Ely Sussman

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's road exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) CF Derek Hill LF Kyle Stowers (L) RF Dane Myers DH Griffin Conine (L) 3B Jonah Bride 1B Eric Wagaman C Nick Fortes 2B Otto Lopez P Connor Gillispie

Major League Baseball has stepped in to thwart the Miami Marlins' plans to assemble a Jupiter-based practice squad, according to The Athletic's Andy McCullough and Sam Blum. "MLB officials contacted the Marlins about the practice squad, which could have run afoul of baseball’s roster rules and labor practices, according to people briefed on the situation." There's a limit to how many total players each MLB organization can have stateside at any particular time. The practice squad guys would have been contributing to player development efforts without being officially rostered by any minor league affiliate. Even though the public job posting has been taken down, the brief questionnaire that candidates were asked to fill out is still available. Marlins Opening Day is nine days away. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Edward Cabrera (right middle finger blister) has resumed throwing. Part of his fingernail was removed to expedite the healing process. Good chance we see Cabrera make one more appearance this week before the Grapefruit League concludes, but I still anticipate a season-opening stint on the injured list to allow him to stretch out as a starter. 🔷 We put Kevin Barral in charge of Fish On First's final roster projection update. Changes from the previous iteration include squeezing Connor Gillispie into the starting rotation. 🔷 Son Los Marlins assesses the Marlins' bizarre payroll situation. 🔷 Congratulations to Zach Letson on joining the Marlins communications staff! Letson already knows the team intimately and appeared on several Fish On First LIVE streams last season. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, as I type this, the 2025 Major League Baseball season is underway! The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs are battling in the opening game of the Tokyo Series, fittingly with Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga on the mound. After 10 MLB seasons as an outfielder, Joey Gallo is attempting to convert to pitching. 🔷 Today's Grapefruit League game: it is the penultimate meeting between the Marlins (probable starter RHP Connor Gillispie) and St. Louis Cardinals (RHP Miles Mikolas). Gillispie has retired 23 of the 25 batters he's faced in the Grapefruit League. It'll be televised locally on FanDuel Sports Florida at 1:05 p.m. Marlins podcast episodes

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's home exhibition game against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup LF Dane Myers RF Kyle Stowers (L) DH Connor Norby 1B Matt Mervis (L) CF Derek Hill 3B Eric Wagaman C Nick Fortes SS Javier Sanoja 2B Ronny Simon (S) P Ryan Weathers

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's home exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) 3B Connor Norby RF Griffin Conine (L) 1B Jonah Bride DH Matt Mervis (L) C Liam Hicks (L) 2B Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández CF Albert Almora Jr. P Cal Quantrill

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's road exhibition game against the Houston Astros. Starting Lineup CF Kyle Stowers DH Dane Myers LF Derek Hill 1B Eric Wagaman 3B Graham Pauley C Nick Fortes 2B Otto Lopez RF Albert Almora Jr. SS Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's home exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) C Liam Hicks (L) DH Connor Norby CF Dane Myers RF Griffin Conine (L) 3B Jonah Bride 1B Matt Mervis (L) LF Heriberto Hernández 2B Ronny Simon (S) P Max Meyer

Miami Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera had some control issues during Thursday's start, as illustrated below. Only two of his 12 pitches found the strike zone as he exited the game without recording a single out. Turns out that Cabrera had a blister on his middle finger. That should sound familiar—several regular season starts during his career have been abbreviated for the same reason. However, the timing of this one is particularly damaging. The 26-year-old hasn't been stretched out beyond two innings in any spring training outing and now he'll have to refrain from throwing until the blister fully heals. With Opening Day only 13 days away and the fifth spot in the Marlins rotation due up in 17 days, there isn't sufficient time for Cabrera to get ready. It is going to be the fourth time in the last five years that he has been injured entering a new baseball season (his 2024 malady was a right shoulder impingement, for example). I'd expect Connor Gillispie and Valente Bellozo to be the primary candidates to fill Cabrera's starting rotation spot on a short-term basis. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Speaking of frustrating setbacks, former first-round draft pick PJ Morlando underwent an ulnar nerve transposition on his left elbow on Thursday. The surgery is expected to sideline him for 8-10 weeks. Morlando's first professional season was cut short by a back injury. By the time Fish On First's 19th-ranked prospect returns to the field, he'll be 20 years old with only one pro plate appearance under his belt. 🔷 Fellow Top 30 prospects Adam Mazur (#11), Dax Fulton (#14), Victor Mesa Jr. (#17) and Aiden May (#27) have also been removed from Miami's Spring Breakout roster. Only Mesa (hamstring) has a known injury, but we'll get clarification on the others shortly. The replacements for them are Abrahan Ramírez, Nathan Martorella, Jacob Miller, Jesse Bergin and Will Schomberg. 🔷 The Marlins are assembling a practice squad of former collegiate and pro players to be based in Jupiter and compete against their Low-A affiliate during the 2025 season. The compensation is $150 per day for five-hour sessions that would take place leading up to the start of Hammerheads home games. Another selling point: the Marlins describe it as a stepping stone to future playing/coaching opportunities. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays announced that they "cannot move forward" with plans to build a new ballpark that would replace Tropicana Field. Jeff McNeil is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with an oblique strain. McNeil joins catcher Francisco Alvarez, left-hander Sean Manaea and right-hander Frankie Montas as notable veterans who won't be available for the New York Mets when they face the Marlins for the first time from March 31-April 2. 🔷 First pitch of the Spring Breakout exhibition between the Marlins (probable starter LHP Thomas White) and St. Louis Cardinals (LHP Quinn Mathews) will be at 12:10 p.m. It's scheduled to go nine innings, a refreshing change after last year's was only seven. The Cardinals-produced television broadcast is being carried locally on FanDuel Sports Network Florida. 🔷 The Grapefruit League game between the Marlins (RHP Max Meyer) and Boston Red Sox (RHP Richard Fitts) will follow at 4:10 p.m. Marlins podcast episodes

