Ely Sussman

Relaunching The Offishial Show on a new weekly schedule, Ely Sussman discusses notable Miami Marlins prospects who could be selected to the 40-man roster on Tuesday (4:00). Then, Fish On First staffers Noah Berger and Isaac Azout report on what they heard from Peter Bendix and Bruce Sherman during Monday's press conference (22:30). Subscribe to the Fish On First YouTube channel to watch video versions of every episode of The Offishial Show. Bendix's complete presser is embedded below (apologies for the low volume on it). Follow Ely (@RealEly), Noah (@Trainboy100), Isaac (@IsaacAzout) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. Our Fish On First podcast programming includes The Offishial Show, Fish Unfiltered, State of the Fish, Swimming Upstream, Fishology and What a Relief. All new episodes are posted to FishOnFirst.com/podcasts. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, Megaphone or wherever you normally get your pods from.

Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, filled with detailed articles about a wide variety of players and big-picture topics. 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 reliever Huascar Brazoban. 2023 TimelineMarch 1—reported to spring training after being delayed by visa issueJune 13—optioned to Triple-A JacksonvilleJune 17—recalled from Triple-A JacksonvilleAugust 3—optioned to Triple-A JacksonvilleAugust 5—recalled from Triple-A JacksonvilleAugust 14—placed on 15-day injured list (left hamstring strain)September 21—sent on minor league rehab assignment to Triple-A JacksonvilleSeptember 26—activated from 15-day injured listSeason stats: 50 G/0 GS, 58.2 IP, 4.14 ERA, 3.94 FIP, 1.43 WHIP, 0.4 fWAR (age-33 season) Huascar Brazoban had been one of MLB's oldest rookies in 2022. It was a triumph of Miami's pro scouting staff that he rose all the way to the big leagues after nearly five years away from affiliated ball. He was a cool story during the latter half of a lost season. Entering this year, the Marlins wanted to find out whether he could be a meaningful contributor to a competitive team. The answer was "yes." In an era where most relievers are conditioned to hit the showers after a single inning of action, the Marlins' usage of Brazoban was refreshingly unconventional. In 19 of his 50 games pitched, he was tasked with recording four or more outs. Although it was an unglamorous role—he only had the satisfaction of finishing off two Marlins wins—he provided substantial value. Particularly early in the season, Brazoban showed improved control. During a month-long scoreless streak (April 14-May 14), he issued only four walks and no hit batsmen over 15 innings of work. Compared to his rookie campaign, the Dominican right-hander was better at putting away hitters in two-strike counts—opponents had a collective .125/.239/.158 slash line in those situations. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/d6272ebb-7dbe-4b90-8554-ee06187ae606.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/0b066dd5-c518-41d0-8204-d4a85d323a1d.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/b5d57ad0-77ec-40c2-b48b-c471db826f99.mp4By the end of the aforementioned scoreless streak, Brazoban had pitched in 19 of Miami's first 41 games, tying him for the team lead. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that his effectiveness waned the rest of the way (5.60 ERA in final 31 G). Brazoban's aesthetically pleasing changeup was his most effective pitch, generating an impressive blend of whiffs and soft contact. It was his primary weapon against lefties, accounting for 40.0% of his total pitches against them. Even so, his bottomline results were mediocre when at a platoon disadvantage. Batters OPS'd 200 points higher from the left side. There is still room for Brazoban to improve in other facets as well. He inherited the most baserunners of any Marlins righty despite not being good at stranding them (37.5% of them scored). He also struggled to manage the running game. Brazoban's opponents went a perfect 11-for-11 on stolen base attempts, taking bigger leads against him than any other Marlins pitcher, per Baseball Savant. Both of Brazoban's demotions to the minors were cut short by injuries to other Marlins pitchers. The only two appearances he actually made for Triple-A Jacksonville came in September while making his way back from his own IL stint. Future with the MarlinsWith all three of his minor league options intact and a pre-arb salary, Brazoban's place in the Marlins organization seems secure heading into 2024. As long as he maintains mid-90s fastball velocity and decent strike-throwing ability, he's likely to earn a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. From there, I will be curious to see how the 34-year-old adjusts his pitch sequencing to maximize the value of his changeup. Brazoban's best work could still be ahead of him. Photo by Kevin Barral/Fish On First

Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, filled with detailed articles about a wide variety of players and big-picture topics. 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-hander Braxton Garrett. 2023 TimelineMarch 29—made Marlins Opening Day roster as a relieverApril 3—optioned to Triple-A JacksonvilleApril 4—recalled from Triple-A JacksonvilleOctober 4—started Game 2 of the NL Wild Card SeriesSeason stats: 31 G/30 GS, 159.2 IP, 3.66 ERA, 3.68 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 2.9 fWAR (age-25 season) Too often when analyzing pitchers, we act like "crafty" and "great" are mutually exclusive. Braxton Garrett provided plenty of evidence to the contrary this year. Garrett was genuinely great for a Marlins team that achieved a postseason berth despite flimsy starting rotation depth. The Marlins opened the 2023 campaign with a rotation of Sandy Alcantara, Jesús Luzardo, Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers and Johnny Cueto. That relegated Garrett to a nebulous long man role. Before they could complete one full turn of the rotation, the injury bug bit: Cueto exited his first outing early with right biceps tightness. Garrett was selected as his initial replacement. Defying even the most optimistic prognostications, he made every scheduled start from that point forward. It wasn't all smooth sailing for Garrett. Adversity struck on May 3 when the Marlins hosted the mighty Atlanta Braves. The Braves erupted for seven runs off of Garrett in the second inning and 11 runs total (all of them earned). "I just didn't execute my game plan," Garrett said postgame. "That's it. Pitches weren't good. Everything stunk." Garrett seemingly bounced back in his next start against the Arizona Diamondbacks, though you wouldn't be completely convinced by the final line (5.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1 HR). The walls caved in as he attempted to navigate their order for a third time. The Marlins lost and his earned run average climbed to 5.97. Garrett truly solidified his rotation spot when he took the mound again on May 14 vs. the Cincinnati Reds. The soft-tossing southpaw stunningly struck out six of his first seven batters faced. The game was still scoreless when he exited in the sixth inning, but the Marlins rallied late to win. From May 14 through the All-Star break, Miami won 10 of Garrett's 11 starts. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-05/14/b1464415-1ceb14d8-2152d82e-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Garrett's availability to pitch as much as he did was vital and unexpected. His previous single-season career high for MLB/MiLB innings pitched was 125. Including the postseason, he pushed himself to 162 ⅔ this year without compromising the quality of his performance. In 2023, Major League Baseball's average four-seam fastball velocity was 94.2 mph, according to Baseball Savant. Meanwhile, the fastest pitch that Garrett threw all season was 93.0 mph. How did he compensate for that? Sharp command and a deep pitch mix. Garrett utilized six different pitch types this year. His sinker was typically his most-used offering, but he would lean more heavily on his slider or newly engineered cutter in certain matchups. For two months in the middle of the season, he completely shelved his four-seamer. His change-of-pace curveball was his least effective pitch, but he found appropriate times to incorporate it at least once during every appearance. Garrett made himself very difficult for opponents to predict. Garrett's success is also a story of collaboration. All 2,480 pitches that he threw in 2023 were received by Nick Fortes. They began working as a battery while playing for the 2019 High-A Jupiter Hammerheads and that familiarity is now paying dividends at the highest level. Future with the MarlinsAlthough he's gotten big league reps in four separate seasons, Garrett has accumulated less than two full years of MLB service time. That means entering 2024, he still isn't eligible for arbitration. He is poised to be among the best bargains in baseball once again if he can match this season's workload. Has Garrett already hit his ceiling as a solid No. 3 starter? The next step for him is demonstrating that he can continue getting outs as his pitch count climbs. Opponents combined for a Ronald Acuña Jr.-like .349/.419/.621 slash line when Garrett was 76 or more pitches into his starts, per Baseball-Reference. The Marlins still have one more minor league option to use on Garrett in the future if necessary. Health permitting, he's a lock for an Opening Day rotation spot. Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

