Ely Sussman

Signed in 2019 as part of the same international class as Eury. Similar to the draft, it's an organizational win if you can find two average-or-better MLB regulars/starters in the same class. By that standard, that might prove to be the first Marlins int'l class in recent memory to qualify.

Fortes' defense and intangibles make him a major league-caliber backup. I just don't see how the team can justify giving him the lion's share of playing time at the position. Particularly when Sandy and Eury come back, it's important to pair them with a catcher who controls opposing runners. And as a hitter, although Fortes frequently puts the ball in play, there's been frustrating lack of "productive outs" that manufacture runs. Prototypical backup.

I'll be intrigued to find out how the league values him. Good offensive player when accounting for his baserunning, but mixed interpretations of his defensive impact and his injury history hangs over everything. For a massive haul, I agree it'd be appropriate to deal him. But I would guess that offer is only forthcoming if he ups his slugging percentage over the next couple months.

Only two years removed from being demoted to rookie ball, Sanoja is excelling as Triple-A Jacksonville's youngest player. Assignments speak louder than words in the case of Javier Sanoja. The Miami Marlins have accelerated the development of the 21-year-old prospect and he's been unfazed by it. The first intriguing decision was bringing Sanoja to Marlins major league spring training as a non-roster invitee. He was the youngest position player in camp. Although he did not make a significant impact during Grapefruit League games—slashing .211/.250/.263 with two stolen bases in 16 games—the Marlins must've been enticed by something behind the scenes to keep him around for so long. While more highly rated prospects were sent to the minors early on, Sanoja wasn't reassigned until the final Monday of camp. Then came Sanoja's promotion to Double-A Pensacola to open the regular season after having spent just 30 games with High-A Beloit at the end of 2023. He started each of the first 15 Blue Wahoos games, splitting time between shortstop and center field with one appearance at second base mixed in. Slightly better offensive production than spring training (.246/.279/.316 with 79 wRC+ and 3 SB), but unremarkable by most measures. Even more surprisingly, the Marlins promoted Sanoja again on April 23. He moved up to the highest level of the minors, seemingly in response to José Devers' head injury. Through his first two series with Jacksonville, he struggled, but you wouldn't know it from looking at his overall numbers now. As Jumbo Shrimp broadcaster Scott Kornberg tells it on Swimming Upstream, Sanoja worked with hitting coach Greg Colbrunn on adjusting the positioning of his top hand to generate more consistent quality contact. He's been arguably the best hitter on the team in four weeks since then. There are only five players age 21 or younger who have accrued at least 100 Triple-A plate appearances so far this season, per FanGraphs. Three of the five are consensus elite prospects with MLB All-Star upside: Jackson Holliday (Baltimore Orioles), Junior Caminero (Tampa Bay Rays) and James Wood (Washington Nationals). They're joined by Owen Caissie of the Chicago Cubs, a tier below that trio in the eyes of most evaluators, but still widely ranked among the sport's Top 100 prospects. The fifth is Javier Sanoja. He has a 118 wRC+ through 153 plate appearances (35 games) against competitors who are on average more than a half-decade older than him. Throughout his time in the Marlins organization (he was signed out of Venezuela in 2019), Sanoja has distinguished himself with his bat-to-ball skill. His lifetime minor league strikeout rate is 8.0%, about one-third of the MiLB average. That's otherworldly! For context, in a very similar sample size, Luis Arraez had a 8.1 K% in the minors. There's much more to hitting than putting balls in play, of course. In April/May of 2022, Sanoja hit just .162 for Low-A Jupiter. His lack of plate discipline had been exposed. The Marlins demoted him to the Florida Complex League. He made much better swing decisions when he earned his way back up following that year's All-Star break. As mentioned earlier, there have been more dry spells since then. He overcame the most recent one with a mechanical change. The 5'7" Sanoja is very limited in the power department. Despite being durable throughout his career, his highest single-season home run total has been six, set in 2022. Through 50 AA/AAA games this year, he has gone deep only twice with a max exit velocity of 107 mph (that would rank in the 30th percentile of qualified MLB players). That limits his ceiling. There's also a concern about his groundball tendencies (51.7 GB% this season). MLB-caliber defenders with detailed infield positioning data will convert far more grounders into outs than Triple-A opponents. Sanoja has above-average speed, though as Scott Kornberg said, his baserunning "still needs to be refined" to translate to positive value. He's been successful on only 64.6% of his career stolen base attempts (73-for-113). On Sunday, he was thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple. Vmc4MUJfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X0F3RUNCVllEQlZZQUR3TUFWZ0FBQ0E4RUFGZ0FVMWtBQzEwSEFRTU1BQVZXVlZSUw==.mp4 With that being said, Sanoja's defensive versatility is a crucial factor. He is deployable at the premium positions of shortstop and center field—he's not extraordinary at either spot, but also not a liability. That could get him a chance to play in the big leagues this season, especially if the Marlins part ways with Tim Anderson and/or Jazz Chisholm Jr. at some point. Sanoja ranked 26th on the most recent edition of the Fish On First Top 30 list. He'll certainly rise up the rankings when we update it again. View full article

