Ely Sussman
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Offishial news, 11/2/23: Rangers clinch; MLB vets enter free agency
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
Marlins Podcast Episodes Wednesday's AFL/winter ball notes: In the fall league, 3B Jacob Berry went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts as he continues to fade from his hot start. 2B Nasim Nuñez drew two walks and stole his 13th base. LHP Dale Stanavich stranded an inherited runner in relief. In the Dominican Republic, CF Dane Myers went 0-for-3 with a walk and a steal, while LHP Jefry Yan tossed another scoreless inning.Elsewhere around baseball, the Texas Rangers are 2023 World Series champions. Zac Gallen began Game 5 with six hitless innings before the Rangers finally broke through in the seventh. Jonah Heim's ninth-inning hit (in conjunction with Alek Thomas' error) stuck a dagger in the Diamondbacks. Corey Seager won WS MVP honors, just like he did for the Dodgers in 2020.Congrats to ex-Marlins Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney on winning World Series rings. You know who else will be getting one? Journeyman catcher Sandy León, who hit .146 in 21 regular season games with Texas.Check out the latest , covering Jonathan Davis' departure and the performances of Marlins prospects in the Arizona Fall League. We also predicted what Josh Bell will do with his 2024 player option. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here! https://fishonfirst.com/la-pop/Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. The latest installment focuses on Bryan De La Cruz. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.Yuli Gurriel, David Robertson and Joey Wendle will officially become free agents today at 9:00 a.m. ET. That will bring the Marlins 40-man roster count down from 37 to 34. The MLB trade market has also re-opened.Single game tickets for 2024 Marlins home games go on sale to the general public beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. From perusing the Marlins Members presale, I noticed most games have a get-in price of $10.Jorge Soler is expected to become a free agent himself within five days upon exercising the opt-out in his contract. In The Athletic, Keith Law ranks Soler 16th on his top free agents list and estimates that he'll get a three-year deal worth close to $20 million annually. Law's colleague Jim Bowden ranks Soler 19th on his own list and projects a more modest two-year, $32 million contract ($16M AAV).Congrats to Giuliana and Garrett Hampson on the birth of their son, Hayes, who arrived on Monday.https://www.instagram.com/p/CzG-S65ri9y/?hl=en&img_index=1Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos -
Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, containing detailed articles about a wide variety of players. The FOF staff analyzes the individual impact that each of them had and what it means for their future with the organization. This installment focuses on outfielder Bryan De La Cruz. Season stats: 153 G, .257/.304/.411, 92 wRC+, 19 HR, 4 SB, 0.2 fWAR (age-26 season) Bryan De La Cruz entered 2023 as a plausible breakout candidate for a Marlins team that sorely needed offensive help. He had been one of MLB's hottest hitters during the final weeks of the 2022 campaign. Even when he was slumping earlier that year, the abnormally large gap between his actual stats and his expected stats implied he had been victimized by lousy luck. The Marlins committed to giving De La Cruz everyday playing time, eager to find out whether all the red on his Baseball Savant page would translate to more runs. Let the 2023 DLC experience serve as a reminder that Statcast data isn't always predictive. Bryan De La Cruz's 2022 and 2023 Statcast percentile rankings | Baseball SavantDLC was the offensive equivalent of an "innings-eater" for the Marlins this season. He was a durable floor-raiser who lengthened their lineup. He led the club with 78 RBIs and ranked second only to Jorge Soler with 51 extra-base hits. "Late & close" situations—as defined by Baseball-Reference—brought out the best in him. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-06/11/6acd131b-8512301e-7d92e4ae-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-08/09/a4d83af9-ce5cc112-e6017dc1-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-09/05/4c902413-4c907015-413d41b8-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4So...how come De La Cruz was merely a replacement-level player overall? His on-base percentage was .304, significantly below the .331 mark for MLB left fielders. In addition to a mediocre walk rate, DLC was averse to getting hit by pitches, plunked only once in 626 plate appearances. De La Cruz struggled to hit pitches on the outer third of the plate. Yes, he was susceptible to chasing waste pitches, but I'm referring to those that actually caught the corner or were close enough to offer at. Opponents could fearlessly attack him there—only one of his 19 home runs came against a pitch on the outer third. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/142c2bfe-b3bf-4b80-bf6e-c5c139952a72.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/82608c84-b450-4f06-a611-017ff58591b1.