Kevin Barral

Farm system updates from the week of May 5, including new assignments for Fenwick Trimble and Nick Brink. Fish On First is publishing weekly Miami Marlins minor league summaries throughout the 2025 season, covering the progress of FOF Top 30 prospects and lesser-known players in the organization who are worth monitoring. Each full-season MiLB affiliate has its own section below. Player stats are up to date entering May 13. Triple-A Jacksonville The Jumbo Shrimp offense has slumped as of late, but there was a nice highlight on Sunday, as Deyvison De Los Santos (FOF's #9 prospect) hit his fourth home run of the season to left-center. The ball left the bat at 110.4 mph and went 431 feet. With the struggles of first baseman Matt Mervis at the major league level, there may be an opportunity for De Los Santos to debut this season. His production will need to improve first—he is now slashing .250/.309/.382/.691, a very big drop-off from 2024. Andrew Pintar (FOF #25) was acquired along with De Los Santos in the trade that sent A.J. Puk to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’s slashing .306/.348/.361/.709 with one home run and nine RBI. Pintar has been moved up near the top of Jacksonville's batting order. Seth Martinez continues to show that he should be with the Marlins whenever another fresh bullpen arm is needed. He has not allowed a run in 11 ⅓ innings pitched (11 appearances). Ryan Weathers and Derek Hill both completed rehab assignments with Jacksonville. Double-A Pensacola It was a rainy, winless week for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos in Biloxi. Most of the starting pitchers struggled, including Dax Fulton. Making his fifth start of the season, Fulton went four innings, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks. He struck out six. It’s been a weird season thus far for the 23-year-old in his return from his second Tommy John surgery. He has a 4.50 ERA, 5.39 FIP, 9.90 K/9 and 6.75 BB/9 (career-high). Even star reliever Josh Ekness had some trouble, allowing his first earned runs of 2025. He’s still been very successful overall with a 1.69 ERA, 1.74 FIP, 14.34 K/9 and 3.38 BB/9 in 10 ⅔ innings pitched (eight appearances). Offensively, Jake Thompson is the only name worth mentioning. He’s now slashing .266/.388/.415/.803 with one home run, nine RBI and a 137 wRC+. The former undrafted free agent is the oldest hitter in Pensacola (turned 27 in March). Fortunately, reinforcements are on the way. Outfielder Fenwick Trimble (FOF #30) was added to the Blue Wahoos roster on Tuesday. He figures to get regular reps in left field and center field. Always a solid on-base threat as a collegiate prospect at James Madison, Trimble is an under-the-radar contact bat with solid speed and fourth outfielder makeup, with potential for a bit more if everything works out. High-A Beloit Coming off of a disappointing outing against Peoria, Thomas White was back home at ABC Supply Stadium and feeling good. Going 5 IP and allowing just two hits and two walks while striking out eight, White had his best outing of the season. It was the second time in his career he’s gone five shutout frames. The biggest difference in this outing was his ability to avoid deep counts and come further into the zone. Thomas is still on a trajectory to be a bonafide ace once he’s allowed to throw a full slate of innings and pitches. So far this season, Miami is still limiting him to about 75 pitches per start. While there is all the reason in the world to protect your future star, there’s also much to gain from putting him in situations where he can continue to build confidence. As the season wears on, we expect those reins to be loosened. Limited size be damned! The stout Ryan Ignoffo continues to reach new heights. While spending his second full season at the catcher position, Ignoffo continues to build strength and hit. In this series, working as both backstop and DH, Ignoffo went 6-for-21. His star performance occurred in the third game of the series where he hit two home runs, both with the bases loaded. Not only was it Ignoffo’s first career multi-home run game, he made some recent MiLB history in the process. Through 27 games of the 2025 season, Ignoffo has already matched his 2024 home run total with six. He's up to 33 RBI on the season—no other Marlins minor leaguer has more than 19. As he did in college as a two-way player, Ignoffo continues to show up in whatever capacity he is asked to. He is the epitome of a team player and grinder. With continued success, he will make it to the upper minors this season, and his potential to eventually crack the MLB ranks is starting to become very real. Karson Milbrandt (FOF #21) stretched out to a season-high 57 