Marlins Podcast Episodes Thursday's AFL/winter ball notes: DH Jacob Berry, SS Nasim Nuñez and C Paul McIntosh combined for four hits and five runs scored as the Peoria Javelinas won their regular season finale.Luis Arraez became the first player since Mookie Betts to win back-to-back Silver Slugger Awards in different leagues and the first Marlin to win a Silver Slugger since J.T. Realmuto (2018). Here is the full list of 2023 winners.Elsewhere around baseball, the Tigers snatched play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti away from the White Sox. Outstanding hire, in my opinion.Tonight is an elimination game in the Arizona Fall League between the Peoria Javelinas and Scottsdale Scorpions. The victor advances to face the Surprise Saguaros in Saturday's championship game. Watch here beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review concludes this week. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.Marlins president of business operations Caroline O'Connor was the keynote speaker at the Katy Feeney Leadership Luncheon during the MLB Fall Business Meetings. O'Connor praised the Marlins for creating "an environment that was a meritocracy, really committed to having the best person in every role." Senior group sales & service executive Jessica Crosson was the Marlins' 2023 Katy Feeney Leadership selectee.On this day 20 years ago, Dontrelle Willis was named NL Rookie of the Year.Jorge Soler (DH), Luis Arraez (2B), Jake Burger (3B) and Tanner Scott (RP) are on the 2023 All-MLB ballot. Vote for them through November 19.Happy 24th birthday to Marlins IF Jordan Groshans. The Marlins acquired Groshans from the Blue Jays at the 2022 trade deadline and he quickly made it up to the majors. However, he didn't even sniff a call-up in 2023. He slashed .243/.339/.330 (74 wRC+) with only six home runs in 125 games while splitting defensive reps between third base and first base. Groshans is unranked on the latest iteration of the Fish On First Top 30.https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/fe92bbde-fdad-46c9-abf3-98bebbba7047.mp4Photo by Danis Sosa/Fish On First

Marlins Podcast Episodes Wednesday's AFL/winter ball notes: In the Dominican Republic, RF Dane Myers went 0-for-4.The Marlins are interested in re-signing Jorge Soler, Francys Romero reports. They aren't alone, of course: Romero estimates that about six MLB teams are currently pursuing the free agent slugger. We've seen this movie before, haven't we? While I believe the Marlins' interest is genuine, their willingness to spend what it requires to get the deal done for a free agent of this caliber is not. Soler will cost far more than the $36M he got from his previous free agent contract, and there will inevitably be a non-Marlins team that steps up with an irrational offer to secure his services.Soler (DH), Luis Arraez (2B), Jake Burger (3B) and Tanner Scott (RP) are on the 2023 All-MLB ballot. Fan voting counts for 50% during the selection process, with the other 50% being a baseball media panel vote. Vote through November 19.Elsewhere around baseball, the Angels hired Ron Washington to be their new manager. "Wash" returns to the skipper position for the first time in the decade, having previously had a successful run with the Rangers from 2007-2014. Most recently, he served as the Braves third base coach. Bryce Harper will continue to play first base for the Phillies in 2024. One would think that Harper would be physically able to return to his usual right field position following a full offseason of elbow surgery recovery, but the team boasts plenty of outfield depth. "Likely within the next week," Japanese star right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be posted by the Orix Buffaloes. He's projected to command a long-term, nine-figure deal to come to the U.S.We had a trio of guests join us for the latest , including two from the Rays The Roof podcast. The conversation focused mainly on Peter Bendix and the 2023-24 free agent class. 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/Today is the Arizona Fall League regular season finale and it's "win or go home" for Marlins prospects on the Peoria Javelinas. A victory over the Salt River Rafters earns them a play-in semifinal berth. Watch here beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review concludes this week. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.Aram Leighton of Just Baseball published his Marlins offseason outlook. He and I are aligned on several potential trade and free agent targets, including Tommy Edman and Iván Herrera of the Cardinals.Photo courtesy of Miami Marlins

