Will Ryan Weathers harness his talent in 2024, earn Marlins rotation spot?

According to Baseball-Reference, there were 6,288 players who made their major league debut between David Weathers and his son, Ryan Weathers. News articles and social media chatter often remark on the lineage between father-son connections like theirs.

David's career was nothing to scoff at. He endured for 19 MLB seasons (1991-2009), spending two separate stints with the Marlins and winning a World Series title with the New York Yankees. His 4.25 ERA was an era-adjusted 102 ERA+ (slightly better than league average). The journeyman right-hander set a high standard for his southpaw son.

 

Even so, Ryan was seemingly up for the challenge. The Tennessee native was named Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year in high school and drafted in the first round (seventh overall) by the Padres in 2018. 

After graduating and before his first pro season, Weathers and his father worked together to prepare for the next chapter. Weathers quoted a particularly poignant piece of advice from his father during that time.

"We talk a lot about certain things, but one thing he always wanted me to understand is, there is a lot of failure in this game," Ryan told MiLB.com's Sam Dykstra. "It's how you handle it mentally that'll decide how good you can be."

It seemed prophetically on the nose. In his first start at rookie level ACL, the first hit Weathers gave up was a home run. He faced five more batters before exiting the game. The most interesting, intriguing gem is this—in his next start, Weathers went four innings, allowing two hits, four strikeouts, no walks, no earned runs.

Weathers was promoted all the way up to Class A Fort Wayne, ostensibly leaning into his ability to make quick adjustments and bounce back efficiently while in Arizona. The Athletic snagged a quote from TinCaps pitching coach Matt Williams that sheds light on how Weathers’ approach may be well-aligned with the culture the Marlins organization is developing in Miami:

“Discussing Weathers’ aggressive style brought a grin to Williams’ face. 'Very aggressive bulldog style,’ Williams said. ‘He’s going to attack you with three pitches. Very, very confident kid. He’s Ryan Weathers. He is who he is and very much a bulldog.’"

History was made in 2020 when Weathers, a southpaw, became the fifth MLB player to make his debut in the postseason. It was a breakout moment in the NLDS for any player debut as he went 1 ⅓ innings with a strikeout and no runs allowed. And against the titan Dodgers, no less, who would go on to win the World Series at the end of that COVID-shortened campaign.

Back in the minors for the 2021 season with the El Paso Chihuahuas, opponents provided a lot of feedback on Weathers’ fastballs in particular. In terms of batters’ success against him, a 7-7 record is respectable enough, but the 6.73 ERA and 31 home runs allowed (in 123 innings) sent the lefty back to the drawing board.

A good report from catcher Luis Campusano the following spring sums up the results of efforts to improve over the winter. Campusano remarked to Ronald Blum (AP), “More velo, more movement. It’s just making his four seam a whole lot better.”

Weathers never did stick around the Padres big league team for an extended period, though. Early in the 2023 season, he was 1-6 with a 6.25 ERA in 12 appearances (10 starts). Weathers was demoted to AAA El Paso and traded to the Fish on August 1. The acquisition of Ryan Weathers was overlooked. In fact, the loss of Garrett Cooper was the headline most will remember from that trade.

Right after Weathers changed organizations, Skip Schumaker offered his initial assessment of his potential as a Marlin.

"I think he's going to have three above-average pitches at some point—if not by the end of the year," Schumaker said pregame (via Christina De Nicola, MLB.com). "He's just going to continue to work. The guy's a worker. He's not content, and he's got some edge to him, which I love. Grew up the right way, obviously, with his dad, so I think there's a lot left in the tank for him, and he's going to have a long career. We're just hoping he can get better and better here while he's here."

Weathers' struggles initially continued in Miami, blowing a lead against the Rangers on August 5 and taking the loss.

Weathers did well when he was sent down to AAA Jacksonville and demonstrated his ability to efficiently adjust when starting the Marlins' regular season finale in Pittsburgh. He pitched six innings, with no runs scored and five strikeouts.

Quote

"We talk a lot about certain things, but one thing he always wanted me to understand is, there is a lot of failure in this game. It's how you handle it mentally that'll decide how good you can be."

—Ryan Weathers in 2018 (via MiLB.com)

The opportunity for Weathers to take his substantive personal experience on the field and turn it into a breakout year is definitely within the talented lefty’s reach. Still just 24 years old, he has three solid pitches in his toolbox: fastball, slider, and changeup. The exposure a young talent like Weathers will have to pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr.’s expertise is a perfect fit. And, If the bulldog mentality touted by his prior MiLB pitching coach bears out, he should be up to the task and ready to rock this season.

Problem solving the Marlins’ sudden void in pitching depth at the starter position left by Sandy Alcantara’s injury is a hot topic this offseason, especially in light of the rumors kicked around this winter concerning a possible trade of Jesús Luzardo (not to mention the general front office shake ups).

Weathers can provide the tangibles as well as the intangibles. A grounded force of raw talent. A model of tenacity and effective work ethic. Heritage, both in teal pinstripes and baseball acumen. The Marlins’ fanbase has every reason to be excited for the next chapter in Ryan Weathers’ career as the entire baseball community gears up for a fresh start in 2024.