What to know about every Miami Marlins Spring Breakout prospect

[Kevin Barral]

The roster for the inaugural Spring Breakout game includes 26 of the organization's top minor leaguers.

On Wednesday, C Paul McIntosh was announced as the replacement for OF Victor Mesa Jr. on the Marlins' Spring Breakout roster.

What is Spring Breakout? It's a series of exhibition games featuring rosters of the best prospects from each of the 30 MLB organizations. The Marlins will take on the St. Louis Cardinals in this seven-inning showdown on Friday, March 15 at 2:05 p.m.

Released on Thursday, the Marlins roster is highlighted by 2023 draft picks Noble Meyer and Thomas White. There's a player with big league experience and several others who also have 40-man roster spots, putting them on the cusp of debuting in Miami. Overall, the roster includes 18 of the players ranked on our recently updated Fish On First Top 30 list.

Keep reading below for key details about each of them.

 

Pitchers

Noble Meyer, RHP (Fish on First #1 prospect)

The obvious choice for this game was Noble Meyer. The tenth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft got off to a strong start in his pro career. Meyer was a part of the Jupiter Hammerheads team that won the Florida State League championship and this offseason, Meyer was hitting 100 mph in his bullpen sessions.

During February's pre-spring developmental camp, Meyer made a couple starts in scrimmages and faced live hitters, most notably hitters in the upper minors such as Victor Mesa Jr., Paul McIntosh, Griffin Conine and Jonah Bride. Meyer did produce a lot of swing-and-miss, but as expected he did get hit around at times.

 

Thomas White, LHP (FOF #2)

Thomas White was chosen in Comp Round A of the 2023 draft. White saw early struggles in pro ball, but just like Meyer, he had a strong offseason and is sitting between 97-98 mph on the fastball. His secondary stuff has also made an early impact causing a lot of swing-and-miss. He's been developing rapidly, even more so than Meyer.

White was supposed to be a first-rounder. Although he fell in the draft, the Marlins paid him far above his pick's slot value.

White will be the first to take the mound for the Marlins in the Spring Breakout game.

 

Karson Milbrandt, RHP (FOF #11)

Milbrandt, a second-round pick in the 2022 draft has gotten off to a rollercoaster of a start, but seems to be on the right path as he will likely start the season in High-A. Along with his power fastball, Milbrandt's repertoire includes the curveball and changeup which for Milbrandt thus far, he has put up good numbers, but still has struggled when it comes to his control.

 

Patrick Monteverde, LHP (FOF #15)

Recently cut from major league camp, Patrick Monteverde was in the MLB Futures Game this past year in Seattle. He posted a 0.00 ERA in four innings pitched during Grapefruit League action. Monteverde struck out five hitters and didn't walk anyone. The lefty only gave up one hit.

Monteverde mainly relies on his secondary stuff, being primarily a soft tosser, but that leads to a lot of swing and miss, which is what stands out with the lefty pitcher.

 

Juan De La Cruz, RHP (FOF #16)

One of the youngest players participating is Juan De La Cruz, who was a part of the Jupiter Hammerheads rotation with Noble Meyer and Thomas White towards the end of the season. In all likeliness, De La Cruz will also be a part of that rotation with Meyer and White.

De La Cruz is still extremely young and is still learning, but right away, his ability to get hitters to whiff and the high velo on the fastball stands out. His arsenal of a curveball and changeup stands out and with the Marlins organization known to develop the changeup well, that is a pitch to keep an eye out on as well as likely incorporating another pitch into his mix.

 

Jacob Miller, RHP (FOF #17)

Drafted before Milbrandt, Jacob Miller's pro career has been held back a bit due to injuries, but when on the mound, Miller's peripherals have been encouraging, just a lack of total innings pitched, so most likely Miller will begin at the High-A level.

 

Anthony Maldonado, RHP (FOF #18)

The best reliever on the roster is Anthony Maldonado. He arrived at spring training aiming to break camp with the Marlins, but Maldonado has had his highs and lows thus far. In game action, he has held his own, but has struggled, entering with inherited runners and allowing them to score and in live BP, he was taken deep a couple times.

Last season in AAA Jacksonville, Maldonado posted a 1.76 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 13.89 K/9 and 4.11 BB/9 in 46 innings pitched. Maldonado was the Jumbo Shrimps closers and he had nine saves. He will have a great opportunity to close this game out or go out there in high-leverage innings to make a name for himself.