Marlins Podcast Episodes Tuesday's AFL/winter ball notes: Tough loss for the Peoria Javelinas, blowing a 7-0 lead to the Scottsdale Scorpions. SS Nasim Nuñez and C Paul McIntosh combined to go 1-for-10 with four strikeouts, while LHP Evan Taylor and RHP Zach McCambley combined to allow five runs (all earned) in two innings pitched. In the Dominican Republic, CF Dane Myers went 3-for-5 with his first winter ball home run.Twenty players from various levels of the Marlins organization elected minor league free agency. Jorge Alfaro, Enmanuel De Jesus, Jerar Encarnación, Charles Leblanc and Brian Miller previously played MLB regular season games for the Fish. Additionally, Colton Hock, Yeremin Lara, Brady Puckett and Henry Valencio have spent their entire professional careers with the Marlins up to this point.Embedded above, Peter Bendix gave his first public interview as Marlins president of baseball operations. He emphasized the importance of having the right people in place and being "disciplined" enough to make appropriate long-term decisions. He also indicated that the hiring of a general manager is not imminent.Join us tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET for a new edition of Fish On First LIVE on /Twitter/Twitch. Special guest: Gabriel Garcia of Lemon City Live. 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. One more week until we fully turn the page to 2024. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.Glenn Geffner's View from the Bleachers believes that the Marlins' hiring of Bendix "is a signal that (Bruce) Sherman wants to try to win like the Rays win, with a bottom-of-the-league payroll."Happy 34th birthday to Marlins legend Giancarlo Stanton. The only NL MVP winner in franchise history, Stanton became MLB's active career home run leader following the retirements of Miguel Cabrera and Nelson Cruz. He still has four guaranteed years remaining on the 13-year extension he originally signed in Miami. Photo by Kevin Barral/Fish On First

Marlins Podcast Episodes Monday's AFL/winter ball notes: LHP Luis Palacios is getting ready to make his debut with Venezuela's Leones del Caracas. Palacios had a heavy workload as a starter in the Marlins farm system this season (152.2 IP when including the postseason), mostly with Double-A Pensacola. I assume Caracas will use him as a reliever.To my chagrin, the Marlins did not issue a qualifying offer to Jorge Soler prior to Monday's deadline. Had they done so, Soler probably would've rejected it, thereby entitling the Marlins to a compensatory draft pick once he signs with another team. Instead, they're now poised to lose him for nothing. To be clear, Soler accepting the $20.325M offer would've made it incredibly challenging for the team to address other pressing needs for 2024. However, that is a calculated risk worth taking. Soler sticks out in a light-hitting MLB free agent class and should receive no shortage of lucrative multi-year offers.In more mundane news, the Marlins exercised Jon Berti's $3.625M club option. They also activated Trevor Rogers, Max Meyer and Anthony Bender from the 60-day injured list, and ran Tommy Nance through waivers, then outrighted him to the minors. Their 40-man roster is currently at 35.The 2023 National League Manager of the Year finalists are Brian Snitker (Braves), Craig Counsell (Brewers) and Miami's own Skip Schumaker. Voting for the award has already taken place, to be clear. This announcement means that Schumaker finished in the top three. Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald presents his case to win. Elsewhere around baseball, Counsell has stunningly taken the job as Cubs manager...even though the Cubs weren't openly searching for one. Counsell was lured with a record-setting five-year, $40M contract to replace David Ross. The Mets have hired Carlos Mendoza and the Guardians have hired Stephen Vogt. Both will be first-time MLB skippers. Hard to imagine the Marlins signing any of them, but just FYI, the seven free agents who received qualifying offers are Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell, Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray, Matt Chapman and Josh Hader.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. One more week until we fully turn the page to 2024. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.The Marlins have until November 14 to determine which eligible prospects to select to their 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. Alex Carver analyzes Troy Johnston, Anthony Maldonado, Victor Mesa Jr., Nasim Nuñez and Will Banfield.The Marlins Hot Stove Show is returning today at 5:00 p.m. ET and presumably includes an interview with Peter Bendix. There are 11 episodes scheduled over the next three months.Photo courtesy of Miami Marlins

