Ely Sussman

Today's news roundup also includes the first MLB managerial change of 2025, and it involves a former Marlin. Miami Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers looks fully rehabilitated from the left flexor muscle strain that sidelined him for the first six weeks of the regular season. Weathers worked five hyper-efficient scoreless innings in a rehab start for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on Thursday. The only three baserunners who reached against him did so on innocuous ground balls (infield single, grounder up the middle and a fielding error). As was the case in spring training, Weathers' fastball velocity is higher than it's been in previous years. He topped out at 99.2 mph on Thursday; for context, his MLB career-high velo is 98.4 mph. With a six-game Marlins road trip commencing, rotation stopgap Valente Bellozo is lined up to pitch the fifth game (Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs). The likeliest scenario, in my opinion, is that Bellozo starts on Tuesday and Weathers gets reinstated to pitch Wednesday's game, with Bellozo being optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 3-1. In addition to Weathers, Derek Hill took another significant step toward returning to the Marlins by ripping a two-run single, drawing two walks and playing seven innings in center field. Seth Martinez picked up the save and extended his season-long scoreless streak to 10 ⅓ innings. Double-A Pensacola got swept in a doubleheader, 10-0 and 5-2. Forgettable performance by Robby Snelling (2.0 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 72 pitches/40 strikes). High-A Beloit won, 14-5. Ryan Ignoffo hit two grand slams! Ignoffo has 31 RBI in 25 games this season, easily leading the Marlins organization in that category. Low-A Jupiter lost, 4-2. FCL Marlins won, 4-2. Woo-Suk Go (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K) began a rehab assignment after fracturing his index finger in spring training. Dameivi Tineo, who missed the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery, pitched three innings in relief. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 While there is no statistical significance over such a small sample, I was amused to find that Marlins pitchers have thrived when paired with Nick Fortes and struggled mightily with any other Marlins catcher. 🔷 Fish On First LIVE aired on Thursday's off day. You can rewatch the full episode and submit your series predictions here. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton and elevated bench coach Don Kelly to be their interim skipper. Kelly joins Aaron Boone, Craig Counsell and Mark Kotsay as former Marlins players who currently hold MLB managerial gigs. The Kansas City Royals are surging with wins in 15 of their last 17 games. The Colorado Rockies remain on pace for a historically non-competitive season, dropping to 6-31 after being outscored by the Detroit Tigers 21-3 in a doubleheader sweep. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Max Meyer) begin their series against the Chicago White Sox (RHP Bryse Wilson). Meyer is eager to rebound from his last start where he surrendered five earned runs and recorded zero strikeouts. The Marlins have a 54.1% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 7:40 p.m. ET. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Syracuse, 7:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola at Biloxi, 7:35 p.m. ET High-A Beloit vs. Cedar Rapids, 7:05 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter at Palm Beach, 6:30 p.m. ET FCL Marlins vs. FCL Cardinals, 12:00 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Admit it: the 2023 Miami Marlins season felt fluky, even in the moment. Fast-forward two years later, most of the players from that team have experienced regression or injuries (or both). Ely Sussman checks in on how things have changed. View full video

Today's news roundup also includes the backstory of how a pitcher battled cancer during his brief tenure in the Marlins organization. I wrote about this last August, but it's worth reiterating and updating. Variety is fun in terms of styles and statistics, and nobody embodies that quite like Miami Marlins right-hander Valente Bellozo. Going by run prevention and volume of work, Bellozo has been practically a carbon copy of Ryan Weathers over the last two seasons. He has unquestionably helped the Marlins win games, or at least keep games competitive. And yet, the Marlins continue to keep him on a short leash and limit his major league opportunities altogether. I understand both sides. No MLB starting pitcher since 2024 (min. 80 IP) has been luckier than Bellozo in terms of their ERA-to-FIP differential. He does not have anything in his toolbox for inducing ground balls. This one floored me: Bellozo ranks dead last among starters in first-pitch strike rate (54.2%). On the other hand, Bellozo made tangible improvements entering this season that were on full display during Wednesday's scoreless outing. His average four-seam fastball velocity (92.1 mph) was a full tick higher than any previous MLB start of his career. His new kick-change is getting a 62.5 whiff% in 2025. The contact against him has been much softer than last year (96th percentile hard-hit rate allowed). All things considered, it is hard to believe Bellozo is being deprived of a steady role on a Marlins pitching staff that has allowed the most runs in the majors. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville lost, 6-5. Derek Hill began his rehab assignment with an 0-for-4 day as the Jumbo Shrimp designated hitter. Maximo Acosta has just one extra-base hit over his last 15 games. High-A Beloit lost, 6-5. Very discouraging outing for Noble Meyer (2.1 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 4 HBP, 69 pitches/32 strikes), whose fastball velocity uncharacteristically dipped below 90 mph in his final inning of work. Low-A Jupiter lost, 9-8. Starlyn Caba (left thumb sprain) was transferred to the 60-day IL. He won't be eligible for reinstatement until June 21 at the earliest. FCL Marlins won, 6-5. Grant Shepardson retired nine of the 10 batters he faced in his pro debut (3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K). More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Fish On First spoke with Kyle Stowers about being named NL Player of the Week. 🔷 On this day in 2000, the Marlins beat the Atlanta Braves when John Rocker balked in the winning run. 🔷 Shortly after being selected by the Marlins in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft, Nic Enright was diagnosed with cancer. Great read from Zack Meisel of The Athletic about how Enright persevered with his baseball career while undergoing treatment. The right-handed reliever is once again on the cusp of reaching the big leagues, occupying a spot on the Cleveland Guardians 40-man roster and having posted an 0.82 ERA at Triple-A since 2024. 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated through the first 12 series. The Dodgers series was picked perfectly by @Sean Millerick and @rurrusuno (among others). Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long! 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Dylan Cease and Hunter Greene exited their starts early due to forearm and groin injuries, respectively. Max Fried allowed one earned run in his seven-inning start, which actually raised his American League-leading ERA to 1.05. 🔷 We are doing an off-day edition of Fish On First LIVE to talk all things Marlins and preview the Chicago White Sox series beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET. FOF LIVE is presented by About The Fans. Check out our new merchandise collection (coupon code fof10 for 10% off). 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Syracuse, 7:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola at Biloxi, 6:35 p.m. ET (doubleheader) High-A Beloit vs. Cedar Rapids, 7:05 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter at Palm Beach, 6:30 p.m. ET FCL Marlins vs. FCL Cardinals, 12:00 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

My expectation for him moving forward is to be a Brian Anderson type, but with a little more plate discipline. Still a lot of swing-and-miss in his game that makes it hard to see him maintaining this high batting average.

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 Los Angeles Dodgers. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) LF Kyle Stowers (L) 1B Eric Wagaman RF Jesús Sánchez (L) C Agustín Ramírez DH Matt Mervis (L) CF Dane Myers 3B Graham Pauley (L) 2B Javier Sanoja P Valente Bellozo Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 Los Angeles Dodgers. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) LF Kyle Stowers (L) DH Agustín Ramírez RF Jesús Sánchez (L) 3B Connor Norby 1B Matt Mervis (L) CF Dane Myers 2B Javier Sanoja C Liam Hicks (L) P Cal Quantrill Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 Los Angeles Dodgers. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) LF Kyle Stowers (L) 1B Eric Wagaman RF Jesús Sánchez (L) DH Connor Norby CF Dane Myers 3B Graham Pauley (L) C Nick Fortes 2B Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

On Monday episodes of the Small Pod, we will be shining a spotlight on notable prospects from each of the Miami Marlins' minor league affiliates. Ely Sussman's featured players this week: INF Carter Johnson (Jupiter), OF Fenwick Trimble (Beloit), RHP Josh Ekness (Pensacola) and RHP Janson Junk (Jacksonville). View full video

