Ely Sussman

Drafted by the Marlins in 2021 (Round 12, $125k signing bonus)

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger is currently atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. LHP Sean Sullivan (COL) on Monday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. LHP Kyle Freeland (COL) on Tuesday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (COL) on Wednesday TBA (MIA) vs. RHP Michael Lorenzen (COL) on Thursday Likely a Ryan Gusto-led bullpen game The Marlins rank 19th in MLB with a 98 wRC+ and 10th in MLB with a 3.93 FIP. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have a 16-23 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Josh Ekness (60-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Liam Hicks (10-day IL), Janson Junk (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Rockies rank 23rd in MLB with a 93 wRC+ and 28th in MLB with a 4.77 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 18-22 record at home this season. The following Rockies players are on the injured list: McCade Brown (60-day IL), Kris Bryant (60-day IL), Blas Castaño (15-day IL), Chase Dollander (60-day IL), Brenton Doyle (10-day IL), Tanner Gordon (15-day IL), Wellington Herrera (60-day IL), Jaden Hill (15-day IL), Pierson Ohl (60-day IL), RJ Petit (60-day IL) and Jose Quintana (60-day IL).

The Miami Marlins are a season-best five games over .500 following their wire-to-wire win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. Following a shutout of the Cardinals in the previous game, Ryan Gusto and a handful of relievers nearly repeated the feat in this 5-1 contest. Kyle Stowers jolted the Fish to a 2-0 lead with RBI singles in both the first and third innings. Stowers' bat continues to be particularly potent in games when he plays first base (slashing .304/.411/.630 with 13 RBI in those 14 games). In addition to Stowers, Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez and Javier Sanoja collected multi-hit games. As a result, one of my favorite "streaks" remains intact: Lopez has hits in all 27 Marlins series this season. Trying to leg out an infield hit in the top of the ninth, Lopez landed on the bag awkwardly and experienced some right ankle discomfort. He completed the rest of the game, but that's an injury concern to monitor moving forward. The Marlins once again kept Gusto on a short leash, calling to the bullpen after 3 ⅓ innings of scoreless work from him. John King, the first arm used in relief, made easy work of his former teammates, building upon what's been a career year for the veteran southpaw. The quintet of Gusto, King, Lake Bachar, Anthony Bender and Tyler Zuber did not allow any extra-base hits. This was the Marlins' fourth win over St. Louis in five head-to-head meetings, clinching the season series. Put a pin in that because it's the primary tiebreaker used to determine National League wild-card berths should multiple clubs finish with identical records. In the meantime, by improving to 44-39 overall, the Marlins are a half-game ahead of the 42-38 Cardinals. The NL WC spots are currently occupied by the Philadelphia Phillies (46-37), Chicago Cubs (45-38) and San Diego Padres (43-37). The sixth and final matchup between the Fish and Cards is scheduled for Sunday at 2:15 p.m. ET.

The Miami Marlins can only have 26 players active at any given time, but it will require way more than that for them to sustain their winning ways over the course of the season. Graham Pauley's pivotal plays on Friday night exemplified the importance of organizational depth. Throughout the majority of May and June, Pauley was out of sight and out of mind, optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville for a total of 26 games across two separate stints due to his offensive shortcomings. He owned an atrocious .165/.211/.271 slash line (29 wRC+) with only one home run and one stolen base across 33 appearances for the Marlins. Swapping spots with the slumping Connor Norby, Pauley was called up from Jacksonville for the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. Slotted at the very bottom of Miami's lineup, he served as the unlikely hero with an RBI double to break the game's scoreless tie, followed by a crafty slide to arrive safely at home with an insurance run in their 4-0 victory. Both offenses were in hibernation for the majority of the night. Right-handers Max Meyer and Michael McGreevy exchanged zeroes through six innings, neither allowing so much as an extra-base hit. The farthest batted ball of the game to that point? Pauley's 381-foot flyout to the right-center field warning track. On the heels of an off day, the effective Marlins bullpen was fully rested, but with Meyer's pitch count at just 66, sending him back out there for the bottom of the seventh was the obvious call. Meyer rewarded his club's trust in him, albeit with plenty of help required. The right-hander's control was detriorating, resulting in a hit-by-pitch and two walks, loading the bases with only one out. His battery mate, Joe Mack, secured a crucial strike against Masyn Winn in a 2-0 count using the ABS challenge system, and Winn would eventually hit into a force out at home. Then, Nathan Church made two ill-advised swing decisions on Meyer's misses outside the strike zone. He lined out to left for the final out of the frame. Meyer lowered his season ERA to 2.60 and remains without a losing decision through 17 starts. In the blink of an eye, the Marlins had a golden opportunity to take a lead in the top of the eighth when Esteury Ruiz led off with a single and stolen base. Pauley capitalized, catching up to George Soriano's 97 mph fastball and finding a hole in the infield near the first base line. Down 1-0 with one out, the Cardinals aggressively tried turning a double play on Kyle Stowers' grounder to the right side. Alec Burleson stepped on the first base bag, meaning that a tag was required on Pauley, who was charging home. The throw arrived in time and Pauley was initially called out, but upon further review, his left hand touched the plate before the tag was applied. Jakob Marsee's two-run single in the ninth provided the Fish with even more breathing room. Relieving Meyer, Michael Petersen and Calvin Faucher combined to complete the shutout. Only a half-game separates these teams in the NL wild-card race. With Friday's win, the Marlins have clinched at least a split of the season series. They will be back in action at Busch Stadium on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET. Ryan Gusto is Miami's scheduled starter.

Watching him play on a daily basis, I admittedly have a bias, but it's hard to deny that Otto Lopez is having one of the most fascinating seasons of any MLB player in 2026. The Miami Marlins shortstop is on pace for 6.8 fWAR, roughly tripled his total from 2025. Much of that newfound value comes from simply compiling hits—Lopez's batting average has surged 94 points year-over-year. His .340 mark paces all qualified major leaguers entering Friday. Regression is inevitably coming for Lopez given how often he chases balls outside the strike zone and puts them on the ground. Can he overcome that to hold on and win the fourth National League batting title in Marlins history? With the Marlins having completed exactly half of their regular season schedule, I was curious to look back at how often the midpoint league leaders in batting average finish on top. The table below refers to the league leaderboards on this date throughout the past half-decade in both the AL and NL. More often than not, the midpoint leader has gotten knocked off their perch due to a dip in performance. League's Top Qualified Batting Average Entering June 26 Year League Player Won Batting Title? 2025 AL Aaron Judge Yes 2025 NL Will Smith No 2024 AL Bobby Witt Jr. Yes 2024 NL Shohei Ohtani No 2023 AL Bo Bichette No 2023 NL Luis Arraez Yes 2022 AL Luis Arraez Yes 2022 NL Paul Goldschmidt No 2021 AL Michael Brantley No 2021 NL Nick Castellanos No The only NL qualifier within 15 points of Lopez is Jung Hoo Lee of the San Francisco Giants (.332 BA). Although Lee excelled at hit collecting during his time in the Korea Baseball Organization, this is a massive departure from what he has previously done in MLB (career high of .266). Lee's teammate Luis Arraez (.321 BA) is probably the bigger threat. One complication, though, is that because Arraez is a pending free agent on a lousy club, it's easy to imagine him getting traded this summer. If he lands with an AL team, he would in all likelihood fall short of the plate appearances needed to qualify in either league. During a typical Marlins season, Lopez's individual pursuit would already be top of mind for most fans due to the team's irrelevance in the postseason race. But for now, things are going well enough for the 42-39 Fish to keep the focus on winning as many games as possible.

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger is currently atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Michael McGreevy (STL) on Friday TBA (MIA) vs. TBA (STL) on Saturday Ryan Gusto likely to pitch bulk innings TBA (MIA) vs. TBA (STL) on Sunday The Marlins rank 19th in MLB with a 97 wRC+ and 12th in MLB with a 3.97 FIP. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 14-22 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Josh Ekness (60-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Liam Hicks (10-day IL), Janson Junk (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Cardinals rank seventh in MLB with a 104 wRC+ and 20th in MLB with a 4.35 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 18-22 record at home this season. The following Cardinals players are on the injured list: Ryan Fernandez (15-day IL) and Ramón Urias (60-day IL).

Sandy Alcantara's fourth strikeout against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night was also the 1,002nd of his Miami Marlins career, surpassing Ricky Nolasco for the franchise's all-time strikeout record. For his record-breaker, Alcantara got Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka swinging in the top of the seventh inning. That was the penultimate batter Alcantara faced en route to breaking another record—by earning his 30th career win at loanDepot park, he broke a tie with the late great José Fernández. Here is a career breakdown of Alcantara's Ks by pitch type: 279 with changeups 271 with four-seamers 255 with cutters 156 with sinkers 41 with sliders 10 with sweepers Nolasco originally surpassed Dontrelle Willis for the Marlins strikeout lead on August 23, 2011. Nobody had come close to challenging it since then until Alcantara. It took Alcantara nearly eight years from the day of his Marlins debut to become the record-holder. It won't necessarily require Cy Young Award-caliber talent for somebody to usurp him. but finding common ground with the club on a contract extension that delays free agent eligibility will be crucial. Alcantara, for example, would've been eligible to walk after the 2024 season had he not signed an extension. Alcantara has a firm hold of the record through the end of the decade, at the very least. Current Triple-A arm Braxton Garrett is next closest to him among active Marlins with 325, followed by Eury Pérez at 285, who’ll be returning from an injured list stint on Wednesday. Should Alcantara remain with the Marlins through season's end and avoid lengthy injury absences, he's on track to surpass Nolasco for several other franchise records, including innings pitched (currently 48.2 IP behind), games started (11 behind) and losses (one behind).

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger is currently atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Tyler Phillips (MIA) vs. LHP Tyler Alexander (TEX) on Monday RHP Kumar Rocker to pitch bulk innings after Alexander RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. TBA (TEX) on Tuesday TBA (MIA) vs. RHP Jacob deGrom (TEX) on Wednesday The Marlins rank 19th in MLB with a 97 wRC+ and ninth in MLB with a 3.94 FIP. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 26-16 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Josh Ekness (60-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Liam Hicks (10-day IL), Janson Junk (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL), Eury Pérez (15-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Rangers rank 18th in MLB with a 98 wRC+ and 15th in MLB with a 4.19 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 18-22 record on the road this season. The following Rangers players are on the injured list: Carter Baumier (60-day IL), Jalen Beeks (15-day IL), Cody Bradford (60-day IL), Evan Carter (10-day IL), Robert Garcia (60-day IL), Michael Helman (60-day IL), Jack Leiter (15-day IL), Chris Martin (15-day IL), Jordan Montgomery (60-day IL) and Corey Seager (7-day IL).

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Sunday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelist Kevin Barral. The following topics were covered: Taking care of business in sweeping the San Francisco Giants The end of Christopher Morel's Marlins tenure How Griffin Conine fits with the current roster Liam Hicks (low back strain) lands on injured list Skip Schumaker and Jake Burger making first visits to loanDepot park since leaving Marlins Scotland's "Tartan Army" buying up all of the tickets to Monday's game Previewing and predicting the next series against the Texas Rangers You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Wednesday at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Rangers series finale.

