Ely Sussman

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead.
Sunday's show was hosted by Jeremiah Geiger and featured panelists Ely Sussman and Nate Karzmer.
You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods

 
Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Thursday at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Diamondbacks series finale.

Thomas White, the top prospect in the Miami Marlins organization, will likely miss the remainder of the 2026 season due to a left capsular shoulder sprain, the club announced on Friday.
This deflating news comes three weeks after White's most recent start. He has been on Triple-A Jacksonville's injured list ever since. Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix previously acknowledged the injury, but downplayed its severity in an interview with MLB Network Radio. However, the updated timeline for his return is 12-16 weeks, so even in a best-case scenario, he won't make it back to AAA until September.
Fish On First's No. 1 prospect, While is almost universally regarded as a top-25 overall MLB prospect. Across parts of four minor league seasons, he has posted a 2.81 ERA and 3.06 FIP in 214 ⅔ innings pitched while facing much older competition every step of the way. Between this and a season-opening oblique strain, White made only five starts for the Jumbo Shrimp and wasn't able to complete five innings in any of them.
Had White been injury-free this season, the 21-year-old could have plausibly reached the majors by now. Miami's rotation is in complete disarray aside from Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer. On Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays, Ryan Gusto will start the game with Tyler Phillips scheduled to piggyback him. Gusto will be the 12th different starter used by the Marlins; among MLB teams, only the Houston Astros have used more (13).
White's rehab process will be closely monitored in our FOF injury tracker.

Leading up to the 2026 MLB Draft, Fish On First brings you a series of scouting reports on top prospects in this draft class who could realistically wind up in Miami.
 
Overview
Position: RHP
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 185 pounds
School: Ole Miss
Cade Townsend is a 6’1”, 185-pound right-handed pitcher who plays for the University of Mississippi. Townsend has risen a bunch throughout the 2026 season. Townsend is also one of the top draft-eligible sophomores in the 2026 draft class.
Coming out of high school, Townsend was an elite-level prospect from Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Aliso Viejo, California. On Perfect Game, Townsend was the 100th-ranked prospect and the 28th-ranked right-handed pitcher in the Class of 2024. He was also the eleventh-ranked prospect and the second-ranked RHP out of the Golden State. Burress went undrafted and honored his commitment to Ole Miss.
During his freshman season, Townsend was one of the most active arms for the Rebels but didn’t have a great season. Townsend made fifteen appearances and eight starts. He posted a 1-0 record with a 6.35 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and an 11.4 K/99.
In the 2026 season, Townsend has had a huge breakout season and is pitching like a potential first round selection. Townsend has fourteen appearances and starts. He has posted a 5-3 record with a 3.94 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, and a 12.4 K/9. Townsend was named Second Team All-SEC.
On the mound, Townsend possesses a five-pitch arsenal including his fastball, curveball, slider, cutter, and changeup. His fastball sits 93-95 mph and has been clocked at 98 mph this spring. Both of his breaking balls are his best pitches due to its high RPMs and whiff rate.
Townsend has also mixed in a low-90s cutter and a low-80s changeup that has some quality depth. While his command isn’t great, Townsend has improved his control and improved his BB/9 from 5.3 to 3.1 this season.
 
Strengths
Five-pitch mix Two plus breaking pitches Above-average fastball with nice carry Improved control  
Weaknesses
Suffered a shoulder injury during the season Command still needs to be improved ERA above 5.00 versus SEC offenses  
Pro Comparison: Hurston Waldrep
Projection: Top 20 pick
 
Bottom Line
Cade Townsend is a promising prospect who knows how to pitch, but could use a little more development. On ESPN, Townsend is the 16th-ranked prospect and the fourth-ranked collegiate right-handed pitcher in the 2026 MLB Draft. On MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, Townsend is the 27th-ranked prospect in the 2026 draft class.
The Marlins will have the 14th overall pick in the draft and should be able to grab one of the top prospects in this class. As much as they take pride in pitching development, adding arms remains a major need due to constant injuries.
While the Marlins' first-round pick won’t make an immediate impact in MLB, they do need more quality depth in their farm system. Townsend would help with that.
 

More 2026 MLB draft profiles
OF Drew Burress LHP Gio Rojas RHP Cameron Flukey OF Eric Booth Jr. 3B Ace Reese LHP Carson Bolemon RHP Jackson Flora INF Jacob Lombard OF AJ Gracia   

MIAMI—An announced attendance of 12,443 took to their feet, while a confident Pete Fairbanks roamed the mound in the ninth with one out, a runner on first and a three-run lead. For all intents and purposes, Saturday afternoon's penultimate Citrus Series matchup between the Marlins and visiting Rays was just about over.
Alas, the story didn't end there. A rare mix of chaos and collapse instead created destiny for a certain Marlins reliever.
Prior to this week, Tyler Zuber was an unremarkable member of Triple-A Jacksonville's bullpen. He has spent parts of nine professional seasons in five different organizations, scratching and clawing for a consistent major league role and a specific moment at the top of his bucket list.
With the "help" of a Pete Fairbanks meltdown and because Miami's other high-leverage arms had been deployed in earlier innings, Zuber got the opportunity he'd been craving. He was tasked with picking up his teammate opposite young phenom Junior Caminero and the bases loaded in what had devolved into a one-run ballgame.
"It's the epitome of kind of what I want to be a part of as a team—just if someone doesn't get it done, it's a 'next guy up' type situation," said Zuber postgame. "I want them to have my back if I'm ever in that situation, so everyone just has each other's backs and just fights for each other."
After dropping five in a row in Toronto and New York, Clayton McCullough's group has banded together just like they did a year ago, now winners in four of their last five.
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Zuber left little doubt, as a five-pitch strikeout of Caminero ignited a yelling celebration and revival of the crowd as Miami held on for a 4-3 nail-biting win.
"My whole pro career, I've closed a lot, but this is like one of those things that I wanted the most. I'm still shaking right now. I'm shaking now more than I was in my debut, so that tells me that this means a lot."
“I just got ready as fast as possible, and it happened,” the 30-year-old continued. "It happened real quick. It was kind of like that one moment, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is it. I can see it. I can see it.'”
As for the long awaited ball, it’ll have a home with Zuber’s parents.
“Let them have it, put it somewhere in the house. It’ll be a good conversation starter,” he joked.
If not for Zuber's heroics, super utilityman Javier Sanoja would be receiving a well-deserved spotlight.
"El Chiquito" notched his fourth third-hit performance of the season, dropping down a pinpoint bunt in his first at-bat before blasting his second homer for Miami's first runs of the series.
Additional RBI from Sanoja, Joe Mack (his sixth in five contests) and Liam Hicks rounded out a 10-hit day for Miami's bats.
For the second time in four games, a group effort from the Marlins bullpen worked a combined no-hitter into the sixth inning. Although a flare single off the bat of former Fish Victor Mesa Jr. put the bid to rest, Rays hitters struggled to create much of anything before the aforementioned ninth.
Hitless outings from Lake Bachar—who started the contest and gave Miami three innings—Anthony Bender and John King set the tone early before Calvin Faucher, Michael Petersen, Fairbanks and Zuber navigated the final frames.
As noted on Marlins.TV, the Fish have won 173 consecutive games when leading by three runs or more entering the ninth inning.
Sunday's rubber match features Marlins ace, Sandy Alcantara, succeeding an encouraging seven-inning evening in Washington. Alcantara goes opposite Griffin Jax at 1:40 EST. 