pitches while tossing three hitless innings. There is still room to improve his control before a promotion to Double-A is considered. Qnd3TGxfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X0R3WUhWQUpRVUFjQVhBWlVWd0FIQVFCWEFBQU5WVk1BVjFZR1ZBcFVVbFVIQWdzRQ==.mp4 Seventh-round pick Nick Brink became the first pitcher from Miami's 2024 draft class to join the Sky Carp. Brink posted a 3.28 ERA, 3.52 FIP and .235 BAA in 24 ⅔ innings with Jupiter. Low-A Jupiter The Hammerheads transferred Starlyn Caba (FOF #5) to the 60-day IL. That rules out the talented shortstop until at least late June. Caba's absence has created room for Andrew Salas (FOF #4) to play more regularly. He has been incredibly consistent at the plate, reaching base safely in each of his first 24 career games. Salas' .463 OBP paces the Florida State League. On top of that, he has 11 stolen bases and he’s walked more than he’s struck out (24/22 K/BB). The only thing that hasn’t shown up yet for Salas is power, but there is plenty of room for him to grow into what is a still wiry frame. Salas is undoubtedly one of the furthest-advanced signings the Marlins have ever seen particularly in the areas of plate discipline and bat control. Salas’ partner on the infield, Jesús Hernández had a solid series. A 2021 signing out of Venezuela, the 5’9”, 150-pounder went 6-for-15 with three doubles and a walk. Surprisingly for his size, Hernández has tapped into a bit of pop. At his core, he is a bat-to-ball type offensive threat who limits strikeouts and works his way on base. However, the boost in power in a pitcher-friendly park sure doesn’t hurt. With the ability to play multiple positions, this Javier Sanoja-esque righty is worth keeping an eye on. Right-hander Luke Lashutka is often the first guy out of the bullpen for Jupiter and he stays in for multiple innings. As a result, he is Minor League Baseball's unlikely leader with six wins this season. Lashutka has allowed only one earned run over his last 15 ⅓ innings pitched. Eury Pérez's fourth rehab start was his most impressive one yet, using all of his pitches and placing 73.8% of them for strikes. He is expected to make one more appearance with Jupiter before shifting his rehab assignment to Jacksonville. Rookie Ball The FCL Marlins kicked off their season this past week. With a roster featuring a pretty even mix of stateside draftees and international signings, the team has a 4-2 record through six games. Left-hander Nate Payne is the first pitcher on the team to make multiple starts so far. He has 11 strikeouts in 6 ⅔ innings, but with a 5.40 ERA. Former Dominican Summer League All-Stars infielder Joseph Tailor and outfielder Jancory De La Cruz made their FCL debuts over the weekend. Last week's report mentioned Kifraidy Encarnación, the 6’4”, 187-pound lefty who is throwing gas as he nears a return from Tommy John surgery. Encarnación brings more than just velo, according to Adrian Lorenzo, the former Marlins director of international operations who oversaw his signing. “It’s not just the 101. That’s great, don’t get me wrong. It’s also big physical projection with very good data characteristics on both the fastball (as a sinker) and the slider from the left side,” Lorenzo said. “If he throws strikes, which he flashed some ability to do last year, there’s not a whole lot that doesn’t work. “Love Kifraidy. He works his ass off. Not surprised he comes back from injury even stronger.” Gaining full feel of all three of his pitches will be the work in progress for Encarnación, but with a solid blueprint on all three, good velo separation, good size and present strength at 19, he is the personification of the word "projectable." A late-season stateside debut isn’t out of the question. The Marlins’ highest-priced international signing from 2022, Yoffry Solano got off to a fairly slow start to his pro career before turning it on late last FCL season. He has gotten off to an extremely hot start here in 2025. In his first 20 ABs, Solano is hitting a scorching .450. He’s doubled once and has shown off his speed with two triples. At the time of his signing, Solano boasted 50-grade tools across the board with a slight increase in the speed department at 55. He’s now applying those tools in game, particularly with swing decisions and on the basepaths. We will need to see how this matriculates for Solano as he faces better pitching, but so far this season he has received a nice confidence boost. Solano will be a candidate to be called up to Low-A in short order. He’s 20. After showing really solid pop and exit velos in spring training, Cody Schrier has hit the ground running in his first pro season. Though he is old for the FCL level, the Marlins' 2024 13th-rounder has shown solid bat-to-ball skills and even more solid speed early this season. Schrier is slashing a ridiculous .389/.560/.500 through 18 ABs with seven walks and four Ks. He’s mostly played first base, but has also gotten into two games at shortstop (where he primarily played as an amateur). The numbers are great, especially to start a career, but the 22-year-old is clearly under-matched. Schrier's bat and defensive versatility should have him poised for a promotion in short order. Next Up (May 13-18) Triple-A Jacksonville at Norfolk Double-A Pensacola vs. Rocket City High-A Beloit at Wisconsin Low-A Jupiter vs. Fort Myers View full article