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's home exhibition game against the Houston Astros. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) CF Jesús Sánchez (L) 1B Jonah Bride LF Kyle Stowers (L) 3B Connor Norby RF Derek Hill DH Eric Wagaman C Nick Fortes 2B Otto Lopez P Edward Cabrera

The Miami Marlins parted ways with chief commercial officer David Oxfeld, according to Fish On First's Isaac Azout. Oxfeld had been promoted to the position in November 2022 after previously serving as head of partnership development and strategy. He joined the organization originally at the start of the Bruce Sherman/Derek Jeter era in November 2017. Marlins Opening Day is 14 days away. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 It's already slightly outdated following the Oxfeld news, but you can browse the 2025 Marlins media guide as well as those from the previous 15 seasons here. 🔷 In the aftermath of Troy Johnston being reassigned to minor league camp, I wrote about the trend of recent Marlins Player of the Year award winners accomplishing next to nothing in the majors. 🔷 Watch the replay of Wednesday's Fish On First LIVE episode, bantering about Marlins roster battles/roles, previewing Friday's Spring Breakout game and more. 🔷 loanDepot park is adding pull-apart sliders to the gameday menu this season, per cllct's Darren Rovell. There is an annual taste test of new concessions at the ballpark prior to Opening Day, so we'll have an FOF staffer deliver a first-hand report, but based on Rovell's description, I'd probably love these. 🔷 Happy belated birthday to Max Meyer, who turned 26 on Wednesday. With an uptick in fastball velocity and a new sweeper in his pitch mix, the former first-round draft pick is poised to have a significantly better season than he did in 2024. 🔷 As SuperSub Loud Miami Fan remains hospitalized due to cystic fibrosis complications, it was heartening to see the Marlins deliver a care package to him, including a "get well soon" card signed by most members of the team. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the 2025 MLB trade deadline has been set for 6:00 p.m. ET on July 31. Most teams are off that day, including the Marlins, so there won't be a repeat of last year's fiasco when Miami traded away seven big leaguers on deadline day and didn't even have time to make corresponding moves for all of them prior to that evening's game (they played with a 25-man active roster). The Los Angeles Dodgers signed manager Dave Roberts to a four-year contract extension that establishes a new record at the position for average annual salary. 🔷 Today's Grapefruit League game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Edward Cabrera) host the Houston Astros (RHP Ronel Blanco). Cabrera could really use a decent outing after surrendering a ton of loud contact in his previous spring training starts. It is only being broadcasted on the Marlins Radio Network. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Marlins podcast episodes

