Kevin Barral

Another integral piece of the Marlins will now begin the season on the injured list. MIAMI, FL—On Tuesday, Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough announced that third baseman Connor Norby suffered a grade one left oblique strain. He will begin the season on the injured list and miss four weeks. The injury occurred during Saturday's spring game in West Palm Beach against the Houston Astros. "He was in a really good spot with Opening Day right here, for it to go down when it did," said McCullough. "Guys will step up and get a chance in his absence and we hope he gets back as quickly as he can. We know he'll do everything in his power to take care of himself and be ready when his body allows him." Norby, who the Marlins acquired along with Kyle Stowers from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Trevor Rogers, played in 36 games for Miami following the trade and hit .247/.315/.445/.760 with seven home runs, 17 RBI and a 104 OPS+. Through 15 spring games, Norby slashed .255/.294/.404/.698 with one home run and six RBI. After being optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville earlier in camp, third baseman Graham Pauley is here with the Marlins and started in the exhibition game against the New York Yankees. McCullough did say that no move has been made yet, but he is someone who may be presented with an opportunity to make the Opening Day roster. "It's an interesting time of year," McCullough said. "Other things going on here as teams are setting their roster. I think we're still making some decisions on what our final roster will look like." On Tuesday, Pauley was in the Marlins lineup hitting ninth and in the bottom of the fourth inning, he took Yankees starter Will Warren deep for a solo homer. The ball left the bat at 107.9 mph and went 384 feet to right-center field. That was his first home run of the spring. Two other names to keep an eye on who may see some action at third while Norby is out are Eric Wagaman and Jonah Bride. Wagaman, who the Marlins signed to a split deal in free agency, appeared in 16 spring games, slashing .245/.315/.408/.723 with two home runs and six RBI. He had mainly been developed as a first baseman prior to last season, but has since added some defensive versatility. Bride, who played in 16 spring games, slashed .195/.370/.341/.711 with one home run and three RBI. Like Wagaman, he can play first and third base. Expect him to split time at first with Matt Mervis assuming Pauley is on the roster. "We've at least tried to prepare as many of those that are here with us as we could," McCullough said. "You just never know what's going to happen during the season, so to keep a lot of those avenues open during spring training and get the reps over there in the event things come up." The Marlins could have as many as eight players on the major league injured list to begin the season. Braxton Garrett, Andrew Nardi and Eury Pérez are already on the 60-day IL; Norby, Declan Cronin, Jesús Sánchez, Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers are all candidates for either the 10-day or 15-day IL. So far, only Garrett (left elbow UCL revision surgery) has been ruled out for the whole season. Opening Day is set for Thursday, March 27 at 4:10 pm against the Pittsburgh Pirates. View full article

Ryan Weathers' breakout season will have to wait as he will begin the regular season on the IL. Exactly a week before the Marlins take the field on Opening Day, the team received gut-wrenching news on the injury front. Left-handed pitcher Ryan Weathers will be sidelined for approximately 4-6 weeks due to a left forearm strain, the team announced. Weathers will join Edward Cabrera as the second starting pitcher to begin the season on the injured list. Last season, Weathers was limited to only 16 starts as he suffered a left index finger strain which placed him on the 60-Day IL. This offseason, Weathers went on a carnivore diet and that led to him losing 20 pounds, which allowed him to get better extension off the mound. Through four starts this spring, Weathers' fastball velocity was averaging 97.3 mph, topping out at 99.3 mph. In 2024, Weathers fastball averaged 95.9 mph, which is a major velocity bump compared to where he originally was. Going into the season, Weathers was projected as the number two starter in the rotation. At the moment, the Marlins rotation is projected to be led by Sandy Alcantara, followed by Max Meyer, Cal Quantrill, and Connor Gillispie. The fifth starter is anyone's guess as candidate Janson Junk, who started for the Marlins on Thursday, exited the game early with due to back spasms. Other options that manager Clayton McCullough mentioned on Thursday included Valente Bellozo, who made 13 starts in 2024 and Adam Mazur, who was one of four players acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Tanner Scott/Bryan Hoeing trade. Mazur, 23, already made his Major League debut in 2024. Mazur appeared in three spring training games and only allowed a run in five innings pitched. Bellozo and Mazur were sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville earlier this month, but they can still be recalled before Opening Day. View full article

