Ely Sussman

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 SuperSub David Fernandez 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 Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. LHP Jackson Kent (WSH) on Friday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Cade Cavalli (WSH) on Saturday TBA (MIA) vs. LHP Andrew Alvarez (WSH) on Sunday TBA (MIA) vs. TBA (WSH) on Monday The Marlins rank 14th in MLB with a 100 wRC+ and 11th in MLB with a 4.00 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 26-39 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Pete Fairbanks (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), William Kempner (60-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL), Robby Snelling (60-day IL) and Kyle Stowers (10-day IL). The Nationals rank third in MLB with a 106 wRC+ and 28th in MLB with a 4.76 FIP. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have a 29-38 record at home this season. The following Nationals players are on the injured list: Connelly Early (60-day IL), Josiah Gray (60-day IL), DJ Herz (60-day IL), Richard Lovelady (60-day IL), Drew Millas (10-day IL), Mitchell Parker (60-day IL), PJ Poulin (60-day IL), Ken Waldichuk (60-day IL) and James Wood (10-day IL).

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 SuperSub David Fernandez 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 Ranger Suárez (BOS) on Monday TBA (MIA) vs. LHP Payton Tolle (BOS) on Tuesday RHP Tyler Phillips expected to pitch multiple innings RHP Ryan Gusto (MIA) vs. RHP Sonny Gray (BOS) on Wednesday The Marlins rank 14th in MLB with a 100 wRC+ and 11th in MLB with a 3.98 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 41-25 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), William Kempner (60-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL), Robby Snelling (60-day IL) and Kyle Stowers (10-day IL). The Red Sox rank 12th in MLB with a 101 wRC+ and third in MLB with a 3.66 FIP. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 37-27 record on the road this season. The following Red Sox players are on the injured list: Roman Anthony (60-day IL), Triston Casas (60-day IL), Kutter Crawford (60-day IL), Garrett Crochet (60-day IL), Tanner Houck (60-day IL), Zack Kelly (60-day IL), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (60-day IL), Curtis Mead (10-day IL), Johan Oviedo (60-day IL), Justin Slaten (15-day IL), Trevor Story (60-day IL), Garrett Whitlock (15-day IL) and Masataka Yoshida (10-day IL).

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Sunday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelist Isaac Azout. The following topics were covered: Kyle Stowers coming back Deyvison De Los Santos optioned John King designated for assignment Jack Ralston debuts Key takeaways from Marlins' sweep of Nationals Updated NL Wild Card race with five weeks left Previewing and predicting the next series against the Boston Red Sox You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be on Thursday at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET on the off day following the Marlins-Red Sox series finale.

It has been a thrilling season for Miami Marlins prospects, particularly on the position player side. They hit a notable milestone on Sunday when Bennett Hostetler homered for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the top of the fourth inning. This was the 666th Marlins minor league homer of 2026, establishing a new single-season record for the organization. This admittedly obscure record was previously held by the 2008 Marlins affiliates (665 HR). The structure of Minor League Baseball was different back then. The Marlins had an additional short-season stateside affiliate—the Jamestown Jammers of the New York-Penn League—but one fewer Dominican Summer League team than they have today. The old record will be shattered by season's end. Current Marlins affiliates are scheduled to play 66 more regular season games. Brandon Compton is the org's top individual home run hitter, going yard 30 times with High-A Beloit and Double-A Pensacola. Echedry Vargas ranks second with 22 (all with Low-A Jupiter). There are 25 players in the org who have double-digit MiLB homers; 20 of them have been acquired since November 2023 when Peter Bendix took over as president of baseball operations. Perhaps the most notable angle of this record is how dramatically Marlins MiLB long balls have increased from one season to the next. In 2025, with many of the same players, they combined for only 499 HR. If they maintain their current pace through season's end, their output will be up by nearly 50%! Hostetler is a prime example. The lightly used backup catcher went homerless in 37 games last year, but has cleared the fences seven times despite only 16 appearances this year. In his very next at-bat following the record-breaker, he blasted another one. Context is crucial, though. Home run rates have been way up across the minors in 2026. Even in breaking this longstanding franchise record, the Marlins rank only seventh this season in MiLB homers, trailing the New York Yankees (768 HR entering Sunday), Los Angeles Dodgers (723 HR), Minnesota Twins (694 HR), Seattle Mariners (691 HR), St. Louis Cardinals (667 HR) and Texas Rangers (667 HR). Rookie hitters Joe Mack and Owen Caissie have helped the Marlins in the power department this season, and Deyvison De Los Santos (18 MiLB home runs) was recalled from Jacksonville on Saturday. Compton, Kemp Alderman (18 HR), Cam Cannarella (13 HR) and Brendan Jones (12 HR), who's pictured atop this article, are all likely to reach the majors in 2027.