The Cubs piled on five runs during a fifth-inning rally and cruised to victory from there, dropping Miami to 10 games below the .500 mark. Before a Cal Quantrill start even begins, you have a good idea of when it will end. On Monday, Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough continued the trend of going to his bullpen before Quantrill had a chance to face the opposing lineup for a third time. Quantrill had surrendered a two-run homer earlier in the inning and the Chicago Cubs went on to score three more runs once the veteran starter was taken out. On the other side, the Marlins offense was dominated by former Fish Colin Rea, losing by a final score of 5-2. Quantrill was coming off a good start last week, allowing one run and striking out six against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Marlins took him out following the fifth inning in favor of left-hander Anthony Veneziano. Despite having the platoon advantage when facing Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman, he allowed home runs to both of them. At Wrigley Field, Quantrill was clean through four innings, but shortstop Dansby Swanson took him deep for his ninth home run of the season, giving the Cubs a 2-0 lead. After allowing a double to Miguel Amaya, Jon Berti lined out to Matt Mervis. When the lineup card turned over, that was McCullough's cue to pull his pitcher. "I think he used his cutter very well," said manager Clayton McCullough. "Ran into some deep counts, got the pitch count elevated...He did a good job early on of limiting traffic and making some pitches in counts when he had to. Other than the one mistake there to Dansby (Swanson), he gave us chances early to stay in that game." Once again, Veneziano was brought in to replace Quantrill, and once again, he struggled. Kyle Tucker tripled and Seiya Suzuki homered to extend Chicago's lead. That was the only inning of the game where the Cubs scored, but it was more than enough. In his return off the IL, Derek Hill hit his second home run of the season in the top of the seventh inning to break up the shutout. The ball left the bat at 103.6 mph and went 399 feet to left-center. Hill told the media earlier in the day that he wasn't going to blame his early-season struggles on his wrist injury, but postgame, McCullough had a different opinion. "It was definitely bothering him," McCullough said. "He was grinding it out and then trying to stay in there and wanting to keep going...It definitely affected him. The break and the time was hopefully good. Get that thing healed up where he could just go out there again now and take the kind of swings he was taking earlier in the season." Quietly, rookie Cade Gibson had a very nice outing, going three shutout innings. He now has a 1.23 ERA in four appearances. He has given the Marlins a second lefty to use in addition to Veneziano, who has been worked heavily this season. "He's certainly not afraid," said McCullough. "He goes out there, fills up the strike zone with multiple offerings. His ability to drop the curveball in there for strikes and he's got his changeup behind it and used his sinker well. I think the ability to go out there and fill up the strike zone, get ahead of people, that's what you want to see." With the loss, the Marlins fell to 15-25 on the season, ten games under .500 for the first time this season. They will look to even the series Tuesday night with Valente Bellozo taking the mound against Ben Brown. First pitch is at 7:40 pm. View full article

Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough and starter Valente Bellozo speak with the media at loanDepot park about the decision to remove Bellozo from Wednesday's game with one out in the sixth inning. The right-hander had limited the Los Angeles Dodgers to one hit and held them scoreless up to that point. View full video

