Kevin Barral

This podcast is brought to you by Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida—offering Miami’s best jet ski and boat adventures. With six jet ski locations and over 120 boats, there’s something for every style and every budget. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online at SFJetskiRentals.com. Make sure to use promo code FISHONFIRST to receive 10% off your next booking. Negotiations are underway between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association on a new collective bargaining agreement that could radically change how the Miami Marlins operate financially in 2027 and beyond. AJ Ramos, Kevin Barral and Ely Sussman share the main takeaways from each side's initial proposal. Then, they get caught up on the Marlins' recent performance and revisit the time that AJ indirectly ignited a benches-clearing brawl in Los Angeles. 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. The projected 2026 Marlins payroll is a league-low $73.5M, according to Roster Resource. Meanwhile, under a potential salary-capped system, MLB has proposed a "floor" of $171.2 million beginning next season—that's far more than Miami has ever spent on players in a single season. Keep in mind, this is expected to be a lengthy CBA negotiation. Dollar figures that we're hearing about now may change significantly by the time that a deal is ratified next year. View full article

This podcast is brought to you by Jet Ski Rentals of South Florida—offering Miami’s best jet ski and boat adventures. With six jet ski locations and over 120 boats, there’s something for every style and every budget. They’re reservation-based only. To inquire, call 305-990-2192, or check them out online at SFJetskiRentals.com. Make sure to use promo code FISHONFIRST to receive 10% off your next booking. Fish On First staffers react to the latest Miami Marlins series and prepare you for what lies ahead. Wednesday's show was hosted by Kevin Barral and featured panelist 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 Sunday at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET following the Marlins-Blue Jays series finale. View full article

The Miami Marlins looked to make it five-straight wins, and unlike Monday night's game, odds were in Miami's favor with Sandy Alcantara on the mound and what looked to be a bullpen game for the Toronto Blue Jays. Alcantara had his worst start of the season and the offense wasn't able to get anything going as the Marlins win-streak was snapped, falling by a final score of 8-1. Alcantara had his worst start of the season, allowing eight runs on 10 hits (three home runs); he allowed one walk and struck out four. He also hit four batters. It marked the first time in franchise history that a Marlins pitcher hit four batters in a single-start. "I think every start, whether it's veteran or not, Daniel (Moskos) and company get with him and it's discussed," Manager Clayton McCullough said. "The things that went well, the things that we're going to look to improve on moving forward and try to get some of the pitches with two strikes in better spots. Just had some pitches leak today over the plate that they put good swings on them." The Blue Jays got to Alcantara right away in the bottom of the first inning, as Ernie Clement took him deep for his fifth home run of the season, taking an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the third, Kazuma Okamoto smacked an RBI single, extending the lead, 2-0. The homer that Alcantara surrendered to Clement was off a high sinker, 3.71 feet above the ground, making it the highest pitch he has allowed a home run on in his career. Everything would come crashing down in the bottom of the sixth, as Alcantara surrendered his second home run of the night, this time to Yohendrick Piñango, making it 3-0. A George Springer RBI single made it 4-0 and with the bases loaded, former Marlin Jesus Sanchez took his former teammate deep. Sanchez's first career grand slam was his sixth home run of the season, making it 8-1. Alcantara went on to be taken out of the game after hitting his fourth batter of the night, Okamoto, in the next at-bat. "We just couldn't find a way to finish that inning," McCullough said. "I'm sure the Otto (Lopez) play he makes often, and just wasn't able to there. We weren't able to stop the bleeding and they were able to put up a big number." Through 12 starts this season, Alcantara finds himself with a 4.66 ERA, 4.28 FIP, 6.21 K/9 and 2.51 BB/9. His start on Tuesday marked the third time this season that he allowed more than five runs and it's now back-to-back starts that the he has done