100% graduation rate: Every member of 2020 Marlins draft class has reached the majors

[Ely Sussman]

It took nearly six full years in professional baseball, with more than five of those spent in the Miami Marlins organization, but Zach McCambley got his first taste of the major leagues on Tuesday when the Cincinnati Reds selected him to their active roster.

Becoming an MLB player means joining a very exclusive club, though it probably doesn't feel that way for McCambley. That's because everybody else in the Marlins' 2020 MLB Draft class beat him to that milestone.

For most of Marlins history, the amateur draft was 40-plus rounds. In recent years, it's been 20 rounds. Even the elite front offices are going to strike out the majority of the time with that kind of volume. But under a unique set of circumstances in 2020, the draft consisted of only five rounds (six Marlins picks). While that class has not exactly led the Fish to consistent success, there is something to be said for identifying and developing talent well enough to go six-for-six at producing big leaguers.

The Marlins only picked pitchers in 2020.

Max Meyer got called up first way back in 2022. Kyle Nicolas and Kyle Hurt both debuted in September 2023 after being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. A year later, Jake Eder reached The Show with the Chicago White Sox. Dax Fulton lasted a single day in Miami last month, making a long relief appearance before being optioned back to Triple-A Jacksonville. Now it's McCambley's turn, less than two weeks after being acquired by the Reds in exchange for outfielder Rece Hinds.

Year	Round	OvPck	Bonus	Name	Pos	bWAR	G	ERA	WHIP	Type	Drafted Out of
2020	1	3	$6,700,000	Max Meyer	P	1.5	37	4.49	1.31	4Yr	University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
2020	2	40	$2,400,000	Dax Fulton	P	0.0	1	4.50	1.25	HS	Mustang HS (Mustang, OK)
2020	CB-B	61	$1,129,700	Kyle Nicolas	P	-0.3	93	4.96	1.58	4Yr	Ball State University (Muncie, IN)
2020	3	75	$775,000	Zach McCambley	P	0.0	0	N/A	N/A	4Yr	Coastal Carolina University (Conway, SC)
2020	4	104	$700,000	Jake Eder	P	0.2	13	4.44	1.27	4Yr	Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN)
2020	5	134	$300,000	Kyle Hurt	P	0.8	22	1.01	0.86	4Yr	University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA)

It's difficult to be so patient, but it really does take at least half a decade to fully evaluate a draft class, even one built mainly on college players. In 2026, Meyer has gone from a fringy MLB starter to the No. 2 arm in the Marlins rotation. Hurt is just now emerging as a steady contributor out of the Dodgers bullpen.

The 2021-25 Marlins draft classes have combined for only five big leaguers thus far. Thomas White, Kemp Alderman and Karson Milbrandt are prime candidates to boost that total in the near future.

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[Robert Hanson]

Due to this story, I crawled down a bit of a rabbit hole looking at the Marlins 2021 draft, checking to see where these players are now. 
    Joe Mack, the #31 overall pick in 2021, is currently the only player from this draft on the MLB roster.  
   Patrick Monteverde, the 8th rd pick in 2021, came up for a cup of coffee last year and could be up for another one this year. 
    There are 5 additional 2021 draft picks who are still with the Marlins organization, according to ‘The Baseball Cube’.
    Sam Praytor 6th rd, Gabe Bierman 7th rd, Brandon White 12th rd, Holt Jones 14th rd, & Bennett Hostetler 18th rd. 
    There are 2 Marlins 2021 draft picks who are with other organizations. 
  Khalil Watson, the Marlins #1 pick in 2021 is currently with the Columbus Clippers, Cleveland’s AAA team. Could see him in MLB later this season. 
    The Marlins 11th rd pick in 2021, Jesse Bergin, is listed as being in the FCL in the Twins organization, according to ‘The Baseball Cube’. 
    The remaining 12 draft picks — there were 21 total — are f.a.’s or retired.