 

Evan Fitterer, RHP (FOF #27)

This is the first prospect that Fish on First has ranked and Pipeline did not. Evan Fitterer was promoted to AA-Pensacola early last season where he struggled, but the struggles could've been anticipated as he posted a high 4.52 FIP in Beloit.

Fitterer's high K rates have always stood out, but the control has been an issue, posting high walks rates and it has just been inconsistent, even when he did succeed at the High-A level. Thankfully, Fitterer is only 23 years old and will go through his first full season at the AA level.

 

Luarbert Arias, RHP (FOF honorable mention)

Arias also stood out towards the end of the 2023 season, but should've received more attention early on. In 2023, he posted a 1.69 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 12.23 K/9 and 1.27 BB/9 through 21.1 innings pitched at the AA level. In High-A, Arias put up similar numbers which is encouraging to see the translation from High-A to AA to be a success thus far.

 

Ike Buxton, RHP 

Buxton made great strides in his first full MiLB year. He progressed from Jupiter up to AA-Pensacola and participated in the Arizona Fall League. Buxton will likely start 2024 back in Pensacola. Similar to Monteverde, he is not a strikeout-dominant pitcher, but with the Jupiter Hammerheads, he showed flashes of being capable of that.

 

Nigel Belgrave, RHP

Belgrave was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 15th round of the 2023 draft and has already received the eyes of MLB Pipeline, as he is 28 on their list. His arsenal consist of fastball and slider stands out and with the Jupiter Hammerheads, Belgrave posted a 2.16 ERA, 2.96, 15.12 K/9 and 7.56 BB/9 through 8.1 innings pitched. It is a small sample size, but in a small sample size, there is still a lot to hope for.

 

Matt Pushard, RHP

Pushard was added to MLB Pipeline's list late into the 2023 season and rightfully so. He posted a 1.21 ERA, 1.58 FIP, 11.69 K/9 and 2.01 BB/9 through 22.1 innings pitched at the High-A level. Pushard struggled in his first taste of AA ball, but will likely begin the season either in AA or AAA due to his age (already 26 years old).

 

Hitter

Victor Mesa Jr., OF (FOF #4)

Recently added to the 40-man, Mesa Jr. has made a strong first impression in big league camp. In the Grapefruit league opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, the 22-year-old went 2-for-3 with two doubles.

For Mesa, his ability to play all three outfield spots is undoubted. The big question will be how consistent can the bat be through a full season of action. Through the first three months of the 2023 season, the Cuban outfielder slashed .257/.331/.415/.746 with six home runs and 37 RBIs. After that point, Mesa Jr. slashed .227/.289/.402/.692 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs.

Although the bat isn’t where it should be just yet, the make-up and athleticism is certainly top notch and if he finds consistency, then his chances at becoming a big leaguer in 2024 are high, especially with the organization being as high as they are.

 

Jacob Amaya, SS (FOF #7)

Amaya was the player Miami received in exchange for longtime shortstop Miguel Rojas. After his first season in the org, there are things to like, but things to also be a bit concerned about. 

Amaya's glove is MLB-ready. Everything that was said when it comes to his defense turned out to be the case. Offensively, he was proving many wrong early on in 2023, but after his cup of coffee at the big league level, he struggled back down in AAA.

 

Yiddi Cappe, INF (FOF #9)

Cappe took a major step back in 2023 slashing .220/.250/.308/.558 with five home runs, 53 RBIs and a 55 wRC+. Unlike in 2022, Cappe didn’t put the ball in play as much and only walked 18 times against 102 strikeouts.

The 21-year-old’s struggles were apparent as well when he received the promotion to Low-A in 2022. He went from a strong 139 wRC+ to a 91 wRC+ and walked a lot less along with just putting the ball in play at a league average rate.

Defensively, Cappe will likely stick at second or third. Doesn’t seem like he can stick at short although he has seen various reps at the position from time to time.

The right-handed bat will most likely begin the 2024 season at High-A Beloit, but struggles can certainly push him even lower on this list, but this was his first true sign old struggles. A second go-around can change things up for Cappe.

 

Troy Johnston, 1B/LF (FOF #10)

Johnston, the reigning Miami Marlins minor league player of the year, has a chance to make the Opening Day roster, especially with the early struggles of Trey Mancini.

In 2023, between AA and AAA, Johnston slashed .307/.399/.549/.948 with 26 home runs, 116 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Johnston became the first Marlins minor leaguer since 2008 to achieve a 20/20 season. Having a left-handed hitter who also adds at least some sort of versatility could be valuable.

