Ely Sussman

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 "HM" means the player was an honorable mention who just missed cracking the list Name August 2025 October 2025 January 2026 April 2026 June 2026 August 2026 Maximo Acosta 11 12 15 17 UR UR Kemp Alderman 16 8 10 8 9 12 Luis Arana 30 26 UR UR 17 18 Aiva Arquette 3 4 7 7 4 6 Emilio Barreras UR UR UR UR 28 UR Nigel Belgrave 28 25 UR UR UR UR Keyner Benitez 15 17 21 19 22 23 Starlyn Caba 8 9 8 6 7 7 Owen Caissie N/A N/A 4 N/A N/A N/A Cam Cannarella 17 14 14 11 5 4 Connor Caskenette UR UR UR UR HM UR Brandon Compton UR UR 29 25 19 13 Luis Cova 13 10 12 12 10 HM Edgardo De Leon N/A N/A UR UR 26 UR Carlos De Los Santos N/A N/A UR UR UR HM Deyvison De Los Santos 18 23 28 UR UR UR Kevin Defrank 6 5 6 4 8 8 Eliazar Dishmey 21 15 18 15 14 11 Josh Ekness 24 22 27 20 23 24 Drew Faurot UR 28 UR UR UR UR Raunny Figueredo N/A N/A UR UR UR 29 Dax Fulton 27 UR UR UR UR UR Payton Green UR UR UR 28 UR UR Dillon Head 9 8 9 9 11 10 Cristian Hernández N/A N/A 23 24 18 20 Ryan Ignoffo UR 29 UR UR UR UR Chase Jaworsky 23 UR UR UR UR UR Carter Johnson 30 UR UR UR HM 30 Brendan Jones N/A N/A 17 14 13 14 Jacob Kisting N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A HM Ethan Kleinschmit N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 27 Luis León UR UR UR UR 27 UR Dillon Lewis N/A N/A 5 5 3 5 Jacob Lombard N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 3 Jonathon Long N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 26 Joe Mack 2 2 2 3 N/A N/A Jakob Marsee 7 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Liomar Martínez UR 27 UR UR UR UR Juan Matheus N/A N/A 30 29 21 22 Aiden May UR UR UR HM 29 N/A Adam Mazur 10 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Noble Meyer 14 18 22 27 30 UR Karson Milbrandt 20 13 13 10 6 9 Gage Miller UR UR UR UR HM HM PJ Morlando 19 16 26 26 UR UR Ronny Muñoz N/A N/A HM HM UR UR Nate Payne UR UR UR 30 24 25 Andrew Salas 5 6 11 13 15 19 Adrian Santana N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A HM Jared Serna 22 24 UR UR UR UR Grant Shepardson 29 UR UR UR UR UR Robby Snelling 4 3 3 3 2 2 Santiago Solarte N/A N/A 20 18 16 16 Brayden Taylor N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 15 Fenwick Trimble UR 20 19 16 12 17 Esmil Valencia 26 19 24 23 UR UR Andrés Valor 12 11 16 22 UR 28 Echedry Vargas UR UR UR UR HM HM Brandon White UR UR UR UR 20 21 Josh White UR 21 25 21 25 UR Thomas White 1 1 1 1 1 1

Signed via international free agency in 2026 ($350k bonus) FOF Top 30 history August 2026: #29

Drafted by the Marlins in 2026 (R2, $1.89M signing bonus) FOF Top 30 history August 2026: #27

Acquired via trade from the Chicago Cubs in August 2026 September 2026 update: Over the last two seasons combined, Long leads all of Minor League Baseball in hits, according to FanGraphs. He'll be stuck in the minors for the remainder of this season, but should get a legitimate shot next spring to compete against the likes of Deyvison De Los Santos and Agustín Ramírez for an active roster spot. Professional awards/accolades July 2026 International League Player of the Month FOF Top 30 history August 2026: #26 September 2026: #25

Drafted by the Marlins in 2026 (Round 1, $5M signing bonus) FOF Top 30 history August 2026: #3 September 2026: #3

Acquired via trade from the Tampa Bay Rays in August 2026 September 2026 update: Taylor's plate approach since joining the Marlins organization has been Jakob Marsee-esque, seldom chasing outside the strike zone, but also taking too many hittable pitches. Defensively, he has split his time between second base and third base. He's been occasionally filling in at shortstop as well, though that won't be a realistic fit for him in the majors. FOF Top 30 history August 2026: #15 September 2026: #15

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Sunday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelists Kevin Barral and Alex Krutchik. The following topics were covered: Sandy Alcantara becomes franchise's all-time leader in innings pitched Griffin Conine solidifying himself as team's top slugger Kyle Stowers exits with left hamstring injury Call-up candidates assuming Stowers requires IL stint Predicting the next series against the Pittsburgh Pirates You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Our next FOF LIVE episode will be on Thursday at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Pirates series finale.

