Ely Sussman

Fish On First LIVE discusses why selecting Jacob Lombard is well worth the risk for the Marlins and how his projected overslot bonus will impact the rest of their 2026 draft class. View full video

The 14th overall pick in the MLB Draft, shortstop Jacob Lombard discusses joining the Marlins organization and the critical support he has received from his family. 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 second game of Miami's home series against the Cleveland Guardians. Starting Lineup DH Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez 1B Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) LF Heriberto Hernández RF Griffin Conine (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) C Joe Mack (L) 3B Javier Sanoja P Eury Pérez Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

On Foul Territory, Marlins right-hander Tyler Phillips raves about Joe Mack's work ethic and explains how Mack's unbelievable throwing ability helps him execute on the mound. 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 Cleveland Guardians. Starting Lineup SS Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández 2B Xavier Edwards (S) 3B Javier Sanoja 1B Kyle Stowers (L) DH Leo Jimenez RF Esteury Ruiz CF Jakob Marsee (L) C Joe Mack (L) P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

As usual, the Miami Marlins are keeping their MLB Draft plans close to the vest. Being in the middle of the pack in terms of both draft order and overall bonus pool size, there are many factors beyond their control, anyway. In other words, predicting who they'll get with the 14th overall pick and beyond is difficult. Don't let that spoil the fun! Updated early Saturday morning, here is a roundup of the latest mock drafts from Fish On First's in-house analysts and leading national baseball publications. Hector Rodriguez of Fish On First No. 14 pick: Ace Reese, 1B/3B, Mississippi State No. 52 pick: Andrew Williamson, OF, UCF No. 71 pick: Will Gasparino, OF, UCLA No. 87 pick: Jack Slightom, RHP, Lyons HS (IL) No. 115 pick: Peyton Bonds, OF, Rutgers No. 147 pick: Deven Sheerin, RHP, LSU Sean McCormack of Fish On First No. 14 pick: Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida No. 52 pick: Ethan Bass, SS, Glenbrook North HS (IL) No. 71 pick: Ryan Peterson, RHP, Sam Houston State No. 87 pick: Alex Conover, OF, Oklahoma State No. 115 pick: Jake Carbaugh, RHP, Plant City HS (FL) FOF Mock Draft Consensus Board (courtesy of Jamie Cameron) No. 14 pick: AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia No. 52 pick: Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn No. 71 pick: Owen Hull, OF, North Carolina No. 87 pick: Ruger Riojas, RHP, Texas No. 115 pick: Daniel Cuvet, 1B/3B, Miami Carlos Collazo of Baseball America No. 14 pick: Chris Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M "I’ve continued to hear that Derek Curiel might be the preferred target here for the Marlins. If he gets this far on the board, I would expect him to be the pick. There are plenty of scenarios where that doesn’t happen, including this one. I’ll stick with Hacopian, though other bats like Ace Reese, AJ Gracia or Sawyer Strosnider could make some sense. Zion Rose is a bat I’ll speculate on some here as well. He could wind up surprising people with where he goes on draft day, even if I don’t have a no-doubt obvious landing spot for him in this mock." Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline No. 14 pick: Derek Curiel, OF, LSU "The Marlins might not think the LSU standout will still be on the board, but if he is, he could get the nod over Hacopian or one of the college arms who come up at this point in the Draft, like Peterson or Tennessee right-hander Tegan Kuhns." Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline No. 14 pick: Jacob Lombard, SS, Gulliver Prep (FL) "This would be a coup for the Marlins, who couldn’t have expected to get Lombard even a few days ago. If this doesn’t come true, Reese, Grindlinger and Georgia prep outfielder Trevor Condon make sense here." Keith Law of The Athletic No. 14 pick: Taylor Rabe, RHP, Ole Miss "Rabe is the hottest name in the draft in terms of how much he seems to go up every time I do this exercise, having finished very strongly and scoring very well in teams’ draft models. I have heard them a little with some upside players (Justin Lebron, Gio Rojas), but more with somewhat safer college players, hitters or pitchers. The Marlins’ model tends to favor defense, so Lebron might fit but several of the other college bats wouldn’t." Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs No. 14 pick: Gio Rojas, LHP, Stoneman Douglas HS (FL) "The Marlins have targeted big upside in recent drafts, usually with power-hitting position players who have struggled to hit. A continuation of that strategy could lead them to Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron in this scenario. If they want to change course, well, most of the high-contact college hitters are off the board here. High school outfielder Trevor Condon is the prep version of that profile. This is late for the first prep arm to go and would be great value, with a cherry of positive optics on top because Rojas is local." Adrian White of Just Baseball No. 14 pick: Ace Reese, 1B/3B, Mississippi State "Reese makes sense for Miami as one of the best college bats still available. The defensive home is not completely settled, but the left-handed power plays in this part of the round. He produced in the SEC, with enough contact ability to avoid the power-only label. Miami could let him continue proving himself at third base, though first base may be the cleaner long-term fit. Either way, the Marlins are betting on a bat with a chance to anchor the middle of a lineup." View full article

