With 'everyone on the table,' who are the Marlins’ best in-house rotation options?

[Fish On First Staff]

With injuries compounding, the Marlins’ starting pitching depth is immediately being tested. Which of these candidates is closest to earning their shot to join the big league roster?

Alex Carver and Kevin Barral joined forces to produce the following article...

It’s been a turbulent month for Marlins starting pitching. On top of ace Sandy Alcantara being out for the entirety of 2024 following Tommy John surgery, injuries have stricken multiple members of the projected rotation including Braxton Garrett (shoulder soreness) and Edward Cabrera (shoulder impingement). The most recent domino fell on Saturday night when it was revealed Eury Pérez, who had been dealing with a fingernail issue, had also experienced elbow soreness. The diagnosis still has not been announced as of Wednesday afternoon. Even if it is a best-case scenario, the 20-year-old’s availability for Opening Day has been wiped out.

With Garrett, Pérez, and Cabrera all missing time to start the season, that leaves Jesús Luzardo and reliever-turned-starter A.J. Puk as the only remaining locks to make the Marlins’ Opening Day rotation. Both are lefties. If a move outside of the organization is not made, Miami will have to dip into its pitching depth.

Here is a look at some internal candidates who should be considered in that capacity.

 

Max Meyer

The last time Max Meyer stepped foot on a mound in a regular season game was in 2022. Since then, the Marlins' 2020 first-round pick has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Through his three appearances this spring, Meyer went seven innings where he gave up one run (unearned) off of four hits and one walk. Meyer struck out five, but was eventually optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville.

With the loss of three rotation pieces, Meyer would be the best option, but when he hasn’t pitched since 2022, the Marlins would most likely want to ease him back into the swing of things before throwing him into a meaningful major league game.

 

Ryan Weathers

One of the best stories this spring has been the emergence of Ryan Weathers. Initial expectations for him in 2024 weren’t very high, but he changed opinions quickly.

Through five starts thus far, Weathers has gone 18 innings pitched where he gave up six earned runs, walked four, but has struck out 21 hitters. The velocity for Weathers is what has stood out, as he has topped out at 99 mph and has typically at between 95-97 mph this spring. He's shown far more swing-and-miss potential than he did during his previous MLB opportunities.

Weathers' strong spring injects him into the rotation right away as a No. 4 or No. 5 starter. The only concern is that aside from a Game 162 start, Weathers has struggled at the MLB level, so it’ll be interesting to see how long of a leash the Marlins will give Weathers.

 

Bryan Hoeing

Hoeing is a sizable 6’6” righty who was drafted and developed by the Fish. A member of the Marlins for 33 games in 2023 and an additional eight in 2022, he has a 5.48 MLB ERA. Hoeing also isn’t known for quality of stuff. Although his whiff rate did improve in 2023, it still sat at just 19%. What Hoeing does well, at his best, is generate weak contact by usage of his mid-90s sinker, the most effective pitch he throws from his extremely shortened distance to the plate.

A hard guy to pick up if he’s commanding properly that attempts to work the lower half as consistently as possible, Hoeing ended last season in the 65th percentile for groundball rate. He’s looked solid in five games this spring, allowing just two earned runs in 8 ⅔ innings. He’s not a flashy guy, but he’s a grinder and a prime candidate the Marlins may need to rely upon in their Opening Day rotation.

 

Vladimir Gutierrez

Gutierrez was originally set to sign a split contract with the Marlins, but behind-the-scenes issues happened and Gutierrez settled for a minor league deal with an opt-out.

With the news of Pérez, Gutierrez becomes an option to take his 40-man roster spot in the event of a lengthy IL stint. Through his four games thus far, Gutierrez hasn’t given up a run, walked two, given up three hits and struck out seven.

Once a starter, Gutierrez underwent Tommy John, but has shown flashes of his rookie self and can become that No. 5 starter for the Marlins with the experience he provides.

 

Yonny Chirinos

Like Gutierrez, Chirinos signed a minor league deal with an invite to camp. Unlike Gutierrez in this case, he has more experience at the highest level. Chirinos has been in the majors for five years now, all but one of those with the Rays.