Valente Bellozo was mowing down the best lineup in baseball. Clayton McCullough explains why he decided to take Bellozo out in a crucial situation. MIAMI, FL—Valente Bellozo turned in his best start of the 2025 season on Wednesday, shutting out the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup through 5 ⅓ innings. However, the Miami Marlins went to their bullpen rather than let him face any of the Dodgers hitters for a third time. It all went downhill after that decision. The Marlins fell by a final score of 10-1, dropping their fourth straight series. Recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on May 2, Bellozo was not very effective in his previous start against the Athletics. It was a different story in this getaway day series finale—the right-hander allowed only one hit, two walks and struck out seven, one shy of matching his career-high. "I think we had a really good plan," said Bellozo. "We attacked on them really well. I think we minimized the damage when we needed to minimize. I think this was a great outing. Everything was dialed in. Fastball was good, sweeper was good, cutter was good and the changeup was pretty good. I think this is my best outing right now. We made really good adjustments from the last outing." Early in spring training, Bellozo showed a notable increase in fastball velocity. That had not translated to the regular season until now. His four-seamer topped out at 93.6 mph in the first inning and averaged 92.1 mph on Wednesday. "I was talking about it with (pitching coach Daniel) Moskos and we're gonna see videos," said Bellozo. "We're gonna see what changed today...I think if we replicate this every time, it's gonna be huge." With the game scoreless going into the sixth inning, Bellozo struck out former Marlins prospect Austin Barnes. That's when manager Clayton McCullough took him out in favor of lefty Cade Gibson, who was recalled from AAA-Jacksonville earlier in the day. Bellozo had only thrown 76 pitches, compared to 87 in his previous start. Pitching in just his second major league game, Gibson was tasked with facing three future Hall of Famers in Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. All three got the best of him. Gibson surrendered a triple to Ohtani, walked Betts and Freeman drove in Ohtani on an RBI single, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. "We felt really good with the ability to use what we had left in areas that we felt very good with," said McCullough following the game. "Couldn't have asked anything more out of Valente. To get into the sixth inning today as efficiently as he did, I just felt good about who we had left and who they were going to match up best against. That's why we went to Cade there at the top as it rolled through. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out today." Bellozo wasn't surprised by the decision to be taken out with Ohtani looming on deck and Gibson warming up in the bullpen. "Manager decisions are manager decisions. This is his team," Bellozo said. "I think it was a really good decision to go with the lefty when Ohtani was up. I knew mentally that Barnes was my last hitter no matter what, and the importance to get one out with Barnes and put Gibson in that moment with one out and Ohtani was the best position to (McCullough)." The Marlins found themselves with a great opportunity to score in the bottom of the sixth inning. Back-to-back base hits by Xavier Edwards and Kyle Stowers set up Eric Wagaman, who grounded into a double play. Jesús Sánchez struck out swinging to end the inning. In the top of the seventh inning, the Dodgers scored six runs. Lake Bachar, who had been the Marlins' most reliable reliever this season, allowed all of them—a Hyeseong Kim RBI single was followed by a Mookie Betts bases-loaded walk, Freddie Freeman bases-clearing triple and Andy Pages RBI single. In the top of the ninth, the Dodgers added three more runs, making it a 10-0 game. The lone Marlins run of the ballgame came in the bottom of the ninth on a Jesús Sánchez sac fly. For the first time in Agustín Ramírez's young career, he threw out a baserunner attempting to steal. The runner who Ramírez threw out? It was none other than Shohei Ohtani. It was only the second time this season Ohtani had been caught stealing. He is the first runner to be nabbed by any Marlins catcher since April 25. With the loss, the Marlins are now 14-22 on the season and will hit the road for a week in Chicago, beginning with a three-game on the Southside against the White Sox. First pitch is on Friday at 7:40 pm. Max Meyer will take the mound for the Fish. View full article

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas speaks with Fish On First about returning to Miami as a visiting player, defending the Dodgers' 2024 World Series title and goals for his post-playing career. View full video