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/c355a9c8-6899-4eec-8a6e-29b9766cfe5d.mp4De La Cruz's effectiveness on defense continues to slip. His best asset used to be his arm strength, but the velocity of his average throw decreased from 91.0 mph in 2022 to 87.4 mph in 2023. He often gets bad jumps on fly balls. Despite Jazz Chisholm Jr. being absent for much of the season, De La Cruz only played two complete games in center field, and even that was two too many. There were also several instances where miscommunications between DLC and his teammates led to embarrassing drops and near-collisions. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-04/24/269c9725-d6ed0414-b024f00d-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/58d7d069-4c4d-4adf-b162-4d73559f1b06.mp4It's an unfortunately similar story when it comes to baserunning: solid athleticism is not enough to compensate for poor instincts. De La Cruz made 10 outs on the bases this season, tied for the second-most in the majors, per Baseball-Reference. Future with the MarlinsDe La Cruz was miscast as an everyday player. While the Marlins have several other higher priorities to address this offseason, they should be looking for corner outfield help. They can't be relying on him to take 600-plus plate appearances again in 2024. With all that being said, De La Cruz shouldn't be taken for granted. Pencil him in for an Opening Day roster spot if he's still in Miami on the other side of this offseason. -
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2023 Marlins Season Review: Joey Wendle
Ely Sussman replied to Ely Sussman's topic in Miami Marlins Talk
With such a weak SS market, I feel pretty good about Wendle's chances making the Opening Day roster with another team. Returning to the Rays makes a lot of sense given the Wander Franco uncertainty and Taylor Walls having hip surgery a few days ago. -
Right. If a separate graph was made of "most money saved via trades" during that same period, the Marlins would be near the top. They have repeatedly put themselves in the unfortunate spot of making big deals that are closer to salary dumps than actual baseball transactions.
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Offishial news, 11/1/23: First offseason roster moves; Soler lawsuit
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
Marlins Podcast Episodes Tuesday's AFL/winter ball notes: SS Nasim Nuñez went 1-for-4 and stole three bases. RHP Zach McCambley and LHP Evan Taylor made scoreless relief appearances, while RHP Ike Buxton (2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) took the loss for the Peoria Javelinas. RF Dane Myers (LIDOM) went 1-for-4 with his fourth stolen base of the season.The Marlins have made their first roster moves under interim GM Brian Chattin to create some breathing room on the 40-man. Enmanuel De Jesus and Jeff Lindgren were outrighted to the minors...and so was Jonathan Davis?! Davis is the only mildly surprising one. He can reject the assignment and elect free agency, so this basically functions as an early non-tender (Davis would've been eligible for arbitration).A woman attending Game 3 of the 2021 World Series at Truist Park suffered injuries to her right eye from a ball thrown by Jorge Soler. Two years later, she has filed a lawsuit against Soler and the Braves seeking compensation. Our article includes the full lawsuit and analysis from a personal injury attorney.https://fishonfirst.com/non-marlins/jorge-soler-braves-lawsuit/Marlins Members have access to today's pre-sale for 2024 single game tickets. The general public has to wait until Thursday to purchase them.Elsewhere around baseball, the Rangers are on the verge of their first-ever World Series title after defeating the Diamondbacks in Game 4. They took an early 10-0 lead despite star outfielder Adolis García being removed from the roster due to injury. The 11-7 final score made the contest seem more competitive than it actually was.Join us tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET for a new edition of Fish On First LIVE on /Twitter/Twitch. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here! https://fishonfirst.com/la-pop/With an opportunity to clinch the championship, the Rangers send Nathan Eovaldi to the mound to start Game 5. They've won all five of Eovaldi's starts this postseason.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.MLB Trade Rumors includes Jacob Stallings, JT Chargois and Garrett Hampson (and Davis) among this offseason's possible non-tender candidates. The article clarifies that "this is not a list of players we think are likelier than not to be non-tendered. These are players we consider to have at least a 10% chance of being cut." Only Stallings belongs in the "likelier than not" category, in my opinion.Christina De Nicola of MLB.com created a guide to the Marlins' offseason. We conclude with some distressing though unsurprising research from Robert Frey, showing that the Marlins have been MLB's least successful team at making trades over the last 12 years. Yes, the two next-worst teams happen to be in the World Series right now, but they had more than their fair of recent struggles before turning the corner.Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos -
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Jorge Soler being sued for causing fan injury with throw into stands
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