Chirinos' best season came in 2019 where he gave the Rays 133 ⅓ innings, posting a 3.85 ERA, 4.44 FIP, 7.7 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and a 114 ERA+. Through his first three seasons, Chirinos had an ERA+ over 100 (league average).

Although Chirinos isn’t the pitcher he once was, maybe the new opportunity in Miami can help him out and give him a chance to resemble his once-rotation-option self. He was reassigned to minor league camp on Wednesday morning.

 

Patrick Monteverde

Monteverde was the Marlins’ 8th rounder in 2021 and has been pushed quickly through the minor league ranks. This past season, he enjoyed great success with the Double-A Blue Wahoos, throwing to a 3.32 ERA in 114 IP before getting a small cup of coffee in Triple-A to end the season. Though his walk rate did rise to a career high in 2023, Monteverde provided length regularly—in 16 of his starts, he made it to at least the 6th inning. Reasons for the higher walk rate can partially be attributed to the Southern League experimenting with pre-tacked baseballs then reverting midseason.

Monteverde doesn’t have overpowering stuff and he is a lefty which the Marlins already have a plethora of, but his penchant for providing length, mixing speeds with a wide arsenal of five pitches, and his ability to stay on the field health-wise give him a good chance to make his debut in 2024, possibly as a member of the Opening Day roster.

 

Darren McCaughan

McCaughan came to the Marlins late this offseason after being waived by the Seattle Mariners. Having just turned 28 yesterday, McCaughan threw for just the second time this spring for the big league team. He gave up five runs in 3 ⅓ innings. He’s coming off of a 2023 campaign in the hitter-friendly PCL where he did much of the same. Repeating AAA, he had a 5.83 ERA. He gave up 30 home runs. Where McCaughan has been effective in his AAA career is limiting walks, holding his walk rate under 8% in both 2022 and 2023. 

At his best, McCaughan is a tricky at-bat due to his ability to command well via an extremely low arm slot. If he can keep the ball out of the air and on the ground a bit more, he can eat innings in a swing man type role. In his last option year, Miami will want to see what they have in McCaughan sometime this season.

 

Roddery Muñoz 

Muñoz is another offseason acquisition after he was DFA’d by the Pirates, who he spent two weeks with in December. He was invited to his second spring training by Miami and has allowed one run on a solo homer in six innings while striking out seven and walking three. Still just 23, Muñoz owns a lively fastball up to triple digits, usually sitting 95-97. His best secondary is a slider that he can pump up to the low 90s.

Muñoz owns simple velocity, but it comes at the cost of inconsistent command and control. If the Marlins can improve how the fireballer harnesses his pitches, he has more than enough youth on his side to become an effective reliever. If Miami and Mel Stottlemyre Jr. can get more out of Muñoz's nascent changeup which they have done before on multiple occasions, he could stick as a back-end starter. Though still raw, he is an intriguing piece that Miami got for next to nothing and he’s been impressive this spring. Place Muñoz, who is electric but still raw, near the back end of the list of guys the Marlins may go to on Opening Day, but don’t count him out.

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[Slacker Mills]

Follow the Marlins much? Trevor Rogers is now near the top of the rotation. Weathers and Puk drop into the mix and a fifth starter will likely be Hoeing or maybe Hoeing. However, Garrett figures to be ready within a couple weeks and Cabrera shouldn't be far behind.

Personally, I'd use Sixto as an opener and try to squeeze three to four innings out of him.

[Slacker Mills]

Correction: Hoeing or Monteverde.

[THOMAS JOSEPH]

Informative. We'd certainly prefer not to be discussing these things now, but the article does show that there are decent internal options. And, if we're looking for an optimistic take, it provides an opportunity for the players to step up and for the coaching staff to use them in evaluative situations. I think Hoeing is at the top of the "opener" class.  If circumstances warrant, give him the nod for a three- or four-start expectation (the usual three innings per start) so that he may mentally prepare. The blowup with the Braves last season notwithstanding, he filled in and churned up innings pretty well last year. Putting confidence in him and some of the other guys, like Sanchez, Soriano, and even Monteverde, will be valuable - production, evaluation, trade representation, and innings absorption.