Ely Sussman

Today's news roundup also includes an interesting interview with outfielder Kyle Stowers. It's very hard to be swept at home in a three-game series, even against a good opponent like the Arizona Diamondbacks. In Thursday's loss, the Miami Marlins got a lousy outing from Edward Cabrera, but still had numerous opportunities to overcome that. Jesús Sánchez came up a few feet shy of a game-tying home run in the sixth inning. Connor Norby was at the plate with the bases loaded and a two-run deficit in the seventh—he struck out looking. Miami put runners on base in every inning of the game, but never scored more than once in a single frame. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 4-1. Valente Bellozo tossed five scoreless innings. Agustín Ramírez clobbered a home run 422 feet, the longest batted ball he's ever hit in a Triple-A game. Ronny Simon went 2-for-3 with a walk. He ranks fourth in the International League with a .386 batting average and .473 on-base percentage. Double-A Pensacola won, 4-3. Joe Mack went 3-for-5 with two doubles. Josh Ekness allowed his first (unearned) run of the season, but still struck out five and earned the win. High-A Beloit lost, 3-0. For the first time this season, the Sky Carp did not steal any bases. Low-A Jupiter lost, 3-2. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 This week's roster moves have simplified the Marlins' infield alignment for the foreseeable future. Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards and Norby will start regularly at second base, shortstop and third base, respectively, with Matt Mervis and Eric Wagaman platooning at first base. Expect Javier Sanoja to start once per series in place of Lopez/Edwards/Norby. This is a below-average defensive unit overall, but potentially an above-average one offensively. 🔷 Declan Cronin experienced a setback with his hip injury and is being reevaluated. With no timetable for his return and a 40-man roster spot open, I wonder if we could see one of the effective Jumbo Shrimp relievers promoted in the coming days. 🔷 Check out the latest Fish Unfiltered episode featuring an exclusive Kyle Stowers interview! Stowers was candid about his transition to the Marlins organization and his development as a hitter. 🔷 Christina De Nicola of MLB.com explores how the Marlins have been coaching and evaluating outfield defense this season. 🔷 Happy anniversary to the Marlins UK Fan Club. Fish fans across the pond can enter their email address on the club's site for updates on upcoming events. 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated through the first six series. Aram Leighton was the only one who made perfect picks for the Diamondbacks series. Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long! 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Colorado Rockies fired hitting coach Hensley Meulens and replaced him with Clint Hurdle. The Rockies have easily MLB's highest strikeout rate so far this season and a bottom-five offense overall once you adjust for ballpark factors. Francisco Lindor was named captain of Puerto Rico's 2026 World Baseball Classic team. Old friend Bryan De La Cruz was optioned to Triple-A by the Atlanta Braves. It's been a rapid drop-off for De La Cruz, who at this time last year was the everyday No. 2 hitter for the Marlins. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Sandy Alcantara) visit the Philadelphia Phillies (RHP Zack Wheeler). The Marlins have a 35.7% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 6:45 p.m. ET. 🔷 Prior to the game, Fish On First LIVE will preview the series beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. Special guest: Alex Carr. 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 at Memphis, 4:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola at Columbus, 7:05 p.m. ET High-A Beloit vs. Quad Cities, 7:05 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter at Daytona, 6:35 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes 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 third and final game of Miami's home series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) 3B Connor Norby 2B Otto Lopez 1B Eric Wagaman RF Kyle Stowers (L) CF Dane Myers DH Griffin Conine LF Javier Sanoja C Rob Brantly (L) 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 Arizona Diamondbacks. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) DH Jesús Sánchez (L) RF Kyle Stowers (L) 1B Matt Mervis (L) 2B Otto Lopez LF Griffin Conine (L) C Liam Hicks (L) CF Derek Hill 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Max Meyer Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Today's news roundup also includes Marlins minor league updates and the 10th anniversary of a major franchise record changing hands. I was on site at Citi Field for Connor Gillispie's previous start against the New York Mets where he struggled to grip the ball in chilly weather and his control suffered accordingly. Other than the quality of the opponent, there was no such excuse for his performance at 79-degree loanDepot park on Tuesday night. Gillispie allowed eight earned runs to the Arizona Diamondbacks in his five-plus innings of work. Jesús Sánchez manned center field in his return from the injured list. On Jackie Robinson Day, the Marlins lost, 10-4. Down on the farm, Marlins minor league affiliates got swept. Triple-A Jacksonville lost, 6-3. Connor Norby played seven innings at third base in what should be his penultimate rehab game. Ronny Simon was a double shy of the cycle. In 12 games this season, he is slashing .368/.458/.579 (179 wRC+) with four stolen bases and more walks than strikeouts. Double-A Pensacola lost, 3-0. The Blue Wahoos could not capitalize on Jacob Miller's quality start (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 90 pitches/58 strikes). High-A Beloit lost, 4-0. Gage Miller, the Marlins' third-round draft pick in 2024, has begun the year in an 0-for-23 slump. Low-A Jupiter lost, 17-6. The Hammerheads pitching staff has the highest walk rate in Minor League Baseball, issuing 14 more free passes in this contest. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Jonah Bride was designated for assignment by the Marlins to make room on the roster for Sánchez. With Bride's hitting profile changing for the worse this season, it was a defensible move, as detailed on the Small Pod embedded below. It still feels premature. Placing Dane Myers on the IL for a minimum 10-day stint—he hasn't played since last Wednesday—would have bought Bride a few extra reps to show something offensively. If this proves to be the end of Bride's Marlins tenure, he finishes with a .250/.334/.408 slash line (104 wRC+), 11 homers and 0.5 fWAR in 83 games. There is now an open 40-man spot. 🔷 DFA'd by Miami last week, Xzavion Curry cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Jacksonville. Good chance of him getting called up again at some point in 2025 for either mop-up duty or an emergency spot start. 🔷 Kevin Barral observed that Kemp Alderman has changed his batting stance from last season. The early returns have been highly encouraging. 🔷 Matt Mervis was the leading vote-getter in our FOF Twitter poll regarding the most surprisingly successful Marlins player of 2025 thus far. 🔷 Marlins director of pitching Bill Hezel tells Craig Mish of FanDuel Sports Network Florida that catchers throughout the farm system no longer have pitch-calling responsibilities. Minor league coaches are calling the shots instead and relaying that information to the backstops from the dugout. 🔷 Baseball America has added Joe Mack to their Top 100 MLB prospects list. Fellow Marlins Thomas White and Starlyn Caba currently rank 31st and 67th, respectively. 🔷 On this day in 2015, Giancarlo Stanton seized the top spot on the all-time Marlins home run list. He would finish his tenure with the franchise with 267 homers, a record that I don't foresee anybody challenging anytime soon. To underscore how inexperienced the current Marlins are, the position players currently on their active roster have combined for only 116 MLB homers! More than half of those belong to Jesús Sánchez (59). 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Tyler Soderstrom went yard two more times and now leads the majors with eight long balls. The San Diego Padres lost a home game for the first time this season. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Max Meyer) continue their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks (RHP Brandon Pfaadt). The Marlins have a 45.0% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 6:40 p.m. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville at Memphis, 7:45 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola at Columbus, 7:05 p.m. ET High-A Beloit vs. Quad Cities, 12:10 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter at Daytona, 6:35 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Bold strategy to pick an injured player 🤭

