Ely Sussman

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) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF SuperSub Sean Millerick currently sits atop the 2026 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 Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (PHI) on Friday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Andrew Painter (PHI) on Saturday RHP Chris Paddack (MIA) vs. LHP Jesús Luzardo (PHI) on Sunday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (PHI) on Monday The Marlins rank 14th in MLB with a 99 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.96 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 10-6 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Pete Fairbanks (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL) and Adam Mazur (60-day IL). The Phillies rank 27th in MLB with a 85 wRC+ and seventh in MLB with a 3.77 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have an 4-9 record on the road this season. The following Phillies players are on the injured list: Kyle Backhus (15-day IL), Jhoan Duran (15-day IL), Max Lazar (60-day IL), Zach Pop (15-day IL) and J.T. Realmuto (10-day IL).

There were zero homegrown hitters in Wednesday's Miami Marlins lineup. Seven of the nine starters were acquired by the organization via trade, including six in classic rebuilding transactions, with the Marlins sending away major league veterans in the process. The cheapest pick-ups of them all? Shortstop Otto Lopez, who's been rapidly accumulating value since coming aboard as a waiver claim, and catcher Liam Hicks, a former Rule 5 draft pick. A Rule 5 pick is a glorified waiver claim, deemed undeserving of occupying a 40-man roster spot by their previous team—much less an active roster spot—and galaxies away from contending for an everyday MLB role. The process is sexier just because we have not seen these youngsters fail in the majors yet, but statistically, the vast majority of them will. The Marlins took a flier on Hicks in December 2024. In the span of a year and a half, the former Detroit Tigers farmhand has come a long way. Hicks opened the scoring in the Marlins' series-clinching victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and also helped manufacture the run that put his club ahead for good. As a rookie in 2025, the left-handed-hitting Canadian made himself rosterable on the strength of great bat control and swing decisions; as a sophomore, he has put on physical strength and it has only enhanced his offensive profile. Hicks boasts a superb .315/.365/.576 slash line this season while seeing action in 29 of Miami's first 31 games. His solo home run off Tyler Glasnow in the second inning was his farthest batted ball to date (398 feet). As a result of it, he has surpassed his home run total from last season, when he played in 119 contests. Before this uptick in power, Hicks had already established himself as a gifted contact hitter. That was on display again versus Dodgers right-hander Will Klein in the eighth inning. He caught up to an elevated 98 mph fastball and chopped it to the right side, advancing Xavier Edwards to second base. Hicks ranks in the 99th percentile among MLB hitters with a microscopic 7.7% strikeout rate. Edwards would later score on a two-out Javier Sanoja RBI single. Hicks is on pace to produce approximately five wins above replacement in 2026. For context, multi-time All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla, who is the best Rule 5 pick in Marlins history and among the best picks made anywhere in the league so far this millennium, peaked at 4.6 fWAR and 4.4 bWAR. Even anticipating some regression from Hicks as the season unfolds, he is a massive upgrade over every other Marlins catcher of the post-J.T. Realmuto era. From 2019-2025, the Marlins received a total of 4.2 fWAR from their backstops, ranking 29th in MLB, per FanGraphs. Marlins fans continue to clamor for prospect Joe Mack, and understandably so—he has brilliant defensive skills and ample power at the plate. Even a few months ago, it was not unreasonable to view Mack as Hicks' eventual replacement, but that notion is now outdated. So is the notion that Agustín Ramírez is the bigger piece of the franchise's future. Hicks has leapfrogged him as an asset. The best version of this team must have Mack and Hicks frequently in the lineup together, with the latter deployed at first base or designated hitter. We should be getting a peek at that configuration by July, if not sooner. Additional notes - Prior to Wednesday, Sandy Alcantara's career numbers at Dodger Stadium had been hideous, with a 14.46 ERA and eight homers allowed in 18 ⅔ innings pitched. He chipped away at that by limiting LA to two runs in six innings, and that actually undersells his effectiveness because one of those runs scored on an Alex Call pop-up that Otto Lopez lost in the sun. - Sanoja relishes big moments. He entered this game with an elite .891 OPS in 98 career high-leverage plate appearances, as defined by Baseball-Reference. Consider that his overall OPS in the majors is just .680. - In the absence of Pete Fairbanks (nerve irritation), Calvin Faucher has the most ninth-inning experience among active Marlins pitchers. He converted his 23rd career save on Wednesday, but issued three walks in the process (one of those being intentional). He's now up to 12 walks on the season, already halfway toward matching his total from 2025. - The Marlins overcame Faucher's wildness thanks to Edwards' unassisted double play, which involving tagging out Shohei Ohtani, then stepping on first base to retire Freddie Freeman to preserve a 3-2 lead. - In the top of the fifth, Esteury Ruiz took Glasnow deep for what was his first hit as a Marlin. Quite unexpected coming from the wiry outfielder, who had previously homered only twice in his life against MLB right-handers. - Way back on March 28, Owen Caissie went 3-for-4 in a win over the Colorado Rockies, flying out to center field for his lone out of the game. Since then, however, Caissie has made 22 more starts and registered at least one strikeout in each of them. On Wednesday, Caissie broke a tie with Jeremy Hermida (2007) and Jorge Alfaro (2019) to establish a new franchise record: most consecutive starts with a strikeout by a Marlins position player. The Marlins get approximately 49 hours to recuperate between games in advance of Friday's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. Their opponent, on the other hand, had their scheduled game postponed due to inclement weather, necessitating a split doubleheader on Thursday, so that'll create a nice rest advantage for the Fish in their attempt to return to the .500 mark. Probable starters for the 7:10 pm game are right-handers Zack Wheeler and Eury Pérez.

The Miami Marlins didn't exactly attack the 2025-26 offseason with an urgency to turn themselves into contenders. Should the team take a step forward and qualify for the playoffs, it will be largely because their youngest players improved organically. Meanwhile, the acquisitions from outside the organization lacked both imagination and quality. You could argue that the Marlins would've been better off retaining an even higher percentage of last year's squad. It begins with the starting rotation. Anticipating the 2026 debuts of top pitching prospects Thomas White and Robby Snelling, the Marlins traded away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers to the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, respectively. Infuriatingly, Cabrera would seemingly open every season with some kind of injury. This has been an exception. Through five starts with the Cubs, he's been available and consistent. Cabrera has posted a 2.73 ERA and 3.63 FIP while averaging six innings per outing. The Cubs have won all but one of his starts. The 28-year-old right-hander is also uncharacteristically controlling the running game to an extent. Two would-be base-stealers have been thrown out on six attempts, compared to only four on 39 attempts last season. The Marlins did their best to spoil Weathers' home debut as a Yankee on April 4 (3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K). However, the left-hander wriggled off the hook thanks to offensive support from his teammates. Weathers has turned the page on that to help propel the Yanks to the American League's best record. He owns a 3.21 ERA and 3.39 FIP in six starts with 33 ⅔ innings pitched. He's on pace for career-bests in both strikeout rate (29.2%) and walk rate (5.8 %). It's easy to project how the Marlins would be better off had they kept either Cabrera or Weathers. They'd be occupying the rotation spot that currently belongs to free agent signing Chris Paddack (6.38 ERA and 4.63 FIP with losses in all four of his starts). Those trades brought back a total of seven prospects to Miami. Only one of them, Owen Caissie, is expected to have a significant major league impact this season. Thus far, that impact has been negative—Caissie has been MLB's most strikeout-prone hitter, with overall contributions that are slightly below replacement level. Caissie is five years younger than Troy Johnston with significantly more raw power. His long-term ceiling is higher, but that does not guarantee he'll ever reach it, and there's no comparison between them production-wise right now. Waived by the Marlins following the conclusion of the 2025 season, Johnston has settled in nicely with the Colorado Rockies. Splitting time between right field and first base, he's slashing .315/.371/.449 with a 119 wRC+ and 16 runs batted in. The most eye-popping rate stats among former Fish belong to Joey Wiemer. Discarded for cash considerations in November, he's slashing .320/.414/.580 through 22 games with the Washington Nationals, generating 0.9 fWAR to practically match his career total from the 2023-25 seasons. Wiemer is running circles around the right-handed-hitting outfielders that the Marlins have used instead, Heriberto Hernández and Austin Slater. Here are quick hits on each of the other players who finished the 2025 regular season on the Marlins 40-man roster and wound up with different organizations: - Dane Myers (Cincinnati Reds) is on the small side of a center field platoon. Facing predominantly lefties, he has slashed .263/.404/.341 (118 wRC+). An encouraging sign moving forward: he is chasing pitches outside of the strike zone at approximately half of his career rate. - Working as a middle reliever, George Soriano (St. Louis Cardinals) has a 4.76 ERA and 4.54 FIP through 12 appearances (11.1 IP). He's done well in terms of limiting hard contact, surrendering only one home run for his new club. - Freddy Tarnok asked out of his contract to pursue a rotation job with Japan's Hiroshima Carp. He has logged 28 innings pitched in five starts with a 3.86 ERA and 23.3 K%. - Valente Bellozo (Colorado Rockies), Victor Mesa Jr. (Tampa Bay Rays), Christian Roa (Minnesota Twins), Josh Simpson (Seattle Mariners), Eric Wagaman (Twins) and Jack Winkler (Houston Astros) are playing at the Triple-A level. The best performer of the bunch has been Mesa (.323/.417/.565, 2 HR and 157 wRC+ in 16 G), though he is currently injured, as was the case all too often in recent seasons.

