Ely Sussman

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's road exhibition game against the Washington Nationals. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) DH Derek Hill RF Griffin Conine (L) 3B Jonah Bride 1B Eric Wagaman CF Dane Myers C Liam Hicks (L) 2B Otto Lopez LF Javier Sanoja P Cal Quantrill View full article

The 25-year-old catcher learned on Friday that he'll be on the Marlins roster. The 25-year-old catcher learned on Friday that he'll be on the Marlins roster. There will be a handful of Miami Marlins players participating on Thursday in their first career Opening Day as major leaguers. It'll be an extra-special milestone for Liam Hicks, who is on the verge of making his MLB debut. Hicks is the first Rule 5 catcher in franchise history to seamlessly break camp with the big league club the following year. A social media post from the Marlins on Friday confirmed that he has made the 26-man active roster. Manager Clayton McCullough delivered the news to him. Looking back at it, I was surprised by how few Marlins Rule 5 picks regardless of position matched that modest feat. Most notably, Dan Uggla (2005 draft/2006 roster) hit the ground running and quickly emerged as a key cog. The only others who began the regular season in Miami were Sterling Sharp (2019/2020) and Paul Campbell and Zach Pop (2020/2021). That's it! Particularly in recent years, Marlins picks have been hampered by health issues. Elieser Hernandez, for example, eventually logged six seasons in the majors, but his debut was delayed in 2018 by a tooth infection. An even more atypical (and frightening) case, Nic Enright seemingly had a clear path to cracking the 2023 roster before being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It's rare for catchers to be taken by any team in the major league phase of the Rule 5. Prior to Hicks, it hadn't happened since 2016 when Luis Torrens and Stuart Turner were picked and subsequently made the Opening Day roster with their new clubs (the San Diego Padres and Cincinnati Reds, respectively). In terms of rookie season performance, Torrens and Turner set a very low bar for Hicks to clear. Both of them were buried on the bench for most of the 2017 season and neither came close to "hitting their weight"—Torrens slashed .163/.243/.203 in 139 plate appearances, while Turner slashed .134/.182/.244 in 89 plate appearances. The latter never received another opportunity in the majors after that. In 12 spring training games prior to Friday, Hicks slashed .208/.424/.250 with more walks (six) than strikeouts (five) and gained experience catching most members of the projected Opening Day pitching staff, including Sandy Alcantara, Cal Quantrill and Max Meyer. He received approximately the same amount of Grapefruit League playing time as Nick Fortes, though that's in part because the veteran was slowed by back and groin injuries. Expect Fortes to start the majority of Marlins games behind the plate for the time being. It'll be interesting to see if Hicks, Fortes and Agustín Ramírez can co-exist on the Marlins roster later this year when Ramírez is deemed major league-ready. Rule 5 picks cannot be optioned to the minors during the season following their draft. In the unlikely scenario that Hicks slumps extensively both offensively and defensively and Ramírez's glove work behind the plate is meaningfully improved, the Marlins might return Hicks to his previous team, the Detroit Tigers. However, if they view Hicks as anything more than a partial-season stopgap, it's worth noting that he and Ramírez each have MiLB experience at first base which adds to their versatility. View full article

Marlins players had to be remeasured during spring training to establish the dimensions of their personal strike zone. Here are the official listings that changed as a result. Marlins players had to be remeasured during spring training to establish the dimensions of their personal strike zone. Here are the official listings that changed as a result. Even though it isn't coming to meaningful games quite yet, the automated ball-strike system (ABS) that has been utilized throughout MLB spring training took some effort to set up. One of the necessary steps was to take height measurements of each player to compute the vertical boundaries (top and bottom) of their strike zone. Instead of defaulting to the listed heights available, the league remeasured everybody, and it's good that they did because there were some...discrepancies. Inspired by Jim Margalus of Sox Machine, I compared the current listed heights of Miami Marlins players to those that had been displayed in early February. The only Marlin whose height changed by multiple inches? Diminutive shortstop Xavier Edwards. Previously believed to be 5'10", Edwards is now down to 5'8". The other players on the 40-man roster who shrunk as a result of the ABS process are Derek Hill (from 6'1" to 6'0") and Victor Mesa Jr. (6'0" to 5'11"). Surprisingly, just as many Marlins added to their height. Jesús Sánchez (6'3" to 6'4"), Agustín Ramírez (6'0" to 6'1") and Jonah Bride (5'10" to 5'11") went up one inch apiece. During Grapefruit League action, which concludes this weekend, each team has been allowed to challenge two pitches per game. Those challenges can be initiated by either the pitcher, batter or catcher. The entire process has typically taken less than 30 seconds per challenge before the pitch's precise location is shown and play resumes. The general belief is that ABS will be coming to the MLB regular season in 2026. In the meantime, there will be plenty of borderline calls for players and fans to whine about. View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's home exhibition game against the Houston Astros. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) CF Derek Hill 1B Matt Mervis (L) 3B Connor Norby LF Griffin Conine (L) RF Kyle Stowers (L) 2B Otto Lopez C Liam Hicks (L) DH Rob Brantly P Janson Junk View full article

