Ely Sussman

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 fourth and final game of Miami's road series against the Colorado Rockies. Starting Lineup DH Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez 1B Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) LF Griffin Conine (L) RF Owen Caissie (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) 3B Javier Sanoja C Joe Mack (L) P Ryan Gusto Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

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 Tyler Phillips (MIA) vs. RHP Jack Perkins (ATH) on Friday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Aaron Civale (ATH) on Saturday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. LHP Gage Jump (ATH) on Sunday The Marlins rank 17th in MLB with a 100 wRC+ and 12th in MLB with a 3.98 FIP. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 18-25 record on the road 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 Athletics rank 10th in MLB with a 103 wRC+ and 27th in MLB with a 4.78 FIP. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have a 19-25 record at home this season. The following Athletics players are on the injured list: Denzel Clarke (60-day IL), Zack Gelof (10-day IL), Gunnar Hoglund (60-day IL), Brooks Kriske (60-day IL), Mark Leiter Jr. (15-day IL), Brent Rooker (10-day IL), Luis Severino (60-day IL), Tyler Soderstrom (10-day IL) and Jacob 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 second game of Miami's road series against the Colorado Rockies. Starting Lineup 1B Liam Hicks (L) DH Kyle Stowers (L) LF Griffin Conine (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) CF Jakob Marsee (L) RF Owen Caissie (L) SS Javier Sanoja C Joe Mack (L) 3B Leo Jiménez P Eury Pérez Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

A complete evaluation of the MLB Draft requires extreme patience. Take the 2026 Miami Marlins, for example. Their best pitcher this season (Max Meyer) and best defensive player (Joe Mack) were selected way back in 2020 and 2021, respectively. It took all those years for Meyer to make the leap from replacement-level player to probable All-Star and for Mack just to debut in the majors. It'd be foolish to pass any judgement on the Marlins' 2025 class now, but with the 2026 draft on the horizon, this is the appropriate time for a quick progress report. Here are notes on each of the organization's 21 selections as they approach one full year as professional baseball players. INF Aiva Arquette (Round 1) Current level: Double-A FOF Top 30 rank: fourth One of these years, the Marlins will land a college hitter in the draft who moves rapidly through their farm system. It has been a long drought, and unfortunately, Arquette won't be that guy despite receiving the largest signing bonus in franchise history. The tall infielder mashed at Oregon State with a 153 wRC+ in 2025 (100 represents league average). In pro ball, he's merely at a 98 wRC+ through 68 games at the High-A and Double-A levels. The batted ball quality is good and his MiLB strikeout rate is a manageable 21.9%. However, his walk rate has nosedived year-to-year from 14.5% to 6.5%. The Marlins are using Arquette at shortstop the vast majority of the time and he looks comfortable there despite his unconventional physical build. He has also made five appearances at second base and three at third base. Arquette's 2026 season debut was delayed by injury and now he's potentially facing another long absence (last played on June 26). Don't expect a call-up to Miami until 2027. OF Cam Cannarella (Competitive Balance Round A) Current level: Double-A FOF Top 30 rank: fifth Negotiations between Cannarella and the Marlins got awkward following the draft. It took until the final day of signing eligibility for the deal to be finalized, as his camp was dissatisfied with how far he fell (43rd overall pick). Less than 11 months removed from making his organizational debut, Cannarella has almost entirely closed the gap between himself and Arquette. He's been dominant at the plate—the outfielder's 142 wRC+ since 2025 leads all Marlins minor leaguers with a minimum of 200 plate appearances. Double-A competition has not slowed him down one bit. Although the 185-pounder has limited raw power, he's showing just enough pop to hit balls over the fence to left field. Cannarella is likely to reach the big leagues before any other member of his draft class. The spicier question is how long until he challenges Jakob Marsee for the starting center field job. OF Brandon Compton (Round 2) Current level: Double-A FOF Top 30 rank: 19th Compton is a stereotypical "three true outcomes" hitter. This season in particular, 63.3% of his plate appearances have resulted in home runs, walks or strikeouts. He's gone yard nine times in the last month alone. Unlike the previous two players discussed, Compton has no chance of occupying