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) FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger is currently atop the 2026 season 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 Tyler Phillips (MIA) vs. RHP George Klassen (LAA) on Friday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Walbert Ureña (LAA) on Saturday RHP Ryan Gusto (MIA) vs. RHP Grayson Rodriguez (LAA) on Sunday The Marlins rank 16th in MLB with a 100 wRC+ and 10th in MLB with a 3.98 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 34-23 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), William Kempner (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Angels rank 24th in MLB with a 94 wRC+ and 21st in MLB with a 4.32 FIP. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have a 19-38 record on the road this season. The following Angels players are on the injured list: Sam Bachman (15-day IL), Yusei Kukuchi (60-day IL), Jack Kochanowicz (60-day IL), Yoán Moncada (60-day IL), Anthony Rendon (60-day IL), Sebastián Rivero (10-day IL) and Robert Stephenson (60-day IL).

The Miami Marlins made a post-deadline trade on Wednesday, Fish On First's Isaac Azout has learned, sending Jacob Berry to the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations. Neither team has confirmed the move yet. Berry, 25, was selected by the Fish with the sixth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. An excellent hitter at both Arizona and LSU, he received a $6 million signing bonus (third-highest in franchise history for a draft pick at the time). Coming out of college, Berry did not have a home defensively. More than four years later, he still doesn't. The Marlins tried to make him fit at third base, but Berry never got comfortable there, committing 49 errors in 195 minor league games at the hot corner. He also tried 126 games in left field, 64 at second base, 49 at first base, 10 in left field and even one in center. Poor fielding could be excused if the switch-hitter continued to rake, but Berry was the epitome of inconsistent. He got off to astonishingly slow starts in 2023, 2024 and 2025. He flipped the script this season, only to stop slugging from mid-May onward. Meanwhile, Triple-A Jacksonville's roster gradually got more crowded on the position player side. During the past month, the Marlins promoted Cam Cannarella and acquired Brayden Taylor and Jonathon Long via trade. Berry had been on Jacksonville's development list since July 25. Berry's overall MiLB slash line is .245/.325/.377 with 35 home runs and 70 stolen bases. On the bright side, he has only struck out 18.6% of the time. He has more walks (46) than strikeouts (43) in 2026, albeit while repeating the AAA level. Disappointing as his tenure with the Marlins org was overall, Berry delivered on Minor League Baseball's biggest stage when he clinched the 2025 Triple-A National Championship Game with a walk-off two-run home run. Berry was not on the Marlins 40-man roster, hence why he was eligible to be traded post-deadline. He was not ranked on the FOF Top 30 prospects list. The Royals will have club control over Berry through the 2028 season if they choose before he's eligible for minor league free agency.

The last time that the Miami Marlins extended the contract of any player, Joe Mack was a teenager hitting .132 in his professional baseball career. In other words, it's been a minute. The drought has entertainment value, as you can stump your friends with the fun fact that soft-tossing reliever Richard Bleier was their most recently extension recipient in March 2022. Otherwise, it's just confounding and frustrating. Extensions, particularly for players very early in their careers, are vital for any low-revenue club aspiring to contend for championships. These front offices need to lock up impact talent at below-market rates, and that's only possible if they proactively make long-term commitments to players before they fully establish themselves on the field. The Marlins genuinely engaged in extension talks with multiple players last year, Fish On First has reported, but nothing materialized. More recently, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com shared last week that Miami has had internal discussions about extending Mack. I viewed Mack as a prime candidate to end the extension drought before debuting. The title of this piece is referencing my 2025-26 offseason blueprint, which featured a six-year, $31 million extension with three club options for the promising catcher. Those contract terms would be laughable now. Mack has slashed .245/.299/.449 through 67 games with 11 home runs and a 103 wRC+. He's been great at pitch framing and blocking while leading the sport in runners caught stealing during that span. He has generated 1.9 fWAR, which is already a Marlins single-season record for a catcher in the post-J.T. Realmuto era. Trading Liam Hicks to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday spoke volumes about the Marlins' confidence in Mack. They have no quality depth left behind the plate should Mack's production crater. They are trusting that the 23-year-old's combination of defense and power give him a high floor moving forward. Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix referred to Mack as a "budding superstar" during Tuesday's virtual press conference. Long extensions are less common for catchers than they are for players at other positions. That's because a different aging curve applies to them. Mack, for example, is under the Marlins' control for the rest of his 20s via arbitration. Each of the top 15(!) MLB catchers this season as ranked by fWAR are under 30. Even looking back at other recent seasons, we have rarely seen a catcher over 31 exceeding league-average value as their workloads get reduced and they receive a larger percentage of playing time at DH or first base. It would nonetheless be helpful to have cost certainty with Mack, who projects to be eligible for his first arbitration raise in 2029 as a Super Two player and go through the process four total times (instead of the usual three). Also, he theoretically could age more gracefully than most of his peers thanks to his all-around athleticism. As a very conservative starting point for Mack, Keibert Ruiz extended with the Washington Nationals for eight years and $50 million guaranteed in 2023 when he was a year older than Mack is now. Ruiz had a partial season of extra MLB service time with more perceived offensive upside, but far more volatility with his defense. Samuel Basallo (8-YR/$67M) is another relevant comp. The Baltimore Orioles inked him to what was really a pre-debut extension, though it was officially announced following his call-up. Basallo was only 21 years old at the time and there was consensus across the industry that he had the tools to be an elite hitter. I believe Mack has the leverage to raise the bar even higher. He has provided just as much offense as Basallo in 2026 and it's no contest between them on the other side of the ball. That offsets their age difference. My projection for a Mack contract extension is eight years, $70 million with the following annual breakdown: $2.5M in 2027 $2.5M in 2028 $5M in 2029 $8M in 2030 $11M in 2031 $11M in 2032 $14M in 2033 $14M in 2034 $14M club option in 2035 ($2M buyout) If the club option is exercised, Mack would not reach free agency until age 33. That is the trade-off for setting a pre-arb catcher record for guaranteed money. The window to efficiently sign Mack could close quickly. With no extensions on Peter Bendix's record yet, I'll remain skeptical of this getting done until proven otherwise.