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) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF SuperSub Sean Millerick currently sit atop the 2026 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 Chris Paddack (MIA) vs. RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (SF) on Monday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) on RHP Shohei Ohtani (LAD) Tuesday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Tyler Glasnow (SF) on Wednesday The Marlins rank ninth in MLB with a 104 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 4.02 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 3-9 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL) and Adam Mazur (60-day IL). Christopher Morel was just reinstated from the 10-day IL prior to the start of this series. The Dodgers rank first in MLB with a 130 wRC+ and fourth in MLB with a 3.57 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have an 11-4 record at home this season. The following Dodgers players are on the injured list: Mookie Betts (10-day IL), Ben Casparius (15-day IL), Jake Cousins (60-day IL), Edwin Díaz (15-day IL), Tommy Edman (10-day IL), Brusdar Graterol (60-day IL), Kiké Hernández (60-day IL), Gavin Knack (15-day IL), Bobby Miller (60-day IL), Evan Phillips (60-day IL), Blake Snell (15-day IL), Brock Stewart (15-day IL) and Gavin Stone (60-day IL).

Several times throughout the year, in response to new information, recent on-field performances and player movement, the Fish On First staff revises our ranking of Miami Marlins top prospects. The table below illustrates how each player's position on the FOF Top 30 has changed from one update to the next. Any prospect who appeared on a Top 30 list over the last 12 months is included in the table, which is sorted in alphabetical order. "UR" means the player was in the Marlins organization at the time, but not a Top 30 prospect "N/A" means the player was either not with the organization or has graduated from prospect eligibility. Name May 2025 August 2025 October 2025 January 2026 April 2026 Maximo Acosta 14 11 12 15 17 Kemp Alderman 23 16 8 10 8 Aiva Arquette N/A 3 4 7 7 Nigel Belgrave 30 28 25 UR UR Keyner Benitez 17 15 17 21 19 Starlyn Caba 5 8 9 8 6 Owen Caissie N/A N/A N/A 4 N/A Cam Cannarella N/A 17 14 14 11 Brandon Compton N/A N/A N/A 29 25 Luis Cova 20 13 10 12 12 Deyvison De Los Santos 9 18 23 28 UR Kevin Defrank 15 6 5 6 4 Eliazar Dishmey UR 21 15 18 15 Josh Ekness 26 24 22 27 20 Drew Faurot N/A UR 28 UR UR Dax Fulton 13 27 UR UR UR Payton Green UR UR UR UR 28 Dillon Head 7 9 8 9 9 Cristian Hernández N/A N/A N/A 23 24 Ryan Ignoffo UR UR 29 UR UR Chase Jaworsky N/A 23 UR UR UR Carter Johnson 16 30 UR UR UR Brendan Jones N/A N/A N/A 17 14 Dillon Lewis N/A N/A N/A 5 5 Joe Mack 3 2 2 2 3 Jakob Marsee 24 7 N/A N/A N/A Liomar Martínez 28 UR 27 UR UR Juan Matheus N/A N/A N/A 30 29 Aiden May 29 UR UR UR UR Adam Mazur 8 10 N/A N/A N/A Victor Mesa Jr. 19 UR UR UR N/A Noble Meyer 10 14 18 22 27 Karson Milbrandt 21 20 13 13 10 Jacob Miller 22 UR UR UR UR PJ Morlando 18 19 16 26 26 Nate Payne UR UR UR UR 30 Andrew Pintar 25 UR UR UR UR Agustín Ramírez 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A Andrew Salas 4 5 6 11 13 Jared Serna 11 22 24 UR UR Grant Shepardson 27 29 UR UR UR Robby Snelling 6 4 3 3 2 Santiago Solarte N/A N/A N/A 20 18 Fenwick Trimble 30 UR 20 19 16 Esmil Valencia N/A 26 19 24 23 Andrés Valor 12 12 11 16 22 Josh White UR UR 21 25 21 Thomas White 1 1 1 1 1