Today's news roundup also includes the launch of our annual series of draft prospect profiles. Today's news roundup also includes the launch of our annual series of draft prospect profiles. The Atlanta Braves have sent right-hander Anderson Pilar back to the Miami Marlins after previously selecting Pilar in December's Rule 5 Draft. Pilar was coming off a great 2024 season across three levels of the Marlins organization, posting a 2.64 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 58 innings pitched (37 G/2 GS). He walked only 5.6% of batters faced. That performance didn't translate to the Grapefruit League (14.29 ERA and 2.82 WHIP in 5.2 IP). Pilar returns without any roster restrictions—no need to add him to the 40-man or call him up yet. The 27-year-old has been assigned to Triple-A Jacksonville. Marlins Opening Day is seven days away. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 I made the following bold predictions for the 2025 season on Fish Unfiltered (embedded below): Xavier Edwards puts up at least 4.0 fWAR; Marlins pitchers allow the most walks in the National League; Sandy Alcantara does not get traded; and Dillon Head becomes the top-ranked Marlins hitting prospect. 🔷 Signed as a two-year player in 2023, Janero Miller will be developed exclusively as a pitcher moving forward, reports MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo. In 303 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League, Miller had slashed .227/.341/.333 (90 wRC+) with an alarmingly high 40.6% strikeout rate. He didn't pitch at all last season. 🔷 Marlins director of minor league operations Hector Crespo raves about how Karson Milbrandt developed his secondary pitches over the offseason. Entering his age-21 season, the right-hander has incorporated both a kick change and a sweeper "that grade out really excitingly." 🔷 A prep hitter from the state of Washington, Xavier Neyens is the first prospect featured in Hector Rodriguez's annual series of draft prospect profiles. 🔷 In another annual tradition, Vicent Baldayo previewed the upcoming Marlins season for Pitcheos Salvages (en español). 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Texas Rangers signed Patrick Corbin (1-YR/$1.1M). Craig Kimbrel took a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves. It's Kimbrel sixth different MLB organization in the last five seasons and the one that originally groomed him into a dominant closer in the early 2010s. 🔷 Today's Grapefruit League game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Janson Junk) host the Houston Astros (RHP Logan VanWey). It's the final time this spring that the Marlins will be televised locally on FanDuel Sports Network Florida. First pitch at 1:10 p.m. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's road exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) CF Derek Hill LF Kyle Stowers (L) RF Dane Myers DH Griffin Conine (L) 3B Jonah Bride 1B Eric Wagaman C Nick Fortes 2B Otto Lopez P Connor Gillispie View full article

Today's news roundup also includes the start of the 2025 MLB regular season. Today's news roundup also includes the start of the 2025 MLB regular season. Major League Baseball has stepped in to thwart the Miami Marlins' plans to assemble a Jupiter-based practice squad, according to The Athletic's Andy McCullough and Sam Blum. "MLB officials contacted the Marlins about the practice squad, which could have run afoul of baseball’s roster rules and labor practices, according to people briefed on the situation." There's a limit to how many total players each MLB organization can have stateside at any particular time. The practice squad guys would have been contributing to player development efforts without being officially rostered by any minor league affiliate. Even though the public job posting has been taken down, the brief questionnaire that candidates were asked to fill out is still available. Marlins Opening Day is nine days away. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Edward Cabrera (right middle finger blister) has resumed throwing. Part of his fingernail was removed to expedite the healing process. Good chance we see Cabrera make one more appearance this week before the Grapefruit League concludes, but I still anticipate a season-opening stint on the injured list to allow him to stretch out as a starter. 🔷 We put Kevin Barral in charge of Fish On First's final roster projection update. Changes from the previous iteration include squeezing Connor Gillispie into the starting rotation. 🔷 Son Los Marlins assesses the Marlins' bizarre payroll situation. 🔷 Congratulations to Zach Letson on joining the Marlins communications staff! Letson already knows the team intimately and appeared on several Fish On First LIVE streams last season. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, as I type this, the 2025 Major League Baseball season is underway! The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs are battling in the opening game of the Tokyo Series, fittingly with Japanese pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga on the mound. After 10 MLB seasons as an outfielder, Joey Gallo is attempting to convert to pitching. 🔷 Today's Grapefruit League game: it is the penultimate meeting between the Marlins (probable starter RHP Connor Gillispie) and St. Louis Cardinals (RHP Miles Mikolas). Gillispie has retired 23 of the 25 batters he's faced in the Grapefruit League. It'll be televised locally on FanDuel Sports Florida at 1:05 p.m. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's home exhibition game against the New York Mets. Starting Lineup LF Dane Myers RF Kyle Stowers (L) DH Connor Norby 1B Matt Mervis (L) CF Derek Hill 3B Eric Wagaman C Nick Fortes SS Javier Sanoja 2B Ronny Simon (S) P Ryan Weathers View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's home exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) 3B Connor Norby RF Griffin Conine (L) 1B Jonah Bride DH Matt Mervis (L) C Liam Hicks (L) 2B Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández CF Albert Almora Jr. P Cal Quantrill View full article

