Ely Sussman

This article has been updated with the news of Nick Fortes' oblique strain. Fascinating plot twist!

Thank you for mentioning that about Bride. I felt certain for some reason that he still had an option left, but you're correct. Pauley probably goes down when Norby returns. I think he continues playing 3B vs. righties until then.

Fish On First's third-ranked prospect is ready to hit in the majors and the Marlins have kept him in the minors long enough to gain an additional year of club control. Ely Sussman discusses why Agustín Ramírez doesn't fit in Miami quite yet. View full video

By having Ramírez spend the first 15 days of the MLB season at Triple-A, the Marlins have ensured that he will not reach free agency until he's 30 years old. A call-up is not imminent, but the possibility should now be on everybody's radars, because as of Friday, it's no longer possible for minor leaguers to debut and accrue a full year of MLB service time in 2025. There are 171 days left in the MLB regular season and players need at least 172 to be credited with a full year of service. Among all players in the Miami Marlins organization, the passage of this "deadline" is most applicable to Agustín Ramírez, Fish On First's third-ranked prospect. Ramírez performed great in spring training, slashing .235/.381/.647 (158 wRC+) with two home runs and only two strikeouts in 21 plate appearances. With a week remaining in big league camp, the Marlins optioned him to Triple-A Jacksonville, where he has since slashed .279/.333/.488 (123 wRC+) with one home run and 14 strikeouts in 48 plate appearances. It was a straightforward decision for the Marlins to have Ramírez begin this season in the minors considering his great offensive upside and the lack of pressure on Miami to win games at the major league level in 2025. He is crucial to their long-term success, and now, his earliest opportunity to test free agency won't come until after the 2031 season. That does not mean this is an example of "service time manipulation." Ramírez is currently the 40th overall MLB prospect on FanGraphs, but outside of the Top 100 in the eyes of Baseball America and MLB Pipeline due to his defensive shortcomings. When the Marlins acquired Ramírez last summer in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade, they hoped that he would eventually develop into a usable part-time catcher in the majors. The 23-year-old is making some progress, but still has a lot to prove in terms of receiving and controlling the running game. Ramírez has already been charged with five passed balls this season in Jacksonville, which leads all of Minor League Baseball. He has thrown out only two runners on stolen base attempts so far. Sending Ramírez to Jacksonville has given the Marlins an opportunity to evaluate Rule 5 Draft pick Liam Hicks. He has caught nearly half of the team's innings so far while showing some promise with the bat as well. They're in no hurry to get rid of him. Barring a significant injury to Hicks or Nick Fortes, Ramírez is an awkward fit with the current Marlins roster because all of his appearances have been at catcher or designated hitter dating back to spring training. As fate would have it, hours after this article was originally published, Fortes was placed on the 10-day IL with a left oblique strain. Veteran journeyman Rob Brantly was selected from Triple-A in a corresponding move. Would it be that farfetched to add Ramírez as a third active catcher? If he were to replace the slumping Jonah Bride or Eric Wagaman on the roster, there'd be plenty of plate appearances available at the DH spot on days when Hicks or Brantly are behind the plate. Maybe the Marlins simply want to see more defensive improvement before calling Ramírez up. The projected Super Two cut-off also has to be on the Marlins' mind. Holding off until mid-June would push back Ramírez's arbitration eligibility until 2029. Unless he truly forces the issue with stellar Triple-A performance, the front office is likely to prioritize those future cost savings over getting him immediate big league experience. View full article