Days away from presumably opting out of his Miami Marlins contract and testing free agency, Jorge Soler is dealing with an unwelcome distraction. Soler and his former team, the Atlanta Braves, are co-defendants in a lawsuit filed last Wednesday in Cobb County Superior Court in Georgia. A fan attending Game 3 of the 2021 World Series is said to have suffered an "extensive and excruciating injury" and is holding Soler partially responsible. Soler was playing right field for the Braves that night. Upon completing mid-inning warmups entering the top of the fifth, the suit alleges that he threw the ball in the direction of Mayra Norris with "great force, speed, and intensity." The ball's impact caused multiple fractures, a right eye edema and infra-orbital abrasion. The attorney representing Norris, Susan B. Shaw, provided this photo documenting the injuries: "When people go to a game, they for sure 'assume the risk' of going to a sporting event," Martin I. Berger, co-owner of Miami's Berger & Hicks law firm, explains to Fish On First. "So, the issues here are what was 'reasonable' on everyone’s part," Berger continues. "The Braves will most likely settle. But is there a claim, sure...No one is taking advantage of anyone and no one is shaking anyone down." The suit includes six counts, four of which apply to Soler: negligence, punitive damages, loss of consortium and expenses of litigation (the other two apply only to the Braves). "I do not think the claim for punitive damages has any weight," Berger says. This situation bears some similarities to a 2022 lawsuit filed against the Los Angeles Angels when a child suffered head injuries due to an errant warmup throw. The player who threw that ball, Keynan Middleton, was not a co-defendant like Soler is, though. It should go without saying, Soler's free agent stock will be completely unaffected regardless of how this matter gets resolved. There is zero reason to suspect that he had any intentions to do harm—upon completing their warmup throws, it's common practice across Major League Baseball for fielders to throw balls toward fans seated nearby, as Norris was in this case. Soler is still under contract with the Marlins, due a $13M salary in 2024. However, he's coming off an All-Star season and has the right to opt out of the deal in pursuit of a larger guarantee. He has until the fifth day after the World Series to make that decision. Read the full lawsuit below: 23.10.25 - Norris - Complaint - FiledDownloadPhoto by Harry How/Getty Images -
Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, containing detailed articles about a wide variety of players. The FOF staff analyzes the individual impact that each of them had and what it means for their future with the organization. This installment focuses on infielder Joey Wendle. 2023 TimelineFebruary 10—announced as team's starting shortstop entering spring trainingApril 4—placed on 10-day injured list (right intercostal strain)April 26—sent on minor league rehab assignment to Jacksonville Jumbo ShrimpMay 7—activated from 10-day injured listSeason stats: 112 G, .212/.248/.306, 47 wRC+, 2 HR, 7 SB, -0.8 fWAR (age-33 season) For better or worse, the Marlins had continuity at the shortstop position for the previous half-decade thanks to Miguel Rojas. When an offseason trade sent Rojas to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wendle was supposed to play a major role in filling the void. He wasn't up to the task. Wendle was off to an 0-for-8 start at the plate during Miami's season-opening homestand when he injured himself in batting practice. That kept him out for a month. Then it took him another month to record his first multi-hit game of 2023. Wendle's struggles coincided with a fiery hot streak from Jacob Amaya, who was serving as Triple-A Jacksonville's regular shortstop. The prospect acquired from the Dodgers in exchange for Rojas, Amaya reached base safely in 17 of his first 18 May games, slashing .418/.481/.746 (203 wRC+) during that period. https://fishonfirst.com/at-the-ballpark/marlins-prospects-jacob-amaya-interview/But by the time that Amaya finally got called up in mid-June, Wendle had straightened himself out. He feasted during the Marlins' homestand against the atrocious Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals—went 9-for-21 in those six games—and used that as a springboard. Wendle found himself in the lineup against practically every right-handed starting pitcher. Amaya was optioned back down to Jacksonville after only four games, with Jon Berti taking over the small side of the shortstop platoon. Wendle had a track record of good production against righties while he was with the Tampa Bay Rays. His Marlins debut of 2022 was mildly disappointing in that department (.266/.297/.374, 87 wRC+). This season, he plummeted to a new low. Opponents found that Wendle could be beaten with offspeed pitches (changeups and splitters). Last season, 11.3% of total pitches thrown to Wendle were offspeed pitches. This season, offspeed usage nearly doubled to 20.6%. He did not record a single hit against an offspeed pitch from July 16 through season's end. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/cd046790-89aa-438d-82d9-70a6304fb447.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/0f1d9bfd-d0c9-4b0e-b289-3562c5dbfd0a.