a premium defensive position, so he needs to be a consistent run producer. It'd be a fun wrinkle of his MiLB base-stealing translated to the highest level (25 SB in 87 G), but don't count on that. As first reported by Fish On First's own Alex Carver, Compton has just received a promotion to Double-A. Rest of the class OF Max Williams (Round 3)—The former Florida State center fielder slashed .269/.359/.284 with Jupiter in 19 contests following the draft. Unfortunately, he hasn't stepped on the field in 2026 due to injury. INF Drew Faurot (Round 4)—Another Seminole, Faurot was outstanding at the plate in his first summer with the Hammerheads (144 wRC+ in 2025). Alas, fitting with the overarching theme of this draft class, health issues are preventing him from building upon that. Faurot played three High-A games before suffering an injury, resurfaced for seven games in late May/early June, then disappeared again. RHP Jadon Williamson (Round 11)—Williamson has gotten rocked during the transition from Lewis-Clark State College to pro ball with a 21.77 ERA in 10 games out of the Jupiter bullpen. C Wilson Weber (Round 12)—Arquette's Oregon State teammate signed as a 23-year-old and was sent straight to High-A. He hasn't produced on either side of the ball, producing an overall slash line of .191/.298/.236, throwing out only 13 of 108 would-be base-stealers and struggling to block pitches in the dirt. RHP Chase Renner (Round 13)—Renner possesses a nasty curveball with late, two-plane break. Most of his 19 MiLB outings have gone smoothly, but there is a massive gap between his career 4.44 ERA and 7.10 FIP. RHP Carson Laws (Round 14)—Laws has had the heaviest workload of any pitcher in this draft class (61.2 IP). As of this writing, he is coming off a spectacular game at High-A (6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K) and received the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week award. Overall, though, he has been far too homer-prone in the minors. UTIL Josh Hogue (Round 15)—Hogue is slashing .250/.345/.339 through 39 Low-A games for a 94 wRC+. Defensively, he's splitting time between first base and the corner outfield spots. In an organization that prides itself on aggressive baserunning, it's bizarre that Hogue hasn't even attempted a steal in the minors yet. LHP RJ Shunck (Round 16)—Shunck has been limited to nine appearances (two starts) since the draft, posting a 3.21 ERA in those 14 innings. Of note, he has held opponents to a .111 batting average. He's been sidelined since April 14 due to injury. RHP Xavier Cardenas (Round 17)—Similar story here. We've seen only 10 ⅔ innings from Cardenas, who showed promising stuff in Jupiter, only to land on the IL after two High-A outings. LHP Hayden Cuthbertson (Round 18)—The Canadian lefty was selected out of Miami University (OH) despite poor results during his draft year. It's been more of the same in the minors with a 8.38 ERA in 19 ⅓ innings pitched. RHP Peyton Fosher (Round 19)—Fosher has dabbled in several different roles with Beloit, excluding high-leverage relief. He has decent MiLB production thus far with a 4.40 ERA and 27.3 K%. RHP Cannon Pickell (Round 20)—Terrific name. Lousy control. Pickell has issued 44 walks and 14 wild pitches through his first 31 professional innings. 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 road series against the Colorado Rockies. Starting Lineup SS Otto Lopez 2B Xavier Edwards (S) LF Esteury Ruiz RF Heriberto Hernández 1B Kyle Stowers (L) DH Leo Jiménez CF Jakob Marsee (L) 3B Javier Sanoja C Joe Mack (L) P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (four-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 Sean Sullivan (COL) on Monday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. LHP Kyle Freeland (COL) on Tuesday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (COL) on Wednesday TBA (MIA) vs. RHP Michael Lorenzen (COL) on Thursday Likely a Ryan Gusto-led bullpen game The Marlins rank 19th in MLB with a 98 wRC+ and 10th in MLB with a 3.93 FIP. They are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have a 16-23 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Josh Ekness (60-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Liam Hicks (10-day IL), Janson Junk (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Rockies rank 23rd in MLB with a 93 wRC+ and 28th in MLB with a 4.77 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 18-22 record at home this season. The following Rockies players are on the injured list: McCade Brown (60-day IL), Kris Bryant (60-day IL), Blas Castaño (15-day IL), Chase Dollander (60-day IL), Brenton Doyle (10-day IL), Tanner Gordon (15-day IL), Wellington Herrera (60-day IL), Jaden Hill (15-day IL), Pierson Ohl (60-day IL), RJ Petit (60-day IL) and Jose Quintana (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 third and final game of Miami's road series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) SS Otto Lopez DH Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) LF Heriberto Hernández 1B Griffin Conine (L) RF Owen Caissie (L) 3B Graham Pauley (L) C Brian Navarreto P Tyler Phillips Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

