A Deeper Dive into Miami's Rule 5 Draft Picks

Despite the passing on the major league portion of the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, the Miami Marlins still made five selections in the minor league portion of the draft:

• OF Yeral Martinez (New York Mets)
• OF Marty Costes (Houston Astros)
• IF Sean Roby (San Francisco Giants)
• LHP Adam Laskey (Chicago Cubs)
• RHP Julio Dilone (Seattle Mariners)

Let's learn more about thm.

Yeral Martinez

The first Marlins selection was this 21-year-old outfielder/first baseman. Martinez spent the entirety of the 2023 season with the New York Mets Low-A affiliate where he slashed .239/.328/.399/.727 with nine home runs, 42 RBIs and a 100 wRC+.

Martinez had a 29.3% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate. A career-high .324 BABIP kept his overall batting average respectable.

Listed at 6'3" and 220 pounds, Martinez is a strong kid. His maximum exit velocity recorded in 2023 was 112.0 mph. He has also demonstrated a willingness to use the whole field and go the opposite way when he has to.

One comp that our own Alex Carver mentioned was Jerar Encarnación, another very large Dominican corner outfielder/first baseman. Encarnación made it up to the majors in 2022 for a few short stints, but his strikeout issues went too far this past season. The Marlins removed him from their 40-man roster and he's currently minor league free agent.

Martinez's defensive abilities will be important for his long-term success. As we were reminded recently in the case of Troy Johnston, it's hard to break through to the highest level at first base.

Marty Costes

A couple years ago, Costes was considered among the better outfield prospects in the Houston Astros organization. He never had a wRC+ under 100 from 2018-2022.

Standing at 5'9", 200 pounds, Costes had his worst season in the minor leagues last year, slashing .251/.365/.389/.755 with two home runs, 19 RBIs and a 90 wRC+. Limited to 53 games, he spent close to half the season on the injured list and finished it on the development list.

Costes is somewhat of a Jake Mangum replacement for the Marlins. After going unselected in the Rule 5, Jake Mangum was announced as the player to be named later in the Vidal Bruján/Calvin Faucher trade.

Costes isn't as speedy as Mangum and not as experienced in center field. He should still provide outfield depth and receive an invite to big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

Sean Roby

Last season, Sean Roby slashed .239/.306/.474/.781 with 14 home runs, 38 RBIs.

Roby has dealt with significant injuries in two straight seasons. He actually spent a full month rehabbing with the Giants' Arizona Complex League team to begin 2023. His slash line at full-season levels was closer to league average (.230/.289/.449/.738).

Roby's career strikeout percentage of 31.5% is a red flag, especially his 39.1% rate at the Double-A level, but when he makes contact with the ball, it usually goes a long way.

Depending on how spring training goes, Roby could start off the regular season at either the AA or AAA level.

Adam Laskey

Laskey struggled in his first taste of AA competition, allowing 11 runs (nine earned) in only 5 ⅓ innings. However, everything outside of that was solid, including the Arizona Fall League where he posted a 1.00 ERA, 15.0 K/9, 2.0 BB/9 in 9.0 IP.

Laskey's fastball velocity sits only in the upper-80s/low-90s. He leans on his curveball to put away batters.

Julio Dilone

Described as a flamethrower, Julio Dilone is a lottery ticket for the Marlins. He has struggled throughout his short career thus far and had a 9.00 ERA in the complex league as a 23-year-old.

Maybe with a change of scenery, Dilone can get the right guidance on how to throw enough strikes to eventually become an interesting reliever.

Interested in learning more about the Miami Marlins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!