Marlins Podcast Episodes Sunday's AFL/winter ball notes: 3B Jacob Berry, SS Nasim Nuñez and RHP Ike Buxton each participated in the Fall Stars Game. The American League team won, 6-3. In the Dominican Republic, 1B Jerar Encarnación went 3-for-5 with a home run, RF Dane Myers went 2-for-4 with a game-winning RBI hit by pitch, and LHP Jefry Yan made a scoreless relief appearance.The Marlins just announced Peter Bendix as their new president of baseball operations, as had been widely reported on Sunday. Bendix spent essentially his entire baseball career in the Rays organization, ascending from intern to No. 2 decision-maker during his 15 seasons there. At the relatively young age of 38, he's now the No. 1 person in Miami's front office. The vast majority of our Twitter audience says they had never heard of Bendix prior to Sunday, but an even higher percentage of our website audience likes the hire. https://fishonfirst.com/news/marlins-hire-peter-bendix/While the Bendix news was spreading, the Marlins (as expected) declined their 2024 club options on Johnny Cueto and Matt Barnes. They're receiving buyouts of $2.5M and $2.75M, respectively—those payments count toward the 2024 payroll.Elsewhere around baseball, Gold Glove award winners were announced. Zack Wheeler took home the hardware for National League pitchers (Jesús Luzardo was a finalist at that position).The Marlins have one more contract option to make a decision on today: Jon Berti's $3.625M club option. Even if they turn it down, he'll remain with the organization entering his third year of arbitration eligibility. Today is also the deadline to extend a $20.325M qualifying offer to Jorge Soler. I recommend that they do it—Soler is highly likely to decline, at which point the Marlins would be entitled to a compensatory 2024 draft pick once he signs elsewhere.Roster moves are on the horizon, too. Today's the deadline to activate players from the 60-day injured list. For the Marlins, that means re-adding Trevor Rogers, Max Meyer, Anthony Bender and potentially Tommy Nance to their 40-man roster. Nance is a candidate to be waived, though the Marlins have ample space for him on their 40-man, so they can kick that can down the road.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. One more week until we fully turn the page to 2024. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.Graphic courtesy of Miami Marlins

He's staying! The Miami Marlins acquired Josh Bell at the trade deadline with the assumption that he'd be on their roster through 2024. Bell almost performed too well as a Marlin, raising the question of whether the free agent market would value him at even more than the $16.5 million salary he was due to make. On Saturday, the Marlins announced that he was exercising his player option to remain in Miami. The Marlins don't make it to October without Bell. Splitting time between first base and designated hitter, he slashed .270/.338/.480 (119 wRC+) in 53 regular season games following his trade from Cleveland, including .287/.350/.543 (138 wRC+) at LoanDepot Park. The veteran switch-hitter was especially hot from the right side of the plate during that span. He was also one of the only hitters on the team who showed up for the NL Wild Card Series (4-for-8, 2 2B). This MLB free agent class is thin on everyday hitters like Bell. At age 31 and with a very durable track record, he would have received multi-year offers. However, that likely would've meant settling for a salary of less than $16.5M in 2024. By exercising his option, Bell is attempting to maximize his career earnings and betting on himself to pick up where he left off at the end of 2023. For fellow slugger Jorge Soler, opting for free agency was a much simpler decision. Soler's likelihood of re-signing with the Marlins was already low—this news makes it almost impossible to envision. Resources must be reserved for addressing several other areas of the roster (shortstop, catcher, starting rotation, etc.). Although we can expect Bell to see substantial playing time at first base next year, he has never been a strong defender there. He can co-exist with another first baseman on the roster, whether it's Marlins Minor League Player of the Year Troy Johnston or somebody who's not currently with the organization. Lots of permutations for the yet-to-be-filled front office to consider this offseason. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images