Today's news roundup also includes more positive developments on the injury rehab front. Miami Marlins outfielder Jesús Sánchez is recovering right on schedule from the oblique strain that he suffered during spring training. He could potentially be back in Miami's lineup during next week's series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The club has fared better than expected in Sánchez's absence, but one position player must be squeezed off the roster to make room for him. The most straightforward possibility would be highly unpopular: optioning Griffin Conine. That swaps one left-handed-hitting corner outfielder for another. Conine's been impacting the ball hard and playing well defensively, but only has a 86 wRC+ to show for it. With center field experience and slightly more speed, Kyle Stowers meshes better with Sánchez. However, if Sánchez is going to frequently be the designated hitter (as he should, in my opinion), demotions would be easier to justify for Eric Wagaman or Jonah Bride. Wagaman is hitting into some bad luck; Bride has been the weakest link by any measure, but demonstrated what he's capable of throughout the second half of 2024. I think Wagaman is more likely to get sent down in that scenario. The Marlins could roll with a Matt Mervis/Bride platoon at first base and a Graham Pauley/Javier Sanoja platoon at third base until Connor Norby gets back. On Thursday down on the farm, there was an organizational sweep! Triple-A Jacksonville won, 8-5. To kick off their rehab assignments, Sánchez went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and Declan Cronin retired the side in order in the first inning. Jakob Marsee, Minor League Baseball's stolen base leader, hit his first home run of the season. Double-A Pensacola won, 8-5. Shane Sasaki and Harrison Spohn combined to drive in seven of those runs. High-A Beloit won, 8-7. Low-A Jupiter won, 3-2. Dillon Head hit his first home run as a member of the Marlins organization and Micah McDowell recorded the walk-off RBI single. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Sandy Alcantara, whose daughter was born on Monday, has been reinstated from the paternity list. In a corresponding move, Valente Bellozo was optioned to Triple-A, where he will continue working as a starting pitcher. Alcantara is Miami's probable starter for Saturday's game, according to Craig Mish of FanDuel Sports Network Florida. 🔷 Let the Agustín Ramírez call-up watch begin: the Marlins have kept him in the minors long enough to gain an extra year of club control (through the 2031 season). 🔷 Ryan Schlesinger analyzes the early-season performances of Nick Fortes, Xavier Edwards and Lake Bachar. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, longtime Marlins executive Michael Hill has been named general manager of Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. An eight-game losing streak has put the Chicago White Sox in an all-too-familiar place: sole possession of the worst record in the majors. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins open up a three-game series against the Washington Nationals (probable starter LHP Mitchell Parker). Edward Cabrera is expected to be reinstated from the injured list and make his Marlins season debut. First pitch at 7:10 p.m. 🔷 Prior to the game, Fish On First LIVE will preview the 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. Charlotte, 7:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola vs. Montgomery, 7:05 p.m. ET High-A Beloit at Cedar Rapids, 7:35 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter vs. Dunedin, 6:30 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Yes, there is no light at the end of the tunnel until a truly great hitter emerges. Agustin Ramirez has a chance to be that guy.

From Low-A to Triple-A, Marlins MiLB affiliates are stealing with incredible frequency and efficiency early in 2025. The Miami Marlins have reloaded their farm system over the last year and a change with the help of nearly a dozen trades that directly swapped big leaguers for prospects. Even so, that talent infusion alone cannot fully explain this. Marlins minor league affiliates are playing a completely different brand of baseball than other organizations so far in 2025—and the early returns are encouraging. The Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp enter Thursday leading the minors in stolen bases. The High-A Beloit Sky Carp rank second. The Low-A Jupiter Hammerheads are tied for third. This is out of 120, mind you. In 2024, the High-A Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore Orioles org) established a new single-season minor league record with 363 steals, averaging 2.75 per game. Marlins affiliates are combining to average 3.34 per game. What?! The Jumbo Shrimp stole 86 bases in 149 games last season, the second-lowest output among Triple-A teams. Personnel changes have contributed to the base-stealing boost—Troy Johnston is their only active position player who spent the full 2024 season in Jacksonville. Promoted to the Shrimp late last summer, outfielder Jakob Marsee has racked up 12 steals through 10 games this season. All by himself, he has out-stolen 98 of the 120 MiLB teams. Emaarion Boyd (Beloit) swiped six bags on Wednesday without recording a hit. Abrahan Ramírez was an on-base machine in the Florida Complex League last season (.447 OBP), yet stole only six bases. Ramírez got halfway to matching that in a single Hammerheads game on April 6, as you can see here: merge-d1uel2.mp4 Marlins minor league baserunners have the eternal green light. It might stay that way if they keep succeeding at such an outstanding rate. Jacksonville, Beloit, Jupiter and Double-A Pensacola are a combined 87-for-101 on steal attempts (86.1 SB%). Meanwhile, the big league Marlins are currently below average at base-stealing in terms of both volume and efficiency. Will they be more aggressive once some of these speedsters earn promotions to the majors? Probably to some extent, though the mind-blowing MiLB numbers are undoubtedly being juiced by inferior defense (neglectful pitchers allowing good jumps and catchers with inaccurate arms). President of baseball operations Peter Bendix has spoken repeatedly about the importance of being innovative to stand a chance of competing with organizations that have more resources than the Marlins do. This appears to be a prime example. 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 road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) 1B Jonah Bride DH Matt Mervis (L) CF Dane Myers LF Griffin Conine (L) C Nick Fortes 3B Graham Pauley (L) 2B Javier Sanoja P Max Meyer Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

A game that was tied midway through rapidly spun out of control when several substitutions and strategic maneuvers backfired for Miami's rookie manager. NEW YORK—The Miami Marlins made it to the fifth inning in a 2-2 tie with the New York Mets. Then, manager Clayton McCullough began pushing buttons. None of them worked on this breezy Tuesday afternoon with four different relievers allowing at least three baserunners apiece. The Fish ultimately lost, 10-5, and sank below the .500 mark for the first time this season. "Our guys have thrown the ball so well to this point, but today, they just happened to do a nice job with the opportunities that they had to cash them in," McCullough said postgame. Newly converted to starting duty, Mets right-hander Clay Holmes is a groundball machine. He has induced grounders on 66.4% of batted balls during his career, the third-highest rate among all active pitchers (min. 250 IP). Meanwhile, the Marlins offense once again leads the majors in groundball rate. So, naturally, Holmes faced 23 batters in this outing...and had zero grounders to show for it. Every Marlin who put the ball in play against him got it elevated to some extent. The issue was making contact in the first place. Holmes shattered his previous career high with 10 strikeouts (eight of them swinging). Liam Hicks' 22nd plate appearance as a big leaguer was his first in a bases-loaded situation. With two outs in the top of the first inning, he lined a single to left field that gave the Fish a 2-0 lead. d07714d0-c6677e79-b1e1a450-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 The Mets retaliated immediately. In the bottom of the inning, Connor Gillispie misplaced a cutter over the heart of the plate and Francisco Lindor drilled it into the upper deck in right field. The game-tying run crossed the plate in flukier fashion. Notorious Marlins killer Pete Alonso skied a ball to right field that barely stayed in fair territory and fell in between Kyle Stowers and Otto Lopez. It took a big enough bounce off the dirt to easily clear the side wall, but protective netting kept it in play, enabling Juan Soto to score from first base. With Gillispie struggling to get a grip on the ball in the 43-degree weather and frequently falling behind in counts, McCullough got his bullpen warming early. Calvin Faucher was getting ready in case Lindor came to the plate in the fourth inning with runners on base. Gillispie completed the inning on his own before that situation presented itself, but McCullough went to his high-leverage arm anyway in the bottom of the fifth, calling it "the best situation to deploy him" against the top of the Mets lineup. Facing the same group of hitters in Miami last week, Faucher blew a three-run lead. In this instance, he surrendered four runs, though only one was earned due to a Matt Mervis fielding error. Brandon Nimmo's two-run double put the Mets ahead for good. v7flq8_1.mp4 The Marlins rallied in the top of the sixth inning to keep things interesting, punctuated by a Derek Hill two-run homer off of Huascar Brazobán to make it a 6-5 score. Alas, the Mets re-padded their lead in the bottom half of the frame. Back-to-back infield singles and a productive flyout put runners on the corners with one out. McCullough replaced Xzavion Curry with Ronny Henriquez, who's more likely to induce a double play ball to escape the jam. Rather than challenge Soto in that situation, they intentionally walked him to set up a right-on-right matchup against the red-hot Alonso, who proceeded to unload the bases by ripping a three-run double to left-center field. Hill stopped the bleeding with an awesome diving catch for the final out of the inning. Propped up by their 4-1 head-to-head record against Miami, the Mets have taken over the NL East division lead. The Marlins' first road trip of the season concludes on Wednesday. Max Meyer will be making his third start, coming off a career-high eight strikeouts against the Atlanta Braves. Right-hander Tylor Megill, who has allowed only one run through 10 ⅓ innings pitched, takes the mound for the Mets. First pitch at 1:10 p.m. ET. 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 road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup DH Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) 1B Matt Mervis (L) LF Griffin Conine (L) 2B Otto Lopez C Liam Hicks (L) CF Derek Hill 3B Graham Pauley (L) SS Javier Sanoja P Connor Gillispie Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Today's news roundup also includes another milestone in Jesús Sánchez's rehab progression. I was at Citi Field for Tuesday's Marlins loss and it took a couple hours into the game to find a positive takeaway from the Marlins' perspective. That's when Derek Hill took over the sixth inning. A lifetime 47 wRC+ hitter against right-handed pitching, Hill trimmed the deficit with a two-run home run off of soft-contact machine Huascar Brazobán. Then in the bottom half of the frame, he saved three runs with a beautiful diving catch in the left-center gap. Hill racked up a modest 0.2 fWAR in 2024; he's already at 0.3 fWAR through seven games played in 2025. The brightest red flag with the 29-year-old is that he continues to chase outside the strike zone way too often. Overall, though, his place on the active roster is secure for the foreseeable future, no small feat for somebody who was claimed off waivers eight months ago. 72e2a7a1-f32cfd3c-b13cbc96-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 3-0. Double-A Pensacola won, 5-4. High-A Beloit lost, 3-2. Low-A Jupiter lost, 19-5. Kevin Barral's minor league report highlights notable performances from each level. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Sidelined by spring training injuries, Jesús Sánchez (left oblique strain) and Declan Cronin (left hip strain) faced each other in live batting practice on Tuesday. You could see them embark on minor league rehab assignments as soon as this weekend. 🔷 Fish On First's Sean McCormack noticed that Sandy Alcantara has lowered his arm slot compared to previous seasons and explains why that appears to be a good thing. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, beloved journeyman reliever Octavio Dotel was one of nearly 100 people who tragically passed away when the roof of a Dominican night club collapsed on Tuesday morning. A pair of veterans coming off excellent seasons, Atlanta Braves right-hander Reynaldo López and Seattle Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles, are staring at extended absences. López in particular (right shoulder arthroscopic surgery) won't even be cleared to resume throwing until July. Happy 28th birthday to Luis Arraez, the all-time Marlins single-season record-holder for batting average. Arraez's start to the 2025 campaign has been perfectly on-brand, slashing .313/.346/.417 with zero strikeouts in 53 plate appearances. He is the only qualified hitter in the majors with a 0.0 K%. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Max Meyer) conclude their series against the New York Mets (RHP Tylor Megill). The Marlins have a 34.7% chance to avoid the sweep, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 1:10 p.m. ET. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Charlotte, 12:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola vs. Montgomery, 7:05 p.m. ET High-A Beloit at Cedar Rapids, 7:35 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter vs. Dunedin, 6:30 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 first game of Miami's road series against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) RF Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Otto Lopez DH Matt Mervis (L) 1B Eric Wagaman LF Griffin Conine (L) CF Dane Myers 3B Graham Pauley (L) C Nick Fortes P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article

Today's news roundup also includes lots of winning throughout the Marlins minor league system. It was several years in the making, but the Toronto Blue Jays have finally inked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a lifetime contract. The extension reportedly guarantees Guerrero an even $500 million (with no deferrals) over the next 14 seasons, taking him through age 40 and ensuring he doesn't hit the free agent market. This news is rightfully being celebrated across Canada, but it underscores the importance of committing to elite players as early as possible. By letting this linger as long as they did, the Jays have wound up paying for a bunch of Guerrero's post-prime years, and he is already at the bottom of the defensive spectrum. It should go without saying that the Miami Marlins would never make such an inefficient investment under current ownership. If they're fortunate enough to develop a Guerrero-caliber hitter of their own in the coming years, they better be proactive about negotiating an extension. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 3-2. Edward Cabrera topped out at 100 mph in his second rehab start (4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 53 pitches/41 strikes). Although not fully stretched out as a starter, he appears likely to rejoin their rotation this weekend. Jacob Berry manned first base for the first time this season and delivered the walk-off RBI single. Double-A Pensacola won, 8-4. Messy outing for Dax Fulton in his return to minor league competition after a two-year absence (3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 72 pitches/45 strikes). Great situational hitting allowed the Blue Wahoos to overcome his control issues and four errors to complete the series sweep. High-A Beloit won, 5-4, sweeping their season-opening series as well. Low-A Jupiter won, 6-0. Dillon Head went 3-for-5 with two triples and two stolen bases. The Hammerheads totaled nine steals as a team. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Congratulations to Sandy Alcantara, who has flown back to Miami for the delivery of his second child, a baby girl. Alcantara already has an eight-year-old son named Yorlin. He will be going on the paternity list. 🔷 Valente Bellozo is being recalled from Jacksonville in a corresponding roster move, Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase reports. Now I know for future reference—although Bellozo was optioned to the minors less than 15 days ago, a paternity list stint is one of the exceptions that allows a player to be recalled early. Bellozo is Miami's "likely" starter tonight, but he will need a lot of help from the rest of the pitching staff regardless after working two innings for the Jumbo Shrimp on Friday. Every bullpen arm should be available thanks to Sunday's postponement. 🔷 There are a couple injury concerns to monitor. Nick Fortes (neck stiffness) has not played since Wednesday. If he isn't available to catch tonight, the Marlins will have to seriously consider an IL stint. Xavier Edwards was scratched from Sunday's announced lineup due to right knee soreness. That knee began bothering him following this play way back on March 28. NXlhYU1fWGw0TUFRPT1fVUFrSFUxTlNBZ1FBRGxZS0FnQUhVMWRlQUZoVVV3UUFCVlJXQTFFQkJnQmNBQWRS.mp4 🔷 The Prediction Time leaderboard has been updated through the first three series. Become a SuperSub and we'll keep track of your predictions all season long! 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the San Francisco Giants enter this week riding a seven-game winning streak and owning an MLB-best 8-1 record. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins open a three-game series against the New York Mets (probable starter RHP Kodai Senga). The Marlins have a 27.0% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 7:10 p.m. ET. 🔷 Prior to the game, Fish On First LIVE will preview the 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). Marlins podcast episodes State of the Fish - April 6, 2025 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 would have applied to the third and final game of Miami's road series against the Atlanta Braves, but the game was postponed due to inclement weather. Starting Lineup RF Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Otto Lopez DH Matt Mervis (L) 1B Jonah Bride LF Griffin Conine (L) C Liam Hicks (L) CF Derek Hill 3B Graham Pauley (L) SS Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below) View full article