Top 30 prospects: Updated Marlins list entering 2025-26 offseason

[Alex Carver]

It's just a bit more satisfying when a farm system prominently features homegrown talent rather than relying on players who were acquired by selling off productive members of the major league roster. Initially, Peter Bendix revitalized the Miami Marlins' pipeline via trade, losing a lot of games in the process. The 2025 season was a significant turning point with more on-field success across all levels, heavily driven by former Marlins draft picks and international signings.

At Fish On First, we rank only 30 prospects at a time, though there are dozens of others worth monitoring closely. Each player's previous ranking—as of September 8—is shown in parentheses.

Click the hyperlink in a player's name to visit their prospect profile.

 

FOF Top 30 as of October 3, 2025

1. LHP Thomas White (#1)
2. C Joe Mack (#2)
3. LHP Robby Snelling (#4)
4. INF Aiva Arquette (#3)
5. RHP Kevin Defrank (#6)
6. INF/OF Andrew Salas (#5)
7. OF Dillon Head (#8)
8. OF Kemp Alderman (#15) 
9. SS Starlyn Caba (#7)
10. OF Luis Cova (#12)
11. OF Andrés Valor (#11)
12. INF Maximo Acosta (#10)
13. RHP Karson Milbrandt (#19)
14. OF Cam Cannarella (#16)
15. RHP Eliazar Dishmey (#20)
16. OF PJ Morlando (#18)
17. LHP Keyner Benitez (#14)
18. RHP Noble Meyer (#13)
19. OF Esmil Valencia (#25)
20. OF Fenwick Trimble (unranked)
21. RHP Josh White (unranked)
22. RHP Josh Ekness (#23)
23. 1B Deyvison De Los Santos (#17)
24. INF Jared Serna (#21)
25. RHP Nigel Belgrave (#27)
26. INF Luis Arana (#30)
27. RHP Liomar Martínez (unranked)
28. INF Drew Faurot (unranked)
29. C Ryan Ignoffo (unranked)
30. OF Matthew Etzel (unranked)

Removed since the previous update: RHP Adam Mazur (#9) graduated from prospect eligibility; INF Chase Jaworsky (#22), INF Anthony Abreu (#24), LHP Dax Fulton (#26), RHP Grant Shepardson (#28) and INF Carter Johnson (#29) are no longer ranked.

Honorable mentions: RHP Pedro Montero, INF Payton Green, INF Steven Herrera and C Almen Tolentino.

 

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The next detailed update to the FOF Top 30 will be coming in late January (following the opening of the next international free agent signing period).

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[CraftyLefty]

There are several players on the list that do not belong.  Since when does being young and / or a high draft choice automatically make one a top prospect? Seems to me a player should earn that by performing well. As a general rule, I  think all players from the most recent draft should automatically be excluded from any top prospect list

[One Regend]

Starlyn Caba is being grossly overrated, and has been grossly overrated over the course of the entire year.

I have no idea what y'all see in him. All I see is a slap-hitting middle infielder who rarely hits the ball out of the infield, and while he is ok at getting on base, that's not a sustainable tool. Eventually, his A-Ball peers are going to start pitching to him once they realize he can't do any meaningful damage.
His only real tools are his speed and defense, and I suspect that his speed tool regressed from last year.

I can understand if you like a player and that you hope he can provide value, but when he's been in the top 10 ranking for an entire year straight without the player giving us much of a reason to believe he can provide meaningful value, then at some point, this needs to be called out. There are players ranked below him who I have more confidence in being able to contribute at the major league level.

As it stands, Starlyn Caba has the major league ceiling of Nasim Nunez.
No, that is NOT a compliment.

[Chad Turner]

On 10/5/2025 at 7:19 PM, One Regend said:

Starlyn Caba is being grossly overrated, and has been grossly overrated over the course of the entire year.

I have no idea what y'all see in him. All I see is a slap-hitting middle infielder who rarely hits the ball out of the infield, and while he is ok at getting on base, that's not a sustainable tool. Eventually, his A-Ball peers are going to start pitching to him once they realize he can't do any meaningful damage.
His only real tools are his speed and defense, and I suspect that his speed tool regressed from last year.

I can understand if you like a player and that you hope he can provide value, but when he's been in the top 10 ranking for an entire year straight without the player giving us much of a reason to believe he can provide meaningful value, then at some point, this needs to be called out. There are players ranked below him who I have more confidence in being able to contribute at the major league level.

As it stands, Starlyn Caba has the major league ceiling of Nasim Nunez.
No, that is NOT a compliment.

Gold glove caliber D.  Comparing him to Nasim, the speed is the same, lower K-rate, higher OBP.  I'm also giving him an injury pass on half this season.  He hit .261 from July 18th on.  Perhaps he could resemble some version of Ozzie Smith.  I'm not saying he's a 13-time gold glover, but I've heard him called the best SS in ANY level of the minors.  

[1993 fan from start]

 Ignoffo is the most intrest one on hear right now . that not in top 15.   cause of his at bats  and rbi's

but D is anther thing.

[One Regend]

On 10/23/2025 at 11:48 AM, Chad Turner said:

Gold glove caliber D.  Comparing him to Nasim, the speed is the same, lower K-rate, higher OBP.  I'm also giving him an injury pass on half this season.  He hit .261 from July 18th on.  Perhaps he could resemble some version of Ozzie Smith.  I'm not saying he's a 13-time gold glover, but I've heard him called the best SS in ANY level of the minors.  

I'm not buying this.

I've heard many defense-first prospects being hyped up only to contribute nothing to the majors. Remember how good Lewis Brinson was with the glove in CF? No? That's because nobody remembers how good he was with the glove. They remember just how he could never hit a baseball.

Even before Lewis Brinson, remember how much Matt Dominguez was hyped up to be the next Marlins superstar? No? That's because he was traded before he was able to make any impact with the Marlins, and did next to nothing for the Astros with either his glove or his bat. Not even the Astros development superteam could make a mediocre prospect good.

If Starlyn Caba is truly that talented, then I'll believe it when I see it. But until then, I have rock bottom expectations.