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/ea74285a-6cae-44b7-a34c-6adadce67d1e.mp4Pitchers kept attacking Wendle low and in. He couldn't make contact with those pitches as often as he used to. Wendle's strikeout rate soared from 13.5% in 2022 to 21.1% in 2023, the biggest increase among all National League hitters with at least 300 plate appearances in both seasons, according to FanGraphs. Joey Wendle's whiff% by zone, 2022 vs. 2023 | Baseball SavantThe Marlins gradually reduced Wendle's role beginning in late August. With Berti and Garrett Hampson both doing well and capable of manning shortstop themselves, the 33-year-old was benched altogether for the final two weeks of the regular season (he didn't start any of their final 10 games with playoff implications). With all that being said, let's not omit Wendle's contributions with the glove. He played more innings at shortstop in 2023 (754 ⅓) than he had in his previous seven MLB seasons combined, and he held up solidly. He was at his best on backhand plays, generally making accurate throws to compensate for a lack of arm strength. Wendle accrued six defensive runs saved at shortstop and minus-two Statcast run value. Personally, I split the difference and saw him as slightly above average. Although that wasn't enough to make up for the absence of Rojas, it justified keeping him on the roster. Future with the MarlinsFormer Marlins general manager Kim Ng was a big advocate of Wendle throughout her tenure. Even had she been retained, I doubt there would have been an appetite to offer the free agent anything more than a minor league deal. Wendle rebounding to his career averages in 2024 wouldn't move the needle enough offensively for a Marlins team that just scored the fewest runs in the National League. The crop of free agent shortstops is extremely weak, "headlined" by Amed Rosario, and the Marlins are thin on assets that could be used in trades without weakening another area of their major league roster. Fascinating dilemma for the new head of baseball operations. Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images -
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Marlins Podcast Episodes Monday's AFL/winter ball notes: Playing right field, Dane Myers (LIDOM) had his best offensive performance of the winter ball season. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, stolen base and outfield assist. His Gigantes del Cibao improved to 7-2, the best record in the league.Elsewhere around baseball, the Rangers took World Series Game 3 despite losing Max Scherzer to a back injury and Adolis García to left side tightness. Corey Seager blasted a 421-foot home run, boosting his postseason OPS to 1.093. Aaron Judge (Yankees) won the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award. Alex Cobb (Giants) is undergoing hip surgery today that will cause him to miss part of the 2024 season. San Francisco's starting rotation depth is dangerously thin for a team that's sorta trying to contend.Not exactly a sexy pitching matchup for Game 4: Andrew Heaney vs. a Joe Mantiply-led bullpen game. The Rangers are 9-0 in road games this postseason.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. The latest installments cover Yuli Gurriel and Joey Wendle. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.My newest tracker reports on the Marlins' off-the-field organizational changes entering 2024. Plenty of subtractions so far. Still waiting on the additions.Brian Dunleavy of Marlin Maniac ranks Sandy Alcantara, Luis Arraez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. as the three "scariest" Marlins players, meaning those who are most feared by their competitors.Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic covers the rise of Absolutely Ridiculous innovation for Athletes (ARiA), which creates baseball player accessories like gloves and sliding mitts. Chisholm was an early adopter and has since become the company's director of culture.Photo by ashlyncarmela/Instagram -
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Troy Johnston Full 2023 Season Highlights
Ely Sussman replied to Ely Sussman's topic in Miami Marlins Talk
Agreed. I'm also curious to see what he'd look like in LF occasionally. He was an outfielder before converting to 1B and added more agility this past year than he used to have. It's easier to get him on the roster if he is usable in multiple spots. -
This page is updated year-round with Marlins job listings: https://www.teamworkonline.com/baseball-jobs/miamibaseball/miami-marlins But you usually won't see the high-level executive positions there. The search process for those is handled differently.
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Enjoy top plays from Miami Marlins first baseman Troy Johnston! Johnston earned Marlins Minor League Player of the Year honors for his brilliant age-26 season with the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. In 134 games played, he slashed .307/.399/.549 (145 wRC+) with 26 HR and 24 SB. He also had 116 RBI, which led all of Minor League Baseball in 2023. The Gonzaga University product fell all the way to the 17th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. He's been the most productive hitter in the Marlins farm system ever since. With nothing else to prove in the upper minors, Johnston is poised to make his major league debut at some point next season. Where would you rank Johnston among the top prospects in the Marlins organization? -
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I should've also mentioned: Jon Berti finished runner-up to Mookie Betts for the Fielding Bible Award for multi-position players.