Farm system updates from the week of April 28, including outstanding pitching performances and rough news for a pair of former Marlins first-round draft picks. Fish On First is publishing weekly Miami Marlins minor league summaries throughout the 2025 season, covering the progress of FOF Top 30 prospects and lesser-known players in the organization who are worth monitoring. Each full-season MiLB affiliate has its own section below. Player stats are up to date entering May 6. Triple-A Jacksonville Although we usually highlight players who are trending in a positive direction, it must be mentioned that Jacob Berry has continued his trend of extreme early-season struggles. Berry was among the worst qualified hitters in the Midwest League (High-A) through this point of the 2023 season. Same story the next year when he was in the Southern League (Double-A). Here in 2025, he's slashing .129/.227/.235/.462 with two home runs and 10 RBI. His wRC+ of 33 is fourth-lowest in the International League. Nearly three full years into his professional career, Berry has yet to find a home defensively. The former first-rounder is getting a surprising amount of reps at second base. He's been charged with four errors in only 78 innings at third base. Through 10 games with the Jumbo Shrimp, Joe Mack is slashing .270/.372/.486/.859 with two home runs, three RBI and a 137 wRC+. Overall for the season, he has a 180 wRC+. On the season, he's caught eight runners stealing, with seven of those coming in AA. The Jacksonville pitching staff has really turned it around from one year to the next. They have a team ERA of 3.65, which is an improvement from last year's 4.43 mark. The biggest standout when it comes to the bullpen has been Seth Martinez, who remains with the organization despite twice being designated for assignment by the Marlins earlier this year. Martinez has a 0.00 ERA, 1.06 FIP, 15.43 K/9 and 1.93 BB/9 through nine appearances this season. He is getting done with below-average velocity—Martinez's fastball averaged 90.9 mph, topping out at 92.2 mph in his most recent appearance. Another potential call-up candidate to keep tabs on is Christian Roa. He has a 1.35 ERA, 2.85 FIP, 11.48 K/9 and 2.70 BB/9 through 13 ⅓ innings pitched (12 appearances). Roa's stuff is more in line with what we typically see from major league relievers, having topped out at 97.2 mph and averaged 96.5 mph on his fastball last weekend. Double-A Pensacola Kemp Alderman remains on pace for a career year with a 130 wRC+, striking out 19.2% of the time. He is slashing .264/.337/.462 with four home runs and 15 RBI. He is third on the team in OPS, behind only the promoted Joe Mack and injured Cody Morissette. The Blue Wahoos pitching staff has a combined ERA of 2.67, the lowest amongst all Marlins minor league affiliates. Three pitchers (Josh White, M.D. Johnson and Josh Ekness) have yet to allow a run. Just this past week, the staff surpassed 100 walks, which is the least amongst the affiliates as well. Swingman Adam Laskey continues to torch the AA level, posting a 0.84 ERA, 1.74 FIP, 9.70 K/9 and 1.27 BB/9 through 21 ⅓ innings pitched. Soon, Laskey should find himself in AAA. Dale Stanavich, who spent spring training with the big league team, has a 0.84 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 9.28 K/9 and 5.91 BB/9 through 10 ⅔ innings pitched. Stanavich is consistently getting thrown into high-leverage situations and succeeding. His five saves lead the Marlins organization. High-A Beloit Infielder Yiddi Cappe continues to impress offensively, slashing .309/.385/.441/.826 with two home runs, 10 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a 137 wRC+. Signed by the Marlins out of Cuba for $3.5M, Cappe has been stuck at the High-A level for 200 games over the last three seasons. The team's original hope that he would be a long-term shortstop is gone, but good to see him make legitimate progress at the plate. Featured in our own Ely Sussman's minor league spotlight Small Pod, 2024 draft pick Fenwick Trimble is off to a great start, slashing .247/.402/.403/.805 with one home run, 12 RBI, 14 stolen bases and a 137 wRC+. Trimble is also walking (19.6%) more than striking out (18.6%). Trimble could become the first member of his draft class to earn a promotion to AA. Connor Caskenette, mentioned in last week's recap, is worth mentioning again given how good he's been, slashing .310/.500/.379/.879 with five RBI and a 170 wRC+. It is an impressive start considering Caskenette fell to the third day of the 2024 draft and signed for a modest $100k bonus. Low-A Jupiter Andrew Salas continues to be the biggest story of the season. He's slashing .350/.500/.400/.900 with five RBI, nine stolen bases and a 173 wRC+. His on-base streak is more than a month long at this point. Salas is in the Hammerheads lineup on a regular basis, rotating between second