so. Miami's offense didn't back up their longtime starter, only putting up one run on five hits and were one for seven with runners in scoring position. With the loss, the Marlins drop to four games below .500 but hope to take the series Wednesday afternoon with Eury Pérez on the mound. First pitch is at 1:07 pm EST. View full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. Here's the final May edition of our Fish On First Prospects Report, which includes several important injury updates near the bottom of the page. This report covers the games played from May 19-25. Triple-A Jacksonville This week, the Miami Marlins acquired outfielder Rece Hinds from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for reliever Zach McCambley. In 24 games this season in Triple-A, Hinds is slashing .303/.422/.618/1.040 with seven home runs, 20 RBI and a 164 wRC+. In his Jacksonville debut, Hinds went 1-for-4 with a walk. His lone hit of the game came in the bottom of the ninth inning with an exit velocity of 109.5 mph. McCambley, who was a member of Miami's all-pitcher 2020 draft class, was left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft. He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies, but after not making the team, he was sent back to the Marlins and assigned to Triple-A. In 13 appearances (two starts), McCambley posted a 2.36 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 10.80 K/9 and 5.74 BB/9. He has yet to debut for his new organization. The trade does come as a surprise given that there wasn't a clear need for an outfielder, unless the Marlins plan to make some moves with the 26-man roster. As for McCambley, it didn't seem like he was going to get an opportunity to make the Majors with Miami, so he is shipped off to a place where he may have a better chance. Jacob Berry continues to rake in Jacksonville, now slashing .309/.426/.434/.860 with two home runs, 17 RBI and a career-high 137 wRC+. Berry's walk rate was at 14.2% the last time we posted this article. It has only gone up since, now at 16.6% and striking out 13.0% of the time, both career-best marks for him. Since being optioned to Jacksonville, Agustín Ramírez is slashing .240/.339/.420/.759 with two home runs, seven RBI and a 103 wRC+. Defensively, he has made three errors, allowed nine stolen bases compared to three caught stealings. He is playing almost everyday, serving as the designated hitter when he isn't behind the plate. In limited action so far, 2021 second-round pick Cody Morissette is off to a strong start in Triple-A. He is slashing .286/.359/.429/.788 with one home run, eight RBI and a 113 wRC+. His lone home run of the season came on Saturday, a walk-off grand slam. Then on Sunday, he was the walk-off hero again with an RBI single. A fun note from this past week was that reliever Jack Ralston threw an immaculate inning. It came in Tuesday's game against the Norfolk Tide. He struck out Heston Kjerstad, Johnathan Rodríguez and Christian Encarnacion-Strand all swinging. It was the first immaculate inning of the season for the Jumbo Shrimp. On the season, Ralston now has a 1.03 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 12.99 K/9 and a 4.44 BB/9 in 26 1/3 innings pitched. Double-A Pensacola Pitching led the way for the Wahoos en route to a series victory over Columbus. Pensacola starting pitchers gave up just 11 runs over the course of the week. The offense rewarded them nicely, scoring 31 runs, pacing the way to a plus-10 run differential. Pensacola is now one game over .500 at 23-22, and they have just received some considerable reinforcements. Aiva Arquette, Eliazar Dishmey, Juan Matheus, Connor Caskenette and Holt Jones were officially promoted from High-A Beloit on Tuesday. More on Dishmey and Caskenette in the Beloit section of this report. We are running out of adjectives to describe what Karson Milbrandt is doing. Every week, the righty goes out and ups the bar again in terms of his dominance against Double-A hitters. This week, it showed up in the form of him collecting a career high 12 strikeouts over six shutout innings. He allowed just three hits and two walks. Milbrandt is now riding a streak of five straight quality starts, including 23 straight scoreless innings. He’s eight scoreless frames away from tying the Blue Wahoos’ all time franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings set in 2013 by Lee Hyde. Deservedly so, the accolades keep coming for Milbrandt: he was once again named Southern League Pitcher of the Week by the league and Baseball America has labeled him the hottest pitcher in all of Minor League Baseball. Because of the veracity