The 2025 regular season will begin at loanDepot park on Thursday as Sandy Alcantara and the Miami Marlins will host Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates. MIAMI, FL—Opening Day has finally arrived. We are getting a rematch of last year's season opener between the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates, except with an even better pitching matchup to enjoy. It'll be the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara facing 2024 National League Rookie of the Year winner Paul Skenes. Although the home team will have to overcome a lot of obstacles to be competitive in 2025, the first game of any season always comes with good vibes. Here's the latest on the Marlins and some information on starter Paul Skenes and the Pirates. Pitching Matchups & Game Times Thursday: RHP Sandy Alcantara vs. RHP Paul Skenes, 4:10 pm Friday: RHP Connor Gillispie vs. RHP Mitch Keller, 7:10 pm Saturday: RHP Valente Bellozo vs. LHP Bailey Falter, 4:10 pm Sunday: RHP Max Meyer vs. LHP Andrew Heaney, 1:10 pm Marlins Updates Taking the mound for the Marlins on Thursday will be ace Sandy Alcantara. His fifth Opening Day start may be the one he's most motivated for. The last time he threw a pitch in a regular season game was on September 3, 2023 against the Washington Nationals. "I was out for more than 17 months," said Alcantara on Opening Day eve. "Now I'm back, I'm super excited to be out there tomorrow and show people that I was working to be out there to represent my country and my team." Alcantara did note in his press conference that a pitch count has been set for Thursday. It was a conversation that he had with pitching coach Daniel Moskos and manager Clayton McCullough. Alcantara only maxed out at four innings and 57 pitches during Grapefruit League action, though he did have one more tune-up last week on the backfields to continue stretching out. During the midst of the press conference, the Marlins swung a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, acquiring right-handed pitcher Tyler Phillips in exchange for cash considerations. Reliever Seth Martinez was designated for assignment as the corresponding move. Last season, Phillips made eight appearances (seven starts) and posted a 6.87 ERA, 5.57 FIP, 6.87 K/9 and 1.72 BB/9 through 36 ⅔ innings pitched. He made seven appearances (one start) in spring training games, but struggled, posting a 7.59 ERA. Phillips' pitch mix consists of a sinker (30.3%), sweeper (29.2%), four-seam fastball (19.2%), curveball (14.4%) and changeup (6.9%). Expect Phillips to be a bulk guy during this first series of the season. Within the bullpen, the only lefty that will make the Opening Day roster is Anthony Veneziano. After getting off to a great start this spring, he cooled off, but still finished with a 3.18 ERA in 10 appearances. Per Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase, utility man Javier Sanoja has made the roster as well. Fish On First's 20th-ranked prospect is the youngest player since José Fernández and Christian Yelich (2014) to make a Marlins Opening Day roster. This spring, Sanoja slashed .229/.250/.286/.536 with two RBI. He will be playing all over the field—in a short stint with the big league team last year, he played four different positions. Our own Alex Krutchik reported that third baseman Graham Pauley has made the Marlins roster. After being optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville on March 16, he will be recalled on Thursday in light of the Connor Norby left oblique strain. Norby will miss about four weeks. In 11 spring games, Pauley slashed .286/.355/.429/.784 with one home run and five RBI. Now, it's just a matter of how much playing time he'll receive (Jonah Bride, Eric Wagaman and Sanoja can all play third base, too). Introducing the Pittsburgh Pirates Last season, the Pirates posted a 76-86 overall record, which included going a perfect 7-0 against the Marlins last season. After going 48-48 in the first half, the Pirates fell off, finishing 28-38. One of the bright spots in 2024 was National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes. The top MLB draft pick in 2023 was even more dominant than advertised with a 1.96 ERA, 2.44 FIP, 11.5 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 through 133 innings pitched. That ERA was the lowest amongst qualified pitchers in baseball from the time he debuted (May 11) through the end of the season. Skenes' arsenal already includes a four-seam fastball, splinker, curveball, sweeper, slider and changeup. His best pitch is the splinker, which averages 94.0 mph and had hitters whiffing 29.3% of the time. He threw it 603 times as a rookie and allowed only one home run. In his lone start against the Marlins, Skenes went six innings, allowing one run off of six hits, walking one and striking out nine. Otto Lopez had the lone RBI. He and Xavier Edwards each had a multi-hit day off of Skenes. Last season, Pirates starting pitchers ranked 15th in ERA and fWAR. As for the bullpen, they were 27th in ERA and 18th in fWAR, in part because of the down season that closer David Bednar had. He posted a 5.77 ERA, 4.80 FIP, 9.05 K/9, 4.37 BB/9 and 23 saves through 62 appearances. Despite that, Bednar is expected to open 2025 in the closer's role again. Offensively, the Pirates ranked 28th in baseball in wRC+ and fWAR. Former shortstop Oneil Cruz enters his first full year as a center fielder. He's coming off a nice season, slashing .259/.324/.449/.773 with 21 home runs, 76 RBI and a 110 wRC+. Pittsburgh legend Andrew McCutchen produced better than the league average as a 37-year-old, slashing .232/.328/.411/.739 with 20 home runs, 50 RBI and a 105 wRC+. He'll still be a big piece for the Pirates as he goes into his age-38 season. They will be expecting a lot more from talented third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes after he slashed .233/.283/.290/.573 with only four homers in 96 games. This offseason, the Pirates were relatively quiet. They signed Andrew Heaney, Tommy Pham and Adam Frazier to one-year deals and added middle relief depth. Their biggest trade acquisition, Spencer Horwitz, is beginning the year on the injured list. View full article

