Marlins 'really excited' about newly promoted Keyner Benitez

[Alex Carver]

On Monday, the Marlins promoted left-handed pitcher Keyner Benitez to Low-A Jupiter after 57 ⅔ innings pitched in the short-season ranks, including just 12 stateside. 

As a whole this season, the new Marlins brass hasn’t challenged many minor league players to new levels. That began to change on Monday when the Fish promoted one of their youngest prospects to the full-season ranks. Left-handed pitcher Keyner Benitez got off to a fantastic start in the FCL—his first experience pitching stateside—and has earned the promotion to the Low-A Jupiter Hammerheads.

The good news doubled as a late birthday present for Benitez: he entered adulthood when he turned 18 on May 23.

At age 16, Benitez was a Marlins international signing as part of the 2022-23 free agent class. He entered the professional ranks in the Dominican Summer League and threw to an impressive 3.74 ERA in a decent sample of 45 ⅔ innings. What stood out immediately was his ability to limit hard contact. The DSL hit just .179 off of him. He also showed solid put-away stuff, tallying 44 strikeouts, though also some control woes including 26 walks and five HBPs. He impressed the organization immediately. Benitez came to spring training this year and was seen pitching against Low-A and High-A hitters.

At the culmination of the preseason, Benitez was sent to extended spring training. He would then remain stateside as a member of the FCL Marlins. There, at age 17, Benitez continued to succeed via improvements to his control and command. In three games and 12 innings, he dialed up 19 strikeouts and allowed just two walks. He continued to limit any type of solid contact, allowing hits at just a 17% rate. After that sample, the Marlins had seen enough and deemed him ready for full-season ball. He will join Jupiter this week where the Marlins will continue to develop him as a starter.

What Benitez—6’1”, 165—lacks in size, he makes up for with stuff. He already owns a wide arsenal of four pitches. His four-seam fastball sits at 92-94 mph and has been clocked as high as 95. He commands it well to both sides of the plate. Benitez’s best secondary is a slider that sits 82-85. It owns cross-cutting action and he can garner whiffs both in and out of zone when placing it. According to a source, it is his best performing pitch right now. Benitez has made solid strides with the movement profile and usage of his 82-85 mph changeup, according to the same source. His last pitch is a 77-80 mph curveball that he shows good confidence in when behind in counts. Overall, Benitez is described as an “extreme competitor” that is very advanced for his age. 

When you hear multiple members of the organization say things like they are “really excited” about a player, the ears perk up. When that same player is pushed to full where he will become one of the youngest players in the league, close attention should be paid. Benitez has the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter and the floor of a multiple-inning bullpen arm. He will likely make his first start for Jupiter later this week on either Wednesday or Thursday.

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[THOMAS JOSEPH]

Hope to catch him in his first Jupiter start - great having MiLB access with MLB.tv. subscription.