Today's news roundup also includes Baseball America's updated prospects list and a busy afternoon slate in the Marlins organization. The 2025 Miami Marlins are all too familiar with what it's like to play from behind. You are well aware that their starting pitchers have fared terribly. Beyond that, Miami's offense has been slow to get rolling when opposing starters are in the game. The Marlins have only 14 home runs against starters this season, fewer than any other MLB team. Their .283 on-base percentage is third-lowest. A switch seemingly flips when they get to face relievers. In Tuesday's upset of the Los Angeles Dodgers, they compiled 10 baserunners in four-plus innings against LA's loaded bullpen. The team's .797 OPS vs. relievers is second only to the Chicago Cubs. These splits could be spun as a credit to Clayton McCullough for pushing the right buttons in late-game situations, or as a knock on him for constructing sub-optimal, ever-changing starting lineups. For now, I simply find them amusing. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 4-3. Joe Mack drove in three of their runs, including a walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning. Andrew Pintar went 4-for-4 to raise his batting average to .315. Double-A Pensacola won, 6-1. Efficient start for Jacob Miller (7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 89 pitches/53 strikes). High-A Beloit lost, 8-0. Rare game for them without any stolen bases. Low-A Jupiter lost, 8-7. Eury Pérez made his third minor league rehab start and couldn't get out of the first inning (0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 27 pitches/15 strikes). His control was lousy, though defensive mistakes behind him didn't help. Dillon Head launched his second home run of the season. PJ Morlando is expected to miss 4-6 weeks due to a left hamstring strain. Morlando previously had IL stints for back and elbow injuries. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Derek Hill (left wrist sprain) is beginning a rehab assignment with Jacksonville today. He figures to rejoin Miami's active roster at some point during the upcoming road trip, with benchwarmer Graham Pauley being the top candidate to get sent down in a corresponding move. 🔷 With the Los Angeles Dodgers in town, Fish On First interviewed former Marlins Tanner Scott and Miguel Rojas. Watch them here. 🔷 Tennessee LHP Liam Doyle is the subject of Hector Rodriguez's latest MLB Draft profile. 🔷 FOF SuperSub Ron Cox reflects on the state of the Marlins under Peter Bendix. 🔷 Baseball America's updated Top 100 MLB prospects list includes Thomas White (27th), Joe Mack (50th) and Robby Snelling (78th). Starlyn Caba is no longer ranked after entering spring training in the No. 69 spot. 🔷 Kyle Stowers has developed a daily journaling routine to relieve pressure and keep things in perspective, he explains to MLB.com's Christina De Nicola. 🔷 On this day in 2000, Ryan Dempster threw a one-hit shutout against the New York Mets. It's also the third anniversary of Joe Dunand's terrific debut. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Texas Rangers fired offensive coordinator Donnie Ecker and hired longtime big leaguer Bret Boone to be their new hitting coach. The New York Yankees pulled away from the San Diego Padres with a 10-run rally in the seventh inning. The San Francisco Giants had their own nine-run rally in the 11th inning to beat the Chicago Cubs. 🔷 Today's MLB game: The Marlins (probable starter RHP Valente Bellozo) have their final head-to-head matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers (bulk guy RHP Landon Knack). Unless Bellozo pitches brilliantly, he's likely to be optioned to the minors following the game in favor of a fresh bullpen arm—Ryan Weathers is on track to take over this rotation spot next week. The Marlins have a 38.6% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 4:40 p.m. ET. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Syracuse, 12:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola at Biloxi, 12:05 p.m. ET High-A Beloit vs. Cedar Rapids, 12:10 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter at Palm Beach, 6:30 p.m. ET FCL Marlins at FCL Nationals, 12:00 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Fish On First LIVE discusses how the Miami Marlins can balance playing time between Agustín Ramírez, Liam Hicks and Nick Fortes, who was reinstated from the injured list on Sunday. View full video

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 Athletics. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) DH Agustín Ramírez 1B Eric Wagaman 3B Connor Norby RF Kyle Stowers (L) CF Dane Myers C Nick Fortes LF Ronny Simon (S) 2B Javier Sanoja P Edward Cabrera Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 Athletics. Starting Lineup Jesús Sánchez was scratched from the original lineup and replaced by Ronny Simon SS Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) C Agustín Ramírez 1B Eric Wagaman DH Matt Mervis (L) 3B Connor Norby CF Dane Myers 2B Javier Sanoja LF Ronny Simon (S) P Max Meyer Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 Athletics. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) DH Agustín Ramírez LF Eric Wagaman 1B Matt Mervis (L) 3B Connor Norby 2B Otto Lopez C Liam Hicks (L) CF Dane Myers P Valente Bellozo Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article