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #70 Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout bring on Ely Sussman and Alex Carver to share four bold predictions apiece for this upcoming Miami Marlins season. They also react to the injuries that Edward Cabrera and Jesús Sánchez recently suffered in spring training. Alex's predictions Agustín Ramírez hits 20 MLB home runs Josh Ekness leads the Marlins in saves Javier Sanoja plays 120 games with .275 batting average Max Meyer posts 3.75 ERA and 1.35 WHIP Ely's predictions Xavier Edwards puts up at least 4.0 fWAR Marlins pitchers allow the most walks in the National League Sandy Alcantara does not get traded Dillon Head becomes top-ranked Marlins hitting prospect Isaac's predictions Ryan Weathers record 200 strikeouts Lake Bachar leads bullpen in fWAR Jacob Berry hits first MLB home run Otto Lopez is NL Gold Glove finalist and posts 4.0 fWAR Kevin's predictions Multiple Marlins receive All-Star selections Connor Norby has 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases Thomas White makes MLB debut Xavier Edwards breaks Marlins single-season stolen base record 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, Big Fish Small Pod, Swimming Upstream and more. Follow Isaac (@IsaacAzout), Kevin (@kevin_barral), Ely (@RealEly), Alex (@marlinsminors) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article

In advance of the annual Spring Breakout game, Miami Marlins director of minor league operations Hector Crespo gives his take on several highly regarded prospects and discusses what recent changes he's seen across player development as he begins his 10th year with the organization. View full video

