Are we witnessing Joe Mack's breakout?

[Ely Sussman]

On the heels of an awful 2023 campaign, Mack has started off 2024 with the most productive month of his minor league career.

While the Miami Marlins are getting indescribably bad production from their catchers at the major league level, there may finally be homegrown hope on the horizon. Joe Mack's season is off to a sensational start.

Mack was selected by the Marlins in Competitive Balance Round A of the 2021 MLB Draft, signing for a $2.5M bonus. Injuries wiped out most of his 2022 season, but after a respectable showing in the Arizona Fall League, he was bumped up to High-A Beloit in 2023.

Mack was among the most disappointing performers in the Marlins farm system last season. He slashed .218/.295/.287 (69 wRC+), homering only six times in 120 games. He never sustained hot streaks for extend periods, posting a sub-100 wRC+ every month. Understandably, the Marlins sent him back to Beloit to repeat the level as a 21-year-old.

This time around, Mack scorched the Midwest League. The encouraging signs were there immediately as the left-handed-hitter homered off of a lefty reliever in the Sky Carp's 2024 season opener to break a scoreless tie in the eighth inning (he had zero homers vs. lefties in 2023). After reaching base safely in each of his first 13 games while driving in 13 runs, he was promoted to Double-A Pensacola.

That on-base streak is still intact and he continues flaunting his power. Mack mashed his first Blue Wahoos homer on Thursday, driving a 2-2 pitch more than 400 feet deep to center field.

Through 17 games at High-A and Double-A combined, Mack is slashing .339/.442/.585 with all but five of those plate appearances coming against older competition. He's putting balls in play at a career-best rate (15.6 K%) and Marlins fans will be delighted to hear that he has grounded into just one double play.

Mack's catching workload is lighter than last year—he's basically alternating starts between catcher and designated hitter. While these offensive numbers would be unsustainable if he were squatting every game, there has been no drop-off in his production so far on days that he's behind the plate. Also, he has thrown out four of the eight runners who have attempted to steal against him.

Entering the 2024 season, the Fish On First staff considered Mack to be the organization's third-best catching prospect behind Will Banfield and Paul McIntosh. I would expect him to rise when we reconvene soon to update our rankings.

It's difficult to imagine Mack in the majors this year, but he is increasingly looking like a viable 2025 call-up candidate.

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[THOMAS JOSEPH]

Good to hear some positive news, especially regarding catching. The three guys you mentioned in the article certainly must see the current positional production (lack of production) in Miami as fantastic opportunities for them.