base, shortstop and center field. Two years older than Salas, Carter Johnson is having more trouble with the transition to Low-A. He's slashing .181/.256/.238/.495 with 12 RBI and a 51 wRC+, a step down from where he was last summer. He has struck out 40 times in 26 games. Going down to the Florida Complex League to face competition more suited for him could be the key to getting back into a rhythm. PJ Morlando suffered an apparent leg injury this past week. On Monday, he was placed on the 7-day IL. He was 6-for-26 with one home run and three RBI. Morlando has had only nine games of MiLB experience since being drafted due to various injuries. Eury Pérez will make his third rehab start for the Hammerheads on Tuesday. He is expected to build up his pitch count to 30-35 pitches. Other Notes - FCL play started on Monday. Starter Nate Payne went 3 ⅔ innings, allowing one run on one hit, walked two and struck out five. Breyias Dean and Cody Schrier both drove in a pair of runs. The Marlins lost 8-7 to the FCL Astros. - Out of the Marlins academy in the Dominican Republic, lefty Kifraidy Encarnación hit 101 mph in a recent bullpen session. Encarnacion made two starts last season, but went down with an injury, requiring him to undergo Tommy John surgery. He is still rehabbing from that. View full article

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #73 Early in his first season as the Miami Marlins television play-by-play announcer, Kyle Sielaff makes his return to Fish Unfiltered. Sielaff sits down with Isaac Azout and Kevin Barral to describe his transition from radio to TV, impressions of how the organization is rebuilding under Peter Bendix and the most underrated Marlins players. Find Fish Unfiltered on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes The Offishial Show, Swimming Upstream, Big Fish Small Pod and more. For more than a decade, Sielaff worked for the Marlins Radio Network in various capacities, including two years as the radio play-by-play announcer (2022-23). In January, FanDuel Sports Network Florida hired him to replace Paul Severino on the television side. Sielaff has done play-by-play for each of the first 34 Marlins games this season, working with a rotating cast of analysts (Tommy Hutton, Rod Allen, Jeff Nelson and Gaby Sanchez). For a limited time, fans in the state of Florida can get a 30-day free trial of FanDuel's Marlins Season Pass by entering code MARLINS30 at checkout. Follow Kyle (⁠@Kyle_Sielaff⁠), Isaac (⁠@IsaacAzout⁠), Kevin (⁠@kevin_barral⁠) and Fish On First (⁠@FishOnFirst⁠) on Twitter. Join the ⁠Marlins Discord server⁠! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at ⁠FishOnFirst.com⁠. View full article

Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara speaks with the media at loanDepot park after Monday's loss. The Marlins have lost each of Alcantara's last four outings. View full video

Stowers' dominant week included a walk-off grand slam and four home runs overall. MIAMI, FL—On Monday, Major League Baseball announced that Miami Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers had been named National League Player of the Week. He became the first Marlins player to win the award since Sandy Alcantara in 2022 and the first position player since Starling Marte in 2021. Facing the Los Angeles Dodgers on the road and the Athletics at home, Stowers slashed .421/.421/1.105/1.526 (8-for-19) with four home runs and 10 RBI. He had a four-hit game and two multi-homer games. His 0.91 win probability added led the NL, per FanGraphs. "That's awesome," Stowers told Fish On First. "Pretty surreal, still playing in the Major Leagues and winning award like that was super special." Stowers' brother, Michael, who is a Branch Manager for loanDepot, surprised Kyle with the award. Funny enough, Michael was recognized with the loanDepot Chairman's Elite award right before. "Wasn't expecting to find out from him," said Stowers. "Feel like he's played a big role in just everything. My developments as a human and part of the young man I am today is because of him." Stowers may have sealed the deal on Saturday by hitting a walk-off grand slam off Athletics closer Mason Miller. The Marlins were down one run in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. Miller, whose fastball averages 100.7 mph, tossed a 101.7 mph first-pitch fastball to Stowers, which he took deep to the opposite field. That marked the outfielder's first career grand slam and Miller's first blown save of 2025. "It's really cool," Stowers said. "I think for starters, it got us out of a little losing skid that we were going through, so I think winning, first and foremost, everything's more fun." Last season, the Marlins acquired Stowers along with Connor Norby in a