Ely Sussman

Creating room for newly acquired prospects necessitated some painful corresponding roster moves. The quality of the Miami Marlins farm system is much improved from what it was just a few weeks ago. During what's been a nightmarish season at the major league level, the organization has moved aggressively to flip productive big leaguers for prospects who have the potential to capably fill their shoes in the near future. However, it is not possible to simply stockpile players. Roster spots on domestic minor league affiliates are finite. Bringing in new talent requires parting with familiar faces, even those who still have a path to eventually contribute in the majors. Since the final week of July, the following Marlins minor leaguers have been released. This list will continue to be updated through August 6. OF Tanner Allen Acquired in 2021 via MLB Draft (fourth round) 2021 SEC Player of the Year Career .229/.306/.344 slash line (85 wRC+) in 261 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Double-A INF Greyber Altamirano Acquired in 2022 via international free agency Career .202/.292/.290 slash line (63 WRC+) in 93 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Complex League OF Davis Bradshaw Acquired in 2018 via MLB Draft (11th round) Career .303/.368/.375 slash line (112 wRC+) in 380 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Triple-A C Cameron Barstad Acquired in 2018 via MLB Draft (sixth round) Career .214/.315/.347 slash line (90 wRC+) in 252 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: High-A OF Jorge Caballero Acquired in 2016 via international free agency Career .286/.388/.377 slash line (123 wRC+) in 354 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Double-A RHP Paul Campbell Acquired in 2020 via Rule 5 Draft (major league phase) Pitched 16 games for the Marlins in 2021 Underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 Highest level reached: MLB OF Oscar Colina Acquired in 2021 via international free agency Career .259/.416/.298 slash line (114 wRC+) in 78 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Complex League OF Marty Costes Acquired in 2023 via Rule 5 Draft (minor league phase) Career .234/.310/.305 slash line (63 wRC+) in 71 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Triple-A RHP Kyle Crigger Acquired in 2022 via MLB Draft (seventh round) Career 4.35 ERA/3.86 FIP and 1.29 WHIP in 128.1 IP with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Double-A OF Jonathan Davis Acquired in 2023 via trade; re-signed on a minor league deal entering 2024 Played 34 games for the Marlins in 2023 before season-ending knee injury Played entire 2024 season with Triple-A Jacksonville Highest level reached: MLB 1B/OF Angelo DiSpigna Acquired in 2023 via undrafted free agency Career .239/.375/.408 slash line (124 wRC+) in 76 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Low-A RHP Ignacio Feliz Acquired in 2023 via free agency Career 4.88 ERA/3.58 FIP and 1.37 WHIP in 31.1 IP with Marlins organization Highest level reached: High-A INF Jonathan Guzmán Acquired in 2024 via free agency Career .182/.249/.258 slash line (33 wRC+) in 50 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Triple-A OF Osiris Johnson Acquired in 2018 via MLB Draft (second round) Originally drafted as a shortstop; converted to the outfield in mid-2021 Career .230/.289/.347 slash line (78 wRC+) in 362 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: High-A C Carmine Lane Acquired in 2022 via MLB Draft Career .231/.367/.269 slash line (91 wRC+) in 49 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Low-A C Hudson Livesey Acquired in 2022 via undrafted free agency Son of former Marlins minor league hitting and catching coordinator Jeff Livesey Career .200/.294/.267 slash line (65 wRC+) in eight games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Triple-A OF Chase Luttrell Acquired in 2022 via MLB Draft (13th round) Career .212/.276/.338 slash line (70 wRC+) in 179 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: High-A RHP Josan Méndez Acquired in 2017 via international free agency Career 3.36 ERA/3.51 FIP and 1.20 WHIP in 244.0 IP with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Double-A C Jan Mercado Acquired in 2017 via international free agency Career .203/.295/.301 slash line (72 wRC+) in 226 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Double-A RHP Euri Montero Acquired in 2019 via international free agency Career 5.18 ERA/4.94 FIP and 1.52 WHIP in 133.2 IP with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Low-A INF Gregory Mota Acquired in 2022 via international free agency Career .235/.321//.295 slash line (76 wRC+) in 50 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Complex League INF Sean Roby Acquired in 2023 via Rule 5 Draft (minor league phase) Career .193/.261/.304 slash line (68 wRC+) in 46 games with Marlins organization. Highest level reached: Triple-A INF Cristhian Rodríguez Acquired in 2018 via international free agency Career .206/.294/.293 slash line (69 wRC+) in 332 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Triple-A INF Junior Sánchez Acquired in 2019 via international free agency Career .225/.326/.289 slash line (78 wRC+) in 119 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Low-A INF Carlos Santiago Acquired in 2021 via Rule 5 Draft (minor league phase) Career .222/.275/.379 slash line (81 wRC+) in 156 games with Marlins organization Highest level reached: High-A RHP Luis Vizcaino Acquired in 2019 via international free agency Career 3.66 ERA/4.65 FIP and 1.36 WHIP in 103.1 IP with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Low-A LHP Caleb Wurster Acquired in 2021 via MLB Draft (15th round) Career 3.80 ERA/4.21 FIP and 1.42 WHIP in 130.1 IP with Marlins organization Highest level reached: Double-A View full article

They do keep this stat! It's estimated that Castillo had 275 infield hits as a Marlin: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/castilu01-bat.shtml#1996-2005-sum:batting_situational

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 the first game of Miami's road series against the Atlanta Braves. View full article

There were several folks who had extreme confidence in him, yourself included. Nobody makes contact as reliably as Arraez does, but I am coming around to Luis Castillo as a somewhat attainable career outcome (just without the Gold Gloves).

I am astounded by what Edwards is doing. Recorded some of my thoughts here: Will write additionally on the topic soon.

Well since you brought him up...When Hanley was Jazz's age, he had already placed 2nd in the NL MVP race, which was his 4th consecutive healthy (and excellent) full-length season. I don't see them as comparable. With that being said, I would have preferred extending Jazz over trading him. Doesn't seem as if any progress was made on that front. Assuming there was no path to an extension, I think this was the appropriate time to part ways and they did an OK job (C+) of salvaging a substantial return.

Big Fish Small Pod for Thursday, August 1 Shortstop Xavier Edwards was nothing short of phenomenal for the Miami Marlins in July, his first full month as an everyday big leaguer. Ely Sussman analyzes where Edwards has improved and how his recent performance impacts his future with the organization. Find Big Fish Small Pod on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes The Offishial Show, Fish Unfiltered, Swimming Upstream and more. The Fish On First podcast is presented by MPT College Consulting! They pride themselves on helping clients navigate the college application process. This includes preparation for standardized testing, guidance through high school, assistance with essays and applications, and choosing the right college. Visit them today at mptcollegeconsulting.com to learn more about their services and schedule a free consultation. Although he's miscast as a shortstop and limited in the power department, Edwards is thriving in all other aspects of the game. He's slashing .395/.461/.500 since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville with nine stolen bases and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. The switch-hitter has been equally productive from both sides of the plate. His July batting average was 38 points higher than any other National League qualifier! Compared to his first taste of the majors in 2023, Edwards is working deeper counts, and cutting down on grounders and lazy fly balls in favor of line drives. Of course Jazz Chisholm Jr. will be missed, but Edwards has the skills to be a valuable leadoff hitter for the Fish for the foreseeable future. Follow Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article