Among teams actually eligible to win the lottery (excluding White Sox & A's), the Marlins are still likely to finish in the bottom three. The most significant odds change is between the third-worst and fourth-worst eligible teams. Mets are fourth-worst, for the moment.

Offishial News for 6/3/24 On Sunday, former Marlins first-round draft pick Andrew Heaney worked six scoreless frames. Miami's offense was held without an extra-base hit. Speaking of extra-base hits, Tim Anderson has not had one since April. He's 1-for-his-last-21 at the plate. Trevor Rogers set a season high by completing six innings himself, but he surrendered three runs in the opening minutes of the game. Rogers' average fastball velocity was lower than any other appearance of his MLB career. The Marlins lost, 6-0. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville lost, 3-1. Avisaíl García went 0-for-3 with a walk, an error and a double play grounded into. He slashed .105/.190/.211 this past week in five rehab games. JT Chargois threw two more innings of hitless relief and his reinstatement from the injured list seems imminent. High-A Beloit won, 7-2. RHP Ike Buxton (5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 84 pitches/57 strikes) recorded his first win of the season. Low-A Jupiter won, 2-1. RHP Jake Brooks (6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 71 pitches/48 strikes) retired 18 of the 21 batters he faced. Here's more Marlins news and content for you: 🔷 The same bothersome right shoulder that derailed Sixto Sánchez's career from 2021-2023 has landed him on the injured list again. Frankly, the Marlins won't miss him—Sánchez's 10.5% strikeout rate was second-lowest among major leaguers with a minimum of 30 innings pitched. In seven starts, he never exceeded five innings, taxing the rest of the pitching staff. Roddery Muñoz is the leading candidate to fill his vacated starting rotation spot. 🔷 Listen back to the latest State of the Fish call-in show. Beginning at the 44-minute mark, we were joined by Craig Mish from SportsGrid for an extended Q&A about Marlins trade candidates and the direction of the franchise. Perhaps the top news nugget was that Avi García's Marlins tenure "may be coming to the end of the line," per Mish. Do not assume that he will be reinstated from the IL this week. García is earning a $12M salary from the Marlins this season and is still owed $17M more beyond 2024. Mish also considers right-hander Declan Cronin the second-most likely Marlin to be traded behind only pending free agent closer Tanner Scott. He compared Cronin to Nick Anderson in 2019, who was flipped in the midst of his first full MLB campaign to acquire then-prospect Jesús Sánchez. Mish wrapped up the show by acknowledging he's been very "negative" about Sixto through the years...and insisting that he has formed that opinion through conversations with members of the Marlins organization. 