With the seventh pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Miami Marlins selected Oregon State shortstop Aiva Arquette. At the time, he was considered the best collegiate bat in the draft. The Marlins then took Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella with the 43rd pick of the draft.
Less than a year later, Arquette and Cannarella are now ranked No. 7 and No. 11 on the Fish On First Top 30 prospects list, respectively. Despite being hampered by injuries early on in their professional careers, they have been as good as advertised.
 
Aiva Arquette
Arquette is unlike any other prospect in the Marlins system because of the unique size he brings to the shortstop position at 6’5″, 220 pounds. He began the 2026 season on the injured list while recovering from core muscle surgery and has since split time between High-A Beloit and Double-A Pensacola. Overall, he is slashing .260/.321/.480/.801 with four home runs, 22 RBI and a 107 wRC+. He is striking out at a 22.0% rate, which is better than average for those levels.
With a quick, uppercut swing, Arquette has posted a hard-hit rate of 50% so far this season, according to Ian Cundall of Baseball America. His 90th-percentile exit velocity of 109.5 mph also jumps out.
If Arquette can maintain that kind of batted ball quality, he will hit 15-20 home runs per year hitter at the highest level.
Defensively, Arquette has split time between shortstop and second base. Third base is where he may be best suited with his strong arm and that could also allow him to find a quicker path to everyday playing time in the big leagues with the Marlins.
 
Cam Cannarella
Cannarella, who stands at 6'0", 185 pounds, doesn't have the same raw power as Arquette. The former Clemson outfielder is still having an incredible offensive season. Between High-A and Double-A, he is slashing .372/.418/.523/.942 with three home runs, 22 RBI and a 144 wRC+. Cannarella has been limited to 23 games because he fractured his wrist in the outfield on April 11 and missed the next five weeks.
Just like he did during his college days, Cannarella has been walking (9.2 BB%) nearly as often as he strikes out (11.2 K%).
In the batter's box, Cannarella keeps his hands head high, swinging down at the ball more than Arquette does and therefore generating less power. However, his swing allows him to spray the ball around the entire field. He is still capable of an impressive slugging percentage by consistently hitting line drives and using his speed to pick up extra bases.
On the base paths, it has been surprising that Cannarella is running so selectively, especially in a Marlins org that encourages aggressiveness. He's at four steals through his first 45 MiLB games
Defensively, Cannarella is currently a 70-grade defender. The biggest limitation is his arm strength, which has been limited ever since he underwent surgery at Clemson for a labrum injury. That concern was a key reason why he fell in the draft as much as he did.
 
Next steps in their development
Arquette, who is now 22 years old, is close to big league ready. If he continues to hit well in Double-A, he could potentially get a taste of Triple-A ball before the end of 2026 and come into 2027 spring training fighting for a spot on the Marlins Opening Day roster. He is blocked by Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards at the middle infield spots, but perhaps the Marlins would sell high on one of them in the offseason as they enter their arbitration years, or Arquette could simply be converted to a third baseman.
Cannarella is also 22 years old, but there is even more organizational depth at his position. As a result, the most likely scenario is he remains in Pensacola into 2027 and potentially gets called up to the majors at the very end of that season.

It took nearly six full years in professional baseball, with more than five of those spent in the Miami Marlins organization, but Zach McCambley got his first taste of the major leagues on Tuesday when the Cincinnati Reds selected him to their active roster.
Becoming an MLB player means joining a very exclusive club, though it probably doesn't feel that way for McCambley. That's because everybody else in the Marlins' 2020 MLB Draft class beat him to that milestone.
For most of Marlins history, the amateur draft was 40-plus rounds. In recent years, it's been 20 rounds. Even the elite front offices are going to strike out the majority of the time with that kind of volume. But under a unique set of circumstances in 2020, the draft consisted of only five rounds (six Marlins picks). While that class has not exactly led the Fish to consistent success, there is something to be said for identifying and developing talent well enough to go six-for-six at producing big leaguers.

The Marlins only picked pitchers in 2020.
Max Meyer got called up first way back in 2022. Kyle Nicolas and Kyle Hurt both debuted in September 2023 after being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. A year later, Jake Eder reached The Show with the Chicago White Sox. Dax Fulton lasted a single day in Miami last month, making a long relief appearance before being optioned back to Triple-A Jacksonville. Now it's McCambley's turn, less than two weeks after being acquired by the Reds in exchange for outfielder Rece Hinds.
Year Round OvPck Bonus Name Pos bWAR G ERA WHIP Type Drafted Out of 2020 1 3 $6,700,000 Max Meyer P 1.5 37 4.49 1.31 4Yr University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) 2020 2 40 $2,400,000 Dax Fulton P 0.0 1 4.50 1.25 HS Mustang HS (Mustang, OK) 2020 CB-B 61 $1,129,700 Kyle Nicolas P -0.3 93 4.96 1.58 4Yr Ball State University (Muncie, IN) 2020 3 75 $775,000 Zach McCambley P 0.0 0 N/A N/A 4Yr Coastal Carolina University (Conway, SC) 2020 4 104 $700,000 Jake Eder P 0.2 13 4.44 1.27 4Yr Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) 2020 5 134 $300,000 Kyle Hurt P 0.8 22 1.01 0.86 4Yr University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA) It's difficult to be so patient, but it really does take at least half a decade to fully evaluate a draft class, even one built mainly on college players. In 2026, Meyer has gone from a fringy MLB starter to the No. 2 arm in the Marlins rotation. Hurt is just now emerging as a steady contributor out of the Dodgers bullpen.
The 2021-25 Marlins draft classes have combined for only five big leaguers thus far. Thomas White, Kemp Alderman and Karson Milbrandt are prime candidates to boost that total in the near future.

NEW YORK — There's no shame in losing a battle to Juan Soto in your major league debut. The disturbing part for Josh White and the Miami Marlins is what brought Soto to the plate in the first place.
After nearly a full calendar year of terrorizing Triple-A hitters, White was recalled by the Marlins prior to Sunday's game. The corresponding roster move was placing Janson Junk on the 15-day injured list with right shin bone inflammation. The news of White's call-up was first reported by marlins.city on Instagram.
Fish On First's 21st-ranked prospect entered in the bottom of the sixth inning and looked comfortable initially. White struck out fellow rookie A.J. Ewing with a backdoor slider, then jammed Brett Baty with an inside fastball for a routine flyout.
However, poor control fueled an epic two-out rally from there:
Walk Hit by pitch Walk Walk Home run (grand slam) Walk A New York Mets team that had only been averaging 3.95 runs per game put up a five-spot against White in two-thirds of an inning.
The Ewing slider was an anomaly, as you can see below. White had difficulty landing any of his secondary pitches in the strike zone. Just 20 of his 43 total pitches were strikes.