Fish On First staffers discuss all angles of an active trade deadline day for the Marlins. Monday's special livestream was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelists Isaac Azout, Kevin Barral, Nate Karzmer, Jeremiah Geiger, Sean Millerick and Alex Carver. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Here's a summary of Miami's deadline day player movement: Traded for Victor Vodnik (Rockies), Brandan Bidois (Pirates), Jonathon Long (Cubs), Brayden Taylor (Rays), Adrian Santana (Rays), Jace Beck (Cubs), Jacob Kisting (Rays), Hyun Seung Lee (Pirates), Brian Sánchez (Pirates) and cash considerations (Orioles) Traded away Liam Hicks (Rays), Lake Bachar (Pirates), Connor Norby (Rockies), Braxton Garrett (Cubs), Aiden May (Rockies) and Rece Hinds (Orioles)

Although the Miami Marlins are "not especially motivated to move him," they continue to listen on 2025 All-Star Kyle Stowers as of early Monday afternoon, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The Houston Astros remain the only specific suitor who's been identified. Stowers' overall slash line of .234/.319/.459 in 2026 is almost precisely in line with his career average, though he has gradually improved at the plate as this year has progressed. He has extreme platoon splits with 15 home runs and a 130 wRC+ against right-handed pitching compared to only one homer and a 39 wRC+ against lefties. Exclusively an outfielder during his first two seasons with the Marlins organization, he has gradually become their everyday first baseman this summer. The AL West-leading Astros, who have Christian Walker installed at first base, would presumably utilize Stowers in the corner outfield spots if they acquired him. The Marlins have a surplus of left-handed bats for the foreseeable future, especially when accounting for outfield prospects Cam Cannarella and Brandon Compton who've been dominating the upper minors. However, none of them have a major league season on their résumé that measures up to what Stowers did last season (4.0 fWAR in 117 G). Also, the 28-year-old is under club control through 2029, giving the Marlins plenty of leverage in negotiations. Both of these teams are playing high-quality ball as of late, combining to go 12-1 in their games last week. I'd be shocked if Stowers gets dealt today, but stay tuned...

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) FOF staffer Jeremiah Geiger is currently atop the 2026 season 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 Ryan Gusto (MIA) vs. RHP Grant Holmes on Tuesday RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Bryce Elder (ATL) on Wednesday TBA (MIA) vs. LHP Martin Pérez (ATL) on Thursday RHP Janson Junk's rotation spot The Marlins rank 15th in MLB with a 101 wRC+ and 11th in MLB with a 3.99 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 24-32 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Anthony Bender (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), William Kempner (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL). The Braves rank 16th in MLB with a 101 wRC+ and 15th in MLB with a 4.14 FIP. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 36-20 record at home this season. The following Braves players are on the injured list: Joe Jiménez (60-day IL), Ha-Seong Kim (10-day IL), Reynaldo López (15-day IL) Sean Murphy (60-day IL), Spencer Schwellenbach (60-day IL), Spencer Strider (60-day IL), Robert Suarez (15-day IL) and Joey Wentz (60-day IL).