The cast is almost entirely new, but the script is eerily familiar. Through their first 100 games of the 2026 season, the Miami Marlins have a 52-48 record. They're virtually tied for the National League's third wild-card spot, but trending in a troubling direction in the midst of six consecutive losses. At this same point in 2023, their record was 53-47, their deficit in the race for NL WC #3 was one game, and their streak was eight losses in a row. The next two weeks are absolutely crucial to determining how the Marlins will behave at the MLB trade deadline. In '23, general manager Kim Ng was at the helm, securing several midseason acquisitions that propelled the Fish to October for only the third time in a full season in franchise history. This time around, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is calling the shots. Last week on Fish Unfiltered, Marlins principal owner Bruce Sherman said he is entrusting Bendix to do whatever he believes is appropriate. Should the club snap back to consistently winning series, that will mean augmenting an already-talented roster with the right kind of complementary pieces, even if that necessitates increasing payroll or parting with minor leaguers. "I know Peter will do a very, very thorough job," Sherman said. During this calm before the storm, I think it would be the appropriate time to reflect on what Ng bought at the deadline three years ago and the price she paid to get those deals done. How much of the future was mortgaged for a short-lived postseason run? Traded Dylan Floro to Minnesota Twins for Jorge López About a week before the deadline, the Marlins and Twins consummated an unconventional swap of veteran right-handers. Floro had the much more consistent track record across multiple seasons. Although both had been performing worse than the league average in 2023 in terms of ERA, Floro boasted dramatically better underlying peripheral stats (2.75 FIP compared to López's 5.92). On the other hand, López offered a higher ceiling, having earned an All-Star selection the previous year as closer for the Baltimore Orioles. Also, his club control extended through 2024, whereas Floro was a pending free agent. The Marlins lost this trade, though neither team would come away satisfied. López made 12 awful relief appearances (9.26 ERA and 5.31 FIP) in Miami before returning to the aforementioned Orioles via waiver claim. Floro continued to suffer from remarkably poor luck—his .401 batting average on balls in play was the highest in MLB (min. 50 IP). Minnesota cut him days before the season ended. Traded Marco Vargas and Ronald Hernández to New York Mets for David Robertson Still four days in advance of the deadline, the Marlins paid a steep price for a revered high-leverage arm. Even after taking on the remainder of Robertson's $10 million salary, they sent a pair of productive teenage hitters to New York. The Marlins immediately installed Robertson as their closer. He took care of business without breaking a sweat in his July 30 team debut, but slumped badly in August, including three blown saves. The 38-year-old was lowered on the depth chart accordingly. Overall as a Marlin, Robertson posted a 5.06 ERA with a grotesque -1.67 WPA (fifth-worst among MLB pitchers during that span). The Marlins figured they were selling high on Vargas, an infielder who had been raking in rookie ball despite signing out of a Mexico in 2022 with minimal expectations. They've been proven right. Vargas is still with the Mets organization today and ranks as their No. 19 prospect, according to Baseball America. Injuries have taken their toll on his availability and performance. He has played less than 200 minor league games in three calendar years, homering only twice. As of this writing, he's on Double-A Binghamton's IL. Strong defense at the middle infield spots gives him a chance of tasting the majors eventually, but not as anything close to an everyday player. Hernández has also stuck around with the Mets. Repeating the High-A level, the switch-hitting catcher is slashing .228/.355/.370 with seven homers and 19 stolen bases in 73 games. The 2027 campaign will be critical as he'll be trying to secure a 40-man roster spot in advance of MiLB free agency. Traded Jake Eder to Chicago White Sox for Jake Burger What a bold, fascinating move this was in the moment. Burger had been hitting for huge power (25 HR in 88 G) in the midst of his first full-length MLB season, but none of his other traditional tools even graded out as average. Eder was briefly in the conversation for top overall prospect in the Marlins system, having represented Miami at the 2021 Futures Game. However, in mid-2023, there was still obvious rust coming back from Tommy John surgery. Third base had been a black hole for the Marlins up to that point in the season. Burger turned it into a strength. He slashed .305/.355/.505 with nine home runs and a 130 wRC+ in 53 games. Even that understates his impact because of how he elevated his performance in clutch situations. Burger's follow-up campaign was inconsistent, with sub-replacement performance for most of the first half, then a terrific power surge spanning most of July and August. He led the 2024 Fish in hits (134) and homers (29), but also slid down the defensive spectrum from 3B to 1B/DH, He was dealt to the Texas Rangers during the ensuing offseason. Eder's value tanked immediately upon joining the White Sox organization (11.42 ERA in 17.1 IP at the Double-A level post-deadline). He made only one major league appearance for the Sox and has since bounced around to the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers. In 13 MLB games (mainly pitching in low-leverage situations), he owns a 4.44 ERA and 4.94 FIP. The 27-year-old lefty is currently a free agent. Traded Jean Segura and Kahlil Watson to Cleveland Guardians for Josh Bell This must've been a tough pill for Bruce Sherman to swallow. The Marlins had invested $17 million in Segura and used a first-round draft pick on Watson, and now they were going to be used to acquire Bell's underwater contract? Just like Burger, Bell contributed to his new club immediately. He slashed .280/.338/.480 with 11 homers and a 118 wRC+ through season's end. The veteran first baseman did so well, he had to think carefully about whether to exercise his $16.5 million player option for the 2024 season or elect free agency. He decided to pick it up. Bell couldn't carry that momentum with him into the following year. He was durable as usual in 2024, but ineffective at the plate for the most part. A hot streak following the All-Star break allowed the Marlins to move him for cash considerations. The Guardians didn't even give Segura a chance—they released him as soon as the trade became official. His -1.2 fWAR tenure in Miami would prove to be his final chapter in the major leagues. The jury is still out on Watson. The shortstop-turned-outfielder has a prominent role on the 2026 Guardians, but he isn't offering much production as a rookie (62 wRC+ in 26 G entering Monday). Although his tools are enticing, poor plate discipline will probably prevent from sustaining even average offensive production, Traded Garrett Cooper and Sean Reynolds to San Diego Padres for Ryan Weathers Speaking of a former first-rounder who needed a change of scenery, Weathers was a nice get for the Marlins. It just took a full offseason for him to turn into a competent starter. He was limited to 13 post-deadline innings in 2023. Weathers posted a 3.74 ERA in 24 starts for the 2024-25 Marlins. Unfortunately, he spent more time on the injured list than the active roster due to fluky injuries. His value rose considerably between his arrival and when Bendix traded him to the New York Yankees this past January—three of the players who came back in that deal are current Fish On First Top 30 prospects. Cooper played 41 forgettable games for the Padres and Reynolds totaled just 38 innings out of their bullpen before taking his talents to Japan. The Marlins were quickly booted from the postseason, losing both of their NL Wild Card Series games to the Philadelphia Phillies. Ng left the front office later that month and Bendix made the unpopular but understandable decision to rebuild the organization with a more modern infrastructure, taking a temporary step back in competitiveness (they went 62-100 in 2024). With that being said, Ng's deadline activity energized the Marlins clubhouse and fanbase, and the prospects she sacrificed have not been missed. Bendix has a better farm system at his disposal than she did, a more well-rounded major league roster—as reflected by their positive run differential—and plenty of financial flexibility, according to Sherman. How will he utilize these resources? Depends on whether or not the Marlins can close out July with high-quality play that justifies a buyer's approach. View full article

