Ely Sussman

For Florida residents only, here is the full step-by-step process for claiming two months of the Bally Sports+ Marlins package. Offer valid through July 31, 2024. View full video

In case you missed it up top, we're giving out a bonus point for Stanley Cup Final Game 7. Just pick the winner (Panthers or Oilers).

Team VMJ ✊🏻

Offishial News for 6/24/24 On Sunday, Kyle Tyler gave the Marlins four decent innings as a spot starter. Nick Gordon hit his seventh home run of the season, matching the total that his brother Dee had during his Marlins tenure. Otto Lopez made a leaping catch to record the final out. Celebrating his 31st birthday, Tim Anderson birthday got the day off. The Marlins won, 6-4. They drew only four walks during the three-game series. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville won, 7-6. 1B Troy Johnston tripled and homered. OF Griffin Conine hit his organization-leading 15th long ball. Double-A Pensacola lost, 6-4, barely falling short of a first-half Southern League South division title. High-A Beloit swept their doubleheader, winning 6-4 and 5-2. Big day for 1B Torin Montgomery, who went 4-for-6 with 4 RBI. Low-A Jupiter won, 3-2. RHP Jake Brooks (6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 67 pitches/51 strikes) was extraordinary again. Brooks leads the Florida State League in innings pitched (68.2 IP) and ERA (1.57). Here's more Marlins news and content: 🔷 Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett, Jesús Luzardo, Eury Pérez, Bryan Hoeing and Ryan Weathers combined to start 138 of the Marlins' 162 games last season. They're all on the injured list right now! It simply isn't possible for a low-payroll team to be competitive when they lose so much rotation depth simultaneously. How much of this is bad luck vs. fundamental issues with the Marlins' training methods? Very hard to discern that from our vantage point. 🔷 Listen back to the latest State of the Fish call-in show. Every Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET, we review the previous week of Marlins baseball and invite you to share your questions and takes. 🔷 Through 25 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. 🔷 The FCL Marlins have Minor League Baseball's most dominant pitching staff this season. I introduce you to a few of their standout hurlers. 🔷 MLB.com's Christina De Nicola spoke with hot-hitting INF/OF Javier Sanoja about his rapid climb to Triple-A and covered the free baseball clinic that Luzardo hosted on Friday. 🔷 The 2024 Marlins All-Star Game cap is here and...yikes. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, highly touted Blue Jays prospect Orelvis Martínez received an 80-game PED suspension immediately after making his MLB debut. He has accepted the punishment and won't be eligible to return until the final week of the regular season. Mets closer Edwin Díaz was ejected for having a sticky substance on his pitching hand. He faces a 10-game suspension. Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez signed a four-year, $22.5M extension, then proceeded to throw seven scoreless frames on Sunday. Max Scherzer (5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 57 pitches/39 strikes) was nearly flawless in his season debut. For the eighth time during his Yankees tenure, Giancarlo Stanton (left hamstring strain) has landed on the IL. Stanton has played in only 65.1% of Yankees regular season games since being traded to New York. 🔷 Elsewhere around the sports world, the Florida Panthers host the Edmonton Oilers in the winner-take-all Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Cats are in danger of becoming one of the few teams in North American professional sports history to blow a 3-0 playoff series lead, but at least they'll be on home ice. The Marlins and Panthers haven't won on the same day since May 22. 🔷 Today's MLB game: the Marlins (probable starter RHP Roddery Muñoz) visit the Royals (LHP Cole Ragans). The Marlins are a major league-worst 4-23 against left-handed starters this season. They have a 34.0% chance to win, per FanGraphs. First pitch at 8:10 p.m. ET. 🔷 Join us for a new episode of Fish On First LIVE tonight from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET on YouTube/Twitter/Facebook. Special guest: Jupiter Hammerheads broadcaster Brendan Erlansen. 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: FCL Marlins vs. FCL Mets, doubleheader beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET DSL Marlins vs. DSL Phillies Red, 11:00 a.m. ET DSL Miami at DSL Arizona Black, 11:00 a.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