Offishial News for 8/1/24 On Wednesday, Jake Burger hit his 15th home run of the season while Jonah Bride hit his first. Roddery Muñoz worked five solid innings and the remnants of the Marlins bullpen actually threw up zeroes in relief of him. Kyle Stowers went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in his debut with the club—he has the unfortunate distinction of being the only player in history to wear the "golden sombrero" in his Marlins debut. The Marlins won, 6-2. Down on the farm, Double-A Pensacola swept their doubleheader, winning 16-7 and 20-1. That's right: 36 combined runs scored by the Blue Wahoos in 14 innings. New INF Jared Serna went 6-for-9 with 7 RBI. OF Jakob Marsee hit a grand slam and drew four walks. High-A Beloit got swept in their doubleheader, losing 17-5 and 5-4. Miserable outing for RHP Noble Meyer (2.0 IP, 4 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 60 pitches/28 strikes). Through 56 ⅓ innings pitched this season, Meyer has issued 40 walks. LHP Justin Storm struck out five of nine batters faced in his Sky Carp debut. Low-A Jupiter won, 7-3. C Ryan Ignoffo and OF Kemp Alderman continue to produce runs. RHP Eliazar Dishmey (5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 60 pitches/42 strikes) was impressive again (2.86 ERA and .174 BAA in his last eight starts). Here's more Marlins news and content: 🔷 Burger has been one of MLB's best power hitters since July 12. That's when he had a breakthrough with his mechanics, as Alex Krutchik details. 🔷 Xavier Edwards was brilliant throughout July, his first full month as an everyday major leaguer. He accrued 1.3 fWAR, tied with the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Jarren Duran. His .395 batting average led all National League qualifiers. Edwards also hit for the second cycle in Marlins history. I'd still like to see much more from him at shortstop before trusting that he can capably stick there, but sure looks like the Fish have found their leadoff hitter for the foreseeable future. 🔷 Speaking of Marlins history, on this day in 2019, Harold Ramírez blasted a walk-off homer in the 12th inning against the Twins. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, let's check in with some old friends. The Yankees are still undefeated since adding Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is slashing .368/.400/1.000 through four games played. A.J. Puk has begun his Diamondbacks tenure with back-to-back-to-back scoreless appearances. Bryan De La Cruz went 2-for-4, batted cleanup and manned right field in his Pirates debut. Huascar Brazoban and Bryan Hoeing each pitched scoreless innings for the Mets and Padres, respectively. Trevor Rogers should be starting for the Orioles tonight. 🔷 Craig Mish and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald have some behind-the-scenes details about how the Marlins' trade deadline activity went down. The Reds and Mets also submitted offers for Rogers that the team liked, "but the Orioles were willing to go a step further by offering two promising position prospects." Two former general managers described it as "Miami's best deal of the week" (an assessment that I agree with). The Phillies, Mets, Dodgers, Orioles and Padres were Tanner Scott's "primary suitors." On Wednesday morning, Peter Bendix addressed the media about his deadline activity. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Max Meyer) begin a four-game set against the Braves (RHP Charlie Morton) at Truist Park. The Marlins have a 37.6% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 7:20 p.m. ET. 🔷 Join us for a new episode of Fish On First LIVE tonight from 6:00-7:00 p.m. ET on YouTube/Twitter/Facebook. FOF LIVE is presented by Berger & Hicks. If you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, give them a call at (305) 670-7050. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Lehigh Valley, 5:05 p.m. ET (completion of previously suspended game followed by regularly scheduled game) Double-A Pensacola at Chattanooga, 7:15 p.m. ET High-A Beloit at Lake County, 7:00 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter at Clearwater, 6:30 p.m. ET DSL Marlins vs. DSL Giants Orange, 10:00 a.m. ET (completion of previously suspended game followed by regularly scheduled game) DSL Miami at DSL Rangers Red, 11:00 a.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Highlights of new Marlins infielder Jared Serna during Double-A Pensacola's July 31 doubleheader against the Chattanooga Lookouts. Serna went 4-for-5 in the first game and 2-for-4 in the second, driving in seven total runs. View full video

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 the second and final game of Miami's road series against the Tampa Bay Rays. View full article

