Ely Sussman

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 Pittsburgh Pirates. View full article

Offishial News for 9/9/24 On Sunday, Connor Norby stayed scorching hot with two home runs, raising his slugging percentage to .671 through 18 games with the Marlins. Javier Sanoja went 2-for-4 in his first major league start, beginning the game in center field and finishing it at shortstop. Griffin Conine went 3-for-4. They combined to provide more than enough run support for Edward Cabrera, who carried a no-hitter through five innings and held the Phillies scoreless for seven. Lake Bachar struck out the side in his Marlins debut, becoming the club's 69th player used this season. The Marlins won, 10-1, which matched their largest margin of victory in 2024. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 9-8. Ryan Weathers made his second minor league rehab start (2.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 64 pitches/39 strikes). The Jumbo Shrimp overcame five errors, including one committed by Weathers himself. Expect the left-hander to pitch at least one more time with Jacksonville before being reinstated from the injured list. Double-A Pensacola won, 6-5. Another multi-hit game for Johnny Olmstead, who is slashing .257/.321/.429 with the Blue Wahoos and has quietly overtaken Cody Morissette for the starting second base job. High-A Beloit lost, 7-1. Low-A Jupiter lost, 23-8 (setting a season-high for runs allowed). The final regular season records for the Sky Carp and Hammerheads were 60-69 and 65-65, respectively. Here's more Marlins news and content: 🔷 Sunday's State of the Fish call-in show was divided into two parts (here and here) due to technical difficulties. 🔷 I explored Norby's obsession with swinging at the first pitch. Although he hit another first-pitch homer on Sunday, in most cases, his aggressiveness is putting him in disadvantageous counts and limiting his opportunities to draw walks. 🔷 Through 46 Marlins series, here's an updated look at the Prediction Time leaderboard. Make series predictions with us all season long when you become a Fish On First SuperSub. 🔷 On this day 10 years ago, the Marlins used back-to-back blasts from Casey McGehee and Marcell Ozuna to top the Brewers. 🔷 The Marlins were patient with Otto Lopez during a midseason slump. Skip Schumaker spoke to MLB.com's Christina De Nicola about the importance of positive reinforcement in situations like that. Lopez has quietly played every single inning of every game since August 4 with good results. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Reds rallied in the ninth inning to snap the Mets' nine-game winning streak. Pavin Smith carried the Diamondbacks over the Astros with a 3 HR/8 RBI game. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Valente Bellozo) begin their second-to-last road trip of the season by facing the Pirates (RHP Paul Skenes). Last year's top overall draft pick has exceeded the hype. Since making his major league debut on May 11, Skenes' 2.13 ERA is the best in MLB among pitchers with at least 70 innings during that span. It's also a reunion with former Marlins outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, whose Pirates tenure has frankly gone horribly. The Marlins have a 24.8% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. 🔷 Join us for a new episode of Fish On First LIVE today from 5:30-6:30 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. Marlins podcast episodes View full article

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 fourth and final game of Miami's home series against the Philadelphia Phillies. View full article