The Miami Marlins are a season-best five games over .500 following their wire-to-wire win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday. Following a shutout of the Cardinals in the previous game, Ryan Gusto and a handful of relievers nearly repeated the feat in this 5-1 contest. Kyle Stowers jolted the Fish to a 2-0 lead with RBI singles in both the first and third innings. Stowers' bat continues to be particularly potent in games when he plays first base (slashing .304/.411/.630 with 13 RBI in those 14 games). In addition to Stowers, Xavier Edwards, Otto Lopez and Javier Sanoja collected multi-hit games. As a result, one of my favorite "streaks" remains intact: Lopez has hits in all 27 Marlins series this season. Trying to leg out an infield hit in the top of the ninth, Lopez landed on the bag awkwardly and experienced some right ankle discomfort. He completed the rest of the game, but that's an injury concern to monitor moving forward. The Marlins once again kept Gusto on a short leash, calling to the bullpen after 3 ⅓ innings of scoreless work from him. John King, the first arm used in relief, made easy work of his former teammates, building upon what's been a career year for the veteran southpaw. The quintet of Gusto, King, Lake Bachar, Anthony Bender and Tyler Zuber did not allow any extra-base hits. This was the Marlins' fourth win over St. Louis in five head-to-head meetings, clinching the season series. Put a pin in that because it's the primary tiebreaker used to determine National League wild-card berths should multiple clubs finish with identical records. In the meantime, by improving to 44-39 overall, the Marlins are a half-game ahead of the 42-38 Cardinals. The NL WC spots are currently occupied by the Philadelphia Phillies (46-37), Chicago Cubs (45-38) and San Diego Padres (43-37). The sixth and final matchup between the Fish and Cards is scheduled for Sunday at 2:15 p.m. ET. 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 road series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting Lineup 2B Xavier Edwards (S) SS Otto Lopez 1B Kyle Stowers (L) LF Heriberto Hernández RF Owen Caissie (L) CF Jakob Marsee (L) DH Griffin Conine (L) 3B Javier Sanoja C Joe Mack (L) P Ryan Gusto Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

The Miami Marlins can only have 26 players active at any given time, but it will require way more than that for them to sustain their winning ways over the course of the season. Graham Pauley's pivotal plays on Friday night exemplified the importance of organizational depth. Throughout the majority of May and June, Pauley was out of sight and out of mind, optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville for a total of 26 games across two separate stints due to his offensive shortcomings. He owned an atrocious .165/.211/.271 slash line (29 wRC+) with only one home run and one stolen base across 33 appearances for the Marlins. Swapping spots with the slumping Connor Norby, Pauley was called up from Jacksonville for the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. Slotted at the very bottom of Miami's lineup, he served as the unlikely hero with an RBI double to break the game's scoreless tie, followed by a crafty slide to arrive safely at home with an insurance run in their 4-0 victory. Both offenses were in hibernation for the majority of the night. Right-handers Max Meyer and Michael McGreevy exchanged zeroes through six innings, neither allowing so much as an extra-base hit. The farthest batted ball of the game to that point? Pauley's 381-foot flyout to the right-center field warning track. On the heels of an off day, the effective Marlins bullpen was fully rested, but with Meyer's pitch count at just 66, sending him back out there for the bottom of the seventh was the obvious call. Meyer rewarded his club's trust in him, albeit with plenty of help required. The right-hander's control was detriorating, resulting in a hit-by-pitch and two walks, loading the bases with only one out. His battery mate, Joe Mack, secured a crucial strike against Masyn Winn in a 2-0 count using the ABS challenge system, and Winn would eventually hit into a force out at home. Then, Nathan Church made two ill-advised swing decisions on Meyer's misses outside the strike zone. He lined out to left for the final out of the frame. Meyer lowered his season ERA to 2.60 and remains without a losing decision through 17 starts. In the blink of an eye, the Marlins had a golden opportunity to take a lead in the top of the eighth when Esteury