Ely Sussman

Maxfield Lane of Oyster Analytics joins Fish Unfiltered to discuss the wide range of potential career outcomes for one of the stranger prospects in baseball, Deyvison De Los Santos. View full video

"Braxton Garrett did WHAT?!" Imagine that it is Sunday, August 23, 2026. All 30 Major League Baseball teams are in action, and with all due respect, outside of Miami, there aren't many eyeballs focused on the series finale between the Marlins (66-64) and Washington Nationals (49-82). The main attraction at loanDepot park today is supposed to be Agustín Ramírez. The sophomore slugger is leading the Fish in OPS this season (.847) and serving as the starting catcher for this game. A crowd of nearly 20,000 fans is expected for his much-anticipated "Gus Bus" bobblehead day. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Garrett is going to be the main character for the day. By 4:14 p.m. ET, he'll be a national trending topic for breaking the all-time MLB single-game strikeout record. The rebuilding Nationals are especially vulnerable at this juncture of the season. They already had one of the league's worst offenses, and that was before trading shortstop CJ Abrams at the deadline. The next week, they placed All-Star outfielder James Wood on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Today, they are wrapping up a three-city, 10-day road trip, mired in a six-game losing streak. Here is Washington's getaway day starting lineup: SS Nasim Nuñez LF Daylen Lile 1B Andrés Chaparro DH Luis García 3B Brady House CF Dylan Crews C Harry Ford 2B José Tena RF Joey Wiemer The Marlins jump out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, in part thanks to Ramírez's RBI double. After three innings, the lead has swelled to 6-0 and Josiah Gray has been sent to the showers. The outcome of the game is pretty much decided, but nobody is in a hurry to leave their seats because Miami's veteran lefty is cooking early. Braxton Garrett certainly isn't known as a strikeout artist. His lifetime 23.1 K% since debuting in 2020 is right on par with the MLB average during that span. His career-high for a single game is 13, which he set more than three years ago (6/22/23). So far in 2026, he ranks third on his own team in strikeouts (trailing Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez). The conditions are ripe for an outlier performance from the 29-year-old. Garrett strikes out the side in the first and Lile has already burned one of the Nationals' ABS challenges after taking a called third strike on a nasty sinker. Garrett strikes out the side again in the second. Ford leads off the third by drawing a walk, but Garrett picks him off, then punches out Tena and Wiemer. First time through the order, the Nats are 0-for-8 with 8 Ks. Garrett is going up against a fatigued, inexperienced, Triple-A-caliber group. Some of the Nats saw him earlier in the year, but he's throwing a tick harder this time around (averaging 93 mph on his four-seam fastball). He also tweaked his changeup grip in his last pitch design session and it's working exactly as hoped. They were not prepared for this version of Brax. The no-hitter gets broken up by an infield single in the fourth. After a hit-by-pitch and a passed ball—remember, Ramírez is behind the plate—Washington is threatening with runners on second and third and nobody out. But Garrett leaves them both stranded with three consecutive strikeouts. After four innings, the Marlins lead 8-0. Garrett has 11 strikeouts. After five innings, the Marlins lead 9-0. Garrett has 13 strikeouts. After six innings, the Marlins lead 9-0. Garrett has 15 strikeouts. Ricky Nolasco finally has some company. Garrett's 16th strikeout to begin the top of the seventh ties Nolasco's Marlins franchise record. Chaparro reaches base, though, because the slider he chased in the dirt gets past Ramírez. García follows with a single, then House puts the visitors on the scoreboard with a three-run homer. Recently recalled Bradley Blalock is now getting loose in the Marlins bullpen. Pitching coach Daniel Moskos goes out for his first mound visit of the afternoon. Garrett is nearing the finish line...or maybe not! He responds with back-to-back Ks and a groundout to stop the bleeding. After seven innings, the Marlins lead 9-3. Garrett has 18 strikeouts and 106 pitches thrown. It's uncharted territory for the veteran southpaw—who is coming off elbow surgery, mind you—but Blalock has sat down. There's no action in the 'pen. Manager Clayton McCullough sends Garrett back out there for the eighth. The MLB record is 20 strikeouts in a game, shared by Roger Clemens (x2), Randy Johnson, Max Scherzer and Kerry Wood. Garrett joins that exclusive club with two more K's in the eighth. Entering the ninth, it's clear that Garrett will not be finishing this game. He's at 116 pitches and Blalock is warming up again. McCullough is giving him one shot to reach 21. Garrett falls behind 3-0 to Chaparro. His next pitch misses inside for ball four. McCullough is on the verge of stepping out of the Marlins dugout when Ramírez calls for an ABS challenge and gets it overturned! Still alive. The 3-1 pitch is a whiff at a slider. The 3-2 pitch is the same pitch and same result. The celebration ensues. Garrett's final line for this historic outing: 8.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 21 K (122 pitches/89 strikes). It is by no means an apples-to-apples comparison. Bam Adebayo is undisputedly a better player at his sport than Braxton Garrett is at his. But the way that Adebayo, in the midst of his ninth professional season, veered from his usual offensive approach and erupted for the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history reminded me of a finesse pitcher becoming uncharacteristically overpowering. Even on his very best day, Garrett would need a lot of help from factors beyond his control. That wouldn't make the achievement any less legitimate. View full article