Norby has been more aggressive in 0-0 counts than any other MLB hitter this season. Of the many young players that the Miami Marlins acquired earlier this season in exchange for big league veterans, Connor Norby arrived with arguably the highest expectations. Through his first three weeks in the Marlins lineup, he's blown past those expectations. Norby entered Sunday with a .319/.365/.594 slash line (162 wRC+) in 17 games since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville. He has combined incredible consistency with surprising power—only the great Hanley Ramírez had as many extra-base hits through his first 17 Marlins games as Norby does. He has not only solidified himself as an everyday player entering 2025, but somebody who belongs near the top of a major league batting order. Eventually, though, I expect MLB opponents to exploit Norby's unorthodox plate approach. Norby has been aggressive as a rookie. With Miami and Baltimore combined, he has drawn only five walks, a 4.7 BB% that would rank in the bottom 10th percentile of major leaguers if he had enough playing time to qualify. Four of those five walks came at Coors Field against the lousy Colorado Rockies pitching staff. He is being served more pitches in the strike zone than an average hitter would see, but that will likely change once the league recognizes how easily they can lure him to chase outside the zone. Plenty of neophytes lack discipline during their initial taste of The Show. What makes Norby unique is his eagerness to swing on the very first pitch he sees. 90669ee2-ca3dd2e3-c6a29519-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Norby has accrued 106 plate appearances in the majors so far. He has swung at the first pitch 63 times. That's a 59.4% first-pitch swinging rate. Only 18 of those 63 first-pitch swings (28.6%) have actually been put in play. In all the other instances, the result has been falling behind in the count 0-1 and facing an uphill battle from there. This approach isn't necessarily good or bad, but it is extreme. Across Major League Baseball, nobody with as much playing time as Norby comes anywhere close to him. Seattle Mariners outfielder Víctor Robles ranks second at 53.6%; he has enjoyed a very productive campaign...after being cut by his previous team, the Washington Nationals, earlier in 2024. Per Baseball-Reference, only nine total hitters this season (min. 100 PA) have swung at the majority of first pitches thrown to them: Highest First-Pitch Swinging Percentage, 2024 The most flattering comp would be Corey Seager. The Texas Rangers star shortstop is on a borderline Hall of Fame trajectory while consistently hacking at first pitches. This is the fourth consecutive season he's been above 50% in that category. However, his single-season peak is only 53.3% (set in 2021). If Norby maintains this, it will be the highest first-pitch swinging rate by any MLB hitter in a season of 100-plus plate appearances since Delmon Young in 2006 (64.1%). Like Norby, Young was a highly regarded rookie getting late-season reps for a non-competitive team. His career represents a realistic worst-case scenario for Norby. Young's lack of patience at the plate and below-average defense negated his run production—he totaled -1.4 fWAR across parts of 10 seasons despite a .283 batting average and 109 homers. With three weeks left in the regular season, I'll be curious to see whether Norby reigns in his first-pitch aggressiveness and how that may impact his overall stats. Looking ahead to 2025, I'm already wondering about the influence new coaches could have on him in the event that Skip Schumaker and his staff aren't brought back. View full article

I believe the leading factor contributing to the increase is a cultural change within baseball. Pitchers are incentivized from a young age to throw with max effort on every pitch. They are willing to risk severe injury because they'll still be coveted if the quality of their stuff is exceptional enough. On the position player side, teams are more willing than they used to be historically to allow guys a couple weeks to fully heal rather than rushing them back within a couple days.

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 third game of Miami's home series against the Philadelphia Phillies. View full article

Having just turned 22 earlier this week, Sanoja would be easily the youngest player used by the Marlins in 2024. He's a rare recent example of a homegrown hitting prospect panning out. One of the Miami Marlins' most fascinating prospects, Javier Sanoja, was selected from Triple-A Jacksonville on Saturday, as first reported by Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. Among the club's many pregame roster moves, outfielder Derek Hill was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left shoulder impingement. One of the many separators between Sanoja and Hill is durability. Sanoja has played 257 MiLB games over the last two seasons alone, most among all Marlins minor leaguers during that span. Another factor distinguishing Sanoja from his peers is his stature. The Venezuelan infielder/outfielder is only 5'7". By listed height, he will be the shortest position player in Marlins history! The lone Marlins major leaguer to measure less than 67 inches tall was right-handed reliever Richie Lewis (5'6"), who pitched for the Fish from 1993-1995. The shape of Sanoja's journey has been uncommon as well. Currently Fish On First's 16th-ranked Marlins prospect, he received a modest $90k signing bonus in 2019. Due to the impact of COVID, he had to wait until July 12, 2021 to make his official minor league debut. Now, less than three years removed from facing fellow teenagers in the Dominican Summer League, he is on the verge of debuting in The Show. In 110 games with Triple-A Jacksonville this season, Sanoja has slashed .294/.357/.435 (106 wRC+) with six home runs and 14 stolen bases. His strikeout rate is even more diminutive than his body—Sanoja's 6.4 K% (Jacksonville and Double-A Pensacola combined) is the best of any qualified MiLB hitter to play at a full-season level in 2024. He sacrifices quality of contact in order to make contact with virtually everything, though he is capable of crushing balls in certain situations with a respectable max exit velocity of 109.3 mph. He is also somewhat disciplined with nearly as many career walks as strikeouts. The distribution of Sanoja's defensive reps has been unlike anything the Marlins have done with their other notable prospects. With the Jumbo Shrimp, he has played 300-plus innings at second base, shortstop and center field, practically an even three-way split between those positions. He isn't a plus fielder, but that versatility is obviously valuable. I want to emphasize how rare it is that a position player originally signed/drafted by the Marlins has reached the big leagues with them. Sanoja will be joining Nick Fortes as the only "homegrown" hitters to appear in a game for the Fish this season. It shouldn't be that hard! This speaks to how inadequate the organization has been at hitting development, necessitating all the personnel turnover we've seen throughout the last calendar year. Sanoja was not in the Marlins starting lineup against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, but likely will be for Sunday's series finale. View full article

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 game of Miami's home series against the Philadelphia Phillies. View full article

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 home series against the Philadelphia Phillies. View full article

Offishial News for 9/5/24 On Wednesday, the smallest loanDepot crowd of the season (announced attendance of 6,156) witnessed great pitching from Valente Bellozo and MacKenzie Gore. The Nationals rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the top of the eighth inning to take a 3-2 lead, but the Marlins tied it in the bottom of the frame, forcing extra innings for the 18th time in 2024. John McMillon held the Nats scoreless in the top of the 10th and Xavier Edwards delivered a walk-off single. The Marlins won, 4-3. It was McMillon's first career win and Edwards' first career walk-off hit. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville lost, 10-2. RHP Adam Mazur (2.0 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 58 pitches/32 strikes) endured easily his worst outing since being traded to the Marlins. Anthony Bender pitched well in relief for the second consecutive day and should be reinstated from the injured list this weekend. Double-A Pensacola won, 5-1. Nathan Martorella mashed a three-run homer and continues to hit extraordinarily well since becoming a full-time first baseman in late July. High-A Beloit lost, 5-1. RHP Noble Meyer (4.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 82 pitches/44 strikes) overcame control issues to have a nice night. Assuming that's the end of his 2024 season, Meyer finished with a fantastic .165 batting average against...and a hideous 17.2% walk rate. In the 11 starts after his midseason promotion to Beloit, he completed five innings only twice. Low-A Jupiter lost, 6-3. Here's more Marlins news and content: 🔷 On this day five years ago, Colin Moran and Brian Moran became the first brothers in MLB history to face each other in a batter-pitcher matchup. Colin, a former top draft pick of the Marlins, was with the Pirates at the time while Brian was a recently recalled reliever for Miami. 🔷 Through 45 Marlins series, here's an updated look at the Prediction Time leaderboard. Make series predictions with us all season long when you become a Fish On First SuperSub. 🔷 Son Los Marlins writes about Edwards, Griffin Conine and other Triple-A standouts finally getting opportunities at the big league level and the challenge Peter Bendix faces in overcoming the poor first impression he made on many Marlins fans. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Matt Chapman and the Giants agreed on a six-year, $151M contract extension. Chapman had been expected to opt out of his contract and test free agency. His signing leaves Alex Bregman as the clear top option for teams seeking a third baseman this offseason. Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson and Porter Hodge combined to throw a no-hitter for the Cubs. The Mets won their seventh straight game. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the first of four between the Marlins (probable starter RHP Adam Oller) and the Phillies (LHP Ranger Suárez). When Suárez last faced the Fish on June 30, he allowed a season-high six runs (all earned) on 10 hits without recording any strikeouts. The Marlins have a 34.9% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 6:40 p.m. 🔷 Join us for a new episode of Fish On First LIVE today from 5:30-6:30 p.m. ET on YouTube/Twitter/Facebook. Special guest: @Hans Herrera. 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 at Louisville, 6:35 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola at Birmingham, 8:00 p.m. ET High-A Beloit at Quad Cities, 7:30 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter vs. Palm Beach, 6:30 p.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

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 home series against the Washington Nationals. View full article

I fully agree on Pache: he brings nothing interesting to the table. Otto is in a different category. While he clearly is not going to be an everyday player moving forward, it is worth continuing to gather info on him. Sometime before next season begins, a choice likely needs to be made between him and Bruján for a single spot. Unfortunately, Troy's oblique injury is believed to be season-ending. Sounds as though the team wasn't interested in using him anyway, but the injury officially shut the door.

That means you get to witness an Adam Mazur start. He's been brilliant the last 2 times. If Bellozo struggles again for the big league team, I think it's a real possibility that they swap places next week.

Forgot to mention this. Daniel Castano called it a career a few days shy of his 30th birthday...