During the month of May alone, White is the sixth different Marlin to make his MLB debut. He joins Josh Ekness (May 3), Joe Mack (May 4), William Kempner (May 5), Dax Fulton (May 6) and Robby Snelling (May 8), the first three of whom are still on the Marlins active roster...for now.
There are only two conventional starters on Miami's pitching staff right now (Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer), plus Tyler Phillips, who's still in the process of getting fully stretched out for that role. All signs point to Ryan Gusto being recalled from Triple-A prior to Tuesday's game to audition for one of the rotation vacancies. The likeliest corresponding move would be optioning a rookie reliever.
One nightmarish performance does not dampen White's long-term outlook. The 25-year-old's steep arm angle and nasty breaking balls make him difficult for most mortals to barrel up, and his minor league track record speaks for itself (1.71 ERA and 2.51 FIP in 94.2 IP since 2025). But obviously, this was a discouraging first showing at the big league level.

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead.
Sunday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelists Kevin Barral, Nate Karzmer, Alex Carver and Alex Krutchik. The following topics were covered:
An awful weekend series in New York Injuries to Janson Junk, Andrew Nardi and potentially Josh Ekness Owen Caissie's month-to-month improvement What to expect from Ryan Gusto as he enters the starting rotation Previewing and predicting the next series against the Washington Nationals You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods.

 
Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Wednesday at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Nationals series finale.

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds.
 
Scoring system
A "perfect" series is worth three points:
Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF SuperSub Nicholas Milton is currently atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. 
If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted.
If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff.  
 
Series preview notes
Probable starting pitchers:
RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Cade Cavalli (WSH) on Monday TBA (MIA) vs. RHP Miles Mikolas (WSH) on Tuesday Probably RHP Ryan Gusto RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. LHP Andrew Alvarez (WSH) on Wednesday The Marlins rank 20th in MLB with a 96 wRC+ and 14th in MLB with a 3.97 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 8-19 record on the road this season.
The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Janson Junk (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Eury Pérez (15-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL).
The Nationals rank fourth in MLB with a 110 wRC+ and 28th in MLB with a 4.74 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 12-17 record at home this season.
The following Nationals players are on the injured list: Josiah Gray (60-day IL), DJ Herz (60-day I), Jake Irvin (15-day IL), Max Kranick (60-day IL), Ken Waldichuk (60-day IL) and Trevor Williams (60-day IL).

The 2026 MLB All-Star ballot went live on Wednesday, featuring the following Miami Marlins position players:
Liam Hicks (C) Connor Norby (1B) Xavier Edwards (2B) Javier Sanoja (3B) Otto Lopez (SS) Kyle Stowers (OF) Jakob Marsee (OF) Owen Caissie (OF) Heriberto Hernández (DH) The only one of them who's been an All-Star before is Stowers, who served as Miami's 2025 representative. However, the combination of an injured list stint and season-opening stretch of limited power production makes him an extreme longshot to earn back-to-back selections.
Hicks, Edwards and Lopez are the club's strongest candidates this year. Entering Wednesday, Hicks leads all National League catchers with 46 RBI and ranks third with 1.4 fWAR. He has more walks than strikeouts, as does Edwards. He is the NL fWAR leaderboard at second base (2.6 fWAR) and paces all Marlins with a 145 wRC+. Lopez is MLB's hits leader with 80. Each of them have been durable as well—Edwards in particular has appeared in all 62 Fish games this season.
Not that it will actually impact the balloting results, but this is my annual reminder that MLB allows fans to submit write-in candidates at each position. Nobody's forcing you to take this exercise completely seriously. You can vote for players who are having horrible first halves (like Christopher Morel) or have been demoted to the minor leagues (Agustín Ramírez) by typing their names.
No Marlin has been a fan-elected All-Star starter since Jazz Chisholm Jr. in 2022 (ironically, Chisholm didn't even wind up making that start due to injury).
Fans can submit up to five ballots per day per email address during the first phase of the voting, which concludes at 12:00 p.m. ET on June 25.

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds.
 
Scoring system
A "perfect" series is worth three points:
Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF SuperSub Nicholas Milton is currently atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. 
If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted.
If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff.  
 
Series preview notes
Probable starting pitchers:
RHP Tyler Phillips (MIA) vs. RHP Drew Rasmussen (TB) on Friday TBA (MIA) vs. LHP Shane McClanahan (TB) on Saturday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Griffin Jax (TB) on Sunday The Marlins rank 19th in MLB with a 97 wRC+ and 14th in MLB with a 4.00 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 18-15 record at home this season.
The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (60-day IL), Josh Ekness (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Janson Junk (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Andrew Nardi (60-day IL), Eury Pérez (15-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL).
The Rays rank 10th in MLB with a 103 wRC+ and 20th in MLB with a 4.28 FIP. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games and have a 15-14 record on the road this season.
The following Rays players are on the injured list: Jonny DeLuca (10-day IL), Jake Fraley (10-day IL), Michael Grove (60-day IL), Craig Kimbrel (15-day IL), Gavin Lux (60-day IL), Ryan Pepiot (60-day IL), Manuel Rodriguez (60-day IL), Jesse Scholtens (15-day IL), Edwin Uceta (60-day IL) and Steven Wilson (60-day IL).

As he does multiple times each year, Miami Marlins insider Craig Mish joins Fish Unfiltered to analyze the current state of the organization. Mish, AJ Ramos and Isaac Azout discuss the Marlins' chances of staying in National League postseason contention and potential approach to the MLB trade deadline, Joe Mack's superb defense, Max Meyer's breakout year, the clock ticking on Christopher Morel, the recent additions of two families to Bruce Sherman's ownership group, and how social media has empowered fans to constantly complain about managerial moves.
You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods.

During Mish's first season with Marlins.TV, he has been utilized as both a studio host and in-game reporter.
A Marlins.TV subscription costs $19.99 per month or $74.99 total for the remainder of the 2026 season.

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead.
Wednesday's show was hosted by Jeremiah Geiger and featured panelists Kevin Barral, Alex Carver, Isaac Azout and Nate Karzmer. The following topics were covered:
Impressive offensive showing in sweeping the Washington Nationals A peek at the National League Wild Card race Reacting to recent wave of minor league promotions Marlins down to only three regular starting pitchers Previewing and predicting the next series against the Tampa Bay Rays You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods.

 
Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Sunday at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Blue Jays series finale.

The 2026 MLB All-Star ballot went live on Wednesday, featuring the following Miami Marlins position players:
Liam Hicks (C) Connor Norby (1B) Xavier Edwards (2B) Javier Sanoja (3B) Otto Lopez (SS) Kyle Stowers (OF) Jakob Marsee (OF) Owen Caissie (OF) Heriberto Hernández (DH) The only one of them who's been an All-Star before is Stowers, who served as Miami's 2025 representative. However, the combination of an injured list stint and season-opening stretch of limited power production makes him an extreme longshot to earn back-to-back selections.
Hicks, Edwards and Lopez are the club's strongest candidates this year. Entering Wednesday, Hicks leads all National League catchers with 46 RBI and ranks third with 1.4 fWAR. He has more walks than strikeouts, as does Edwards. He is the NL fWAR leaderboard at second base (2.6 fWAR) and paces all Marlins with a 145 wRC+. Lopez is MLB's hits leader with 80. Each of them have been durable as well—Edwards in particular has appeared in all 62 Fish games this season.
Not that it will actually impact the balloting results, but this is my annual reminder that MLB allows fans to submit write-in candidates at each position. Nobody's forcing you to take this exercise completely seriously. You can vote for players who are having horrible first halves (like Christopher Morel) or have been demoted to the minor leagues (Agustín Ramírez) by typing their names.
No Marlin has been a fan-elected All-Star starter since Jazz Chisholm Jr. in 2022 (ironically, Chisholm didn't even wind up making that start due to injury).
Fans can submit up to five ballots per day per email address during the first phase of the voting, which concludes at 12:00 p.m. ET on June 25.