 

Andrés Valor, OF (FOF #12)

Valor has quickly stood out with his 6'3", 180 pound frame which has allowed him to succeed early in the Dominican Summer League slashing .294/.360/.466/.825 with five home runs, 25 RBI and a 116 wRC+. He also had 21 stolen bases. Valor has also made a name for himself in the developmental camp. This should be a great opportunity for the 18-year-old.

 

Jacob Berry, 1B/3B (FOF #14)

When the Miami Marlins drafted Jacob Berry in 2022, the pick was criticized heavily, given the struggles on defense and the bat possiby not translating as well as it could to pro ball. All of that ended up being the case, but there is hope for the former first round pick.

The organization can identify that Berry just isn’t for for third base and switch him to become a first base/DH where he can solely focus on the bat and see improvements there. When he arrived to AA-Pensacola, Berry slashed .248/.301/.442/.743 with five home runs, 22 RBIs and a 94 wRC+. Berry was selected to attend the Arizona Fall League and there, the LSU product slashed .265/.329/.441/.770 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

Through the first four games of spring training, Berry has gone 2-for-5 with one strikeout and one walk. In the fourth game against the New York Mets, Berry had his first multi-hit game of the spring. He was the only Marlin with a multi-hit game that day.

 

Will Banfield, C (FOF #20)

In 2023, Will Banfield finally looked like the player the Miami Marlins drafted back in 2018. Slashing .258/.302/.472/.773 with 23 home runs, 76 RBIs and a 100 wRC+, Banfield worked with some of Miami’s top pitching prospects in Eury Pérez and Patrick Monteverde.

Banfield should begin the season at the AAA level if there's room for him. The only possible reason to hold him back would be to see if he can find consistency with the bat, as 2023 was his first true successful offensive season.

 

Fabian López, SS (FOF #22)

López was signed last year in the international signing class and has the highest chance of sticking at shortstop. Although he was under the league average wRC+, there is still a lot to like about the profile and the fact that he is still just a teenager makes you believe that there is room for maturity and growth.

The strikeout percentage for López can certainly go down and there is a good chance that it does. His walk percentage also needs to increase. Those are the only true needs of improvement right now.

 

Javier Sanoja, UTIL (FOF #23)

The speedster utility man Sanoja survived the first round of spring training cuts and has been able to learn from the vets of the Marlins clubhouse like Luis Arraez and others. This past season, Sanoja began the season in Low-A and went up to High-A. There is a chance we see an aggressive promotion, but unlikely.

Sanoja plays every defensive position fairly well and if he finds a home at one spot, that can allow him to become a plus defender as well as show off his very low strikeout rate and plus contact that he makes.

 

Kemp Alderman, 1B/OF (FOF #24)

Alderman was the Marlins second-round pick and similar to Vradenburg, it's really a power profile with a high strikeout rate. Alderman has stood out early on in camp, which is good to see. He has also gotten reps in left field, which was a rare occasion for him when he first began playing in the Marlins organization.

 

Griffin Conine, OF

Most recently, Conine hit a home run to dead center off of Patrick Corbin and has played in almost every single spring training game, giving him a good opportunity to see reps and see if maybe he has the chance to play at the major league level someday, but at the moment, for Conine, lowering the strikeout rate is the big concern, Striking out at almost 40% in AAA last year was concerning and that needs to change. The power is there and he can play the corner outfield spots, but all in all, there is a future where we won't see the last name Conine at the major league level.

 

José Gerardo, OF

José Gerardo truly struggled in 2023. Striking out at a 42.5% marked one of the highest in the organization and the power numbers dipped. There is hope that another full season in the FCL will help Gerardo and soon enough he can make the jump to Low-A, but right now, FCL is his home.

 

Joe Mack, C

Mack has struggled since going pro. It can't be said any other way unfortunately. Defensively, there has been growth, but for a prospect who was expected to be an offensive-first catcher, it is tough to see the bat not produce the way that he was supposed to. There is hope (like in Banfield's case) that Mack is a late bloomer, but at the moment, that isn't a given, which is why he missed the cut for our FOF Top 30 list.

 

Brock Vradenburg, 1B

Although the power is there for Vradenburg, there is still a lot to that we haven't seen. At the moment, Vradenburg's swing is a bit weird where there are still a lot of moving parts in it and it is really a power/pull profile where there isn't variety. In a power profile, there is also a high strikeout rate, and for Vradenburg, it was at 27.8%.

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[THOMAS JOSEPH]

Well done, Kevin - a lot of work on this article!  Appreciate the information. I will be watching this afternoon on MLB.