at which he is dominating and overwhelming Double-A hitters, questions have arisen about Milbrandt being promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville and when that will happen with the big league team struggling for starting pitching. However, remaining in Double-A is probably the safest play for Milbrandt’s continued development. Before this year, Milbrandt had only pitched two games at the Double-A level. Also, he’s not yet thrown more than 90 innings in a single season. As innings pile ip on his arm, staying where he’s comfortable will aid Milbrandt’s confidence. The alternative is going to a very bitter friendly environment in the International League where he would play against competition four-plus years his elder on average. With depthy arms for the big league team still to draw from already on the 40-man roster, the safest play for Milbrandt, who is now a top 100 prospect, would be to keep him in Double-A for most of 2026. Fenwick Trimble, the Marlins’ fourth-rounder from 2024, had a slow start to the year. He progressively picked things up, and lately, Trimble has taken the next step and strung together multiple hits in many games that he's played. That was prevalent in this series against the Clingstones as Trimble went 7-for-23. He recorded two hits in each of the final three games of the series, including his seventh home run. Trimble has put a .680 OPS April behind him by slashing .288/.337/.513 in May. Trimble has tapped more into his contact-oriented approach by way of swinging at more quality pitches. He owns 31.1% whiff (36th percentile), but his swings-and-misses have consistently become less frequent as he gets fully acclimated to Double-A pitching. Trimble has also looked the part at all three outfield spots. Reps and time: that is all Trimble will need as he attempts to approach the ceiling of a speedy, gap-hitting, contact-oriented starting outfielder. He is locked into a starting outfield spot with the Wahoos for the rest of the season. High-A Beloit It was another successful week for the Carp who hit the road again and came out with a 4-2 series victory against Quad Cities. The Beloit bats awoke for one of their better all-around offensive showings of the season so far as they scored 52 total runs and held a whopping +29 run differential. When the Sky Carp resume play on Tuesday, though, their lineup will look much different without Arquette, Matheus and Caskenette. With Otto Lopez and Liam Hicks on potential All-Star trajectories and with top prospect Owen Caissie beginning to riddle it out at the plate, it’s been quite the year for Canadians at the big league level. Connor Caskenette is making that trend matriculate to the minors because he is absolutely raking. He continued to demolish High-A pitching this past week by going 6-for-19 with a double and two homers, bringing his season total to seven. Caskenette’s 166 wRC+ not only leads the Marlins system, it’s second-highest in the Midwest League among qualified hitters. At High-A, Caskenette showed a fantastic approach, walking at a 13% clip while keeping strikeouts to a manageable 22%. He selects swings well, rarely chasing out of the strike zone and making contact at pitches within it at an 85% rate. Caskenette’s solid raw strength and great barrel control stemming from quick hands allows him to go to all fields, though he has slightly favored the pull side. Limited defensively, Caskenette has done exactly what he needs to do so far in his development to reach his ceiling of an every day starter at the next level: hit consistently and hit well. We are about to find out if that can sustain against upper minors competition. Long term, it may behoove the Marlins to teach Caskenette a position other than catcher, possibly first base or left field. The glove has severely lagged behind the offensive production, namely in the area of controlling the running game where Caskenette has caught just 18% of base-stealers this season. While still very low, that is an improvement so far over the 10% marker he posted in 2025. Additionally, as catcher-only, Caskenette would be blocked by the defensively gifted Joe Mack. Overall, a bat-first and potentially bat-only prospect, there’s a low floor here, but the ceiling is enticing. Eliazar Dishmey continues to turn in solid outings. On the heels of a quality start in which he allowed just one run on a homer, the righty tossed 5 ⅔ innings worth of shutout ball on just three hits and one walk. Narrowly missing a second straight QS, Dishmey struck out nine, his most in a start since setting a career high with 10 last August. His ERA shrunk to a minuscule 2.14, sixth-lowest in the Midwest League (min. 20 IP). Dishmey continues to shine by way of a fastball that is one of the better heaters in the Marlins’ organization. Throwing the pitch with both four seam rise and two seam sink, Dishmey is showing enhanced command as well as an enhanced ability and confidence to throw the pitch up in the zone for whiffs. He can also bury it with lower velocity, attributing to a 44% ground ball rate this season. Along with his primary breaker, a slow, looping 12-6 curve which shows great velo separation from the heat, his slider has been his separating point this season. Better feel and control over the frisbee-style third pitch with late tilt and run to his spot has been the primary reason for his stark increase in K rate (35%) and decrease in contact rate (68%). He can also still mix in a show-me changeup. There’s still some reliever risk to Dishmey due to historical command concerns, limited size, and throwing with effort, but he’s already raised his floor so far this season. Still just 21, there’s plenty of time for him to continue to develop and fully iron out his craft at the upper minors. He’s well ahead of schedule. Colby Shade had another standout week offensively for Beloit and is proving how impressive he can be when he’s consistently getting on base. Slotting into four games in the series, the 24-year-old went 9-for-17 with a triple and stole three bags, bringing him up to 10 on the season. Not only did Shade show off his plus speed, he’s also continuing to tap into more power. On Thursday, Shade hit his seventh home run which already brings him to within one of tying his career high from two seasons ago. His exports earned him our Prospect of the Week honors. Shade, a ninth-rounder from 2023, has stayed consistent through the entire month of May, slashing .362/.413/.741 with nine extra base hits, including six home runs. After being limited by injury last season and after getting challenged to Double-A out of necessity, he’s showing what he can do as he gets consistent reps at the same level. A good mix of plus-plus speed, solid patince and whiff avoidance, and now budding power with the tools to hold down any outfield spot, he is beginning to raise his floor despite being slightly behind schedule in his development. As the Marlins continue to carve out the reputation as being aggressive with how and when they challenge their prospects, we should see Shade, who has a 144 wRC+, at the upper levels in short order before he becomes Rule 5-eligible this winter. Low-A Jupiter Abrahan Ramírez was one of the three players acquired in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade from the New York Yankees. He is slashing .274/.394/.462/.856 with five home runs, 26 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Emilio Barreras continues to be the Hammerheads' best hitter this season, now slashing .333/.477/.455/.931 with two home runs, 21 RBI and a 165 wRC+. He was selected in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Ramírez and Barreras are leading candidates to be promoted to High-A whenever another infield spot opens up. Andres Valor continues to rebound from his early-season slump, now hitting .213/.342/.329/.671 with three home runs, 12 RBI, 22 stolen bases and a 94 wRC+. Although he is walking more (14.4%), the strikeouts remain an issue (29.4%), which is what is holding him back from truly making strides. Carter Johnson seems to have found a nice rhythm offensively. Even during a week where he totaled only two hits, he drew five walks. Overall, Johnson is hitting .219/.361/.370/.731 with five home runs and 20 RBI, marking a dramatic improvement from last season. Despite being shutout on Saturday, Wailin Castillo went 5 ⅔ innings, allowing one run on four hits, one walk and struck out six. Through eight starts this season, Castillo has a 2.55 ERA, 4.83 ERA, 7.39 K/9 and 4.08 BB/9. Julio Mendez continues to put up strong starts in Jupiter, most recently tossing 5 ⅔ innings, allowing two runs on three hits, no walk and struck out nine, two shy of his season-high. Mendez now has a 4.26 ERA, 4.04 FIP, 13.36 K/9 and 3.69 BB/9 in seven starts. FCL Marlins Another week down in the FCL means seeing things you do not see every day. The FCL Marlins threw a combined no-hitter while walking seven and allowing three runs. The offense was quiet for most of the week, but headlining this week is a player who got off to a slow start and has now hit safely in 10 straight games. FOF #12 prospect Luis Cova started the season 2-for-16 (.125). Since then, he has gone 14-for-36 (.388) and has put together a 10-game hitting streak. In his last two games, he has three RBIs, and while the power has not arrived yet, it is very reassuring to see the Luis Cova we saw last year. Just like a majority of the FCL roster that came from the DSL this year to make their stateside debut, Victor Rodriguez made his stateside debut this year as well. In six innings, he has posted a 3.00 ERA with seven strikeouts compared to just two walks. Walks have been the main issue for Rodriguez over the last two years in the DSL, so this is a very good sign. Another guy who falls into that category is Jonathan Rosario. Coming over from the DSL this year, he has looked dominant when he is in the zone. Through nine innings, he has 13 strikeouts. However, he has also walked 11. The stuff is definitely there, as opponents are hitting just .133 against him this year, but command will dictate how well the stuff plays. Jonas Uzcategui is a repeat from last week, and rightfully so. This week, he went 2 ⅔ innings without allowing a hit while striking out four and walking two. His updated stats this season: a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings with 18 strikeouts compared to just four walks. Injuries/Rehab The following prospects were all activated from the injured list on Tuesday: Ryan Ignoffo (Pensacola), Drew Faurot (Beloit), Chase Jaworsky (Beloit), Wilson Weber (Beloit) and Jacob Jenkins-Cowart (Beloit). FOF #1 prospect Thomas White is expected to be sidelined for at least one more week. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix told SiriusXM Radio that White's issue is shoulder-related. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville at Charlotte Double-A Pensacola at Birmingham High-A Beloit vs. Lake County Low-A Jupiter at Fort Myers FCL Marlins vs. FCL Nationals, FCL Cardinals, FCL Mets and FCL Astros View full article

The first of three games between the Miami Marlins and the Toronto Blue Jays looked lopsided on paper in favor of the reigning American League champions, with young star right-hander Trey Yesavage taking the mound. However, fresh off a sweep of the New York Mets, Clayton McCullough's club came in with plenty of confidence. Yesavage surrendered a season-high five runs, which would be more than enough as the Marlins defeated the Blue Jays, 8-2, extending their win streak to a season-best four games. "it was tough, but big to get one early and give (Janson) Junk a run to work with," McCullough said postgame. "Then we just put together some good at-bats there...We just did some little things very well when given some opportunities to put a crooked number up." Miami's offense wasted no time getting to Yesavage. Xavier Edwards led the game off with a double, he advanced to third after Liam Hicks grounded out and Otto Lopez drove him in on a sac fly, making it 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Owen Caissie, a native of Ontario, Canada, laced an RBI double in the top of the fifth inning to drive in Javier Sanoja from second to extend the lead. Caissie capped off the night for Miami in the top of the eighth with an RBI single off lefty Adam Macko. Monday's game marked Caissie's third multi-hit game of the season and his eighth multi-RBI game. Through his previous 11 games, Caissie was slashing .296/.345/.538/.883 with two home runs and seven RBI. His season slash line is now .221/.279/.374/.653 with four home runs, 26 RBI and an 81 wRC+. "He's hung in there, and he's making some adjustments," McCullough said. "He's getting himself again. I think some better pitches to go after, and we're getting the performance to follow how much better his approach has been." The main issue for Caissie continues to be strikeouts, now at a 41.5 K%. Going into Monday, Caissie's strikeout rate was the highest in baseball (min. 140 PA). Kyle Stowers, who went hitless this past weekend against the Mets, had a multi-hit day, driving in two runs in the top of the sixth inning. It was an extremely lucky hit, as Blue Jays left fielder Yohendrick Pinango and shortstop Andres Gimenez were not able to decide who would make the catch. Stowers in the top of the eighth drove in another run on an RBI double. Javier Sanoja was the third Marlins hitter who had a multi-hit game. Since the beginning of the series against the Tampa Bay Rays (5/15), but not including Monday, he has a .983 OPS. In the top of the sixth, he hit a double off Yesavage that Piñango wasn't able to track down, allowing Stowers and Jakob Marsee to score. Junk had struggled in his last two starts against two of baseball's best offenses. He bounced back against a mediocre Blue Jays lineup that did not