trade that sent Trevor Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles. Stowers was seen as a throw-in, with Norby as the main piece of the deal. In 50 games played with the Marlins in 2024, Stowers slashed .186/.262/.295/.557 with two home runs, 15 RBI and a 56 wRC+. He struck out 35.5% of the time and went into spring training unsure if he would even make the team. Stowers began the 2025 season on a positive note with a walk-off hit on Opening Day to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has been Miami's most consistent hitter since then, slashing .302/.376/.509/.885 overall with six home runs and 25 RBI. After yet another walk-off win on Tuesday against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers, the Marlins will look to take the series on Wednesday at 4:40 pm. View full article

Still "pissed off" about being traded, Bleday is just one of many ex-Marlins who have come back to torment their old employer. MIAMI, FL—The visiting Athletics took two out of three from the Miami Marlins last weekend, in large part thanks to JJ Bleday, The Marlins' first-round draft pick in 2019, Bleday went 4-for-11 during the series with two home runs and two walks. He's just the latest example of a player who left Miami and found success elsewhere, especially when coming back to face his former club. Sent to Oakland prior to the 2023 season in exchange for reliever A.J. Puk, Bleday is now in his third season with the nomadic A's. Entering Monday, he owns a .228/.320/.408/.729 slash line with 34 home runs, 100 RBI and a 109 OPS+ in 275 games played since the trade. Bleday ranks among the best active hitters against the Marlins with a 1.116 OPS in nine career matchups. In an exclusive interview with Fish On First, he says that is more than a coincidence. "I think it's more of a natural instinct. You're always going to be a little pissed off that you feel like the team that drafted you, gave up on you a little bit too soon," Bleday said. "But at the end of the day, that was three years ago and at that point, I've pretty much moved on, but there's still always something kinda deep down there where you're playing just a little bit harder and hopefully you can just carry that into every game." Many will remember the day that Bleday was dealt. It was during the Marlins' 2023 FanFest. "I was here at the ballpark in the morning helping out with Braxton Garrett and Joey Wendle," said Bleday. "We were just doing our normal thing and I had to leave later that day because my wife and I had an engagement party in Nashville. So I left here (loanDepot park), went up to Nashville and I was at my alma mater Vanderbilt's season kick-off dinner and I was there at happy hour with a couple of people and I get a call from Kim Ng saying that I got traded. I was rattled and didn't know what to expect or what to do. It was kinda of a weird night." At the time of the trade, Bleday was coming off an underwhelming rookie season where he slashed .167/.277/.309/.586 with five home runs and 16 RBI. He missed out on the Marlins' subsequent playoff run in 2023, but found consistent playing time that would not have been available in Miami. "I'm a big believer in everything happens for a reason," Bleday said. "Regardless of what went down (in Miami), I'm blessed to be where I'm at. Love the guys. I feel like it's a better fit for me here. I think we have a really good lineup with a lot of talent. It's been great playing every day. It's been great trying to be an everyday guy in the big leagues and just try to take the opportunity and run with it." Bleday isn't the only former Fish to have success against their former employer. Next up on this homestand, the Marlins are hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers. One of their relievers, left-hander Alex Vesia, is a homegrown Marlin who was traded during the 2020-21 offseason. He has faced 25 hitters over 8 careers appearances against Miami, all while not allowing an earned run in the process. Infielder Miguel Rojas is better known for his glove and his leadership than his bat. However, he enters this latest showdown against his longtime club with a .344/.382/.563/.945 slash line in 11 career games—that OPS is nearly 100 points higher than what he's done versus any other MLB opponent. f9faf5f7-bdfeafc0-24f9dee5-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 On their previous road trip, the Marlins encountered right-hander Luis Castillo (now with the Seattle Mariners), who elevates his game from All-Star-caliber to Hall of Fame-caliber when the Fish are involved. That is unsurprising considering that they traded him twice. Originally set to go San Diego in the summer of 2016, Castillo's involvement in the deal was nullified after the fact by Colin Rea's suspiciously timed injury. Less than six months later, the Marlins permanently parted with him as part of a package to acquire Dan Straily from Cincinnati. Since Peter Bendix took over the Marlins front office, the volume of trades has only increased. Players dispersed around Major League Baseball will soon have their own opportunities to exact revenge. View full article