With few exceptions, the journey from starting a professional baseball career to reaching the major league level is a multi-year grind. There are slumps, injuries and other types of adversity along the way. The Miami Marlins, just like every other MLB organization, take steps to keep their players motivated. That includes distributing annual organizational awards, the most prestigious of those being the Player of the Year award, bestowed upon the most productive position player in their farm system. However, fans must be warned not to put much stock in this accolade. For the better part of a decade, earning Marlins Player of the Year has consistently been a jinx rather than a reward. The last Player of the Year to even turn into an average major leaguer was Brian Anderson (2016). The combined production of every recipient since then has been significantly below replacement level. What's gone wrong for these former MiLB standouts? James Nelson, 2017 MLB experience: none Current team: Caliente de Durango (MEX) Nelson was put in a tough spot here. The farm system was depleted at the time and somebody had to win the award, so the Marlins went with the former 15th-round draft pick who posted a shiny .309 batting average in Low-A. Nelson got only a brief taste of Double-A before washing out of affiliated ball. He dominated independent leagues in 2022 and 2023, then spent last season as the starting third baseman of a Mexican League club with whom he slashed .297/.425/.459 in 85 games. His Marlins tenure feels like an eternity ago, yet Nelson is somehow just 27 years old. Austin Dean, 2018 MLB experience: five seasons (-0.9 fWAR in 126 G) Current team: LG Twins (KBO) Dean was on the opposite end of his development timeline. He was a big leaguer by the time the award was presented to him (as was the case with a couple of the other names below). It's clearing an extremely low bar, but Dean has had the most successful career of any recent winner. After posting a 81 wRC+ in MLB, he made the move to the Korea Baseball Organization and became a star over there with 55 home runs over the last two seasons. He'll be returning to the KBO in 2025 on a $1.7 million contract. Isan Díaz, 2019 MLB experience: four seasons (-3.1 fWAR in 153 G) Current team: free agent Even more so than usual, the Pacific Coast League was a hitter's paradise in 2019. Díaz took full advantage of that, slashing .305/.395/.578 with 26 homers to force his way to Miami in August. He was already being taken seriously as a prospect entering the season, but this apparent breakout naturally inflated expectations. Díaz was responsible for arguably the most memorable moment of that non-competitive Marlins season. He hit his first MLB homer off of NL Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom. His family members were being interviewed on the club's local television broadcast as it happened and his father's reaction was especially exuberant. 25f43a61-678990e6-9b5edef4-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Díaz was given a long leash to reach his potential with the Marlins. Aside from showing a decent eye at the plate, he brought nothing to the table. Miami moved on from him early in the 2022 season. Díaz very briefly returned to The Show with the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers in 2023. The Puerto Rican infielder played winter ball during the 2024-25 offseason and mashed in the Caribbean Series, but it's unclear where his career goes from here. Peyton Burdick, 2021 MLB experience: two seasons (-0.5 fWAR in 46 G) Current team: free agent I'm fairly confident that no Marlins Minor League Player of the Year has ever had a batting average lower than Burdick did in 2021 (.224 BA). To his credit, Burdick led the organization in walks and opened some eyes with his center field defense. Still, there was always a significant risk that he'd whiff too much to stick in the majors. Burdick received about a month of steady playing time with the Marlins in 2022, then had another cup of coffee with them in May 2023, both times replacing an injured Avisaíl García. Unfortunately, Burdick did not distinguish himself as a meaningful upgrade over García, striking out at a 38.1% rate. Yiddi Cappe, 2022 MLB experience: none Current team: Marlins Cappe was another unconventional award winner. A $3.5 million signing the year before, he spent half of the 2022 season in rookie ball (139 wRC+) and totaled only 67 games played. While it's unwise to completely write off a player at age 22, you would be hard-pressed to find any eventual major leaguers who struggled so much against High-A pitching over a such a long period (.222/.268/.302 slash line in 803 plate appearances). Cappe is not ranked on our Fish On First Top 30 list, nor did he receive consideration for an honorable mention spot. Troy Johnston, 2023 MLB experience: none Current team: Marlins A high-quality hitter dating back to the beginning of his pro career in 2019, Johnston reach new heights in 2023. He raked at both Double-A (.296/.396/.567) and Triple-A (.323/.403/.520) while leading all of Minor League Baseball with 116 runs batted in. The first baseman even stole 24 bases with excellent efficiency (92.3 SB%). It's hard to believe that a player who performed like that in the upper minors is still awaiting his first call-up. Not only did the Marlins decline to promote him during their 2023 postseason push—they left him unprotected for the subsequent Rule 5 Draft, where none of the other teams deemed him worthy of a selection in the draft's major league phase. Johnston regressed in every statistical category in 2024, though his 132 hits paced all Marlins minor leaguers with the exception of that year's award winner. Johnston has been a non-roster invitee at three consecutive Marlins spring trainings. During the 2025 edition, he auditioned as an outfielder after mainly being developed at first base in recent years. Alas, he was never in serious contention for an Opening Day roster spot. Johnston can elect minor league free agency next offseason. Javier Sanoja, 2024 MLB experience: one season (-0.2 fWAR in 15 G) Current team: Marlins Sanoja's player profile is fascinating. He had the lowest strikeout rate among qualified hitters at any full-season minor league level and he did it while being younger than practically every pitcher he faced (turned 22 in September). The Marlins have embraced his willingness to play several positions—he split reps between second base, shortstop and center field during his award-winning MiLB campaign and even started twice in left field following his big league debut. Thanks to his defensive versatility and youth, Sanoja is a candidate to break the Marlins' Player of the Year curse by having a lengthy MLB career. The crucial question is whether the quality of his contact will be good enough to merit an everyday role at some point.

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's road exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) C Nick Fortes RF Jesús Sánchez (L) CF Dane Myers 3B Jonah Bride LF Griffin Conine (L) 2B Otto Lopez 1B Matt Mervis (L) DH Joe Mack P Ryan Weathers