Juuuuuust a bit outside: Prospects who just missed our Top 30

Hey Siri, define “good problems to have.” As the Marlins’ minor league system continues to improve and deepen, top prospect rankings become harder and harder to decide. Before the latest release of our Fish On First Top 30 consensus list this past week, several players were highly considered to make the cut, but just missed.

Herein, we give those players their flowers and ensure you know their names and skill sets.

C Ryan Ignoffo

Current level: Double-A

Ignoffo is the ultimate team player. An unheralded 20th-round selection as a two-way player, he played virtually every single position except catcher as an amateur. Upon his arrival in Miami, he was tasked with exactly that. With confidence in his bat to succeed at the next level, the Marlins converted Ignoffo full-time to backstop. Ignoffo took the challenge in stride, continuing to hit well as he did, even amidst the call-up to the upper minors last season. After a bit of a slow start this year at the plate, Ignoffo is performing close to his norms by slashing .273/.310/.485.

Overall, Ignoffo is a contact-oriented hitter who lengthens at-bats and limits whiffs by way of great timing and bat control. He shows a true penchant to make contact at an above-average frequency, with career rate norms above 80%. Because of his ability to cover the plate, he doesn’t walk a ton so his on-base numbers are largely driven by balls put in play. Keeping the ball off the ground and hitting line drives at a good clip, his career slash is well-earned proven by his BABIP, which sits at .282. Ignoffo won’t hit a ton of home runs, and with such low walk rates, he will need to be able to continue to make good contact at the next level to be effective, leaving him little room for error.

Second triple of the year for Ryan Ignoffo. He’s now hitting .290 with a .516 SLG.#Marlins pic.twitter.com/depLWgD0eA

— Fish On First Prospects (@FOFProspects) May 2, 2026

Defensively, Ignoffo went through an atypical learning process as a backstop. The organization saw in him a plus throwing arm that execs and his teammates continue to rave about. This offseason, Ignoffo put a ton of focus on his lateral movement, framing and pop times. So far this season, the results are good: he’s allowed just one passed ball and thrown out 24% of potential base-stealers. Ignoffo shouldn’t have an issue sticking at catcher and he also offers positional flexibility, although he'd have to shake off years of rust to contribute elsewhere on the diamond.

Ignoffo has been repeating the Double-A level because he was blocked by Joe Mack. Now that Mack’s promotion has occurred, Ignoffo is in line to make his Triple-A debut imminently, sharing catching reps with the optioned Agustín Ramírez and veteran Brian Navarreto.

Going on 26, we place Ignoffo’s floor pretty high, but due to the lack of plus contact and walks, his ceiling is a bit low. That said, he could still be of great service to any organization as a backup catcher or utility type player, especially if he continues to make contact when he breaks into MLB. He could rejoin our Top 30 amidst the upcoming graduations of Mack and Josh Ekness.

RHP Carson Laws

Current level: High-A

Laws is a 6’1”, 186-pound righty who was selected by the Marlins in the 14th round of last year’s draft out of Texas State. Laws didn’t have an extremely long track record as a hurler in college. He came into Miami’s organization having only pitched 37 NCAA innings on top of another 34 at JuCo, so even as he embarks on his first full professional season, he is very raw.

What Miami does have in Laws, though, is a high ceiling rooted in a plus-plus stuff profile. Laws’ primary weapon is a four-seamer that sits at 98 mph and can touch triple digits. After the draft, he went to work on his secondary arsenal, adding a curveball and altering the grip on his changeup into a kick-change. Laws still maintains his best secondary, a high-80s slider with wipeout action.

At this point, Laws needs reps and experience. That is why the Marlins currently have him working as a starter in High-A Beloit. As he fully learns his craft, Laws will need to rein in his control and command. At 23, the late-bloomer will need to learn quickly, but if he can, he has the upside of a shutdown high-leverage reliever. Because of the low floor though, Laws just misses our list for now.

IF Edgardo De Leon

Current level: FCL

De Leon is a 19-year-old infielder who came to the Marlins in the trade that sent Edward Cabrera to Chicago. De Leon signed with the Cubs in 2024 for an undisclosed amount, which normally signifies the figure wasn’t very significant.

What has been significant is what De Leon has done over his first two seasons pro. After slashing .277/.431/.433 in the DSL in 2024, the 6’, 170 righty proved his skill set could translate well stateside. Last season with the AZL Cubs, he hit .276/.353/.500. De Leon split time evenly at corner infield for the Cubs, playing 37 games at first and 35 at third.

While De Leon has performed very well thus far, he has some questions to answer for as he begins his Marlins tenure, the most pressing being where will his defensive home be, can he solve for a high whiff rate as he matriculates through levels against better stuff and how much power can he grow into. If he can build up a strong but raw arm and stick at third base, be taught to select swings a bit better and make the most of stateside facilities physically, he will be part of future Top 30 lists. For now, stats aside, he remains a bit of a lottery ticket.

RHP Aiden May

Current level: High-A

May, a 23-year-old righty, is the Marlins’ Competitive Balance Round B pick from 2024. Barely recruited as a high schooler, May built his stock basically from the ground up as an amateur, playing at three colleges over three years. That journey culminated with May holding down a sparkling 3.05 ERA and 84/23 K/BB in the PAC-12, earning him top-100 draft pick honors.

Unfortunately for May, his tenure as a pro has only spanned 14 MiLB games. He did not pitch after signing due to a forearm strain and then underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow, keeping him off the mound until July of last season. When back at full strength, he participated in the Arizona Fall League. It's been an inconsistent opening month for May with Beloit in 2026, including six no-hit innings on April 19. However, he was unable to complete four frames on April 26 and missed his most recent scheduled start on Sunday.

May is just an average-sized 6’2”, 196, and doesn’t shorten the distance to the plate, but he throws from a funky low arm slot which allots him some deception. He has a deep arsenal which includes a sinker that sits 94 and can touch 96. His best pitch is a sweeper that can garner him whiffs in and out of the zone. With the Marlins, he’s strayed away from using his changeup in favor of a new cut fastball that he’s building confidence in.

If May is going to stick as a starter, he will need to be able to consistently use that third pitch for strikes and be able to maintain his control throughout starts. He could still reach a ceiling as a back-end starter but at this point in his injury-marred career, it’s more likely he moves to the bullpen long term. That said, May’s plus velo and sweeper and the aforementioned tricky mechanics could be effective in shorter stints making the floor decently high.

IF Ronny Muñoz

Current level: DSL

Muñoz is one of the newest Marlins in the organization, having joined the club in January as part of the current international signing period. The 27th-ranked prospect in the class per MLB Pipeline, his deal with Miami was worth $1 million, matching Santiago Solarte (FOF #18).

Unlike Solarte, Muñoz is limited in size, but he comes by good power via elite bat speed stemming from quick hands that evaluators graded at the very top of the 20-80 scale. Those same hands serve Muñoz well in the infield where he has the athleticism to stick at shortstop.

Once Muñoz can prove himself against pro stuff, it is likely he will shoot up our list. For now, his limited size, being built more for line drives than homers, and the fact that he will need to be on time and stay on time against pro stuff have him on the outside looking in.

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!