Miami Marlins catching coach and assistant catching director Joe Singley speaks with the assembled media at loanDepot park about the defensive development of Agustín Ramírez, Liam Hicks and Nick Fortes. View full video

Miami Marlins pitcher Eury Pérez speaks with the media at loanDepot park about how he's feeling through his first two minor league rehab starts and what his timeline is to return to the Marlins starting rotation. View full video

Dane Myers isn't an everyday player for the Miami Marlins, but he has settled on a routine and mentality that's been extremely successful so far in 2025. MIAMI, FL—It's hard to be successful at the Major League level, especially when your playing time is inconsistent. That has been the case for outfielder Dane Myers in 2025. Myers has been on the Miami Marlins active roster since Opening Day, but he only ranks ninth on the team in plate appearances and has not started more than four games in a row at any point this season. "A few years back, I'd probably be handling it a little different, just knowing my role, knowing I'm not playing every day right now," Myers told Fish On First in an exclusive interview. "Hopefully, I'll get into that role at some point, obviously—that's everybody's goal. Just trying to be ready to help the team win however I can. I think it's helped me mentally, just staying ready, no matter if it's the second, third or the eighth or ninth, just being ready to come in." Against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday, Myers entered the game in a high-leverage situation. In the top of the sixth inning, with the bases loaded and one out, Myers was brought in to pinch hit for Connor Norby. Myers got ahead of the count 3-1 and Dodgers reliever Anthony Banda went with his fastball down the middle, which Myers took 405 feet to center field. It was his first career grand slam and the second pinch-hit, game-tying grand slam in franchise history (Justin Bour hit the first one back in 2016). "Couple of minutes before I had that at-bat, I had Banda's fastball locked in the cage before getting into the game, as close as I could to practice just seeing his fastball and being ready for it as soon as I got out there," said Myers. "That was pretty big factor. The first couple pitches I saw, I felt like I saw him well. Once he threw one in the zone, I was good to go." The Marlins have already shown that they trust Myers against left-handers like Banda, but on Friday, he started against rookie righty Gunnar Hoglund, hitting ninth and playing center field. He went 1-for-2 with a walk and supplied the Marlins' lone run in their 6-1 loss to the Athletics. In the sixth inning, he launched his third home run of the season, going 390 feet to right-center field. Myers has boosted his 2025 slash line to .356/.387/.542/.929 and his wRC+ to 157 (100 represents league average). The 29-year-old also grades out as a solid defensive outfielder, in part thanks to his elite arm strength. "Dane has been terrific," said manager Clayton McCullough. "We really felt like even in spring training, his commitment to having a really solid plan at the plate and for someone that is still is learning a lot. This guy's background is incredible, from pitching now to be hitting and the success he's having at the major league level is great. What I love about Dane, he's like an ultimate team guy. He's performed very well whenever he's in there...He's always ready." The Marlins recalled Valente Bellozo from Triple-A Jacksonville to make his third start of the season on Friday, taking over the rotation spot that previously belonged to Connor Gillispie. Bellozo went 4 ⅔ innings and allowed five runs on four hits (one home run) and walked four. He only struck out one. In the top of the third inning, former Marlins first-round pick JJ Bleday, who was traded to the Athletics in exchange for A.J. Puk, hit a solo home run, his third of the season, extending the A's lead, 3-0. Bleday also homered against the Marlins last year. Xavier Edwards committed a pair of errors at shortstop, one throwing and one fielding. With the loss, the Marlins are now 12-19 on the season. This was the first time that they failed to score multiple runs in a home game. The new "Retrowave" uniforms will make their debut on Saturday as Max Meyer takes the mound at 4:10 pm. View full article