Who might the Marlins send to the Arizona Fall League?

Player development doesn’t stop in September. Each autumn, every major league team selects a group of up to seven players to send out west to compete in the Arizona Fall League. Selections are usually comprised of minor leaguers that organizations wants to see get more reps in order to gauge their current level of progression. This year, a rebuilt Marlins system has been keen on challenging players quickly. Logistically, Miami will need to continue to do so as more prospects have entered the organization via trades, the draft, and the upcoming international signing period.

Who does Miami want to see a bit more of in Arizona this fall before next season? Here are a few candidates.

LHP Justin King

King has been notified that he will be going to the AFL, a source tells Fish On First. Released by the Milwaukee Brewers organization two months ago, a change of scenery is benefiting the 26-year-old left-hander thus far. Through 11 relief appearances with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, he has an astounding 48.8% strikeout rate. With an average fastball velocity of 97 mph, the key for King is sharpening his control and command. Expect him to be the oldest Marlins representative.

C Ryan Ignoffo

Ignoffo has been one of the most pleasant developments for the Marlins’ system this year. A late-round pick from 2023, Ignoffo had a solid cup of coffee with the Hammerheads, slashing .300/.375/.389. This season, he proved that production wasn’t a fluke. Beginning with Jupiter then moving to Beloit, Ignoffo is slashing .335/.390/.490. The 5’9”, 215-pounder has also flashed good speed, stealing 21 bases and more than good plate discipline with a 49/46 K/BB. All of this has been done while Ignoffo has learned how to play a new position and arguably the hardest one on the diamond, catcher.

The 24-year-old is deserving of an even greater challenge. The Marlins may decide to preview how he does offensively against advanced pitching while getting him even more reps at his new position this fall.

INF Yiddi Cappe

Cappe was the Marlins' top signing in his international free agent class, receiving a lucrative $3.5M bonus in January 2021. He jumped from the DSL to stateside ball in 2022 then spent a full season Beloit in 2023. This year, Cappe has played just 60 games between Jupiter and the Sky Carp due to being slowed by a wrist injury that cost him nearly three months.

Cappe’s development has lagged behind what the Marlins initially projected. He has not developed much physically, his bat speed still needs improvement, and he has been completely moved off of shortstop. Cappe makes a lot of sense as a guy Miami could send westward to make up for lost time and continue attempting to bring out the top prospect they thought they signed four years ago.

LHP Dax Fulton

Fulton was a member of the Marlins’ all-pitcher 2020 draft class out of the high school ranks. He moved straight to full-season ball in 2021, then in 2022, he held down a 3.80 ERA with dazzling control numbers (150/42 K/BB) between A+ and a small showing in AA. He was invited to big league spring training last season before being sent back to the Blue Wahoos to begin 2023. Just 33 innings into his season, Fulton was shut down with an elbow injury, requiring him to undergo his second full Tommy John surgery. This spring, Fulton was limited to light work and throwing. He’s remained in Jupiter all season where he’s focused on both rehab and conditioning. Recently, a very slimmed down version of Dax threw off a mound again for the first time in over a year.

It’s pretty easy to see the vision for Dax to head to Arizona: he needs innings. If he’s ready for game action, the Marlins would love to send him westward.

INF Ian Lewis

Lewis is a tooled-up infielder who has insane speed, giving him the ability for solid stolen base totals and the ability to turn anything into at least a double. In 2023, his first full-length pro season, Lewis struggled with the quality of his contact, but he was also a victim of the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, posting a .280 BABIP. Improvements are needed here, particularly physically, but the Marlins have not been able to bring the Bahamian switch-hitter to the U.S. all year due to visa issues. Instead, Lewis has been at their Dominican Academy and worked on his conditioning and building strength.

The Marlins would love to see where Lewis stands in his progression if they can get him to Arizona. As long as no barriers are in place, Lewis will be with the Peoria Javelinas this fall.

RHP Breidy Encarnación

Encarnación is one of the longer-tenured members of the organization, having joined it out of the international ranks in 2019. Despite being around that long, Encarnación has logged just 177 ⅓ innings in the minors. Encarnación pitched a full season’s worth of innings last season and was effective at the Low-A and High-A levels as a reliever, demonstrating a plus changeup and earning small cups of coffee at the upper levels of the system. He was originally tabbed to go to the 2023 fall league. However, injury woes scrapped those plans and he remained shut down for most of 2024 until just recently beginning a rehab assignment.

Now nearly 24, Encarnación is on track to appear in a limited showing at AA to end the regular season. It would behoove Miami to see more of the 6’3” righty in Arizona. He has the ceiling of a multiple-inning reliever at the next level.

LHP Jack Sellinger

Sellinger is a 2023 draft pick who was limited to just four FCL games after his selection. He started his 2024 season in early May after spending time on the reserve list with Jupiter where he impressed, specifically with his control and command. In 34 innings, Sellinger threw to a 2.91 ERA via a 52/13 K/BB. He’s since been promoted to A+ Beloit. In four games and 5.1 IP, he’s allowed two earned runs.

The lefty has a funky, herky-jerky delivery and a side-arm arm angle. He has succeeded due to his ability to drill the lower half of the strike zone and garner weak contact as well as whiffs out of it, particularly with his high-arcing breaking ball. At 24, the Marlins may choose to feed him more frames against older competition and challenge him in a hitter-friendly league. With success, he’s an arm that could be pushed up the MiLB ladder quickly.

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!