It took nearly six full years in professional baseball, with more than five of those spent in the Miami Marlins organization, but Zach McCambley got his first taste of the major leagues on Tuesday when the Cincinnati Reds selected him to their active roster.
Becoming an MLB player means joining a very exclusive club, though it probably doesn't feel that way for McCambley. That's because everybody else in the Marlins' 2020 MLB Draft class beat him to that milestone.
For most of Marlins history, the amateur draft was 40-plus rounds. In recent years, it's been 20 rounds. Even the elite front offices are going to strike out the majority of the time with that kind of volume. But under a unique set of circumstances in 2020, the draft consisted of only five rounds (six Marlins picks). While that class has not exactly led the Fish to consistent success, there is something to be said for identifying and developing talent well enough to go six-for-six at producing big leaguers.

The Marlins only picked pitchers in 2020.
Max Meyer got called up first way back in 2022. Kyle Nicolas and Kyle Hurt both debuted in September 2023 after being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. A year later, Jake Eder reached The Show with the Chicago White Sox. Dax Fulton lasted a single day in Miami last month, making a long relief appearance before being optioned back to Triple-A Jacksonville. Now it's McCambley's turn, less than two weeks after being acquired by the Reds in exchange for outfielder Rece Hinds.
Year Round OvPck Bonus Name Pos bWAR G ERA WHIP Type Drafted Out of 2020 1 3 $6,700,000 Max Meyer P 1.5 37 4.49 1.31 4Yr University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) 2020 2 40 $2,400,000 Dax Fulton P 0.0 1 4.50 1.25 HS Mustang HS (Mustang, OK) 2020 CB-B 61 $1,129,700 Kyle Nicolas P -0.3 93 4.96 1.58 4Yr Ball State University (Muncie, IN) 2020 3 75 $775,000 Zach McCambley P 0.0 0 N/A N/A 4Yr Coastal Carolina University (Conway, SC) 2020 4 104 $700,000 Jake Eder P 0.2 13 4.44 1.27 4Yr Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) 2020 5 134 $300,000 Kyle Hurt P 0.8 22 1.01 0.86 4Yr University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA) It's difficult to be so patient, but it really does take at least half a decade to fully evaluate a draft class, even one built mainly on college players. In 2026, Meyer has gone from a fringy MLB starter to the No. 2 arm in the Marlins rotation. Hurt is just now emerging as a steady contributor out of the Dodgers bullpen.
The 2021-25 Marlins draft classes have combined for only five big leaguers thus far. Thomas White, Kemp Alderman and Karson Milbrandt are prime candidates to boost that total in the near future.

It took nearly six full years in professional baseball, with more than five of those spent in the Miami Marlins organization, but Zach McCambley got his first taste of the major leagues on Tuesday when the Cincinnati Reds selected him to their active roster.
Becoming an MLB player means joining a very exclusive club, though it probably doesn't feel that way for McCambley. That's because everybody else in the Marlins' 2020 MLB Draft class beat him to that milestone.
For most of Marlins history, the amateur draft was 40-plus rounds. In recent years, it's been 20 rounds. Even the elite front offices are going to strike out the majority of the time with that kind of volume. But under a unique set of circumstances in 2020, the draft consisted of only five rounds (six Marlins picks). While that class has not exactly led the Fish to consistent success, there is something to be said for identifying and developing talent well enough to go six-for-six at producing big leaguers.

The Marlins only picked pitchers in 2020.
Max Meyer got called up first way back in 2022. Kyle Nicolas and Kyle Hurt both debuted in September 2023 after being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. A year later, Jake Eder reached The Show with the Chicago White Sox. Dax Fulton lasted a single day in Miami last month, making a long relief appearance before being optioned back to Triple-A Jacksonville. Now it's McCambley's turn, less than two weeks after being acquired by the Reds in exchange for outfielder Rece Hinds.
Year Round OvPck Bonus Name Pos bWAR G ERA WHIP Type Drafted Out of 2020 1 3 $6,700,000 Max Meyer P 1.5 37 4.49 1.31 4Yr University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) 2020 2 40 $2,400,000 Dax Fulton P 0.0 1 4.50 1.25 HS Mustang HS (Mustang, OK) 2020 CB-B 61 $1,129,700 Kyle Nicolas P -0.3 93 4.96 1.58 4Yr Ball State University (Muncie, IN) 2020 3 75 $775,000 Zach McCambley P 0.0 0 N/A N/A 4Yr Coastal Carolina University (Conway, SC) 2020 4 104 $700,000 Jake Eder P 0.2 13 4.44 1.27 4Yr Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) 2020 5 134 $300,000 Kyle Hurt P 0.8 22 1.01 0.86 4Yr University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA) It's difficult to be so patient, but it really does take at least half a decade to fully evaluate a draft class, even one built mainly on college players. In 2026, Meyer has gone from a fringy MLB starter to the No. 2 arm in the Marlins rotation. Hurt is just now emerging as a steady contributor out of the Dodgers bullpen.
The 2021-25 Marlins draft classes have combined for only five big leaguers thus far. Thomas White, Kemp Alderman and Karson Milbrandt are prime candidates to boost that total in the near future.

Through four innings of Tuesday's Lou Gehrig Day game between Miami and Washington, neither team could seem to muster any offense in a game started by openers, at that. Two-headed monsters from each club combined to work early no-hit bids, with what appeared to be a game-long offensive struggle on the horizon.
Fortunately for the visitors, things changed quickly.
Back-to-back-to-back homers from Joe Mack, Heriberto Hernandez and Otto Lopez in the fifth handed Miami a lead they would inevitably hold all night, while a late insurance blast from Hernandez supplied some cushion in the 7-3 series-clinching win. With their second consecutive victory, the Marlins improve to 4-1 over their division rival and 28-34 on the year.
The fifth-inning power surge marks just the third time in franchise history the feat has been accomplished and the first since August 13, 2023, when Jorge Soler, Luis Arraez and Josh Bell tormented Houston. For the tablesetter Mack, the more meaningful achievement was his swing-marking his first homer in 23 games at the big league level.
Leading off for the first time since Low-A and leading Miami's offense was Hernandez, whose two homer-day and three-homer set continue what has been a monster stretch since getting his mind right in the minor leagues.
In 39 at-bats since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville in early May, the second-year outfielder is slashing an astounding .308/.317/.692 for an OPS over 1.000. Five of Hernandez's twelve hits have left the yard. After coming out of the gates especially slow, a run of this magnitude gives Clayton McCullough a platoon bat more than capable of flipping a game upside down at any time.
In a near-180 from Sunday's 10-1 thumping, Tuesday's edition of a bullpen game was a fairly clean effort.
Lake Bachar and John King worked the aforementioned hitless first four frames before passing the baton to freshly recalled Ryan Gusto. The 27-year-old's second look in the bigs this season wasn't as smooth as his first, as Gusto forfeited three runs across two innings of work. Fortunately, scoreless eighths and ninths from Michael Petersen, Anthony Bender and Calvin Faucher kept Miami from sweating any more.
Aiming to remain undefeated in June and clinch their third sweep of the season, Miami sends their most consistent starting arm in Max Meyer to the hill early Wednesday afternoon opposite Andrew Alvarez. First pitch from Nationals Park is set for 1:05.