🔷 Through 19 Marlins series, @Isaac Azout has soared into second place on the Prediction Time leaderboard. Make series predictions with us all season long when you become a Fish On First SuperSub. 🔷 On Saturday, Alex Carver wrote about the keys to Cronin's success, particularly his excellence during the month of May. His first June appearance on Sunday was more of the same. 🔷 Louis Addeo-Weiss ponders a possible position change for Jazz Chisholm Jr. Would potential trade suitors give up more for him if he demonstrates that he can be a solid defensive shortstop? 🔷 The 2024 Dominican Summer League season begins today. The Marlins continue to field two affiliates in the league: DSL Marlins and DSL Miami. OF Luis Cova (Fish On First's #6 Marlins prospect) will be making his professional debut. Several international signings from recent years who never made it stateside have been released, including LHP Luis Baldiris, RHP Willian Campos, OF Anthony Rodriguez and RHP Nicolas Uriepero. 🔷 On this day in 2017, Edinson Vólquez threw the most recent Marlins no-hitter against the Diamondbacks. A month shy of his 34th birthday at the time, he's the oldest pitcher to throw a no-no with the Fish. Due to injuries, he would make only 10 more starts during the rest of his MLB career. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Tigers demoted former No. 1 overall draft pick Spencer Torkelson to Triple-A. After tapping into his immense power frequently toward the end of 2023, Tork has just four home runs through 54 games played this season. Vladimir Guerrero started at third base in a regular season game for the first time since his rookie season. The Yankees completed their sweep of the Giants with a ninth-inning comeback that featured Juan Soto's go-ahead, two-run homer. Teammates Aaron Judge and Soto now rank first and second among qualified MLB hitters in wRC+ (200 and 191, respectively). Old friend Giancarlo Stanton reached 1,500 career hits (960 of those came with the Marlins). 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: DSL Marlins at DSL Giants Orange, 11:00 a.m. ET DSL Miami vs. DSL Rangers Red, 11:00 a.m. ET FCL Marlins vs. FCL Cardinals, 12:00 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Welcome to FOF's 60th Miami Marlins game thread of the 2024 season. There is a Eury Pérez bobblehead giveaway for the first 8,000 fans in attendance. In the midst of a season-long slump, Tim Anderson has been dropped to the eighth spot in the batting order. Full-circle moment for Andrew Heaney. The former Marlins top draft pick is pitching at loanDepot park for the first time since 2014 (the club traded him during the following offseason). The roof at loanDepot park is closed. SuperSubs can access exclusive game notes here. Pregame roster moves: RHP Emmanuel Ramirez recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville; RHP Sixto Sánchez (right shoulder inflammation) placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to June 1. Enjoy live on-site coverage from Kevin Barral.

Under non-COVID circumstances, I wonder how Jazz would've performed there. That's where he was supposed to be in 2020. Coincidentally, he turned out better than any of the other prospects despite unintentionally skipping that level.

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. Got thoughts about this matchup? Head over to Fish On First's Marlins game thread. View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. Got thoughts about this matchup? Head over to Fish On First's Marlins game thread. View full article

Welcome to FOF's 59th Miami Marlins game thread of the 2024 season. It is Flanigan's Fest at loanDepot park, with classic items from the restaurant chain available at The Change Up concession stand. Ryan Weathers seeks his sixth consecutive quality start, facing many of the same Texas Rangers hitters who tagged him for six runs in his Marlins debut last August. The roof at loanDepot park is closed. SuperSubs can access exclusive game notes here. Pregame roster moves: C Jhonny Pereda recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville; C Christian Bethancourt placed on the bereavement list. Enjoy live on-site coverage from Kevin Barral.

Well I'd say this reinforces why prospect rankings should not be based on single-month snapshots haha. Of that bunch, I have to give a lot of credit to Lopez—he's been a brilliant addition. I will dedicate an article to Sanoja on Monday.

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. Got thoughts about this matchup? Head over to Fish On First's Marlins game thread. View full article

Ureña spent parts of six MLB seasons on the Marlins pitching staff. This weekend, he's back in Miami for the first time as an opposing player. Many Miami Marlins fans may have assumed that José Ureña was out of Major League Baseball by now, and understandably so. Instead, he's poised to take the mound at loanDepot park on Friday night, pitching against the Fish as a member of the defending World Series champion's starting rotation. Wait, what?! To jog your memory, Ureña was a homegrown Marlin, signed out of the Dominican Republic a few weeks shy of his 17th birthday. The right-hander gradually ascended the minor league ladder, debuting early in the 2015 season and sticking permanently on the active roster from late 2016 onward. Ureña was a pleasant surprise in 2017, logging 169 ⅔ innings in the Marlins rotation with a 104 ERA+. He essentially replicated those results in 2018 while posting improved peripherals. There were lowlights along the way—particularly the first-pitch, Opening Day home run he allowed to Ian Happ and his seemingly intentional plunking of Atlanta Braves rookie Ronald Acuña Jr.—but he still provided some value as the defacto ace of a rebuilding team. Ureña's career stagnated from there. Despite wielding a mid-90s fastball with nasty movement, he couldn't figure out how to consistently generate swinging strikes. His 18.3% strikeout rate from 2018 remains his single-season high and even that was significantly below the National League average. Lacking control and a reliable out-pitch against left-handed batters, his effectiveness waned. Ureña posted a 5.25 ERA (83 ERA+) from 2019-2020, with 11 of those 29 appearances coming as a reliever. He was limited to 108 innings pitched during those two seasons, suffering a lower back strain and testing positive for COVID when the Marlins had their notorious outbreak. His Marlins tenure ended on a painful note in the club's 2020 regular season finale when a comebacker broke his right arm, preventing him from being available to pitch in the postseason. He was non-tendered during that ensuing offseason. After having spent 12 years with the same organization, Ureña has undergone a drastic lifestyle change. The Texas Rangers are the sixth different team to give him a shot over the last 3.5 years. Overall, Ureña's journeyman-phase results have been eerily similar to his final Marlins chapter: 5.29 ERA (83 ERA+) without much separation between his walk and strikeout rates. His fastball velocity remains impressive, averaging 95.6 mph with his sinker as a 32-year-old, but he has yet to prove himself as anything more than a replacement-level guy. Ureña made the 2024 Rangers roster as a low-leverage reliever. Rotation injuries have led to a temporarily expanded role. To Ureña's credit, he has made intriguing adjustments with Texas. For the first time ever, he's throwing his secondary pitches more often than his fastball. He enters Friday with a career-high 37.2% slider usage. That pitch is leading to plenty of soft contact and accumulating 60% of his strikeouts. It's only been 43 ⅓ innings, but he is on pace for a personal-best 3.53 ERA/111 ERA+ with a 4.27 FIP that would be his lowest mark since 2018. WGczYllfWGw0TUFRPT1fQWdOVFhGSUZWMWNBWGxBQlZRQUFDVkpmQUFBQVZGUUFCbE5SQ0ZZTkNBc0FVZ1ZX.mp4 Ureña ranks third all-time with 52 career starts at loanDepot park, trailing only Sandy Alcantara (66) and Tom Koehler (60). His 53rd will be his first as a visitor. View full article