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (three-game series) 2. Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) 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 Parker Messick (CLE) on Friday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Tanner Bibee (CLE) on Saturday TBA (MIA) vs. LHP Joey Cantillo (CLE) on Sunday The Marlins rank 10th in MLB with a 103 wRC+ and eighth in MLB with a 3.99 FIP. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have a 31-17 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Owen Caissie (10-day IL), Josh Ekness (60-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), John King (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Guardians rank 26th in MLB with a 92 wRC+ and 10th in MLB with a 4.00 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 24-24 record on the road this season. The following Guardians players are on the injured list: Tim Herrin (15-day IL), Angel Martinez (10-day IL) and José Ramírez (10-day IL). 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 Seattle Mariners. Pregame roster moves: Janson Junk reinstated from 15-day injured list; Ryan Gusto and Rece Hinds recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville; Owen Caissie (right calf strain) placed on 10-day IL and John King (left lateral ankle sprain) placed on 15-day IL; Zach Brzykcy optioned to Jacksonville Starting Lineup C Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez 2B Xavier Edwards (S) 1B Kyle Stowers (L) DH Heriberto Hernández LF Griffin Conine RF Esteury Ruiz CF Jakob Marsee (L) 3B Leo Jiménez P Janson Junk 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 home series against the Seattle Mariners. Starting Lineup DH Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez 2B Xavier Edwards (S) 1B Kyle Stowers (L) RF Owen Caissie (L) LF Heriberto Hernández CF Jakob Marsee (L) C Joe Mack (L) 3B Javier Sanoja P Tyler Phillips Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

