Early returns for top two 2025 Marlins draft picks have been encouraging

[Kevin Barral]

With the seventh pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Miami Marlins selected Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette. At the time, he was considered the best collegiate bat in the draft. The Marlins then took Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella with the 43rd pick of the draft.

Less than a year later, Arquette and Cannarella are now ranked No. 7 and No. 11 on the Fish On First Top 30 prospects list, respectively. Despite being hampered by injuries early on in their professional careers, they have been as good as advertised.

 

Aiva Arquette

Arquette is unlike any other prospect in the Marlins system because of the unique size he brings to the shortstop position at 6’5″, 220 pounds. He began the 2026 season on the injured list while recovering from core muscle surgery and has since split time between High-A Beloit and Double-A Pensacola. Overall, he is slashing .260/.321/.480/.801 with four home runs, 22 RBI and a 107 wRC+. He is striking out at a 22.0% rate, which is better than average for those levels.

With a quick, uppercut swing, Arquette has posted a hard-hit rate of 50% so far this season, according to Ian Cundall of Baseball America. His 90th-percentile exit velocity of 109.5 mph also jumps out.

If Arquette can maintain that kind of batted ball quality, he will hit 15-20 home runs per year hitter at the highest level.

Defensively, Arquette has split time between shortstop and second base. Third base is where he may be best suited with his strong arm and that could also allow him to find a quicker path to everyday playing time in the big leagues with the Marlins.

 

Cam Cannarella

Cannarella, who stands at 6'0", 185 pounds, doesn't have the same raw power as Arquette. The former Clemson outfielder is still having an incredible offensive season. Between High-A and Double-A, he is slashing .372/.418/.523/.942 with three home runs, 22 RBI and a 144 wRC+. Cannarella has been limited to 23 games because he fractured his wrist in the outfield on April 11 and missed the next five weeks.

Just like he did during his college days, Cannarella has been walking (9.2 BB%) nearly as often as he strikes out (11.2 K%).

In the batter's box, Cannarella keeps his hands head high, swinging down at the ball more than Arquette does and therefore generating less power. However, his swing allows him to spray the ball around the entire field. He is still capable of an impressive slugging percentage by consistently hitting line drives and using his speed to pick up extra bases.

On the base paths, it has been surprising that Cannarella is running so selectively, especially in a Marlins org that encourages aggressiveness. He's at four steals through his first 45 MiLB games

Defensively, Cannarella is currently a 70-grade defender. The biggest limitation is his arm strength, which has been limited ever since he underwent surgery at Clemson for a labrum injury. That concern was a key reason why he fell in the draft as much as he did.

 

Next steps in their development

Arquette, who is now 22 years old, is close to big league ready. If he continues to hit well in Double-A, he could potentially get a taste of Triple-A ball before the end of 2026 and come into 2027 spring training fighting for a spot on the Marlins Opening Day roster. He is blocked by Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards at the middle infield spots, but perhaps the Marlins would sell high on one of them in the offseason as they enter their arbitration years, or Arquette could simply be converted to a third baseman.

Cannarella is also 22 years old, but there is even more organizational depth at his position. As a result, the most likely scenario is he remains in Pensacola into 2027 and potentially gets called up to the majors at the very end of that season.

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[Jose Herrera]

Great article @Kevin Barral. We should extend X and hold on to Otto, they both are foundational position players. What if instead we traded Arquette for an all star caliber 1st or 3rd baseman?