The FCL Marlins have won nearly three-quarters of their games this season, leaning heavily on young Dominican arms. I'll spit it out immediately in case it isn't apparent to everybody: there's close to zero correlation between a minor league affiliate's overall stats and the quality of MLB talent on the affiliate's roster. That is particularly true midway through a rookie ball team's abbreviated season. Numerous factors can skew the numbers over such a small, strange sample. With that being said, the 2024 Florida Complex League Marlins have earned a shoutout. Entering Monday, the FCL Marlins (to be referred to as FCLM for the rest of this article) are 24-9. Their .727 winning percentage ranks first among all domestic MiLB affiliates. That success is largely attributable to foreign-born arms who the Marlins have found via international free agency in recent years. Dominican RHP Juan De La Cruz is Fish On First's #19 Marlins prospect. He got sent back to the complex league despite a long stint at Low-A in 2023. This season, De La Cruz has posted a 1.20 earned run average in his team-leading 30 innings pitched, limiting opponents to three hits or fewer in each of his seven starts. De La Cruz throws a low-90s fastball, a mid-70s curveball and an occasional mid-80s changeup which has improved, helping him limit left-handed batters to three hits in 37 at-bats against him (.081 BAA). RHP Walin Castillo has deservedly matriculated to Low-A Jupiter already. He allowed only one earned run and 13 baserunners (hits, walks and HBPs combined) in his 23 FCLM innings. Signed in June 2022, Castillo is the same age as De La Cruz (this is his age-19 season). His fastball is a tick slower, but possesses nasty armside run. Plenty of room to add onto his slender 6'3" frame. emWiaw-XeiPxxr7R.mp4 Fellow Dominican LHP Luis Cesar is more physically mature. The 20-year-old has sliced his walk rate in half, from 16.5% in his stateside debut to 8.2% this summer. His MiLB groundball rate is over 60% in parts of three seasons (56.2 GB% in 2024). On a roster that's overwhelming populated by international signees, RHP Colson Lawrence leads FCLM with 11 appearances. The Alabama native was Miami's 13th-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Every complex league club benefits from the contributions of rehabbing big leaguers. Braxton Garrett and A.J. Puk have suited up and excelled for FCLM, but only for one game apiece. By Baseball-Reference's calculation of pitchers' average age, FCLM has had the third-youngest pitching staff in the league (20.1 years old). They lead the FCL in strikeouts (350) and WHIP (1.11), and in terms of overall run prevention, they're lapping the competition: There have been encouraging developments on the position player side as well. The youngest FCLM hitter, Venezuelan OF Andrés Valor (FOF #15 prospect), is slashing .289/.362/.446 while manning center field practically every game. Repeating the FCL, 1B Julio Henriquez has posted a .496 on-base percentage, second-highest among league qualifiers. The other hitter getting daily reps is switch-hitting SS Fabian López. He's been far less successful at the plate (.231/.263/.346 slash line), particularly against right-handers. However, López has excellent defensive potential and I'm going to take an educated guess that he's been helping out these pitchers by making more impactful plays at shortstop than his peers. The FCLM defense has allowed a .247 BABIP—that's gotta be more than just good luck, right? Beginning with a doubleheader on Monday, FCLM is scheduled to play 23 more regular season games. The club holds a commanding eight-game lead in the FCL East division. View full article

The timing of the Arraez trade was an anomaly. I don't think the May improvement convinced them of anything. It's just very difficult to get a deal done so early in the season. I think I've commented about this before: contenders prefer to wait for more sellers to declare themselves. They aren't going to limit themselves to shopping for Marlins/White Sox/Rockies players when there will inevitably be more veteran players to choose from a month from now.

Depends on your definition of "rational," but July 21 is the magic date that Meyer can return while guaranteeing that his free agency gets pushed back a full year. Service time manipulation.