have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He went five innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts, but allowed eight hits. The lone run he allowed came in the bottom of the fifth inning when Piñango drove in Lenyn Sosa on an RBI single, making it 2-1. Although the final line may indicate that Junk was good, there was certainly some luck involved. The defense behind Junk saved him a couple times. He surrendered six hard-hit balls and had an xFIP of 4.38. Junk put at least one base runner on in four of the five innings that he pitched. "Today he was able to just reset himself and just go make the best pitch that he can," McCullough said. "Jansen is a good pitcher, and he's got a lot of moxie. Hung in there and did it when he needed to do it the most...Some of the luck has gone against him a little bit and I think today he's in those jams, but he buckled down, made pitches and got some huge outs to only give up the one run through five." With the win, the Marlins are now 26-29 on the season and will have Sandy Alcantara on the mound Tuesday night at 7:07 pm. The Blue Jays have yet to announce a starter for that game, but it does seem as if they will be going with a bullpen game. View full article

On Sunday following his first start of the 2026 season, Marlins right-hander Tyler Phillips speaks with the media about adapting to his new role. Phillips and five Marlins relievers combined for a shutout victory. View full video

MIAMI, FL — On Sunday morning, Robby Snelling returned to loanDepot park for the first time after undergoing left elbow UCL repair with an internal brace. Snelling, Fish On First's No. 2 prospect, made his major league debut in the series opener against the Washington Nationals. He went five innings allowing three runs on five hits (one home run), four walks and two strikeouts. It was during the start that the young lefty felt a pull in his forearm. "I don’t know what it’s supposed to feel like," Snelling said. "Obviously, now I do. I threw a breaking ball. It was in the middle of the outing and felt a little different than all the other pitches. I threw another fastball, I was still 95-96, and was still locating. I wasn’t super worried about it. I thought it just came out different. I wasn’t hurting at all after that. Nothing really tightened up, and I was able to go throughout the rest of the outing the way that I did." It wasn't until Snelling threw his bullpen session in Minnesota on the following road trip that he reported discomfort. "I just couldn’t trust my arm to be able to go out on that start and try and throw 95." Snelling joins another highly ranked Marlins pitching prospect, Kevin Defrank, in being sidelined for the remainder of the season due to an arm injury. The organization's top overall prospect, Thomas White, is also on the injured list, though that is believed to be the result of a minor blister issue. Adam Mazur, who the Marlins acquired in a package with Snelling in 2024, underwent a full UCL reconstruction earlier this year. Just a few years ago, any injury like Snelling's would have been addressed with Tommy John surgery, but an innovative internal brace technique could speed up his rehab. The Marlins announced an expected absence of 10-12 months, which Snelling called the "best-case scenario." With that being said, the 22-year-old was understandably sad about baseball being "ripped away" from him mere days after reaching the big leagues. "Getting a little taste of it and realizing how special it is to be up here and how important winning is, it’s refreshing," Snelling said. "In the minor leagues, you obviously want to win, but a lot of is about development, and when you finally get up to the big leagues, development is important, but every time you step out onto the field, you just want to win with your team and the guys that you are with in the locker room, so being removed so quickly from that is really hard.” When asked who he will go to for advice about overcoming this setback, one name that he mentioned was Texas Rangers starting pitcher and former Marlin Nathan Eovaldi. "He’s been through a lot in his career, and he’s been a great soundboard for me to be able to use," Snelling said. If not for the injury, Snelling would have had an extended opportunity to establish himself in the Marlins rotation. With him out of the picture for the rest of 2026, the current starting five consists of Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Max Meyer, Janson Junk and Tyler Phillips. Newly converted to a starter after dominating out of the bullpen, Phillips held the New York Mets scoreless for 3 ⅔ innings on Sunday. View full article