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Here's the first June edition of our Fish On First Prospects Report, which includes another wave of promotions and releases, plus the start of the Dominican Summer League campaign.
This report covers the games played from May 26-June 1.
 
Triple-A Jacksonville
As part of all the prospect promotions this past week, infielder Gage Miller was assigned to Triple-A. Selected in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Alabama, Miller was slashing .275/.368/.440/.807 with four home runs, 22 RBI and a 117 wRC+ in Double-A Pensacola. Through his first four games with Jacksonville, Miller is 6-for-17 with two doubles, one home run and five RBI.
Miller hit his first AAA home run on Saturday in the top of the second inning off Charlotte Knights starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon. The ball left the bat at 100.7 mph.
The 23-year-old has spent most of his career splitting time between second and third base. In releasing Cody Morissette on Tuesday, the Marlins are creating regular playing time for Miller to prove he can sustain this breakout season.
Promoted alongside Miller was Payton Green (Fish On First's No. 28 prospect). In 33 games with Pensacola, he slashed .240/.345/.470/.815 with four home runs, 10 RBI, 10 stolen bases and a 114 wRC+. Green is 3-for-17 with an RBI and five walks through four games.
Just like Miller, Green is 23 years old and has split time between third base and shortstop, with some second base sprinkled in there. He likely won't be called up this season, but he could set himself to be a non-roster invitee next spring and compete for a bench spot at the big league level.
In 17 games since he was optioned down to the minor leagues, Agustin Ramirez s hitting .284/.365/.486/.851 with four home runs and 11 RBI. Defensively he hasn't been showing much improvement, though.
Through his first six games with his new organization, Rece Hinds is slashing .318/.444/.500/.944 with one home run and two RBI. The Marlins acquired Hinds last week in a trade that sent reliever Zach McCambley to the Cincinnati Reds. Between both organizations, Hinds is slashing .308/.427/.607/1.034 with eight home runs, 22 RBI and a 166 wRC+.
The Marlins signed right-handed pitcher Amos Willingham to a minor league deal this week and he officially was activated. Willingham comes from the Houston Astros organization where in 11 appearances, he posted a 3.38 ERA, 5.09 FIP, 6.08 K/9 and 7.43 BB/9. He was released by the Astros on May 6. Willingham made his major league debut during the 2023 season with the Washington Nationals, but has not been back since.
Left-handed pitcher Christian McLeod is another new minor league free agent signing. He was recently promoted to Triple-A where in one appearance, he threw a shutout inning. In his first start with the Jumbo Shrimp, McLeod went three shutout innings, allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out one.
Ryan Gusto will pitch for the Marlins against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. Through 10 Triple-A games (seven starts), Gusto has a 3.83 ERA, 3.51 FIP, 10.48 K/9 and 3.43 BB/9. The one previous appearance Gusto made at the big league level this season came on April 8 against the Cincinnati Reds, where he threw one inning, striking one out in the process.
 
Double-A Pensacola
Highlighted by a 23-run explosion in their game at historic Rickwood Field as well as the arrival of multiple top 30 organizational prospects, the Wahoos had a standout week against Birmingham as they split the series three games a piece. Pensacola is 26-25 on the season, two games out of their division lead.
 
Simply put with Fenwick Trimble, the guy just makes contact and gets on base. That was especially evident for the 23-year-old this past week when he went 10-for-29 with two homers and two doubles. This included a five-hit game during the aforementioned Rickwood Field contest. Not only were the five hits a personal record, it was the first such effort by a Pensacola player since 2023 when Dane Myers accomplished the feat. The performance was served as the exclamation point on an extremely solid month of May in which Trimble slashed .303/.345/.541.
Trimble keeps working counts well and continues to exhibit great barrel control to cover the entire plate and then some. As the season has gotten older, he’s started to force opposing pitchers into the zone by improving his plate discipline. There’s still a bit of improving to do for Trimble when it comes to pulling the trigger on pitches within the zone, but his whiff rate continues to diminish. Additionally, Trimble has also exhibited some surprising pop, particularly to his pull side. He’s gone that way with fly balls a solid 16% of the time. The one thing still absent from Trimble’s game is walks. He’s taken free passes at just a 7.5% clip.
Continuing to put his slow start behind him, Trimble is becoming a tough out and there’s still quite a bit more in the tank, especially if he can find the proper balance between patient and aggressive. He can play all three outfield spots but would be better served as a corner outfielder long term. Because of his solid contact rates, good speed and upside for at least average power, he’s an intriguing prospect trending in the right direction. A promotion to Triple-A could be in the cards for Trimble if this trajectory persists.
Speaking of players who put slow starts behind them in May, enter Cristian Hernández. After slashing just .164/.247/.205 in April, the 22-year-old infielder fully adjusted to life at the Double-A level. This past month, he hit a robust .360/.417/.560 with six doubles and three homers. Hernández's latest export was an 11-for-20 effort against the Barons.
Being humbled by a new league but then being able to adjust fairly quickly into the best version of yourself is no small task, but Hernández accomplished it with flying colors. His skill set is pretty enticing. At 6’2”, 200, Hernández is a good mix of hit and run. Touted highly for his bat speed, Hernández is another guy who can let the ball travel before committing to a swing. This past month, he started to show the ability to do so as well as the ability to be on time more consistently. After posting a 34% K rate in April, he shrunk that figure to 22% in May. The timeliness of his swings is also allowing him to tap into more power. Having entered the season never having topped seven home runs in a season, he’s already hit three.

On the bases, Hernández continues to exhibit plus speed, graded as high as 60 on the 20-80 scale. He’s already up to 13 bags on the year. Defensively, Hernández has the raw skills to stick at shortstop but many evaluators have at times questioned his repetition. That along with the fact that Aiva Arquette has now arrived in Beloit may have Hernández moving off shortstop to second base in both the short and long term. That move may be advantageous to allow Hernández to continue to focus on offensive sustainability. Another guy on an upward offensive trajectory with plenty of time on his side, the 22-year-old’s prospect stock is rising.
 
High-A Beloit
Riding high after winning five of six last week, it was a tough end to May for the Sky Carp who dropped four of six to Lake County at home. Pitching struggled in the series, allowing 34 runs. Despite only allowing hits at a .220 clip which is second lowest in the Midwest League, Beloit pitching has struggled keeping the ball in the park. Their 55 home runs allowed are third most on the circuit.
It’s been a disconnected season in terms of playing time already for Cam Cannarella due to a wrist injury he suffered in an outfield collision very early in the season. What hasn't been disconnected at any point though is his offensive production. Cannarella continued to absolutely punish High-A pitching in this series, going 11-for-27 with a triple, a home run, and eight RBI to earn our Prospect of the Week honors.

Even from a split lefty stance in which he steps towards the ball, Cannarella owns pretty quiet and smooth mechanics. His bread and butter tool is extremely quick hands which allow the ball to travel before he executes a line-drive swing with a bit of natural upper cut. Cannarella has seem High-A pitching extremely well, exhibiting one of the best whiff rates in the league. The only small downside to his approach has been a zone swing percentage slightly below league average. Cannarella hasn’t walked much, but his penchant for making contact at a well above average clip more than makes up for that. Contact-oriented with the ability to spray the ball to all fields and decent speed, Connarella profiles as a top of the order for-average threat long term with the chance to build into some more power. He can also hold down center field well and shouldn’t have an issue sticking there long term.
The only question is how will Cannarella fare against more advanced competition? We will start to get the answer to that question beginning this week as Fish On First has learned that the 22-year-old has been promoted to Double-A Pensacola. It will be interesting to see how reps are divided between Cannarella and the rest of Pensacola’s outfielders because all of them need and deserve starting reps.
 
For Cannarella specifically, he would advantageously continue to see reps in center field where his skill set will be of most value. If Cannarella can continue to show plus plate discipline and get on base against Double-A stuff, he will start to play closer to his ceiling of an every day outfielder. At the very least, he has a solid fourth outfielder floor.
After a rough start to the season in cold weather, Liomar Martinez finished off a solid month of May in grand fashion. Pitching into at least the fifth for a fourth time in five starts, the 20-year-old righty nearly completed a quality start, tossing 6 ⅔ frames of two run ball on just two hits and four walks. Martinez’s swing-and-miss stuff was on full display as he racked up a career-high 12 punchouts.
More consistently as the season progresses, we are seeing what Martinez can do when he has control with him. He’s a high-effort tosser, but he comes by good velo which has ticked up more this season. Sitting 93 last season, Liomar is more frequently hitting 94-95 mph and has been clocked as high as 97. He shows great confidence in the four-seamer particularly in elevating it to set up his best secondary, a high-70s/low-80s curveball with good shape and horizontal drop. This past season, Martinez added a sweeper which he’s made good strides with, quickly making it a usable third pitch. As his stuff improves, so too has his whiff rates. Boasting a 31.2% CSW%, he can make the opposition look foolish. Overall, though, it all comes down to repeatability and control. If what Martinez is currently doing can sustain, he has the ceiling of a back-end rotational piece. Because of the historic volatility with control, a future in the bullpen still seems more likely. Even if that is his floor, Martinez could carve out a solid career as a high-leverage arm—he already has the stuff and profile befitting of that role.
 
Low-A Jupiter
When the Miami Marlins gave nearly half of their entire international bonus pool money to Andrew Salas, they were expecting a player well beyond his years that can move quickly through the minor league system. So far, that has not been the case, slashing .168/.268/.245/.513 with two home runs, 16 RBI and a 50 wRC+. He is also striking out 26.7% of the time.
Only 18 years old, there is obviously still time for Salas to turn things around, but the early returns have not been encouraging at all. On Tuesday, he was demoted to the Florida Complex League.
Abrahan Ramirez has nothing left to prove at the Low-A level. He is now slashing .254/.366/.425/.792 with five home runs, 27 RBI and a 118 wRC+. Acquired in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade, Ramirez has always put up good numbers and so far, that continues to be the case.
Victor Ortega has emerged as the primary catcher for the Hammerheads. With multiple hits in five of his last eight games, the 22-year-old left-handed-hitter boosted his slash line to .265/.408/.422/.829. Behind the plate, he has committed only one error with no passed balls while throwing out 22% of base-stealers.
 
FCL Marlins
A perfect 4-0 week for the FCL Marlins saw the offense come alive, scoring 43 runs across four games. The week was highlighted by a 115 mph home run from one of Miami's offseason acquisitions, while the Dominican Summer League season got underway Monday with one of the organization's biggest international signings homering in his third professional at-bat.
The Marlins acquired Edgardo De Leon from the Cubs this offseason for one specific reason: his raw power. It was on full display last Thursday when he turned on a 97 mph fastball and launched it over the center field wall with an exit velocity of 115 mph.
Through 17 games, De Leon is hitting .267 with two home runs and 13 RBIs. More importantly, he has already drawn nine walks after drawing just 15 in 43 games last season, while striking out only 12 times. The power has never been in question, as he has flashed legitimate 70-grade raw power. If he can continue to improve his approach and keep the swing-and-miss under control, there is a lot to like in his profile.
For the second consecutive week, Luis Cova finds himself in this report, and rightfully so.
Although his 12-game hitting streak came to an end Monday afternoon, he has still reached base safely in every game this season. Last week, it was mentioned that the power production had yet to fully arrive despite the strong overall results. Cova answered those concerns this week, recording a two-double game and launching his second home run of the season.
The combination of consistent contact, on-base ability, and emerging power has just earned him a promotion to Low-A.
This week, Breyias Dean went 8-for-17 (.471) with two home runs and seven RBIs. Both home runs came in back-to-back games. Through 16 games this season, Dean is hitting .354 with a .604 slugging percentage and a 1.033 OPS.
One of the biggest developments in Dean's game has been the steady decrease in his strikeout rate. Since 2023, his strikeout percentage has ticked down little by little each season. Like many hitters in the Marlins system, limiting swing-and-miss will ultimately determine how far he can go. The tools have always been there, and if the improved contact skills continue, Dean could be in for a breakout season.
 
DSL Marlins & DSL Miami
With the DSL season having just begun on Monday, there is not much to report on yet. However, one of the Marlins' biggest international signings made an excellent first impression.
Signed for $1 million this winter, Ronny Muñoz entered professional baseball with some scouts questioning how his smaller 5-foot-10 frame would impact his game long term.
He wasted little time making a statement.
In the bottom of the sixth inning Monday afternoon, Muñoz launched his first professional home run in just his third career at-bat, giving the Marlins an early return on one of their biggest international investments of the 2026 signing period.
 
This week's schedule
Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Nashville Double-A Pensacola vs. Chattanooga High-A Beloit at Peoria Low-A Jupiter vs. Bradenton FCL Marlins vs. FCL Cardinals, FCL Mets and FCL Nationals DSL Marlins vs. DSL Tigers, DSL Mets, DSL Twins, DSL Rangers and DSL Yankees DSL Miami vs. DSL Yankees, DSL Rangers, DSL Cardinals, DSL Phillies and DSL Blue Jays  

The Miami Marlins finished the month of May on a five-game losing streak, losing two out of three to the Toronto Blue Jays and getting swept by the New York Mets. The final leg of the three-city road trip featured the Washington Nationals, who entering play on Monday had scored the most runs in baseball. On the flipside, they have the fifth-worst pitching staff in baseball, which the Marlins got to in order to snap their losing streak, defeating the Nationals by a final score of 7-3.
Nationals starter Cade Cavalli went five strong innings, striking out six. After allowing a bases loaded walk to Owen Caissie in the top of the first inning, he shutout the Marlins until the top of the sixth inning. He allowed a base hit to Leo Jimenez and was taken out of the game in place of Richard Lovelady.
Going into Monday, the Nationals bullpen had a 4.52 ERA, which is 22nd in MLB. They have also allowed the second-most earned runs (143) in baseball. In 17 appearances with the Nationals, Lovelady had a 2.25 ERA, but a 4.45 FIP.
With Jimenez on first, Clayton McCullough pinch hit Heriberto Hernandez to face the lefty. On the fifth pitch of the at-bat, Lovelady served up a slider that landed right in the middle of the plate and Hernandez took him deep to left field for his third home run of the season. It tied the game at three apiece.
For Hernandez, it marked his third career pinch-hit home run, with two of them coming this season. All three of his career pinch-hit home runs have come against left-handed pitching.
 
 
Lovelady proceeded to hit Jakob Marsee. A sac bunt from Joe Mack moved Marsee to second and Connor Norby drove him in on an RBI double, giving Miami the lead, 4-3.
In the ninth inning, the Nationals turned to Cole Henry, who in eight appearances had a 5.00 ERA. Liam Hicks hit his 12th home run of the season, making it 5-3. That would Mark Hicks' 46th RBI of the season, making it a new career-high for the 27-year old.
All-Star voting is set to open on Wednesday, and the main question for Marlins fans will be at which position Hicks will be listed. If it's at catcher, he may have a better chance of getting in. He currently leads all catchers in RBI, and is second in home runs, second in OPS, third in batting average, third in hits and entering play on Monday, he had the third lowest strikeout rate (9.2%) in baseball.
"Hicks has had a phenomenal season," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. "He's been able to build off his strengths which have been his ability to control the strike zone and we have seen the difference this year. With the home run tonight, he was able to elevate the ball to the pull side with more regularity, which has led to some more home runs. He just takes good at-bats, you can trust him when he's up there and he's been a key part to our offense this year." 
 
 
Kyle Stowers finally seems to be getting it going as he hit his fourth home run of the season, extending the Marlins lead, 7-3. He is now slashing .221/.301/.379/.680 with four home runs, 13 RBI and a 90 wRC+. 
 
The Marlins were coming off a bullpen game in Queens where they trotted out six relievers, so Sandy Alcantara, who is coming off a month of May that he'd like to forget, needed to step up. On top of that, Eury Pérez, who is now on the injured list, is not going to be around until after the All-Star break and Janson Junk will also be out for some time.
 
Alcantara gave the Marlins seven innings of work allowing three runs on seven hits (one home run) and struck out three. Monday's start marked the fourth time this season that he completed seven innings or more and did not allow a walk.
"It's what I expect from Sandy," McCullough said. "He's going to eat up innings and he's going to give us a chance to win. That's what he's been doing now for almost a decade. Every inning that he is able to take down it's one less inning that someone in the bullpen is going to need to cover. We needed a big one from him tonight and he came through."
Alcantara got off to shaky start, surrendering a home run to outfielder Jacob Young in the bottom of the second inning, a two-run blast giving the Nationals a 2-1 lead. Curtis Mead laced an RBI single in the third inning, extending the lead, 3-1.
With the win, the Marlins are now 27-34 on the season, fourth place in the National League East and 5.5 games out of the third and final Wild Card spot. Although it is currently listed as a TBD for tomorrow, Fish On First can report that the Marlins are calling up Ryan Gusto to make his first start of the season. In 10 appearances (seven starts) in Triple-A this season, Gusto has a 3.83 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 10.48 K/9 and 3.43 BB/9. First pitch is at 6:45 pm EST on Marlins.TV.

June 3, 2001 Preston Wilson hit at least 23 home runs every year. Still one of just 10 players ever to hit 100 home runs for the club, Wilson also had plenty of speed.
On this day 25 years ago, Wilson delivered the Marlins to victory without having to hit the ball out of the infielder. His RBI infield single in the bottom of the ninth broke a scoreless tie and lifted Florida past the New York Mets, 1-0.
The story of the day on June 3, 2001 at Pro Player Stadium was pitching. For the Mets, Kevin Appier allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings. For Florida, A.J. Burnett went 8.2 scoreless innings before Antonio Alfonseca got Todd Zeile to ground out to end a threat in the top of the ninth.
After working a 1-2-3 eighth for the Mets, Turk Wendell stayed on to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Wendell was able to start the inning strong by fanning Dave Berg on a 10-pitch plate appearance. Luis Castillo followed with a double. Wendell then yielded a walk on another 10-pitch plate appearance – this time to Eric Owens.
With two on and one out, the Mets went to closer John Franco, who was able to get Cliff Floyd to hit into a fielder’s choice for the second out. With the winning run at third, Wilson came to the plate.
0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout to that point, Wilson lined one back off Franco’s glove. The ball ricocheted to shortstop but by the time Joe McEwing was able to gather and throw, Wilson had already crossed first base, giving the Fish the walk-off victory.
With the win, the Marlins salvaged a split in the four-game series and handed Wendell his second loss of the set. Each team finished with just four hits. Castillo had two of those knocks for the Marlins.
Wilson would add a second walk-off hit later in the season with a dramatic three-run home run to beat the Chicago Cubs. His first walk-off knock of 2001, however, left neither the yard nor the infield. It came on this day a quarter-century ago.

In the last two weeks, the Miami Marlins have lost Robby Snelling and Eury Pérez for extended periods, and Janson Junk until at least the middle of June. Their starting rotation now consists of Sandy Alcantara, who has struggled mightily since mid-April, Max Meyer, who has already surpassed his previous MLB career-high in innings pitched, and Tyler Phillips, who isn't even fully stretched out as a starter yet.
While the organization is severely lacking pitching depth at the moment, the opposite is true in the outfield. Miami has accumulated so many promising players at the position that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find everyday playing time for prospects who deserve it, much like Ely Sussman anticipated back in January.
Alex Carver of Fish On First reported Monday morning that Cam Cannarella (FOF #11 prospect) is being promoted to Double-A Pensacola. The Blue Wahoos' outfield currently features Brendan Jones (FOF #14), Dillon Lewis (FOF #5), and Fenwick Trimble (FOF #16), each of whom is comfortably meeting expectations, if not exceeding them. How will Cannarella find the necessary at-bats to continue his development?
Trimble, in particular, looks more than ready for a promotion to Triple-A Jacksonville. The problem is that Jacksonville has its own outfield logjam.
The Jumbo Shrimp currently have Kemp Alderman (FOF #8), who was knocking on the door of the major leagues before his recent elbow injury. Matthew Etzel is having a breakout season, and Rece Hinds, who was acquired less than two weeks ago, is hitting over .300 on the year. Andrew Pintar is the best defender of the bunch and posted a 1.017 OPS in May.
Even the major league roster offers little flexibility. Miami's everyday outfield consists of Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee, and Owen Caissie. Off the bench, the club has Esteury Ruiz, Heriberto Hernández, and Javier Sanoja to primarily receive opportunities against left-handed pitching.
So what could the Marlins do to capitalize on this uneven distribution of talent?
 
DFA Christopher Morel and recall Rece Hinds
This would merely be a baby step, but a helpful one, nonetheless. The Marlins would be parting ways with their least productive right-handed hitter—Morel has a 23 wRC+ this season—while also freeing up spot in Jacksonville. In adding even more outfield options to the active roster, Sanoja could focus fully on the infield moving forward.
 
Trade minor league outfield depth for pitching

The Marlins are desperate for innings at this point and will take them any way they can get them. Trading from a position of organizational strength could help address multiple issues at once. Moving one or two outfielders would create opportunities throughout the system while potentially bringing back a starter capable of eating innings until the rotation gets healthy.
A 40-man roster crunch is coming after the 2026 season no matter what, with the likes of Alderman and Etzel due to become Rule 5 draft-eligible for the first time. Might as well get out in front of that predicament.
 
Promote aggressively and let performance dictate decisions
The Marlins entered 2026 with the goal of both developing young talent and remaining competitive at the major league level. If that mindset remains unchanged, the organization may eventually have to become more aggressive with its roster decisions. If major league players continue to struggle while prospects continue to perform, Miami could begin optioning underperforming players and rewarding those who have earned opportunities.
For an organization suddenly lacking pitching depth while possessing a surplus of outfield talent, standing pat may not be an option for much longer. Whether that solution comes through a trade, a series of promotions, or roster changes at the major league level, the Marlins have reached a point where performance throughout the organization may force their hand. With several prospects knocking on the door and a rotation searching for answers, Miami could soon face one of its most important roster decisions of the season.

Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds.
 
Scoring system
A "perfect" series is worth three points:
Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) FOF SuperSub Nicholas Milton is currently atop the 2026 season leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. 
If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted.
If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff.  
 
Series preview notes
Probable starting pitchers:
RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. RHP Cade Cavalli (WSH) on Monday TBA (MIA) vs. RHP Miles Mikolas (WSH) on Tuesday Probably RHP Ryan Gusto RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. LHP Andrew Alvarez (WSH) on Wednesday The Marlins rank 20th in MLB with a 96 wRC+ and 14th in MLB with a 3.97 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have a 8-19 record on the road this season.
The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Janson Junk (15-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Eury Pérez (15-day IL) and Robby Snelling (60-day IL).
The Nationals rank fourth in MLB with a 110 wRC+ and 28th in MLB with a 4.74 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 12-17 record at home this season.
The following Nationals players are on the injured list: Josiah Gray (60-day IL), DJ Herz (60-day I), Jake Irvin (15-day IL), Max Kranick (60-day IL), Ken Waldichuk (60-day IL) and Trevor Williams (60-day IL).

NEW YORK — There's no shame in losing a battle to Juan Soto in your major league debut. The disturbing part for Josh White and the Miami Marlins is what brought Soto to the plate in the first place.
After nearly a full calendar year of terrorizing Triple-A hitters, White was recalled by the Marlins prior to Sunday's game. The corresponding roster move was placing Janson Junk on the 15-day injured list with right shin bone inflammation. The news of White's call-up was first reported by marlins.city on Instagram.
Fish On First's 21st-ranked prospect entered in the bottom of the sixth inning and looked comfortable initially. White struck out fellow rookie A.J. Ewing with a backdoor slider, then jammed Brett Baty with an inside fastball for a routine flyout.
However, poor control fueled an epic two-out rally from there:
Walk Hit by pitch Walk Walk Home run (grand slam) Walk A New York Mets team that had only been averaging 3.95 runs per game put up a five-spot against White in two-thirds of an inning.
The Ewing slider was an anomaly, as you can see below. White had difficulty landing any of his secondary pitches in the strike zone. Just 20 of his 43 total pitches were strikes.

During the month of May alone, White is the sixth different Marlin to make his MLB debut. He joins Josh Ekness (May 3), Joe Mack (May 4), William Kempner (May 5), Dax Fulton (May 6) and Robby Snelling (May 8), the first three of whom are still on the Marlins active roster...for now.
There are only two conventional starters on Miami's pitching staff right now (Sandy Alcantara and Max Meyer), plus Tyler Phillips, who's still in the process of getting fully stretched out for that role. All signs point to Ryan Gusto being recalled from Triple-A prior to Tuesday's game to audition for one of the rotation vacancies. The likeliest corresponding move would be optioning a rookie reliever.
One nightmarish performance does not dampen White's long-term outlook. The 25-year-old's steep arm angle and nasty breaking balls make him difficult for most mortals to barrel up, and his minor league track record speaks for itself (1.71 ERA and 2.51 FIP in 94.2 IP since 2025). But obviously, this was a discouraging first showing at the big league level.

Bad news seems to follow the Miami Marlins of late.
Less than 24 hours after learning that left-handed reliever Andrew Nardi was headed to the injured list, joining him was another hurler, this one a starter in Janson Junk. "I was still able to do my job, I feel like," Junk explained prior to Sunday's game regarding his right shin bone inflammation, "but maybe subconsciously I was compensating for it a little bit...Being able to get checked out is, I think, the right thing to do, and ultimately was the right thing."
However, it posed a major challenge for Marlins manager Clayton McCullough, who had to resort to a bullpen game against the cellar-dwelling New York Mets. The end result was allowing double-digit runs to one of the sport's feeblest lineups. 
One week after completing a sweep of the Mets at loanDepot park, the Marlins found themselves on the other end of the equation, dropping the series finale, 10-1. Now 26-34, the Marlins fall to last place in the National League East amid a season-worst five-game losing streak and losers in five of their last six.
"This was tough," said a sighing McCullough, who reflected on Miami's numerous missed opportunities this series. For the weekend, Marlin hitters went a combined 5-for-30 in at-bats with runners in scoring position.
 
Making his first career start in 241 appearances at the major league level, John King would be gotten to from the get-go when Carson Benge sent his fourth home run of the season and career over the center field wall. The home run also marked the first leadoff blast of Benge's career.
Things would not get any easier from there, as Anthony Bender, entering late in the second inning for King, would serve up a home run to his first batter faced, veteran second baseman Marcus Semien, to increase New York's lead to three.
Miami's lone run would come in the top of the fourth on an Owen Caissie double. After hitting just over .200 with a .565 OPS through April, Caissie hit .281 with an .835 OPS in May, his best month as a big leaguer to date. 
The only positive to come from Sunday's series blowout was that the Marlins didn't have to face the ascendant Nolan McLean more than they did, as the right-hander worked around five walks in five innings of one-run ball. 
After tacking on a pair in the fourth, the Mets would all but end the game when Juan Soto, facing Josh White in the latter's major league debut hit a grand slam, his 19th home run in 107 games against Miami.

The Marlins will conclude the month of May going 11-18, and falling to 8-19 in games away from loanDepot park. 
 
Looking Ahead
The Marlins will travel to the nation's capital, where they are slated to commence the month of June with a three-game series against the surprisingly competitive Washington Nationals.
Sandy Alcantara (3-4, 4.66 ERA) will be tasked with eating as many innings as possible on Monday for a fatigued Marlins pitching staff. Cade Cavalli (3-3, 3.62 ERA) will start the series opener for Washington. Cavalli's 3.00 FIP is easily the best in the Nats rotation and he's riding a streak of three consecutive quality starts.
First pitch from Nationals Park is slated for 6:45 EST.

Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead.
Sunday's show was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelists Kevin Barral, Nate Karzmer, Alex Carver and Alex Krutchik. The following topics were covered:
An awful weekend series in New York Injuries to Janson Junk, Andrew Nardi and potentially Josh Ekness Owen Caissie's month-to-month improvement What to expect from Ryan Gusto as he enters the starting rotation Previewing and predicting the next series against the Washington Nationals You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods.

 
Our next FOF LIVE episode will be Wednesday at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Nationals series finale.