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Offishial news, 10/27/23: Friday start times; Johnny Almaraz; Jack McKeon
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
Marlins Podcast Episodes Thursday's AFL/winter ball notes: 3B Jacob Berry went 1-for-5 with a home run, C Paul McIntosh went 1-for-4 and LHP Dale Stanavich blew a save and took the loss for the Peoria Javelinas. Dane Myers (LIDOM) went 1-for-5 with an RBI.The Marlins website is now updated with the scheduled start times of every 2024 home game. This fully confirms that first pitch for Friday games has been pushed back to 7:10 p.m.—in recent years, typical Monday-Friday night games had 6:40 p.m. starts. Seems like a logical change to me. The later start time gives fans a better chance of seeing the entire game once they're done navigating traffic around the ballpark, and with the implementation of the pitch clock, the final out will still be recorded before 10:00 p.m. on most nights. Elsewhere around baseball, the Red Sox officially hired Craig Breslow to be their chief baseball officer. Hopefully, that will accelerate the Marlins' job search. Jack McKeon retired from his Washington Nationals special adviser position. He won a 2019 World Series ring with them. McKeon had been in professional baseball since 1949!The latest included our World Series predictions. I'll tell you mine here: Rangers in six games with Marcus Semien earning MVP honors. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here! https://fishonfirst.com/la-pop/Pictured atop this article, old friends Nathan Eovaldi and Zac Gallen will toe the rubber for tonight's Game 1 of the Fall Classic. The Diamondbacks made it thus far in spite of Gallen, who allowed nine runs (all earned) in 11 total innings over the course of his two NLCS losses. Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. The latest installments cover Andrew Nardi, Garrett Hampson and Trevor Rogers. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.We posted the revised FOF Top 30 prospects list earlier this week. This table illustrates how players rose and fall from where we previous ranked them in July. I found lots of similarities between the D-backs and the World Series-winning Marlins of 20 years ago.https://fishonfirst.com/history/comparing-2003-marlins-2023-diamondbacks/Joe Frisaro reports that Johnny Almaraz quietly joined the Marlins' scouting department and has made a great impression on his colleagues, so much so that some of them want him to be considered in the franchise's front office executive search. Almaraz's career has included gigs with the Reds, Braves and Phillies. At the very least, he figures to be a candidate for Miami's vacant director of amateur scouting position, having run the MLB Draft in Philadelphia as recently as 2019.Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors writes an offseason outlook for the Marlins ("Whoever is eventually hired to make the baseball decisions in Miami will have quite a to-do list").Regardless of lottery results, the Marlins are set to hold the 19th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. It will be the lowest first-round draft position for the Fish since 2010, though that worked out pretty well: they took Christian Yelich with the 23rd pick that year.Fish Army asks what would it take for you to stop being a Marlins fan. The most common response is "relocation," but there's an interesting range, including fans who are close to decommitting and others who insist they're locked in for life no matter what the team does.Photos by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images and Kyusung Gong/Icon Sportswire -
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8 similarities between the 2023 Diamondbacks and 2003 Marlins
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
I'm not trying to convince Miami Marlins fans to root for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. On the contrary, it's natural to be envious of the D-backs making it this far. They got what was generally considered the "easier path" through the 2023 National League postseason field. Moreover, their pitching staff is headlined by former Marlin Zac Gallen, who takes the mound for Arizona in Game 1. It's nonetheless fascinating to draw parallels between the latest NL pennant winner and the one that brought South Florida its latest World Series title 20 years ago. Here's what they have in common... Closely removed from non-competitiveness—Citing financial issues, the Marlins notoriously ripped apart their roster on the heels of winning the 1997 championship. They plummeted from 92 victories to 54 in 1998, a .333 winning percentage which still stands as the worst single-season mark in franchise history. However, some of the prospects acquired via their fire sale became key contributors to the 2003 squad, and tanking in '98 earned them the second overall MLB Draft pick in 1999, which was used to select eventual postseason hero Josh Beckett. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are only two years removed from a 52-110 record. The vast majority of their roster has turned over since then thanks to outstanding player development, augmented by some aggressive trades.Projected for mediocrity—According to SportsOddsHistory.com, oddsmakers set the Marlins' win total prop at over/under 74.5 entering the 2003 season. The D-backs faced nearly as much skepticism (over/under 75.5). FanGraphs initially gave them about a 15% shot to make the postseason and barely a 1-in-100 chance of reaching the Fall Classic.Quirky home ballpark—"Quirky" is putting it politely. During their '03 run, the Marlins were tenants of the football stadium with an ever-changing name (known as Pro Player Stadium at the time). It wasn't long after hoisting the trophy that they began loudly campaigning for a venue to call their own. Arizona's Chase Field is a glorified airplane hangar. More than a quarter-century into the franchise's existence, it's overdue for renovations. Those would have been completed by now if ownership were willing to pay for it rather than holding out for public assistance.Veteran closer added at trade deadline—Neither of these teams were the best versions of themselves by midseason. The D-backs in particular spent July in a free fall and needed to shake things up come deadline time. Ugueth Urbina solidified the back end of the Marlins' bullpen, though they had to part with a three-player package, headlined by future perennial All-Star Adrián González. Paul Sewald likewise forced Arizona to ship three guys out of town. He's done everything possible to justify the cost of acquisition, putting up zeroes throughout the postseason. The D-backs have won 25 of the last 26 games that Sewald has appeared in (regular season and postseason combined).Snuck into postseason as lowest NL seed—The Marlins were the NL Wild Card team back in the days when each league had only one. In 2023, postseason seeding was still undecided entering the season finale, but a Diamondbacks loss locked them into the third Wild Card spot and sixth overall seed in the Senior Circuit. Major League Baseball has made tweaks to the postseason format through the years to minimize the amount of rest and number of home games that low-seeded teams receive. What they're finding out is this sport will always be unpredictable in tiny sample sizes.Trailed 3-2 in NLCS and had to clinch on the road—Both of these underdogs seemingly ran out of gas at the same stage of the postseason. Facing elimination, they had to go into raucous road environments and win a game, then they had to do it all over again the next night. Fun while it lasted, right? The Marlins improbably prevailed with their bats, scoring 17 runs off the Chicago Cubs over the final 11 innings of their series. The Diamondbacks relied on their arms and gloves to limit the Phillies offense to three total runs in NLCS Game 6 and Game 7.Small national footprint—Although Miami and Phoenix are surrounded by massive metro areas, they behave like small-market franchises. Most of their ballparks seats are empty throughout the summer. They're in the news far more often for losing stars than adding them. Their front offices run on modest budgets that make it difficult to contend for the postseason consistently. As a result, casual MLB fans lack familiarity with them and would prefer to see them sent home in favor of sexier brands. Just like the Fish two decades earlier—to the dismay of many—the Snakes remain very much alive. Ken Kendrick kinda looks like Jeffrey Loria—This is not a joke about how "all old, white owners look alike." Seriously, quite a resemblance, don't you think?The 2023 World Series between the D-backs and Texas Rangers gets underway on Friday at 8:03 p.m. ET. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images -
Several times throughout the year, in response to new information, recent on-field performances and player movement, the Fish On First staff revises our ranking of Miami Marlins top prospects. The table below illustrates how each player's position on the FOF Top 30 has changed from one update to the next. Any prospect who appeared on a Top 30 list over the last 12 months is included in the table, which is sorted in alphabetical order. "UR" means the player was in the Marlins organization at the time, but not a Top 30 prospect "N/A" means the player was either not with the organization or has graduated from prospect eligibility. Name May 2025 August 2025 October 2025 January 2026 April 2026 Maximo Acosta 14 11 12 15 17 Kemp Alderman 23 16 8 10 8 Aiva Arquette N/A 3 4 7 7 Nigel Belgrave 30 28 25 UR