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 Arizona Diamondbacks. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) CF Jesús Sánchez (L) 1B Eric Wagaman DH Matt Mervis (L) RF Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Otto Lopez LF Griffin Conine (L) C Liam Hicks (L) 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Connor Gillispie Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Jonah Bride was one of the top offensive players on the 2024 Miami Marlins. Just a few weeks into the 2025 season, he has been designated for assignment. Ely Sussman reacts to the decision. View full video

Last year's unconventional Luis Arraez trade has distorted everybody's understanding of the MLB trade market. The five-player deal that sent the reigning National League batting champ to the San Diego Padres on May 4 was the exception, not the new norm for the Miami Marlins under Peter Bendix. On Monday, Will Sammon of The Athletic reported what I figured was already obvious: the Marlins won't be handling Sandy Alcantara the same way. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald also hears that "they are in no rush to decide" on whether to shop him. Unlike in 2024 when they instantly faded from postseason contention, Miami currently owns an 8-7 record, one game out of an NL wild card spot. "Marlins officials share more optimism regarding their roster than they did a year ago," per Sammon, specifically in regards to the pitching staff. It is premature to say that the 2025 Marlins are going to keep this up. Lacking talent and experience outside of their ace, they will likely wind up being sellers again come July 31. However, unless they are approached with an extremely generous offer and have internal concerns about Alcantara recapturing his pre-Tommy John surgery form, trade talks can wait until much closer to the deadline. Undermanned as they may be on paper, they'll continue to try winning games in the meantime. Through three regular season starts, Alcantara has a 4.70 ERA, 3.85 FIP and .182 BAA in 15 ⅓ innings pitched. He's lined up to face the Philadelphia Phillies in his next outing on Friday. View full rumor

