Ely Sussman

In Friday's win over the Texas Rangers, the Marlins added an extra layer to their pitch-calling, with each call originating from the coaches in the dugout. Here's why. View full video

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's road series against the Texas Rangers. Starting Lineup DH Agustín Ramírez CF Jakob Marsee (L) SS Otto Lopez C Liam Hicks (L) LF Heriberto Hernández RF Troy Johnston (L) 3B Connor Norby 2B Graham Pauley (L) 1B Eric Wagaman P Janson Junk Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Even if this front office believes deep down that Stowers had a fluky year and he's at the absolute peak of his value, don't think it would be worth the risk. To trade such a good hitter fresh off an All-Star season while he's still earning league minimum money, you cannot roll the dice on prospects. That is the kind of decision that gets GMs fired a couple years later if those particular prospects don't pan out.

If you were confused at the time of the trade about why the Miami Marlins were parting with Jesús Sánchez, it should be much easier to comprehend at this point. Three different Marlins outfielders drove in runs during Thursday's win, none of whom are even ensured a spot on the 2026 Opening Day roster. That just speaks how much depth they have. Jakob Marsee will be the club's starting center fielder moving forward and Kyle Stowers will man one of the corner spots. Figuring out how to allocate the rest of the outfield playing time is a wonderful problem to have. The run producers alluded to above were Heriberto Hernández, Troy Johnston and Dane Myers. Johnston was replaced by Joey Wiemer late in the game for defensive purposes, and Wiemer—albeit in a tiny sample—has Miami's top hard-hit rate this season. Meanwhile, down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won. Kemp Alderman crushed a 471-foot home run (the second time he's done so this season). Victor Mesa Jr. also homered—he's slashing .312/.372/.539 for the Jumbo Shrimp. Griffin Conine continued his rehab assignment and Derek Hill began one of his own. Even recent trade acquisition Matthew Etzel has quietly held his own since arriving in Jacksonville, all but securing a non-roster invite to spring training. The Marlins had the ideal outfield scenario a decade ago, with three high-end starters simultaneously entering their primes. Having two of those ain't too shabby when there are this many talented players in the mix who are also under cheap club control. There are, in my opinion, too many outfielders at similar stages of their careers, likely culminating in a substantial trade over the offseason that bolsters another area of the organization. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Sandy Alcantara seized sole possession of fourth place on the all-time Marlins wins list, passing Brad Penny. If everybody in the current Marlins rotation continues making their regularly scheduled starts, Alcantara will take the mound only one more time in 2025. However, the team does have the flexibility to pitch him next Tuesday and next Sunday (Game 162) if interested in doing so. 🔷 Baseball America includes the Marlins among nine MLB teams that had particularly strong 2025 international signing classes, highlighting Andrew Salas, Kevin Defrank, Pedro Montero, Adriano Marrero, Adrian Peña and Luis Arana. BA also published a longer feature on Miami's player development ethos, which involves being fully transparent with prospects about where they need improve to progress through the farm system. 🔷 Marlins bullpen coach Brandon Mann spoke with David Laurila of FanGraphs about the unique characteristics of changeups thrown by the different pitchers on his staff. 🔷 On this day in 1995, Greg Colbrunn put the Marlins ahead for good with a clutch home run against the rival Phillies. 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated. Only three series left! Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Clayton Kershaw announced that he will retire following the 2025 postseason. The future Hall of Famer makes his final regular season appearance at Dodger Stadium tonight. In the fight for the third National League Wild Card spot, the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds won, while the San Francisco Giants lost. The Mets hold a two-game lead over the Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks—and a six-game lead over the Marlins. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins visit the Texas Rangers (probable starters RHP Janson Junk and RHP Tyler Mahle). This is only the second time that the Fish have ever visited Globe Life Field—they were swept by the Rangers during a three-game series in 2023. The Marlins have a 42.2% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 8:05 p.m. ET. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the third and final game of Miami's road series against the Colorado Rockies. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) C Agustín Ramírez DH Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez 3B Graham Pauley (L) 1B Eric Wagaman RF Troy Johnston (L) LF Dane Myers 2B Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's road series against the Colorado Rockies. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) DH Agustín Ramírez C Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez 1B Graham Pauley (L) 3B Connor Norby LF Heriberto Hernández RF Troy Johnston (L) 2B Javier Sanoja P Ryan Weathers Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Maybe you'll bump into Skip in the stands—he's a Rangers advisor (at least for a few more weeks until he lands another managerial job 😅)