Offishial News for 7/31/24 On Tuesday, the Marlins acquired 10(!) new players, all but one of whom are still considered prospects: INF/OF Connor Norby, LHP Robby Snelling, INF Graham Pauley, RHP Adam Mazur, OF Kyle Stowers, INF Jay Beshears, RHP Jun-Seok Shim, INF/C Garret Forrester, RHP Will Schomberg and INF Wilfredo Lara. To get that haul, Miami's front office had to dismantle half of their major league bullpen—Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing to the Padres, Huascar Brazoban to the Mets and JT Chargois to the Mariners—send this year's only durable starter, Trevor Rogers, to the Orioles, and move lineup staples Bryan De La Cruz and Josh Bell to Pittsburgh and Arizona, respectively. The stunner of the day was Rogers for Norby and Stowers. I spoke at length about that one on a mid-afternoon Twitter Space. Stowers will be reporting directly to the active roster. Particularly over the next month, this team is going to be awful at the major league level. The Marlins made that trade-off to come away with a legitimately average-quality farm system after entering 2024 with a barren one. They are banking on being able to develop another wave of impactful relievers out of thin air, and that Jazz Chisholm Jr. won't haunt them for moving on from him too soon (so far, he's been phenomenal with the Yankees). The graphic below summarizes all of the organization's additions and subtractions throughout the week leading up to the deadline. On the field, Edward Cabrera was great through five innings, but exited in the sixth with left knee pain. He'll undergo further testing to determine the severity of the injury. Declan Cronin and Austin Kitchen (making his major league debut) allowed the Rays offense to erupt from there. Home runs by Emmanuel Rivera and Jake Burger were not nearly enough. The Marlins lost, 9-3. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 7-3. INF Deyvison De Los Santos homered again. C/1B Agustín Ramírez went 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base in his organizational debut. Low-A Jupiter won, 7-3. 1B/OF Angelo DiSpigna hit a grand slam. DSL Marlins won, 14-5. OF Janero Miller hit his first career home run. DSL Miami lost, 10-4. Here's more Marlins news and content: 🔷 President of baseball operations Peter Bendix released this vague statement on Tuesday evening: "After a busy trade deadline with many tough decisions, we're excited about the layers of talent joining our organization. Our goal is to be a consistently competitive team. With the talented and promising players we've acquired, we're confident that we're moving in the right direction and building a deeper and stronger organization. We thank our fans for their continued support and share their goal of being a contending team that they can be proud of." He will explain his moves in greater detail later today. 🔷 After a three-month carriage dispute, Bally Sports regional networks (including Bally Sports Florida) will be available to Comcast customers beginning on Thursday. However, those channels have shifted into a different "tier"—you will need Xfinity's Ultimate TV package, if you don't have it already. 🔷 On this day in 2014, an inning-ending double play was overturned after an extensive replay review found that Jeff Mathis illegally blocked home plate. Tommy Hutton let loose a memorable rant and manager Mike Redmond got ejected. 🔷 Today would have been José Fernández's 32nd birthday. In nearly eight years since his death, there has not been another Marlins player who exuded so much charisma while also performing at an elite level. This franchise still hasn't recovered from the agonizing loss. 🔷 The most notable non-Marlins-related deadline day trades: Jack Flaherty (Tigers) to the Dodgers for prospects Thayron Liranzo and Trey Sweeney; Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Blue Jays) to the Pirates for prospect Charles McAdoo; Mark Canha (Tigers) to the Giants for prospect Eric Silva; Martín Pérez (Pirates) to the Padres for prospect Ronaldys Jimenez; Gregory Soto (Phillies) to the Orioles for prospects Seth Johnson and Moises Chace; Paul Blackburn (Athletics) to the Mets for prospect Kade Morris; Eloy Jimenez (White Sox) to the Orioles for prospect Trey McGough. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Roddery Muñoz) and Rays (RHP Taj Bradley) have their final Citrus Series meeting of the season. The Marlins have a 31.3% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 12:10 p.m. ET. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Lehigh Valley, 7:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola at Chattanooga, doubleheader beginning at 7:15 p.m. ET High-A Beloit at Lake County, 4:00 p.m. ET (resumption of previously suspended game following by regularly scheduled game) Low-A Jupiter at Clearwater, 12:00 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

Scott spent less than three seasons in Miami, but for most of that tenure, he was elite. I don't need to use a single stat to vouch for Tanner Scott's greatness. More so than other types of players on a baseball roster, high-leverage relievers distinguish themselves from each other by how they make us feel. What's your confidence level in them when entering the game? Overcoming a leadoff walk? When they're seeking redemption after failing their previous assignment? Particularly in 2023 and 2024, the sight of Scott on the mound made a Miami Marlins victory feel inevitable. He put himself on a short list of the franchise's best relief pitchers ever. Now, I'll use some numbers to define how short that list really is. Among pitchers who totaled at least 100 career innings as Marlins, Scott ranks third all-time with a 162 ERA+ (100 represents league average). He trails former Fish ace Kevin Brown (176 ERA+) and Bryan Morris (166 ERA+). Although Morris pitched exclusively in relief like Scott did, he only had one full-length season in Miami (2015) and often handled low-leverage situations. Also, his run prevention was deceiving because it didn't account for Morris' struggles with inherited baserunners—he allowed 38% of them to score, compared to Scott's 22% mark. Scott ranks third in win probability added among relievers in Marlins history. WPA is a cumulative stat, rewarding both clutch success and volume of work. The only names ahead of Scott (Robb Nen and AJ Ramos) and the two directly behind him (Steve Cishek and Antonio Alfonseca) had 100-plus innings pitched more than him. The peak seasons of Bryan Harvey in 1993 and Armando Benítez in 2004 were arguably more valuable than what Scott did in 2023 because they were full-time closers with sub-2.00 ERAs. However, their encore performances were underwhelming, putting up replacement-level stats and missing chunks of those campaigns due to injury. Meanwhile, Scott somehow got even better to position himself as the most sought-after relief arm on the trade market. The Marlins career leader in WPA and saves (108), Nen also did well during the 1997 postseason to help secure the team's first World Series title. He still has the strongest résumé in the franchise's bullpen GOAT conversation, but I would put Scott's right behind him. 745f1362-e81fe94a-53e97fc8-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Best of luck to Tanner Scott down the stretch of the 2024 season in San Diego. During his pending free agency this winter, he ought to be richly rewarded for his recent dominance. View full article