During a press conference on Sunday in Hanamaki City, Japan, Rintaro Sasaki announced that he will be signing with the Miami Marlins, who selected him in the eighth round of last weekend's MLB Draft. Sasaki holds Japan's all-time high school record for home runs. He didn't quite live up to the hype during his two seasons of college ball. In 106 games, he slashed .265/.391/.482 with 23 home runs and one stolen base. That's only a 96 wRC+ when adjusting for the ACC's offensive environment. He was still selected by the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the first round of the NPB Draft last October. Sasaki's showing at the Draft Combine in June may have helped legitimize him as a prospect. He recorded a maximum exit velocity of 115.4 mph and max distance of 458 feet while using a wood bat. The speculation is that Sasaki's bonus with the Marlins will be similar to his draft pick's slot value of $239,200. He could have earned several multiples of that by either going to NPB or staying at Stanford for another season. Instead, the left-handed-hitting first baseman made expediting his journey to the big leagues his top priority. In finalizing his decision now, Sasaki will be available to participate in the Marlins' annual draft camp, which takes place this coming week in South Florida. The Marlins have until 5:00 p.m. ET on July 27 to officially sign their draftees. Soon after that, we should be seeing Sasaki make his minor league debut with either Low-A Jupiter or High-A Beloit. View full article

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (three-game series) 2. Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) 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. RHP Logan Henderson (MIL) on Friday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. LHP Shane Drohan (MIL) on Saturday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. LHP Robert Gasser (MIL) on Sunday The Marlins rank 11th in MLB with a 103 wRC+ and ninth in MLB with a 3.98 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 21-25 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Owen Caissie (10-day IL), Josh Ekness (60-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), William Kempner (15-day IL), John King (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Brewers rank eighth in MLB with a 105 wRC+ and second in MLB with a 3.59 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 29-18 record at home this season. The following Brewers players are on the injured list: Brian Fitzpatrick (60-day IL), DL Hall (15-day IL), David Hamilton (10-day IL), Joel Kuhnel (15-day IL), Brandon Lockridge (60-day IL), Quinn Priester (60-day IL), Brandon Woodruff (60-day IL), Rob Zastryzny (15-day IL) and Angel Zerpa (60-day IL). 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 first game of Miami's home series against the Seattle Mariners. Starting Lineup DH Liam Hicks (L) 1B Kyle Stowers (L) SS Otto Lopez 2B Xavier Edwards (S) LF Griffin Conine (L) RF Owen Caissie (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) C Joe Mack (L) 3B Javier Sanoja P Max Meyer Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Eury Pérez retired every batter that he faced on Sunday, but didn't get the opportunity to finish the game himself. View full video

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (three-game series) 2. Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) 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 Bryan Woo (SEA) on Tuesday RHP Tyler Phillips (MIA) vs. RHP George Kirby (SEA) on Wednesday TBA (MIA) vs. RHP Bryce Miller (SEA) on Thursday Likely RHP Janson Junk coming off the injured list The Marlins rank 10th in MLB with a 103 wRC+ and ninth in MLB with a 4.00 FIP. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 28-17 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Josh Ekness (60-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Janson Junk (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Mariners rank 12th in MLB with a 102 wRC+ and first in MLB with a 3.46 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 20-24 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Matt Brash (15-day IL), Cooper Criswell (60-day IL), Brendan Donovan (10-day IL), Logan Evans (60-day IL), Rob Refsnyder (10-day IL), Julio Rodríguez (7-day IL), Carlos Vargas (60-day IL) and Will Wilson (10-day IL). 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 Athletics. Starting Lineup SS Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández 1B Liam Hicks (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) 3B Javier Sanoja RF Esteury Ruiz DH Leo Jiménez CF Jakob Marsee (L) C Brian Navarreto P Eury Pérez 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 Athletics. Starting Lineup DH Liam Hicks (L) 1B Kyle Stowers (L) SS Otto Lopez 2B Xavier Edwards (S) LF Griffin Conine (L) RF Owen Caissie (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) C Joe Mack (L) 3B 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 firstl game of Miami's road series against the Athletics. Starting Lineup C Liam Hicks (L) 1B Kyle Stowers (L) SS Otto Lopez 2B Xavier Edwards (S) LF Heriberto Hernández RF Griffin Conine (L) DH Owen Caissie (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) 3B Leo Jiménez P Tyler Phillips Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)