Drafted by the Marlins in 2024 (Round 6, $329k signing bonus) FOF Top 30 history April 2026: #28

Drafted by the Marlins in 2024 (Round 18, $235k signing bonus) FOF Top 30 history April 2026: #30

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) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger currently sit atop the 2026 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. RHP Adrian Houser (SF) on Friday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) on LHP Robby Ray (SF) Saturday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Landon Roupp (SF) on Sunday The Marlins rank ninth in MLB with a 103 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.87 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 2-7 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL) and Christopher Morel (10-day IL). Out for the past month due to an oblique strain, Esteury Ruiz is being reinstated for this series. The Giants ranks 25th in MLB with an 84 wRC+ and 17th in MLB with a 4.03 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 5-7 record at home this season. The following Giants players are on the injured list: Harrison Bader (10-day IL), Hayden Birdsong (60-day IL), José Buttó (60-day IL), Sean Foley (60-day IL), Sam Hentges (15-day IL), Jared Oliva (10-day IL), Joel Peguero (15-day IL), Randy Rodríguez (60-day IL), Reiver Sanmartin (60-day IL), Daniel Susac (10-day IL) and Rowan Wick (60-day IL).

Just last weekend, my colleague Alex Carver detailed why Braxton Garrett should and would be the first man up from Triple-A Jacksonville whenever the Miami Marlins need starting rotation reinforcements. The veteran left-hander further augmented his case Tuesday night with an eight-inning no-hitter in a road start against the Gwinnett Stripers. The Jumbo Shrimp themselves mustered one measly hit and failed to score, while Gwinnett manufactured a pair of runs thanks to Garrett's messy sixth inning, which included two hit-by-pitches, a wild pitch and an errant pickoff attempt. That contributed to this ultra-rare final pitching line: 8.0 IP, 0 H, 2 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 6 K (98 pitches/65 strikes). Devin Smeltzer threw a seven-inning no-no for Jacksonville in 2023 (doubleheader games in the minor leagues are only seven innings apiece). According to the team, Garrett authored their first solo no-no of at least eight innings since Detroit Tigers farmhand Kevin Mobley in 2000. Optioned to Triple-A at the end of spring training, Garrett is making a mockery of the International League. He was arguably even better in his previous outing, and dating back to the one before that, he has tossed 15 ⅔ consecutive hitless innings. This season overall, opponents have combined for a .056 batting average. In 86 plate appearances, nobody has recorded an extra-base hit. Obviously, Garrett is the beneficiary of favorable batted ball luck—for example, he got away with allowing four hard-hit balls against Gwinnett. Still, he's earning plenty of his success versus left-handed batters in particular, with a strikeout rate of 43.3% this season when he has the platoon advantage. Meanwhile down in Miami, Chris Paddack struggled against the St. Louis Cardinals (4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). The Marlins have lost all four of Paddack's starts in 2026. He only participated in a victory on April 5, serving as the bulk guy that day. Nearly a month into the regular season, the free agent signing is beginning to separate himself as the weakest link of the Marlins rotation with a 6.37 ERA and 4.63 FIP, but his ability to fill up the strike zone remains alluring. Also, his guaranteed salary of $4 million ensures he'll get a relatively long leash. Paddack is projected to pitch next on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Garrett the following day against Triple-A Durham (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate).