able to elect minor league free agency after the 2024 season, so this is an important opportunity for him to prove himself.

Marty Costes and Jonathan Davis can both play all three outfield spots and provide depth for when a player goes down. Costes came over in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, while Davis has experience with the Marlins from 2023, when his season ended early due to a meniscus injury.

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