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. Got thoughts about this matchup? Head over to Fish On First's Marlins game thread. 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. Got thoughts about this matchup? Head over to Fish On First's Marlins game thread. View full article

De La Cruz matched a season high with seven total bases on Friday. Although comfortably leading the AL West division, the Mariners covet a bat like his. Bryan De La Cruz chose a convenient time to have one of his best all-around games of the season. By win probability added, Friday was his third-most impactful day as a hitter. De La Cruz's solo home run in the sixth inning got the Miami Marlins on the scoreboard (he's now on pace for 30 homers in 2024). His leadoff single in the ninth inning nearly set up the game-winning run, though it would ultimately take 10 innings for the Marlins to walk it off again. He also doubled and made a challenging (by his standards) running catch in left field. De La Cruz emerged as an everyday player in 2023, but he's been even more consistent through the first half of his age-27 campaign to make Marlins games occasionally watchable in the midst of a doomed season. 99932674-82c75b33-eefa60c0-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Convenient timing because the Marlins were hosting the American West-leading Seattle Mariners. Seeking their first division title in 23 years, the Mariners are certain to be buyers leading up to the MLB trade deadline. They'll be shopping for bats, specifically ones like DLC's. "The Mariners plan to be aggressive with their push for some kind of offensive addition," The Athletic reported on Thursday. Despite a 44-34 record, they rank 25th in Major League Baseball in runs scored. De La Cruz would address position(s) of need for Seattle. Mitch Garver, who has served as the primary designated hitter for the Mariners this season, has the lowest batting average in MLB among players with 200-plus at-bats. Garver's struggles have come against right-handed pitching (.158 BA and 77 wRC+). De La Cruz is a righty as well, but he's been largely immune to the platoon disadvantage during his career. Seattle's right-handed corner outfielders are similarly underwhelming. They reunited with Mitch Haniger this past offseason in a bad contract swap. Although Haniger has been uncharacteristically durable in 2024, the trade has done nothing to rejuvenate his bat—the 33-year-old has performed far below replacement level (-0.8 fWAR), on pace for a career-low slugging percentage. Earlier this month, the Mariners picked Victor Robles off the scrap heap to be their part-time left fielder. He's slashing .353/.421/.471 so far, but his 20 most recent plate appearances should not carry as much weight as the 1,000 that came before it. I doubt Robles' presence would block them from acquiring a bonafide run producer. Beyond his current numbers, De La Cruz will be appealing on the trade market due to his affordability and club control. He'll only be arbitration-eligible for the first time next year and he's controllable through the 2027 season. That also gives the Marlins leverage: there is no urgency for them to trade him unless they're thrilled with the return. DLC's expected offensive stats (.268 xBA and .346 xwOBA) are even better than his actual ones (.252 BA and .323 wOBA), so they ought to be soliciting offers that account for some positive regression. The Athletic's reporting mentions third baseman Ben Williamson as a prospect "on people's radars" when it comes to Seattle trade chips. The 23-year-old has a 105 wRC+ at the Double-A level, fueled by a 14.4% walk rate. His presence would be welcome in an organization with a long-term opening at the hot corner and a dearth of disciplined hitters. In addition to Williamson, I would expect the Marlins to pursue teenage shortstops Tai Peete and Dawel Joseph. Peete was Seattle's third selection (30th overall pick) in the 2023 MLB Draft, while Joseph received the highest signing bonus in their 2024 international free agent class. They're currently assigned to Low-A and the Dominican Summer League, respectively. Peete would immediately become Miami's top shortstop prospect and a top-10 overall player in their farm system. e6f3d76e-464e-4204-9026-de2de47321f5.mp4 If De La Cruz maintains his 2024 performance for another month and the Mariners continue to struggle to score runs, I think a Peete/Williamson package is the best-case scenario for what Miami could get from Seattle. A Joseph/Williamson pairing should be the bare minimum, and that's contingent on Joseph heating up after a sluggish start to his professional career. Would that be enough for you to pull the trigger? View full article

This strikes me as the most realistic of your proposals. Dodgers have both a short-term and long-term fit for Garrett.