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 SuperSub David Fernandez 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 Ryan Gusto (MIA) vs. RHP Brad Lord (WSH) on Friday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Cole Irvin (WSH) on Saturday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. LHP Jackson Kent (WSH) on Sunday The Marlins rank 14th in MLB with a 100 wRC+ and 11th in MLB with a 4.00 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 38-25 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), William Kempner (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL), Robby Snelling (60-day IL) and Kyle Stowers (10-day IL). The Nationals rank third in MLB with a 110 wRC+ and 28th in MLB with a 4.73 FIP. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have a 34-31 record on the road this season. The following Nationals players are on the injured list: Connelly Early (15-day IL), Josiah Gray (60-day IL), DJ Herz (60-day IL), Richard Lovelady (60-day IL), Drew Millas (10-day IL), Mitchell Parker (60-day IL), PJ Poulin (60-day IL), Ken Waldichuk (60-day IL) and James Wood (10-day IL).

As documented here, the Miami Marlins have had a low hit rate on their international amateur free agent signings. Identifying talent and developing it has been particularly challenging on the position player side. We are nearly a decade and a half into the "bonus pool era," and with all due respect to Javier Sanoja—a 2019 signing out of Venezuela—none of the Marlins' international hitters during that span have become everyday MLB starters. Santiago Solarte took an encouraging first step in that direction this season. The $1 million signing bonus he received in January is already looking like money well spent by the Fish. The 17-year-old infielder just wrapped up a dominant, unprecedented campaign in the Dominican Summer League. Solarte's offensive numbers in 2026 were amazing. In only 52 games, he slashed .339/.450/.598 with 10 home runs, 42 stolen bases and a 149 wRC+. Solarte also ranked tied for seventh among all players in total bases (104) and 11th in OPS (1.048). Keep in mind, the league consists of 51(!) teams. We have comprehensive Minor League Baseball stats across all levels available dating back to 2006. Solarte is the only player on record to post a 10 HR/40 SB season in rookie ball (including both stateside and foreign leagues). Solarte has elite power potential long term. He pulls the majority of his batted balls to right field, but six of his homers went to left or center. This grand slam from August 11 was a no-doubter to the deepest part of the ballpark with an exit velocity of 106 mph. For context, fellow Marlins prospect PJ Morlando, who was coveted for his power coming out of the 2024 MLB Draft, has reached that exit velo only five times this season. Morlando is three and a half years older than Solarte. There's only so much we can learn from stolen base totals at the lower MiLB levels, but Solarte's legs are a legitimate weapon. At 6'5", he covers a lot of ground with his long strides. This grounder to the left side was fielded cleanly. Solarte easily beat it out for an infield single anyway. He grounded into only one double play all season. Let's not get too carried away, though. Solarte was the beneficiary of a .450 batting average on balls in play (third among DSL qualifiers). He will not come close to maintaining that against stateside competition, causing his overall batting average to dip. His plate discipline is still a work in progress. His walk rate (12.9 BB%) was lower than the average DSL hitter and his strikeout rate was significantly higher (26.3 K%). Solarte split his defensive reps between shortstop and third base. It's difficult to imagine him sticking at the former moving forward, where he averaged one error every 13 innings. Most of his struggles on that side of the ball occurred during the first month of the season, to be fair. Ranked 16th on the Fish On First Top 30, Solarte should be assigned to the FCL Marlins in 2027. Even with some anticipated regression at that level, he's a candidate to taste Low-A Jupiter during the second half of that season.