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's road series against the Colorado Rockies. Starting Lineup SS Otto Lopez C Agustín Ramírez CF Jakob Marsee (L) DH Heriberto Hernández 1B Eric Wagaman 3B Connor Norby LF Dane Myers RF Joey Wiemer 2B Javier Sanoja P Eury Pérez Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

As announced on Roberto Clemente Day, Griffin Conine is among Major League Baseball's 30 nominees for the 2025 edition of the award that bears Clemente's name. The Hall of Fame outfielder was revered for his humanitarian work, so the Roberto Clemente Award goes to a player who "best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field." Conine started his age-27 season with a promising 20-game stretch during which he slashed .281/.352/.438 with great defense in the corner outfield spots. But he has been sidelined for nearly five months since dislocating his left shoulder and undergoing surgery. He's expected to complete a rehab assignment this week and rejoin the Fish in the midst of their final road trip of 2025. Even more so than the typical Clemente Award nominee, Conine's nomination is all about his off-the-field impact. Throughout this year, he has focused his efforts on youth development and increasing access to baseball. "When Griffin attends events, he leads with intention, making every child feel seen, valued and inspired," the Marlins say. Conine worked with the Marlins Foundation to help launch the 2025 season with the Marlins Tee Ball Initiative’s Opening Day at Miami Beach, where he joined young athletes on the field, led drills and offered encouragement. The Marlins hosted the Beep Ball Classic at loanDepot park, an adaptive baseball experience for blind and visually impaired young adults. Conine played blindfolded to gain firsthand perspective and make a statement about the importance of inclusivity in sports. Conine also joined Billy’s Summer Reading Challenge at a Miami library, led warmups for a PLAY BALL clinic and visited Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center's Alex’s Place. Fittingly, Conine has been regularly involved in the "Community Gamechanger" moment during Marlins home games as individuals making their own positive impact in the South Florida community were honored by the Marlins Foundation. You can vote for Conine here through September 28. View full rumor

The Miami Marlins farm system was universally ranked among Major League Baseball's worst at the end of the 2023 season when Peter Bendix took over the franchise's baseball operations. Before Bendix's hiring was even finalized, the Marlins parted ways with DJ Svihlik, who had orchestrated their previous five MLB Draft classes as director of amateur scouting. According to the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson, principal owner Bruce Sherman "wanted to replace Svihlik because Marlins' draft hasn't produced much with position players." Two years later, it remains true that those players have made practically zero impact at the major league level. The only Miami amateur draftees to swing a bat for the 2025 Marlins have been Nick Fortes and Troy Johnston, who have combined for less than one win above replacement. It's been a similar story on the mound, with four pitchers drafted and developed by the organization combining for a 4.91 ERA in 144 ⅔ innings. However, the seeds that Svihlik planted are poised to bear much more fruit in 2026—on both sides of the ball. Although it has become increasingly common around the sport for top prospects to be fast-tracked through the minor leagues, let this serve as a reminder that in the vast majority of cases, several years of patience are needed to render a verdict on a homegrown player. Catcher Joe Mack and outfielder Kemp Alderman were drafted in 2021 and 2023, respectively. They both performed very poorly at the plate during the summer of '23, so much so that they briefly slipped out of the Fish On First Top 30 the following year. They have since made the proper mechanical and approach adjustments. With the annual Marlins minor league awards presentation looming next week, 2025 Player of the Year honors are all but certain to go to one of them. Combining elite defense with above-average power, Mack has blossomed into the best all-around catching prospect that the Marlins have had in at least a decade (J.T. Realmuto), if not three decades (Charles Johnson). He is currently ranked 42nd on Baseball America's Top 100 list and destined to move up a handful of spots in October once the list updates to account for players who recently graduated from prospect eligibility. Alderman spent most of the season starring for Double-A Pensacola, and he hasn't slowed down one bit since being promoted to Jacksonville. He enters Wednesday with a .291/.322/.673 slash line and 154 wRC+ in 14 Jumbo Shrimp games. Alderman's 57.9 HardHit% against Triple-A competition is a top-10 mark among all players with at least 50 AAA plate appearances, edging out the likes of Roman Anthony (57.6%), Samuel Basallo (57.4%) and Nick Kurtz (56.7%). In 2023, the Marlins made a big bet on a prep left-hander from a cold-weather state and it has paid off handsomely. Thomas White was already a consensus Top 100 talent entering 2025; once next spring training rolls around, he may be the consensus No. 1 lefty in the minors. With one regular season start still to come, White has posted a 2.33 ERA and 38.5% strikeout rate in 85 innings pitched. Karson Milbrandt, Miami's third-rounder in 2022, just had his most dominant half-season as a pro. It's getting easier to forecast him as an eventual major leaguer. The most glaring Marlins draft gaffe during Svihlik's tenure was selecting Jacob Berry with the sixth overall pick in 2022. How could they have possibly gone in that direction when Brooks Lee—another switch-hitting collegiate star, but one with actual defensive aptitude at a premium position—would've signed for comparable money? What an unforced error...right? Lee was called up by the Minnesota Twins less than two years after the draft and has accrued 179 MLB games since then. It's been empty calories, though. He is slashing .233/.282/.360 with 18 home runs and six stolen bases, netting out at precisely 0.0 fWAR—hey, that's tied with Berry! A couple other notables: - Right-hander Josh White (fifth round, 2022) was arguably the best relief pitcher in Minor League Baseball this year. No reliever at any MiLB level with a minimum of 40 innings bested his 1.53 FIP, and White did most of that work at Triple-A. He should be a high-leverage weapon for the 2026 Fish. - Ryan Ignoffo (20th round, 2023) was the very last draft pick of the Svihlik era. By wRC+, he's been the most productive hitter in the Marlins system during that three-year span while also learning how to catch. Ignoffo likely would have finished this season in Jacksonville if not for a hamstring injury. On the other hand, plenty of draftees from those years have bombed out of affiliated ball. Mack appears to be the only hope for the class of 2021. It has been a rocky road for Dax Fulton (second round, 2020) coming back from his second career Tommy John surgery to the point that his 40-man roster spot may be in jeopardy during this upcoming offseason. Noble Meyer's stock has gradually faded ever since he was picked atop the 2023 draft. Earlier this year, new Marlins director of amateur scouting Frankie Piliere described to Fish On First the harmonious working relationship that he has with Bendix. If Sherman hadn't already dismissed Svihlik, there's a good chance that Bendix would have reached the same decision to handpick his own guy for the position. Overall, though, the general perception that Bendix inherited a depleted talent pipeline was an exaggeration. He deserves a lot of credit for revamping the Marlins' approach to player development, leveraging technology in ways that the old front office did not. That can only take you so far. You inevitably need players with loud tools and strong work ethics, and the Marlins had those in house when Bendix showed up. View full article

He's got an 80-grade name and legitimate talent on the field as well. Marlins outfielder Fenwick Trimble certainly boosted his prospect stock during the 2025 minor league season. In 84 games played, Trimble slashed .253/.372/.402 with seven home runs, 31 stolen bases and a 134 wRC+. Trimble will continue his development with the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League. View full video

The Miami Marlins are not yet athematically eliminated from postseason contention, but any sane person has already accepted that they'll be watching October baseball from the couch. How do players and fans alike stay motivated in the meantime? The pursuit of various records and milestones can be a solid consolation. Sandy Alcantara's next win would be his 51st as a Marlin, breaking a tie with Brad Penny and giving Alcantara sole possession of fourth place on the franchise's all-time list. Agustín Ramírez has tied J.T. Realmuto's single-season franchise record for most stolen bases by a primary catcher (12) and he's one shy of Realmuto's home run record (21). On the flip side, the Marlins have 180 stolen bases allowed this season, which is easily the highest total in the majors. They could potentially become the first MLB team since the 2001 Boston Red Sox to permit 200 steals. Jakob Marsee is on pace to rewrite several Marlins rookie records (among those with as much rookie playing time as he's had). He's in good shape to establish a new OPS record, currently held by Preston Wilson and Josh Willingham (both finished at .852). He holds a narrow two-point lead over 2009 Chris Coghlan in the batting average department, .323 to .321. There have been homers from 22 different Marlins players in 2025, tying Miami's single-season record (also done in 2013 and 2022). The only plausible position player candidate to become the 23rd is Jack Winkler. If not him, perhaps a miraculous series of events leads to a pitcher stepping into the box and going yard. From a wins and losses standpoint, the biggest year-to-year improvement in Marlins history was from 1999 to 2000, bettering their record by 15.5 games. That can be topped by going at least 8-4 through season's end. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville lost, 4-2. Griffin Conine, Dane Myers, Connor Norby and Freddy Tarnok each made rehab appearances. Entering extra innings without any more available pitchers, the Jumbo Shrimp sent third-string catcher Spencer Bramwell to the mound. In Double-A Pensacola’s season finale, the Blue Wahoos won, 12-1. Jay Beshears went 4-for-5 with a home run and 5 RBI. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Seth Martinez elected free agency after being outrighted to the minors. Across six Marlins relief appearances, he pitched 6 ⅔ innings and allowed four earned runs. 🔷 Eli Ben-Porat of Baseball America finds that Joe Mack has "optimized his swing to punish high fastballs, and he has the plate discipline and pitch recognition to target those pitches." 🔷 Christina De Nicola of MLB.com details the ups and downs of Fenwick Trimble's first full minor league season. I just got done putting together an extended highlight reel of his hitting, fielding and baserunning. 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated. Only four series left! Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies have clinched postseason berths. The New York Mets snapped their eight-game losing streak on the strength of Pete Alonso's walk-off three-run shot. Cal Raleigh hit his 54th home run, tying Mickey Mantle's all-time single-season record for a switch-hitter. South Florida's own Anthony Rizzo announced his retirement. 🔷 The Marlins are idle as Major League Baseball celebrates Roberto Clemente Day. Presumably, they'll be honoring Clemente's memory during Tuesday's game at Coors Field. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the third and final game of Miami's home series against the Detroit Tigers. Starting Lineup SS Otto Lopez CF Jakob Marsee (L) C Agustín Ramírez DH Liam Hicks (L) 1B Eric Wagaman LF Troy Johnston (L) 2B Maximo Acosta RF Victor Mesa Jr. (L) 3B Javier Sanoja P Adam Mazur Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

It would require the most dominant two-week stretch in Miami Marlins history and some outside help. FanGraphs estimates that this scenario has a 0.0% likelihood of coming to fruition. But on the heels of Saturday's walk-off victory and some helpful results around the National League, the glass with just a few drops of champagne in it suddenly looks half full. You can always count on the New York Mets to opt for chaos over prosperity. They made it nearly halfway through the 2025 campaign with Major League Baseball's highest winning percentage, but have since imploded, not only plummeting from NL East title contention, but putting the league's third Wild Card spot in play for the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals. Entering Sunday, I'm not ready to rule out Miami, either. The Marlins face a six-game deficit with 13 games left to play. After Sunday's series finale against the Detroit Tigers, the Marlins embark on a three-city, nine-game road trip. The first stop is Colorado. Although the Rockies are definitively the worst team in MLB, they also swept the Marlins earlier this season. Maybe that previous embarrassment will compel Miami to play with a heightened sense of urgency? Position player reinforcements are expected to arrive just in time for that series in the form of Dane Myers, Connor Norby and Graham Pauley. The Marlins will not have to deal with Jacob deGrom when visiting the Texas Rangers, but it's an intimidating matchup, nonetheless. The Rangers have won six of their last seven series, posting an MLB-best 16-4 record during that span. The next-best record during the same span belongs to the Philadelphia Phillies (15-7). However, it's possible that the Phils will have nothing to play for, with a top-two NL record and bye to the NLDS already secured. The regular season slate concludes with a three-game set at loanDepot park against the aforementioned New York Mess. The Marlins won their season series against the Giants and Reds, which earned them the tiebreaker over both teams should they finish with identical records. After splitting their season series against the Diamondbacks and Cardinals, those tiebreakers will come down to intradivision record—the Marlins are 20-26 vs. the NL East, the D-backs are 23-20 vs. the NL West and the Cards are 22-26 vs. the NL Central. The Marlins-Mets tiebreaker will go to whomever wins the September 26-28 series. Over the next 15 days, if... The Mets go 5-8 (or worse) The Giants go 6-8 (or worse) The Reds go 7-7 (or worse) The Diamondbacks go 6-7 (or worse) The Cardinals go 8-5 (or worse) The Marlins go 11-2 (and at least 2-1 vs. the Mets) Then the Marlins would be postseason-bound. View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's home series against the Detroit Tigers. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) DH Agustín Ramírez C Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández 1B Troy Johnston (L) 2B Maximo Acosta RF Victor Mesa Jr. (L) 3B Javier Sanoja P Janson Junk Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Andrew Salas was the youngest Marlins prospect to see action at Low-A Jupiter during the 2025 minor league season. The versatile 17-year-old stole 39 bases. View full video

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's home series against the Detroit Tigers. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) C Agustín Ramírez CF Jakob Marsee (L) SS Otto Lopez DH Heriberto Hernández 1B Eric Wagaman RF Joey Wiemer 3B Maximo Acosta LF Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)