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. Got thoughts about this matchup? Head over to Fish On First's Marlins game thread. View full article

Lewis would certainly be off limits in the midst of a season. Perhaps there is something creative to be done in the offseason, but he's indispensable to what they're doing right now.

It's been impressive how many of them have raised their prospect stock in only half a season. Incredible combo of performance and health. Brooks and De La Cruz are both overqualified for promotions, but they're both genuinely blocked! Wonderful "problem" to have.

Flipped Fish: Marlins 🔄 Mariners edition

He'll miss a second start this weekend, unfortunately. Should be back in action after that.

Offishial News for 6/20/24 On Wednesday, the Cardinals had an impromptu bullpen day after Kyle Gibson was scratched with back tightness. Yonny Chirinos was adequate in his Marlins debut, enough to stick around for at least one more start. Bryan De La Cruz led off the game with his team-leading 13th home run. Tanner Scott pitched a scoreless inning for the third straight day, fully turning the page on his blown save last week. Otto Lopez sealed the victory with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Marlins won, 4-3. Seven of Miami's 14 home wins this season have been walk-offs. Down on the farm, Triple-A Jacksonville Edward Cabrera made his first rehab start on the way back from his shoulder impingement (3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 WP, 49 pitches/30 strikes). Cabrera's velocity was normal and he used all of his pitches. Double-A Pensacola lost, 9-1. LHP Adam Laskey's recent hot streak came to an abrupt end (3.0 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 57 pitches/37 strikes). The Blue Wahoos drew nine walks, but failed to capitalize on them. High-A Beloit won, 2-0. A scoreless albeit inefficient start for LHP Emmett Olson (4.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K, 96 pitches/61 strikes). Low-A Jupiter lost, 2-0. OF Kemp Alderman continues to struggle since coming off the injured list, slashing .118/.111/.118 with three errors committed in five games. Here's more Marlins news and content for you: 🔷 The Marlins acquired C Ali Sánchez from the Cubs in exchange for cash. This will be the sixth different MLB organization that the 27-year-old has played for. Sánchez has been assigned to Jacksonville. Weird fit on the surface as I don't foresee him getting consistent playing time (unless there's an injury that we are not privy to). 🔷 Through 24 Marlins series, Daniel Rodriguez remains in sole possession of first place atop the Prediction Time leaderboard. Make series predictions with us all season long when you become a Fish On First SuperSub. 🔷 RHP Jacob Miller is ready to be bumped up from High-A to Double-A, per MLB Pipeline. Miller is still just 20 years old, but he's had an effective, consistent season through 11 starts. 🔷 Kiley McDaniel of ESPN expects the Marlins to select a college position player with their first-round draft pick, but "they are also eyeing high school position players as backup/underslot options if things don't go to plan here." McDaniel mentions prep hitters Carter Johnson, Tyson Lewis, Sawyer Farr and P.J. Morlando as options for Miami's later picks. 🔷 On this day 10 years ago, Marcell Ozuna had what I'd consider the second-most memorable outfield assist in Marlins history, sealing a 3-2 win over the Mets by throwing out Kirk Nieuwenhuis at home plate. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, the Mets' seven-game winning streak was finally snapped. Sean Murphy (4-for-4, 2 HR) busted out of his season-long slump and MLB ERA leader Reynaldo López shoved five more scoreless innings. Tanner Bibee set a career high with 12 strikeouts (10 of them swinging). Phase 1 of MLB All-Star voting remains open through June 27. Vote up to five times per day. 🔷 Today's MiLB schedule: Triple-A Jacksonville at Memphis, 8:05 p.m. ET Double-A Pensacola vs. Chattanooga, 7:05 p.m. ET High-A Beloit vs. 7:35 p.m. ET Low-A Jupiter vs. Clearwater, 6:30 p.m. ET FCL Marlins vs. FCL Mets, 12:00 p.m. ET DSL Marlins vs. DSL Mets Blue, 11:00 a.m. ET DSL Miami at DSL Mets Orange, 11:00 a.m. ET Marlins podcast episodes View full article

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