Over the course of the season, I think he spends a lot of time on the active roster. Just not expecting much of anything from his bat. Playing full 9-inning games will be very rare.

Strictly for entertainment purposes, I would like to alert you to Tuesday's unique performance by the Miami Marlins pitching staff. In a 7-5 loss to the Washington Nationals, eight Marlins arms combined for 19 strikeouts, the highest total ever logged for the franchise in a single spring training game (since at least 2006). The previous record was 18, which came against the Houston Astros on March 24, 2023. Every position player in the Nats starting lineup—including All-Stars James Wood and CJ Abrams—punched out at least once. Overall, the Marlins K'd 45.2% of the batters they faced. As is typically the case in the Grapefruit League, this took a group effort—starting pitchers get stretched out gradually, particularly in Marlins camp. Right-hander Eury Pérez (7 K in 3.0 IP) was relieved by Anthony Bender (2 K in 1.0 IP), Andrew Nardi (3 K in 1.0 IP), Pete Fairbanks (1 K in 1.0 IP), John King (3 K in 1.0 IP), Michael Petersen (1 K in 0.2 IP), Gabe Bierman (0 K in 0.1 IP) and Stephen Jones (2 K in 1.0 IP). Fun fact: Nardi also appeared in the 18-strikeout game from 2023. This game was not televised and Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium's center field camera was unavailable for media access. But an announced crowd of 2,059 had the pleasure of witnessing this historic "achievement"...even if they were oblivious to it in real time. In lieu of video, here are the approximate locations of every strikeout pitch courtesy of Baseball Savant (key word approximate, because I spot at least one technological hiccup): Pérez, Fairbanks and King are considered locks for the Marlins Opening Day roster, as is Bender if deemed fully healthy coming off a shin injury. Nardi (left finger blister) is likely to make it, though he can be optioned to the minor leagues if the club wants to slow-play things with him following a lost 2025 campaign. Petersen is squarely on the roster bubble. Next up for the Fish, they'll host the Houston Astros at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Wednesday. Max Meyer's first pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. View full article

It is amusing how closely the money lines up with what Ranger signed for. Fun contrast of pitching styles between them.

Xavier Edwards and Jakob Marsee don't stand out to you? 63 SB in about 1.5 career seasons of MLB action for Edwards. Marsee stole 61 last season alone if you combine MLB and MiLB. I would lean toward Marsee just because I trust him to have the most opportunities, given how often he walks.

A season away from testing the free agent market, left-hander Jesús Luzardo is instead putting down roots in Philadelphia. Per numerous reports on Monday, he and the Phillies have agreed to a five-year, $135 million contract extension. By average annual value, Luzardo is now tied for the fifth-highest-paid lefty in Major League Baseball. The deal takes effect in 2027 and includes a 2032 club option. Luzardo spent parts of four seasons with the Miami Marlins (2021-2024), making 74 starts and posting a 4.15 ERA and 3.78 FIP. During his age-27 campaign in Philly, he set career-highs with 183 ⅔ innings pitched and 216 strikeouts while earn down-ballot Cy Young votes for the first time. Although born in Peru, Luzardo spent most of his childhood in South Florida and grew up as a Marlins fan. Two years ago, he spoke openly about wanting to stay with the Fish long term. But the Peter Bendix-led front office never made a formal extension offer to him, as far as Fish On First can tell. Luzardo's situation is somewhat reminiscent of J.T. Realmuto's. The standout catcher was traded from Miami to Philly in 2019 when, like Luzardo, he had two remaining years of club control. Realmuto elected free agency after the 2020 season, but re-signed with the club on a $115.5M deal. He remains with the Phils to this day. Meanwhile, each of the other players involved in that trade—Sixto Sánchez, Jorge Alfaro and Will Stewart—are long gone from the Marlins. In exchange for Luzardo, the Marlins received infielder Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd. Ranked eighth on our FOF Top 30 list, Caba is an excellent defensive shortstop with an advanced plate approach, but very limited power (five home runs in 186 career professional games). He's unlikely to be contribute at the major league level until 2028. Boyd (unranked) slashed .241/.337/.330 with 51 stolen bases in 101 minor league games last season. Luzardo made four starts against the Fish in 2025. He had a 2.52 ERA, racking up 29 strikeouts in 25 innings. The first Marlins-Phillies series of 2026 will be at loanDepot park from May 1-4. View full article

On Fish Unfiltered, Ely previews Sandy Alcantara's WBC revenge match against Venezuela...and wonders if he'll pitch in the championship game should the Dominican Republic get there. View full video

The Miami Marlins have announced that right-hander Adam Mazur underwent elbow surgery on Wednesday, sidelining him for the entire 2026 season. The procedure, performed by Dr. Keith Meister, was a UCL reconstruction with an internal brace. The timeline for him to return to game action is approximately 13-14 months. The slender Mazur reported to spring training heavier than ever this year, specifically with the goal of maintaining his physical health throughout a full-length season. Instead, he's looking at a lengthy absence after only three innings of exhibition action. In 2025, which was his age-24 season, Mazur mainly pitched with Triple-A Jacksonville (4.36 ERA and 5.10 FIP in 107.1 IP). He also posted a 4.80 ERA and 4.90 FIP in six starts at the major league level. Mazur possesses a six-pitch arsenal and plus control, but he's still searching for a way to consistently miss bats against MLB competition (career 13.8 K%). Prior to this injury, Mazur was believed to be seventh on the Marlins' starting rotation depth chart behind Alcantara, Pérez, Max Meyer, Braxton Garrett, Chris Paddack and Janson Junk. Left-hander Robby Snelling was acquired along with Mazur in a 2024 trade with the San Diego Padres—he is perhaps the biggest beneficiary of his teammate's absence. Should any two of the aforementioned names suffer concurrent injuries of their own early in the season, the 22-year-old prospect figures to be called up to make his big league debut. Creating room for Snelling on Miami's 40-man roster is no longer an issue—Mazur can be placed on the 60-day injured list as the corresponding move when needed. Mazur currently has 67 days of MLB service time. He will accrue a full year of service in 2026 while rehabbing from surgery. He's on track to reach free agency following the 2031 season. The Marlins have put the utmost trust in Dr. Meister through the years. He guided Sandy Alcantara (2023) and Eury Perez (2024) through their own UCL reconstructions. View full article

With 10 Grapefruit League games in the books, the Miami Marlins took the first baby step toward assembling their 2026 Opening Day roster. Only 65 players remain in Marlins major league camp as of Tuesday afternoon now that pitchers Thomas White, Stephen Jones, Evan McKendry, Patrick Monteverde, Dale Stanavich and Samy Vásquez and catcher Sam Praytor have been reassigned to the minor leagues. White is certainly the most prominent name in this group, but his inclusion is unsurprising after suffering a right oblique strain. The 21-year-old left-hander concluded last season with Triple-A Jacksonville and he'll aim to rejoin the Jumbo Shrimp sometime in April. Monteverde, Stanavich and Praytor are homegrown Marlins prospects, while Jones, McKendry and Vásquez were signed to minor league free agent deals this past offseason. Vásquez in particular has been lighting up the radar gun (98.4 mph average fastball velocity), but still needs to develop better control. Meanwhile, every member of the Marlins 40-man roster remains in big league camp. Expect another round of cuts by the end of this week. View full rumor