Ruiz led off with a single and stolen base. Pauley capitalized, catching up to George Soriano's 97 mph fastball and finding a hole in the infield near the first base line. Down 1-0 with one out, the Cardinals aggressively tried turning a double play on Kyle Stowers' grounder to the right side. Alec Burleson stepped on the first base bag, meaning that a tag was required on Pauley, who was charging home. The throw arrived in time and Pauley was initially called out, but upon further review, his left hand touched the plate before the tag was applied. Jakob Marsee's two-run single in the ninth provided the Fish with even more breathing room. Relieving Meyer, Michael Petersen and Calvin Faucher combined to complete the shutout. Only a half-game separates these teams in the NL wild-card race. With Friday's win, the Marlins have clinched at least a split of the season series. They will be back in action at Busch Stadium on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET. Ryan Gusto is Miami's scheduled starter. 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 road series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Pregame roster moves: Max Meyer reinstated from the bereavement list; Graham Pauley recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville; Zack Brzykcy and Connor Norby optioned to Jacksonville. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) RF Griffin Conine (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) 1B Kyle Stowers (L) SS Otto Lopez DH Owen Caissie (L) C Joe Mack (L) LF Esteury Ruiz 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Max Meyer Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

Watching him play on a daily basis, I admittedly have a bias, but it's hard to deny that Otto Lopez is having one of the most fascinating seasons of any MLB player in 2026. The Miami Marlins shortstop is on pace for 6.8 fWAR, roughly tripled his total from 2025. Much of that newfound value comes from simply compiling hits—Lopez's batting average has surged 94 points year-over-year. His .340 mark paces all qualified major leaguers entering Friday. Regression is inevitably coming for Lopez given how often he chases balls outside the strike zone and puts them on the ground. Can he overcome that to hold on and win the fourth National League batting title in Marlins history? With the Marlins having completed exactly half of their regular season schedule, I was curious to look back at how often the midpoint league leaders in batting average finish on top. The table below refers to the league leaderboards on this date throughout the past half-decade in both the AL and NL. More often than not, the midpoint leader has gotten knocked off their perch due to a dip in performance. League's Top Qualified Batting Average Entering June 26 Year League Player Won Batting Title? 2025 AL Aaron Judge Yes 2025 NL Will Smith No 2024 AL Bobby Witt Jr. Yes 2024 NL Shohei Ohtani No 2023 AL Bo Bichette No 2023 NL Luis Arraez Yes 2022 AL Luis Arraez Yes 2022 NL Paul Goldschmidt No 2021 AL Michael Brantley No 2021 NL Nick Castellanos No The only NL qualifier within 15 points of Lopez is Jung Hoo Lee of the San Francisco Giants (.332 BA). Although Lee excelled at hit collecting during his time in the Korea Baseball Organization, this is a massive departure from what he has previously done in MLB (career high of .266). Lee's teammate Luis Arraez (.321 BA) is probably the bigger threat. One complication, though, is that because Arraez is a pending free agent on a lousy club, it's easy to imagine him getting traded this summer. If he lands with an AL team, he would in all likelihood fall short of the plate appearances needed to qualify in either league. During a typical Marlins season, Lopez's individual pursuit would already be top of mind for most fans due to the team's irrelevance in the postseason race. But for now, things are going well enough for the 42-39 Fish to keep the focus on winning as many games as possible. 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 Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Michael McGreevy (STL) on Friday TBA (MIA) vs. TBA (STL) on Saturday Ryan Gusto likely to pitch bulk innings TBA (MIA) vs. TBA (STL) on Sunday The Marlins rank 19th in MLB with a 97 wRC+ and 12th in MLB with a 3.97 FIP. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 14-22 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Josh Ekness (60-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Liam Hicks (10-day IL), Janson Junk (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Cardinals rank seventh in MLB with a 104 wRC+ and 20th in MLB with a 4.35 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 18-22 record at home this season. The following Cardinals players are on the injured list: Ryan Fernandez (15-day IL) and Ramón Urias (60-day IL). View full article