Today's news roundup also includes the emergence of a fascinating pitching prospect. I am not ready to overreact and make the case that the Miami Marlins are seriously going to compete for anything as currently constructed, but it's clear I underestimated their entertainment value. This edition of the club is far more than a dreary tank job. Their inexperience is part of the charm—classic rookie manager mistakes, reliance on a catcher who never previously played above Double-A, trying to protect late leads without any relievers who have had meaningful closer reps, etc. My primary concern was that the Marlins would rarely be able to overcome those quirks because of an anemic offense. The inability to score is the ultimate bore. While they've already been shut out twice in the early going, the depth of their lineup has made things interesting far more often than not. For the first time on Sunday, they genuinely drubbed an opponent, racking up 11 runs on 14 hits. Practically everybody has stepped up in some high-leverage situation, with Matt Mervis and Kyle Stowers doing so repeatedly. Great individual numbers are fun and Mervis is complying with a .735 slugging percentage—if he had sufficient playing time to be a qualified hitter, that would rank second in Major League Baseball behind only Aaron Judge. Other teams are trying to neutralize Stowers with left-handed pitching and he's burning them for doing so, going 8-for-15(!) with two walks off of lefties. A season of constant losing revolving around Sandy Alcantara trade rumors would have sucked. Thankfully, the 2025 Marlins are already proving to be more nuanced than that. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 4-3, their eighth consecutive victory. The game featured rehab appearances from Jesús Sánchez, Connor Norby and Declan Cronin, each of whom were playing on back-to-back days. Maximo Acosta had the walk-off RBI single. Double-A Pensacola won, 4-3. Kemp Alderman (1.182) and Joe Mack (1.179) rank second and third, respectively, among Southern League qualifiers in OPS. High-A Beloit lost, 10-7. That's despite stealing 11 bases without being caught. Low-A Jupiter lost, 10-2. Carter Johnson had his third multi-hit game in a row. Marlins affiliates have combined for 139 stolen bases this season; no other MLB farm system has even reached 100! More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Which player's success has surprised you the most during Miami's 8-7 start to the season? Cast your vote in our Twitter poll. 🔷 Some combination of Sánchez, Norby and Cronin will be reinstated from the injured list prior to the start of the next series. It's highly likely that Graham Pauley and George Soriano will be optioned to the minors in corresponding roster moves. Which other position player is getting squeezed off the active roster? I wanted to raise the possibility that the Marlins may kick that can down the road by placing Dane Myers (sore left foot) on the injured list and backdating his IL stint as many days as possible. 🔷 As I did for much of the 2024 season, there will be new prospect spotlight episodes of Big Fish Small Pod on Mondays. This one features Liomar Martínez (Jupiter), Yiddi Cappe (Beloit), Kemp Alderman (Pensacola) and Jakob Marsee (Jacksonville). Find the latest episode embedded below. 🔷 Alex Carver reports on Martínez's fascinating origin story. The converted shortstop has taken huge strides on the mound here in his fourth season with the Marlins organization. 🔷 Kyle Stowers and Xavier Edwards will be using torpedo bats on a regular basis moving forward, and Derek Hill was quietly the first Marlin to try one out earlier this season, MLB.com's Christina De Nicola details. 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated through the first five series. @THOMAS JOSEPH and @Lucas are currently tied for the top spot. Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long! 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Chicago Cubs left-hander Justin Steele will undergo season-ending elbow surgery. Garrett Crochet carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning against his former team, the Chicago White Sox. Coincidentally, one of the players he was traded for, Chase Meidroth, was responsible for breaking up the no-no. Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered to snap out of a career-long 24 at-bat hitless streak. Marlins podcast episodes State of the Fish - April 13, 2025 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 begins with RHP Liomar Martínez (Jupiter), INF Yiddi Cappe (Beloit), OF Kemp Alderman (Pensacola) and OF Jakob Marsee (Jacksonville). 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 Washington Nationals. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) 2B Otto Lopez RF Kyle Stowers (L) 1B Matt Mervis (L) CF Derek Hill DH Jonah Bride LF Griffin Conine (L) 3B Javier Sanoja C Rob Brantly 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 second game of Miami's home series against the Washington Nationals. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Otto Lopez 1B Matt Mervis (L) DH Eric Wagaman LF Griffin Conine (L) CF Derek Hill C Liam Hicks (L) 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

As long as you beat the first pitch, yeah!

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 Washington Nationals. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) 2B Otto Lopez RF Kyle Stowers (L) DH Eric Wagaman CF Derek Hill 1B Jonah Bride C Liam Hicks (L) LF Javier Sanoja 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Edward Cabrera Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article