Prior to Monday's Miami Marlins spring training game in Jupiter, Tommy Hutton announced that 2026 will be his final season as a broadcaster. Turning 80 this April, Hutton's swan song will be his 28th season contributing to Marlins broadcasts and his 24th calling their games on TV. Apart from the Fish, he had previous stints with the Montreal Expos, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays and appeared on national telecasts for ESPN, ABC and NBC. The former first baseman/outfielder played 12 major league seasons from 1966-1981. Overall, he has spent more than six decades in professional baseball. “Calling Marlins games and being part of this community has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Hutton said in a club press release. “I’m deeply grateful to the fans, players, coaches and everyone who has supported me all these years. While it’s bittersweet to know 2026 will be my final season, I’m looking forward to treasuring every moment in the booth with this great organization.” Hutton distinguished himself from other Marlins color commentators with his willingness to rant about blatant misplays and unfair calls. By and large, fans appreciated that "authenticity," as Marlins chairman & principal owner Bruce Sherman acknowledged in the same press release. "His impact on this franchise and this community is lasting. We are proud to celebrate his extraordinary career alongside our fans.” Hutton has been partnered with a handful of Marlins play-by-play announcers, beginning with Joe Angel and most recently, Kyle Sielaff. He developed particularly good chemistry with Rich Waltz when they were partnered together from 2005-2015. Unfortunately, they didn't cover any postseason-caliber teams during that period. Hutton was fired by the Marlins after the 2015 season, but brought back in June 2018 and has worked in a part-time capacity ever since. At the start of Monday afternoon's press conference at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Waltz called Hutton to congratulate him. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported last month that Hutton is scheduled to work 60 game broadcasts this season. He's part of a three-person rotation of analysts that includes Jeff Nelson (69 games) and Gaby Sanchez (28 games). View full article

Understandably, Fish On First is mainly focused on roster battles taking place within Miami Marlins camp. However, with three weeks of spring training games remaining, let's check in with the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals, who selected Zach McCambley and Matt Pushard, respectively, in the 2025 MLB Rule 5 draft. Both right-handers have already demonstrated that they can be effective against Triple-A competition. Will they get their first taste of the big leagues this season? It's remarkable that Pushard has even made it onto a 40-man roster given his background. He went undrafted in 2022 after spending six seasons at the University of Maine, then struggled in the rookie-level Florida Complex League as a 24-year-old. But over the last three seasons, he led all Marlins pitchers with 129 minor league appearances, posting a 3.19 FIP (2.96 ERA) while reliably throwing strikes and inducing soft contact. The Cardinals have deployed Pushard only once in the Grapefruit League thus far. In his one inning of work on Saturday, his average four-seam fastball velocity was 93.3 mph. He also showed his slider, changeup and curveball. The New York Mets' MJ Melendez hit a wind-aided home run off of him. Since the Rule 5 in December, the Cardinals have made several trades confirming that the franchise's long-term sustainability is a far higher priority than maximizing wins in 2026. Beyond JoJo Romero, Riley O'Brien, Ryne Stanek and Matt Svanson, it seems their bullpen plans are fluid. That bodes well for Pushard. McCambley, on the other hand, was a prominent Marlins prospect from the beginning. A third-rounder out of Coastal Carolina, he was invited to big league camp for the first time way back in 2021. Miami attempted to develop him as a starter during his first two MiLB campaigns. His transition to the bullpen was rocky—his walk rate stayed uncomfortably high in 2023, then soared even higher in an injury-shortened 2024. As discussed with Corey Seidman of Sports Illustrated, McCambley found his groove with Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville last season in part thanks to the addition of a cutter. He describes it as a "bridge pitch" between his mid-90s four-seamer and signature sweeper. The Phillies are approaching 2026 with a "deep playoff run or bust" mindset and the investment they've made in their roster reflects that. It's atypical for a 96-win team with a payroll over a quarter-billion dollars to make room for a Rule 5 guy. While Pushard doesn't face much resistance in his pursuit of an Opening Day opportunity, McCambley really needs to earn his. Controlling his fastball will be crucial; through three spring innings, the 26-year-old has already issued five walks (all of them fastballs that missed low or away or both). Due to Rule 5 restrictions, McCambley and Pushard cannot be optioned to the minors at any point during the 2026 season. If their teams no longer feel that they merit active roster spots, they have to be designated for assignment, then offered back to the Marlins for $50,000 if they clear waivers. What is the likelihood that these former Fish wind up back with their original organization by season's end? I estimate there is a 70% chance of McCambley being returned, with Pushard at 33% (1-in-3 chance). View full article

Morlando is Exhibit A when making that case—picking him was baffling in the moment, and I have not seen or heard anything since then justifying the investment that they made in him. Good makeup doesn't come close to compensating for his deficiencies. The Arquette pick was far more appropriate. Frustrating that he won't be a quick-to-the-majors type, but he'll be a useful player long term.