There has been plenty of discourse lately about this year's potential Miami Marlins All-Stars. Don't forget that on July 12, two days prior to the Midsummer Classic, there will be another exhibition at Citizens Bank Park, featuring ballplayers who aren't household names yet, but have the talent to become ones. A handful of Marlins minor leaguers are deserving of participating in the 2026 Futures Game, though the most likely scenario is the organization will be limited to two reps. The Futures Game is not solely about rewarding minor league production. With all due respect to the strong statistical first halves that Carter Johnson, Emilio Barreras and Luis Palacios have had, their perceived upside as prospects is not high enough to get them into this conversation. Selections are usually young relative to their current level of competition. Another complicating factor is that MLB orgs themselves have a say in the process. Some have ulterior motives beyond simply sending their top-rated prospects. I'm fairly confident that the Marlins delegation will be a combination of the following names. RHP Karson Milbrandt FOF Top 30 rank: No. 9 2026 MiLB levels: Double-A/Triple-A MLB ETA: early 2027 Milbrandt is the most qualified Futures Game rep that the Marlins have had in a long time. His case begins with having limited opponents to nine earned runs in 12 starts for a jaw-dropping 1.31 ERA. The homegrown right-hander ranks second in the Marlins system in innings pitched (62) and strikeouts (85). Milbrandt entered 2026 with substantial long-term reliever risk. His improvement against left-handed batters, who have gone 13-for-99 off him with 46 Ks this season, now gives him a brighter outlook. SS Aiva Arquette FOF Top 30 rank: No. 6 2026 MiLB levels: High-A/Double-A MLB ETA: mid-2027 Arquette, on the other hand, has the weakest statistical case among my handpicked Futures Game "finalists." He posted an 80 wRC+ through his first 21 games with Double-A Pensacola (100 represents league average). However, he was the Marlins' top draft pick last year, makes plenty of hard contact and looks like a viable defender at shortstop. OF Dillon Lewis FOF Top 30 rank: No. 4 2026 MiLB levels: Double-A MLB ETA: mid-2027 Lewis is a new addition to the Marlins after headlining January's Ryan Weathers trade package. He has fully met expectations thus far with a very consistent campaign in Pensacola. The athletic right-handed hitter paces all Marlins prospects with 15 home runs while slashing .238/.318/.502 and going 14-for-16 on stolen base attempts. His speed and batted ball angles have kept him out of double plays (only 1 GIDP in 258 PA). A yellow flag: his strikeout rate has jumped from 23.5% last year to 30.6% this year. Health permitting, Lewis will get a taste of Triple-A competition before season's end. SS Starlyn Caba FOF Top 30 rank: No. 5 2026 MiLB level: High-A MLB ETA: early 2028 Caba had a lousy debut season in the Marlins org in 2025. Thankfully, he recalibrated during the Arizona Fall League and has sustained that high level of play with the Beloit Sky Carp. Caba is the best fielder in this article, if not the best in Miami's system, period. We already knew that a year ago. The most exciting change has been the 20-year-old's maturation in the power department, slugging .437 after previously owning a career mark below .300. A switch-hitter, he's been dominant against right-handed arms (slashing .300/.462/.527 with 5 HR). Caba's well-rounded game and the obvious step forward he has taken from the previous year make him the most deserving Marlins position player, in my opinion. OF/1B Kemp Alderman FOF Top 30 rank: No. 7 2026 MiLB level: Triple-A MLB ETA: late 2026 Alderman is Miami's reigning Minor League Player of the Year, though he wasn't a 2025 Futures Game selection because his best stretches of production occurred during the second half of the season. His 2026 campaign was interrupted by an elbow injury. He returned from the IL earlier this week. Alderman's power to the opposite field is awe-inspiring, as is his arm strength in the corner outfield spots. He has been learning to play first base on a part-time basis, which should hasten his arrival to the majors. Like Milbrandt, Alderman is doubtful to be eligible for another Futures Game after this one, so that element of urgency may get him the nod. OF Cam Cannarella FOF Top 30 rank: No. 10 2026 MiLB levels: High-A/Double-A MLB ETA: mid-2027 Cannarella has missed the most time due to injury among the serious candidates (limited to 34 games), but he's been elite at the plate while primarily patrolling center field defensively. He leads all full-season Marlins farmhands in batting average (.366) and on-base percentage (.434).