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's road exhibition game against the Houston Astros. Starting Lineup CF Kyle Stowers DH Dane Myers LF Derek Hill 1B Eric Wagaman 3B Graham Pauley C Nick Fortes 2B Otto Lopez RF Albert Almora Jr. SS Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara View full article

Miami Marlins pitchers Thomas White, Karson Milbrandt, Noble Meyer, Keyner Benitez and Grant Shepardson combined for 10 strikeouts at the annual prospect showcase. View full video

Player status updates, insightful stats and more information to fully equip you for today's Marlins game. 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 SuperSubs. These notes apply to Miami's home exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox. Starting Lineup SS Xavier Edwards (S) C Liam Hicks (L) DH Connor Norby CF Dane Myers RF Griffin Conine (L) 3B Jonah Bride 1B Matt Mervis (L) LF Heriberto Hernández 2B Ronny Simon (S) P Max Meyer View full article

Today's news roundup also includes the finalized Marlins Spring Breakout roster, which differs significantly from what was originally announced. Today's news roundup also includes the finalized Marlins Spring Breakout roster, which differs significantly from what was originally announced. Miami Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera had some control issues during Thursday's start, as illustrated below. Only two of his 12 pitches found the strike zone as he exited the game without recording a single out. Turns out that Cabrera had a blister on his middle finger. That should sound familiar—several regular season starts during his career have been abbreviated for the same reason. However, the timing of this one is particularly damaging. The 26-year-old hasn't been stretched out beyond two innings in any spring training outing and now he'll have to refrain from throwing until the blister fully heals. With Opening Day only 13 days away and the fifth spot in the Marlins rotation due up in 17 days, there isn't sufficient time for Cabrera to get ready. It is going to be the fourth time in the last five years that he has been injured entering a new baseball season (his 2024 malady was a right shoulder impingement, for example). I'd expect Connor Gillispie and Valente Bellozo to be the primary candidates to fill Cabrera's starting rotation spot on a short-term basis. More Marlins news and content below: 🔷 Speaking of frustrating setbacks, former first-round draft pick PJ Morlando underwent an ulnar nerve transposition on his left elbow on Thursday. The surgery is expected to sideline him for 8-10 weeks. Morlando's first professional season was cut short by a back injury. By the time Fish On First's 19th-ranked prospect returns to the field, he'll be 20 years old with only one pro plate appearance under his belt. 🔷 Fellow Top 30 prospects Adam Mazur (#11), Dax Fulton (#14), Victor Mesa Jr. (#17) and Aiden May (#27) have also been removed from Miami's Spring Breakout roster. Only Mesa (hamstring) has a known injury, but we'll get clarification on the others shortly. The replacements for them are Abrahan Ramírez, Nathan Martorella, Jacob Miller, Jesse Bergin and Will Schomberg. 🔷 The Marlins are assembling a practice squad of former collegiate and pro players to be based in Jupiter and compete against their Low-A affiliate during the 2025 season. The compensation is $150 per day for five-hour sessions that would take place leading up to the start of Hammerheads home games. Another selling point: the Marlins describe it as a stepping stone to future playing/coaching opportunities. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays announced that they "cannot move forward" with plans to build a new ballpark that would replace Tropicana Field. Jeff McNeil is expected to miss 3-4 weeks with an oblique strain. McNeil joins catcher Francisco Alvarez, left-hander Sean Manaea and right-hander Frankie Montas as notable veterans who won't be available for the New York Mets when they face the Marlins for the first time from March 31-April 2. 🔷 First pitch of the Spring Breakout exhibition between the Marlins (probable starter LHP Thomas White) and St. Louis Cardinals (LHP Quinn Mathews) will be at 12:10 p.m. It's scheduled to go nine innings, a refreshing change after last year's was only seven. The Cardinals-produced television broadcast is being carried locally on FanDuel Sports Network Florida. 🔷 The Grapefruit League game between the Marlins (RHP Max Meyer) and Boston Red Sox (RHP Richard Fitts) will follow at 4:10 p.m. Marlins podcast episodes View full article