What Bradley Blalock has done to emerge as important Marlins rotation depth

[Nathaniel Klaff]

When the Miami Marlins acquired Bradley Blalock over the offseason, expectations for him were modest. After all, this a pitcher who had been designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies. He ranked last among MLB pitchers in 2025 with -1.0 fWAR and had not found success at the minor league level, either. However, the Marlins saw something in him and the right-hander is turning heads during his first year in a new organization.

Blalock's 62° arm angle would rank third in the majors right now, behind Toronto’s Trey Yesavage and the Mets’ Tobias Myers. His arsenal is led by a fastball that sits around 94 mph and plays well up in the strike zone. He mixes in a cutter that gives him a different look and can keep hitters off balance. His slider is a solid secondary pitch that he can go to for swings-and-misses, while his curveball adds another layer with more depth and helps change eye levels. He also throws a splitter, which works as his main offspeed pitch and can get hitters to chase when it’s working.

Through six starts this year with Triple-A Jacksonville, Blalock has thrown 32 innings, allowing 11 earned runs, six walks, and 31 strikeouts. The long ball has hurt him, as he has allowed seven home runs on the year, but hitters are batting just .190 against him overall.

The Marlins' decision to part ways with Chris Paddack shakes up their starting rotation for the first time since Opening Day. Robby Snelling will step into Paddack's spot for now, but Blalock has moved up the depth chart. With a couple more injuries and/or trades, Blalock could find himself back on a major league pitching staff.

 

What has changed?

Blalock has made a clear adjustment from 2025 to 2026, lowering his four-seam usage from 52.3% to 41.0% while increasing his cutter usage from 7.5% to 22.1%. His slider has dipped from 16.6% to 13.8% and his splitter from 14.4% to 13.1%, while his curveball has seen a slight increase from 9.2% to 10.0%.

Becoming more unpredictable is not the only key to his success so far. Blalock's BB/9 this season is 1.69 compared to 5.19 last year. He is averaging three fewer pitches per inning compared to last year, and his K/BB ratio has more than tripled, rising to 5.17 this year from 1.49 last year. Not only is he throwing more strikes, but he is limiting damage across the board. The ability to get ahead in counts has played a big role in that. In 2025, opponents posted a .400 OBP and .559 SLG (.959 OPS) against him. That has dropped significantly in 2026, with hitters putting up just a .228 OBP and .397 SLG (.625 OPS).

Similar to what we have seen with Janson Junk, filling up the zone leads to results. Blalock’s BABIP this season is .190, which suggests some regression may be coming, but if he continues throwing strikes and limiting walks, he will remain effective.

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