UR Keyner Benitez 17 15 17 21 19 Starlyn Caba 5 8 9 8 6 Owen Caissie N/A N/A N/A 4 N/A Cam Cannarella N/A 17 14 14 11 Brandon Compton N/A N/A N/A 29 25 Luis Cova 20 13 10 12 12 Deyvison De Los Santos 9 18 23 28 UR Kevin Defrank 15 6 5 6 4 Eliazar Dishmey UR 21 15 18 15 Josh Ekness 26 24 22 27 20 Drew Faurot N/A UR 28 UR UR Dax Fulton 13 27 UR UR UR Payton Green UR UR UR UR 28 Dillon Head 7 9 8 9 9 Cristian Hernández N/A N/A N/A 23 24 Ryan Ignoffo UR UR 29 UR UR Chase Jaworsky N/A 23 UR UR UR Carter Johnson 16 30 UR UR UR Brendan Jones N/A N/A N/A 17 14 Dillon Lewis N/A N/A N/A 5 5 Joe Mack 3 2 2 2 3 Jakob Marsee 24 7 N/A N/A N/A Liomar Martínez 28 UR 27 UR UR Juan Matheus N/A N/A N/A 30 29 Aiden May 29 UR UR UR UR Adam Mazur 8 10 N/A N/A N/A Victor Mesa Jr. 19 UR UR UR N/A Noble Meyer 10 14 18 22 27 Karson Milbrandt 21 20 13 13 10 Jacob Miller 22 UR UR UR UR PJ Morlando 18 19 16 26 26 Nate Payne UR UR UR UR 30 Andrew Pintar 25 UR UR UR UR Agustín Ramírez 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A Andrew Salas 4 5 6 11 13 Jared Serna 11 22 24 UR UR Grant Shepardson 27 29 UR UR UR Robby Snelling 6 4 3 3 2 Santiago Solarte N/A N/A N/A 20 18 Fenwick Trimble 30 UR 20 19 16 Esmil Valencia N/A 26 19 24 23 Andrés Valor 12 12 11 16 22 Josh White UR UR 21 25 21 Thomas White 1 1 1 1 1 View full article
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Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, containing detailed articles about a wide variety of players. The FOF staff analyzes the individual impact that each of them had and what it means for their future with the organization. This installment focuses on left-handed reliever Andrew Nardi. 2023 TimelineJuly 4—placed on 15-day injured list (left triceps inflammation)July 25—sent on minor league rehab assignment to Jacksonville Jumbo ShrimpAugust 1—activated from 15-day injured listSeason stats: 63 G/0 GS, 57.1 IP, 2.67 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 0.8 fWAR (age 24) Andrew Nardi's excellence this past season shouldn't have come as a major shock to those who followed his minor league journey. He had a career 2.64 ERA and 3.05 FIP in the minors to earn his way to The Show in August 2022. He led all Marlins prospects in strikeout rate during that period (min. 100 IP) while frequently facing older competition. However, Nardi's initial cup of coffee threw most folks off his scent. He made 13 MLB relief appearances and allowed hits in 12 of them. Righties and lefties both OPS'd over 1.000 against him. He was terrible. By the time 2023 spring training arrived, the young lefty had already put that behind him. Nardi secured an Opening Day roster spot by dominating the Grapefruit League (8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K). Just as he was seemingly settling in, he allowed three home runs during the final week of April (two to Cody Bellinger). The real breakout began once Nardi ditched his changeup. From May 6 onward, he threw exclusively fastballs and sliders. After making that adjustment, he surrendered only one (unearned) run over his next 19 appearances. In 48 total games as a two-pitch reliever (43.2 IP), he posted an outstanding 1.85 ERA with a 32.2 K% and ranked 15th among all MLB pitchers with a 2.44 WPA, per FanGraphs. Nardi became Skip Schumaker's go-to guy for escaping mid-inning messes. Nardi inherited 40 baserunners this season and stranded all but five of them. Only MLB relievers to strand at least 30 inherited baserunners in 2023 | Baseball-ReferenceNardi may have been outshined early in the season by A.J. Puk and then by Tanner Scott throughout the second half, but he was a massive reason why the Marlins bullpen thrived in high-leverage situations. Highlights/Lowlightshttps://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-05/07/6f0ecb1c-becd55b6-af74164c-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Records first career save to beat Cubs in 14 innings (5/7/23) https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-10/04/e1b32970-915b7d71-dec298fb-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Allows grand slam to Phillies' Bryson Stott in Game 2 of NL Wild Card Series (10/4/23)Future with the MarlinsTo establish himself as an elite reliever, Nardi needs to get a bit better against right-handed batters. That improvement could come from refining and reincorporating his changeup, or from throwing more backdoor sliders to earn called strikes early in the count. No reliever will be considered "untouchable" in the eyes of Miami's incoming baseball operations head, particularly if that hire comes from outside the organization. That being said, Nardi's performance and five remaining years of club control make him a relatively safe bet to reprise his role in the Marlins 'pen. Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves
