Ely Sussman

I would give Robinson Piña the best chance of making the roster. He could contribute in any role. Threw the most innings of them all last season, so there won't be any caution about managing his workload. Also had extremely good numbers against righty batters and could specialize as a reliever who mainly matches up with them.

Even more so than usual, this Marlins camp will be filled with young faces and roster battles. We'll keep you updated here. Things are really coming into focus now. Following several rounds of cuts, the Miami Marlins are just a few days away from setting their 26-man active roster for Opening Day. Fish On First has been covering every step of that process. The club's Grapefruit League schedule runs from February 22 through March 23, plus there will be an exhibition against the New York Yankees at loanDepot park on March 25. This page will be updated throughout spring training as players are acquired, optioned, reassigned, released or suffer injuries. February 10: C Rob Brantly and RHP Janson Junk signed to minor league deals February 11: RHP Ronny Henriquez claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Twins; RHP Xzavion Curry designated for assignment February 12: RHP Cal Quantrill signed; LHP Braxton Garrett placed on the 60-day IL (left elbow UCL surgery) February 14: RHP Xzavion Curry cleared waivers, outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville and invited to big league camp February 20: RHP Seth Martinez claimed off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks; RHP Eury Pérez placed on the 60-day IL (Tommy John surgery) February 27: RHP Brett de Geus claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates; RHP Seth Martinez designated for assignment March 2: RHP Seth Martinez claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners March 3: OF Victor Mesa Jr. optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville; RHP Woo-Suk Go, C Ryan Ignoffo, LHP Justin King, OF Jakob Marsee and RHP Freddy Tarnok reassigned to minor league camp March 8: INF Max Acosta, RHP Luarbert Arias, 1B Deyvison De Los Santos and RHP Adam Mazur optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville; LHP Dax Fulton and INF Jared Serna optioned to Double-A Pensacola; OF/INF Jacob Berry, 1B Nathan Martorella, OF Andrew Pintar, RHP Matt Pushard, RHP Christian Roa, LHP Robby Snelling and LHP Dale Stanavich reassigned to minor league camp March 9: RHP Robinson Piña reassigned to minor league camp March 10: RHP Xzavion Curry reassigned to minor league camp March 11: 1B/OF Troy Johnston, C Bennett Hostetler, C Joe Mack and LHP Patrick Monteverde reassigned to minor league camp March 14: RHP Valente Bellozo and RHP Brett de Geus optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville; RHP Josh Ekness reassigned to minor league camp March 15: RHP Seth Martinez claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners; LHP Andrew Nardi placed on the 60-day IL (low back inflammation) March 16: C Agustín Ramírez and INF Graham Pauley optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville; LHP John Rooney and RHP Austin Roberts reassigned to minor league camp March 18: OF Heriberto Hernández and UTIL Ronny Simon reassigned to minor league camp March 22: RHP Janson Junk reassigned to minor league camp View full article

Today's news roundup also includes lengthy interviews with Dane Myers and PJ Morlando. Happy NRI Day. In a matter of hours, the Marlins are expected to announce the full list of non-roster invitees participating in major league spring training, but we know a lot of the names already as detailed by Alex Carver here, including Fish On Fist Top 30 prospects LHP Robby Snelling and C Joe Mack as well as RHP Josh Ekness (FOF Top 30 honorable mention). I used 1B Troy Johnston as the subject of the article photo because this will be his third consecutive year as an NRI. Marlins Opening Day is 59 days away. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Speaking of Johnston, he was part of a 13-inning Tigres del Licey victory on Sunday which forced a winner-take-all Game 7 against Leones del Escogido tonight to decide the Dominican Winter League championship. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on MLB.TV. 🔷 Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and The Athletic released their initial Top 100 prospects lists for the 2025 season. All three lists featured LHP Thomas White (#33 on BA, #41 on Pipeline, #57 on The Athletic) and SS Starlyn Caba (#71 on BA, #72 on The Athletic, #81 on Pipeline). RHP Noble Meyer was ranked 85th by Pipeline and 93rd by The Athletic. Joe Mack was ranked 99th by The Athletic. Also, Robby Snelling, C Agustín Ramírez, OF Andrés Valor and OF PJ Morlando each received consideration from individual BA staffers, though none of them were particularly close to cracking the Top 100. 🔷 Morlando told the Diamond Prospects podcast (interview embedded below) that he bulked up to 220 pounds this offseason. He was listed at 198 pounds when signed by the Marlins only six months ago. In the immediate aftermath of drafting him, amateur scouting director Frankie Piliere raved about Morlando's surprising speed and even left the door open for him to play center field in the pros. I'll be curious to see whether that's still applicable at 220 pounds, or if Morlando is consciously sacrificing in that area to maximize his power-hitting potential. 🔷 I created a Fish On First Sporcle account! Planning on adding a new Marlins-related quiz each week and embedding it within Offishial News. This week's quiz covers the free agents signed during Kim Ng's tenure as general manager. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Astros reached an agreement to send Ryan Pressly and cash to the Cubs. Pressly has agreed to waive his no-trade clause. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Today's news roundup also includes a preview of the Marlins' final preseason exhibition game. The vast majority of Miami Marlins fans would've handled him differently, but struggling outfielder Kyle Stowers will be part of the club's Opening Day roster, Isaac Azout has learned. Stowers recorded zero extra-base hits in 49 spring training plate appearances and frankly looked lost at the plate. He drew 12 walks, but struck out 17 times despite frequently having the platoon advantage. This, of course, comes on the heels of Stowers flopping in his first 50 regular season games with the Fish (.186/.262/.295 slash line and -0.8 fWAR). He has one minor league option remaining. The Fish On First staff is trying to confirm who'll be taking the place of Connor Norby (left oblique) on the roster, but it won't be Albert Almora Jr. or Rob Brantly, the last two position player NRIs who had still been hanging around big league camp. Fish on the Farm's Alex Carver reported numerous prospect assignments on Monday night. Most notably, the Marlins are concentrating a lot of their top pitching talent in Double-A Pensacola. The Blue Wahoos rotation will include Thomas White, Robby Snelling, Adam Mazur and Dax Fulton, all of whom rank among the top 15 FOF prospects. Josh Ekness will be in Pensacola's bullpen. Outfielders Victor Mesa Jr., Jakob Marsee and Andrew Pintar are going to Triple-A Jacksonville, though Mesa is starting the season on the injured list. High-A Beloit will have Noble Meyer, Karson Milbrandt, Ryan Ignoffo and Emmett Olson. Coming off hip surgery, Dillon Head is repeating Low-A. Marlins Opening Day is two days away. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 I must've missed it in the transactions log a couple weeks ago, but the Marlins signed RHP Lane Ramsey to a minor league deal. Ramsey made 21 appearances (all in relief) for the 2023 Chicago White Sox, posting a 5.85 ERA, 3.46 FIP and .313 BAA in 20 innings pitched. He began the 2024 season at Triple-A and underwent season-ending surgery in June. Ramsey is mainly a two-pitch guy with a mid-90s fastball and high-80s slider. The 28-year-old has been assigned to Pensacola. 3jnovg.mp4 🔷 Alex Carver makes the case for Hanley Ramírez, Josh Johnson, José Fernández, Gary Sheffield and Wayne Huizenga to be inducted into the Marlins Legends Hall of Fame in 2026. 🔷 Baseball Savant now has public batter positioning data, tracking where MLB players set up in the batter's box and how they move during their swings. Here is a leaderboard of last season's Marlins batters. Among all Marlins, Xavier Edwards stood closest to the pitcher, while Luis Arraez stood as far away from the pitcher as possible. 🔷 In an effort to become more impactful as a baserunner, Kemp Alderman tells Baseball America's Walter Villa that he has slimmed down to 235 pounds (he was previously listed at 250). 🔷 Daniel De Vivo made his own ranking of top Marlins prospects, including Alderman in the 24th spot. 🔷 Today's exhibition game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Max Meyer) host the New York Yankees (RHP Will Warren) at loanDepot park. It's the 30th and final preseason exhibition game for the Marlins this spring (and the only one taking place in Miami). Yankees big leaguers participating include Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Anthony Volpe. First pitch at 1:10 p.m. Coverage on the Marlins Radio Network. View full article

There will be dozens of new faces in Jupiter who weren't even with the Marlins organization at this time a year ago. This week, select Miami Marlins minor leaguers received invitations to participate in major league spring training, which officially begins for pitchers and catchers on February 12 in Jupiter, Florida. Fish On First's Alex Carver has confirmed most of those names in advance of the team's announcement. As a refresher, the Marlins made minor league free agent signings earlier this offseason to bolster the organization's depth. OF Heriberto Hernández (previously with the Tampa Bay Rays), RHP Robinson Piña (Phillies), LHP John Rooney (Dodgers), UTIL Ronny Simon (Rays) and RHP Freddy Tarnok (Phillies) will all be in camp. That still leaves ample room for prospects who were already in Miami's farm system. Per sources, catchers Joe Mack and Ryan Ignoffo are NRIs for the first time in their professional careers. Both are coming off excellent statistical seasons in 2024, garnering team MVP honors for Double-A Pensacola and Low-A Jupiter, respectively. Mack, who slashed .252/.338/.468 and led Marlins minor leaguers with 24 home runs and 33 runners caught stealing, is ranked 11th on our Fish On First Top 30 list. Although Ignoffo doesn't have any pro experience above the High-A level yet, he's already 24 years old and has raked everywhere he's been—his 133 wRC+ since 2023 is second-best among Marlins minor leaguers (min. 500 PA). LHP Dale Stanavich is another first-time NRI, Kyle Adams of The Daily Gazette reports. Stanavich was quietly one of MiLB's most dominant relievers during the second half of last season, allowing only two earned runs (0.64 ERA) from July onward. He struck out 40.7% of the left-handed batters he faced overall. His fastball tops out at 98 mph. Released by the Milwaukee Brewers last summer, LHP Justin King also posted gaudy strikeout numbers after signing with the Fish. His Arizona Fall League stint was shortened due to injury. The 27-year-old reliever has a 4.74 ERA across 76 career minor league innings. Just drafted by the Marlins in 2023, RHP Josh Ekness is being invited to camp as well, per sources. He ascended from Low-A to Double-A last season, posting a 1.91 ERA, 3.12 FIP and .164 BAA along the way. Like Stanavich and King, Ekness is being developed exclusively for a bullpen role. LHP Robby Snelling was in big league camp with the San Diego Padres in 2024. This time around, he's much closer to becoming a big leaguer himself. Considered a consensus Top 100 MLB prospect a year ago, Snelling was slumping prior to the trade deadline, but steadied himself upon joining the Marlins org (3.64 ERA, 2.92 FIP, .224 BAA in 42.0 IP). The 21-year-old is No. 6 on our FOF Top 30. Three unranked prospects with previous NRI experience, OF Jacob Berry, 1B Troy Johnston and LHP Patrick Monteverde, have been invited again, per sources. A former first-round draft pick, Berry has transitioned to right field and showed promising bat-to-ball skills during a late-season opportunity at Triple-A. Johnston and Monteverde were the Marlins' 2023 Minor League Player of the Year and Minor League Pitcher of the Year, respectively. These NRIs will compete against Miami's 40-man roster members for Opening Day jobs. Keep in mind that Eury Pérez (Tommy John surgery) and Braxton Garrett (UCL revision surgery) are still recovering from surgeries. They can be placed on the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man for deserving NRIs. The Marlins are expected to announce their full list of NRIs on Monday. View full article

Woo-Suk Go flunked his first season in the United States, but with the Marlins on the hook for his 2025 salary, they've invited him to spring training hoping to extract some kind of value out of him. Just four months after inking South Korean right-hander Woo-Suk Go to a two-year, $4.5 million deal, the San Diego Padres were ready to cut their losses. Go was part of the package that the Miami Marlins received in exchange for Luis Arraez last May, but he wasn't an asset in the trade—the Marlins took on the remainder of his contract as a favor, enticing the Padres to part with better prospects than they would have otherwise (Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee and Nathan Martorella). Following the trade, Go continued to underwhelm in the upper minors. After only seven relief appearances as a member of the Marlins organization, he was designated for assignment to create space on their 40-man roster. The Marlins would shatter their single-season franchise record by using 45 different pitchers in 2024, but he wasn't one of them. Even so, the Marlins haven't entirely given up on Go yet. They owe him a $2.25 million salary in 2025 regardless, which is more than any reliever who's actually on Miami's roster. Before flushing that money down the drain, he's been given the opportunity to make another impression during spring training as a non-roster invitee to big league camp. Go had seven seasons of professional experience in the Korea Baseball Organization before signing with the Padres, peaking as one of the league's best closers. And yet, he's still just 26 years old, younger than many of his fellow Marlins NRIs. Perhaps the team wouldn't be as patient with a comparable player who was already in his 30s. Coming over from the KBO, Go's fastball velocity was believed to be "sitting 93-95 mph, up to 98," according to a scouting report from Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs. We didn't see that in stateside competition. His four-seam fastball only averaged 92.8 mph during Triple-A appearances, peaking at 95.7. It also had a relatively low spin rate of 2,120 rpm, which would have ranked around the 13th percentile of qualified MLB four-seamers last season, per Baseball Savant. With that pitch as his primary weapon, he struggled to induce swings-and-misses. The table below is courtesy of Thomas Nestico's pitching summary app. Go was victimized by ineffective defense in 2024. He posted a 6.54 ERA, but a substantially lower 4.87 FIP. It's reasonable to expect his .370 batting average on balls in play to improve even if he pitched in front of the same group of fielders moving forward. That being said, a turnaround in luck would only take Go so far. The quality of the swings taken against him may also be an indication that he was too predictable. Opponents loved ambushing Go on the first pitch of a plate appearance. When putting those pitches in play, they slashed .480/.500/1.040 with eight extra-base hits. Here's new teammate Eric Wagaman clobbering a belt-high fastball for a 422-foot home run. bG4xa1ZfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X1VnbFpCbEJRVUFJQURGdFdVd0FBQVFaUUFGa0hBZ0lBQlFGUlZsWU5WUW9IQWdFRA==.mp4 Runners went 12-for-14 when attempting to steal bases against Go (an incredible throw by Will Banfield prevented them from going 13-for-14). It's not uncommon for relievers to be neglectful of men on base, but unless the quality of Go's stuff ticks up, he has little margin for error. He'll be allowing a lot of balls in play if ever summoned to the majors and those become more damaging when you're nonchalant about letting guys advance into scoring position. Inviting Woo-Suk Go to big league camp is understandable when the Marlins truly have nothing to lose. However, after closely reviewing his previous campaign, I didn't come away with much reason to be optimistic. He doesn't have any sort of background as a starter and only topped out at two innings in his longest outings, making him an awkward fit even for mop-up duty. The 2024 Marlins received solid bullpen production from some unexpected sources. Let's see if that trend continues into 2025 with Go. View full article

Unfortunately, I feel like he is the least likely player who'd be willing to consider an extension. The injury did not impact his timeline to reach free agency because he continues to accrue service time. He's on track to get there as a 26-year-old! That is extremely rare. Teams prioritize youth and pure stuff more than track record. Got a hard time envisioning him pushing back his free agent eligibility by more than a year, but those conversations should be happening just in case, I agree with that.

Even though the tournament isn't being held in Miami, the Marlins and the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation have a multi-year exclusive broadcast rights partnership. The Caribbean Series made a rare visit to American soil in 2024 when loanDepot park hosted it. This year's edition of the tournament in Mexicali, Mexico, will still be widely available to U.S. viewers, called by voices that Miami Marlins fans are particularly familiar with. English television broadcasts of every 2025 Caribbean Series game will air on MLB Network, as announced on Wednesday. Just like last year, Craig Minervini is splitting play-by-play duties with Doug Wright. They'll share the booth with analysts Rod Allen and Jeff Nelson. You know Minervini as a longtime Marlins TV studio host, reporter and play-by-play announcer. The Miami Herald reported that he was a candidate in this offseason's search for a new lead play-by-play voice on FanDuel Sports Network Florida (formerly known as Bally Sports Florida), which ultimately went to Kyle Sielaff. Allen has been with the network since 2022 and Nelson since 2016. They both have been utilized as Marlins radio analysts when they aren't on TV. bG42elJfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X0FnVllCUUFBQkFzQUNsRURWUUFBVWdFQUFBQUVWRlFBQlZkWFUxVU1Cd3RXQ1FaVA==.mp4 Prior to the start of the 2024 tournament, the Marlins and the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation began a partnership that gives the Marlins exclusive Caribbean Series broadcast rights across all platforms globally (excluding the countries of the confederation's member leagues), including but not limited to linear, streaming and radio. Presumably, the length of that partnership covers the tourney's return to Miami in 2028. To fill the winter ball void at loanDepot park, the Marlins held the inaugural Choque de Gigantes tournament back in November. Minervini and Allen called those games. In addition to host Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Japan are participating in the 2025 Serie del Caribe. It begins on January 31 and runs through February 7. Spanish broadcasts are available on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. View full article

On Nothing Personal with David Samson, the former Miami Marlins president reflects on Ichiro Suzuki's positive influence in the clubhouse and how the Hall of Famer responded to the tragic passing of teammate José Fernández. View full video

I can do hitter/pitcher. Started off with the two most recent classes.

I can make an update soon identifying whether they were pitchers or hitters. Didn't want to do traditional positions because the Marlins (and most other teams) describe pretty much all infielders as "shortstops," even those who never get any development time at the position. Think it's more confusing than useful.

I should've also noted in here that yesterday was the first anniversary of re-launching this website in partnership with DiamondCentric! So grateful for the tech support and many new bells and whistles we have. The site was a hot mess when I tried handling all of that stuff myself in 2023 😅

Today's news roundup also includes a huge payday for a former Marlins player. Jeff Torborg died on Sunday at the age of 83. Torborg played parts of 10 seasons in Major League Baseball as a catcher and managed five different MLB teams across parts of 11 seasons, including the Marlins. Jeffrey Loria brought him over from the Expos organization after taking ownership of the Fish in 2002. Torborg's club went 79-83 that season. They were on a similar trajectory in 2003, but then had a frustrating stretch in early May of losing seven out of eight games with all of those defeats coming by slim margins. The Marlins fired Torborg to end the final managerial stint of his career. They famously replaced him with Jack McKeon, who despite inheriting a 16-22 record, led them to a World Series title. Following his passing, numerous people who crossed paths with Torborg during his baseball life reflected on how kindly he treated others. He is the first former Marlins manager to die. Fish On First sends our condolences to Torborg's family and loved ones. Marlins Opening Day is 66 days away. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Kyle Sielaff is making the transition this season from Marlins radio play-by-play to television. Some examples of his calls have been embedded below. In my eyes and those of 65.6% of the FOF Twitter audience, the Marlins got it right, while 26.2% would have liked to keep Paul Severino and 8.2% expressed a preference for somebody else. How do you feel about it? Cast your vote in this poll. No word yet on who will fill Sielaff's old role. lrft9u.mp4 🔷 Following last week's signing day, I published a guide to the Marlins' history of international free agent deals, documenting close to 400 individual signings with as many specific bonus amounts as I could verify. Sources tell FOF that another notable signing could be announced as soon as today. The guide will be updated accordingly. 🔷 Tigres del Licey clinched a berth in the Dominican Winter League's championship series, in large part thanks to Troy Johnston. In 14 postseason games, Johnston slashed .294/.345/.471 with two home runs. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Dodgers, who were rumored to be the favorites to sign Japanese RHP Roki Sasaki throughout his posting process, reached a deal on Friday, as announced by Sasaki himself. He is reportedly receiving a $6.5 million bonus. On paper, their starting rotation looks like baseball's best. The L.A. bullpen is in great shape too following the addition of old friend Tanner Scott on a four-year, $72 million deal. Like many prominent multi-year Dodgers contracts, this one includes some deferred money ($21M). What a dramatic turnaround for Scott who was a low-leverage guy for the Marlins entering the 2023 season and is now (deservedly) one of the best-compensated relievers ever. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

That change is not imminent, and from the experimentation they've done in the minors, all parties involved prefer the "challenge system" over full automation (at least with the technology currently available). Adopting it in that form would only alter a couple calls per game and theoretically impact both teams equally. I wouldn't put it anywhere near the conversation of "biggest change the game will have ever seen." That underestimates how consistent most MLB umps already are.

We want your take on Friday's announcement that FanDuel Sports Network Florida has hired Marlins Radio Network veteran Kyle Sielaff to switch over to television.

Two months removed from his introductory press conference, Clayton McCullough finally has his coaching staff in place. On Friday, the Miami Marlins announced Clayton McCullough's 12-man major league coaching staff for the 2025 season. It's mostly comprised of names that had already been reported, newcomers to the Marlins organization and individuals who are even younger than McCullough is. By MLB standards, they have assembled a very unconventional and inexperienced group. Will it work? Starting off with bench coach, Carson Vitale lands in Miami after spending the previous seven seasons with the Seattle Mariners. Vitale finished up his Mariners tenure as their field coordinator. He's replacing former Marlins bench coach Luis Urueta, who now holds the same title with the Texas Rangers. Daniel Moskos will attempt to fill the shoes of Mel Stottlemyre Jr., one of the longest-tenured pitching coaches in Marlins history. Moskos used to be the Chicago Cubs assistant pitching coach. As far as I know, Stottlemyre hasn't latched on with another MLB organization yet. Alon Leichman is the new assistant pitching coach, which is a position that did not exist on Skip Schumaker's staff. He's also now the assistant director of pitching, reporting to Bill Hezel. Not to be confused with the longtime big leaguer of the same name, hitting coach Pedro Guerrero comes here after serving as assistant hitting coach of the San Francisco Giants. Derek Shomon will be his assistant. In 2024, John Mabry was the club's hitting coach, flanked by assistants Bill Mueller and Jason Hart. Former Minnesota Twins organizational coach Tyler Smarslok takes over the duties that previously belonged to Jon Jay and Jody Reed. He'll be coaching first base, infield defense and baserunning. It is a low bar to clear, but new third base coach Blake Lalli has the most MLB games (32) and seasons played (three) of anybody on McCullough's staff. Lalli has five seasons of minor league managerial experience, including three in charge of the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate. His predecessor was Griffin Benedict. Bullpen coach Brandon Mann is the lone holdover from the 2024 Marlins. He was their pitching strategist last season. The old bullpen coach was Wellington Cepeda. The baby of the staff is 27-year-old Joe Singley. He will double as catching coach and bullpen catcher while assisting director of catching Maxx Garrett. The last Marlins field coordinator was Rod Barajas, who played 1,114 games in the majors. His replacement, Aaron Leanhardt, comes from a completely different background, having studied electrical engineering at the University of Michigan, earned a PhD in physics and returned to his alma mater to become a professor, only to make a drastic pivot to baseball. He worked as a major league analyst for the New York Yankees in 2024. Finally, Bryson Nakamura has been hired as the franchise's first performance & data integration strategist. He comes from the college baseball ranks where he was director & head sports scientist at Stanford Baseball Science Core. With the exception Shomon, all of these coaches are trying something new, having been promoted from the positions they held on other major league staffs, making the leap from the minors/college or taking on a different set of job responsibilities. Any way you slice it, they cumulatively have not been around the game as long as typical MLB coaches. That does not necessarily mean they're unqualified, but they won't have quite as much credibility on day one in the eyes of most players, media and fans. Not directly part of the coaching staff, it's worth mentioning that L.J. Petra is Miami's new head athletic trainer and Austin Lamkey has been retained as video coordinator. Vitale, Guerrero and Moskos were each guests on the Marlins Hot Stove Show over the last month. Those extended interviews are embedded below. View full article