Offishial News for 5/31/24 On Thursday, the Miami Marlins made a trade with the Texas Rangers, acquiring right-hander Shaun Anderson for cash considerations. Anderson had been designated for assignment on Sunday. He has appeared in parts of five MLB seasons with six different teams, posting a 5.83 ERA, 4.93 FIP and -1.1 bWAR in 139 innings pitched (65 G/16 GS). The 6'6" Anderson has a five-pitch mix, but below-average velocity. He has been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville initially, though he stands a strong chance of pitching for the Marlins later this season when the need for a fresh arm arises. In a corresponding 40-man roster move, the Marlins DFA'd Woo-Suk Go (acquired as part of the Luis Arraez deal). The $3.9M remaining on Go's contract all but ensures that he will clear waivers. From there, the Marlins can outright him to the minors and keep him in Jacksonville as organizational depth. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville lost, 7-6. JT Chargois (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K) took another step closer to returning from the injured list. OF Griffin Conine hit his ninth home run of the season. Frustrating outing for RHP Anthony Maldonado, who forced in the game-deciding run on a bases-loaded walk and threw a professional career-high 54 pitches. Double-A Pensacola won, 7-3. OF Jakob Marsee tripled and homered. High-A Beloit lost, 1-0. Low-A Jupiter won, 2-1. FCL Marlins won, 6-3. OF Kemp Alderman began a rehab assignment by drawing a walk and striking out twice. He's been out since the start of the season due to a hamate injury, per MLB Pipeline. Also, INF José Devers resumed his rehab assignment after several weeks without a game appearance. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and stolen base. Here's more Marlins news and content for you: 🔷 MLB insider Ken Rosenthal described Jesús Luzardo as the "the single player most likely to be traded" prior to the July 30 deadline. That would leave us with a maximum of 10 starts remaining in Luzardo's Marlins tenure. Savor them. 🔷 On this day in 1999, an impromptu replay review overturned Cliff Floyd’s home run. 🔷 Marlins players are celebrating their hits with a game of rock, paper, scissors. Christina De Nicola of MLB.com found out that it was Sandy Alcantara's idea. 🔷 This in the final day to bid on signed, game-worn Pensacola Blue Wahoos jerseys worn by Jakob Marsee, Nathan Martorella, Joe Mack and Tanner Allen. 🔷 Join us for a new episode of Fish On First LIVE tonight from 6:00-7:00 p.m. ET on YouTube/Twitter/Facebook. Special guests: @Sean McCormackand @Ryan Schlesinger. FOF LIVE is presented by Berger & Hicks. If you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, give them a call at (305) 670-7050. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, electric Athletics closer Mason Miller blew his first save of the season, allowing a game-tying home run to José Siri. The Rays won in 12 innings. Jack Flaherty carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Red Sox. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Sixto Sánchez) begin their longest homestand of the season by taking on the Rangers (RHP José Ureña). It's loanDepot park's annual Pride at the Park game. The Marlins have a 52.8% chance to win, per FanGraphs. Miami has gone 13-13 in May, so this game will determine whether they finish the month above or below .500. First pitch at 7:10 p.m. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Durham, 7:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola at Biloxi, 7:35 p.m. ET High-A Beloit vs. Dayton, 7:35 p.m. ET (Thomas White's High-A debut) Low-A Jupiter at Daytona, 6:35 p.m. ET FCL Marlins vs. FCL Nationals, 12:00 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Big Fish Small Pod for 5/31/24 The Miami Marlins acquired right-hander Shaun Anderson on Thursday and designated right-hander Woo-Suk Go for assignment in a corresponding move. As Ely Sussman explains, Go's inclusion in the Luis Arraez trade was purely about his contract and this should not change our assessment of the deal. Find Big Fish Small Pod on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes The Offishial Show, Fish Unfiltered, Swimming Upstream and more. The Fish On First podcast is now being presented by MPT College Consulting! They pride themselves on helping clients navigate the college application process. This includes preparation for standardized testing, guidance through high school, assistance with essays and applications, and choosing the right college. Visit them today at mptcollegeconsulting.com to learn more about their services and schedule a free consultation. Go signed a two-year, $4.5M contract with the San Diego Padres last offseason and was projected to be a member of their big league bullpen. However, it quickly became apparent during spring training that he was not as good as advertised. The Padres optioned him to Double-A San Antonio and kept him there for the first month of the 2024 season. To extract the strongest possible prospect package in exchange for Arraez, the Marlins took responsibility for the vast majority of the All-Star's remaining salary and agreed to absorb Go's deal. The Korean righty was a negative asset in the trade. Even so, the Marlins figured it'd be better to have Go around as minor league depth than to discard him entirely. The 25-year-old righty has a five-pitch mix and decent command of it. Unfortunately, none of those pitches reliably put batters away. He's made seven relief appearances for Triple-A Jacksonville, striking out only three of 36 batters faced. Once Go inevitably clears waivers in the coming days, the Marlins will be able to outright him to Triple-A. He'll remain with the organization, just without hogging a 40-man spot. Shaun Anderson has been optioned to Triple-A. The tall journeyman (a veteran of five MLB seasons with six different teams) profiles as a multi-inning reliever. Follow Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article