Max Meyer made his fourth start of the spring and despite mixed results, he still believes that he's in a good spot and is ready to go deeper into games. JUPITER, FL—At this point in spring, it's about pitchers stretching out and beginning to feel more comfortable for game action. On Friday, Marlins starter Max Meyer went three innings for a second time this spring and believed that he is on the right track for his first regular season start. The Marlins fell to the Boston Red Sox by a final score of 9-4. Meyer, who made his fourth start of the spring, had some mixed results. He went three innings and allowed two runs off of three hits, one walk and struck out four. Meyer went slider-heavy, using it 33% of the time, but followed it up with his 4-seam fastball, sweeper, changeup and sinker (in order of usage). The sweeper is Meyer's newest pitch and he has growing confidence in it. "Once I found my grip, I feel like I can throw it in any count and also dictate it to where sometimes I want to get a swing-and-miss, sometimes I want to land it in the zone and try to buckle a guy. So I love where that's at." Following Meyer was right-handed reliever Ronny Henriquez, who went two innings, but struggled, allowing three runs off of three hits, but struck out five. He surrendered solo homers to Seby Zavala and baseball's top prospect, Roman Anthony. Henriquez's fastball averaged 95.0 mph and topped out at 97 mph. He also generated 11 whiffs. Henriquez, who was claimed off waivers by the Minnesota Twins, is out of minor league options and will have to make the Marlins Opening Day roster out of camp. "Ronny's had a terrific camp," said manager Clayton McCullough. "I think just looking, the quality of the stuff is there, the breaking balls, the ability to throw secondary pitches behind in counts and to get him back in. He's got a good heater that he can use up in the zone." Offensively, it was a tough day for the Marlins all the way until the end of the game when the Marlins scored two runs in the eighth and ninth innings. First baseman Matt Mervis knocked in his seventh RBI of the spring and is now slashing .313/.333/.656/.989 with three home runs. Mervis was the only Marlin with a multi-hit game on Friday. Notes - Clayton McCullough told the media that Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera (right middle finger blister) may miss a turn through the rotation. “Getting checked out now. Reassess for what the throwing program will look like in the days to come and how that might impact his next side and time on the mound.” - Xavier Edwards has reached base safely in 11 of his 12 spring training games (.439 OBP). - Cal Quantrill will start on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals - George Soriano's final line: 2.0 IP, 3 H 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO, 36 NP - Anthony Bender's final line: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 14 NP - Calvin Faucher's final line: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO, 19 NP What's Next? Sandy Alcantara will take the mound for the Marlins on Saturday in West Palm Beach as they face the Houston Astros. First pitch is set for 12:05 pm. View full article

Going into year two under Peter Bendix, the Miami Marlins farm system looks completely different and that was on display Friday. JUPITER, FL—It featured the same opposing team and same starting pitcher as last year, but overall, there were a lot of differences for the Marlins when they took the field for MLB's second annual Spring Breakout. Following a full overhaul of the farm system, 17 of the Fish On First Top 30 prospects played Friday afternoon as the Marlins tied the St. Louis Cardinals by a final score of 3-3. The acting manager for this game was former Marlins outfielder Juan Pierre, who said this will be his first and final game as a manager. "Grand opening, grand closing for that one," said Pierre. "It's fun to get out there. It's a honor for the Marlins organization even to ask me to do this. It's a lot of fun out there. Wish we could've gotten the win. Tried to motivate the boys for a W, but they played well and it was a nice experience." Making the start for the Marlins was number one prospect Thomas White. After pitching a scoreless inning in his 2024 Spring Breakout debut, White built upon that by going two shutout innings, allowing one hit, no runs, no walks and striking out three. His fastball topped out at 98.9 mph and all three of his strikeouts were on the slider. Pierre raved about the top prospect in the organization, saying "he isn't far off [from the majors] the way he's throwing." Pierre noted how "his body looks like a grown man" despite how young he is (20). "White has very great upside to him and he's got command of all three/four pitches. Just with his presence on the mound you can tell that he's not far off." The expectation with White would be to begin the season in Double-A Pensacola. In 13 starts at the High-A level, he posted a 2.61 ERA, 3.41 FIP, 11.03 K/9 and 3.05 BB/9 in 62 innings pitched. "He was electric," said Marlins director of player development Rachel Balkovec. "We're all really excited about him, excited about his growth on the field and excited about his growth as a person and kind of maturing into a leader for us. Pretty cool to see today." "Just for a 20-year-old, how mature and prepared he is," said Marlins director of minor league operations and field operations Hector Crespo. "He's the first guy in the building and just getting his body ready to go for each day. I couldn't say enough good things about Thomas and rightfully the right pick for us to start this game and credit to him." Following White was #23 prospect Karson Milbrandt. In 2024, he posted a 4.33 ERA, 4.18 FIP, 8.39 K/9 and 5.25 BB/9 through 97 ⅔ innings pitched at High-A. On Friday, Milbrandt went two shutout innings, not allowing a run or a hit, walking one and striking out two. His fastball topped out at 98.5 mph. After getting off to a great start in Low-A, Fish On First's number five prospect Noble Meyer struggled in High-A, posting a 5.18 ERA, 6.14 FIP, 9.45 K/9 and 7.20 BB/9 in 10 starts. "I ended up hurting something in my lower back. It caused little issues with my leg, specifically my back leg and it kind of just leaked into the rest of the year," Meyer told Fish On First earlier this spring. "It caused a little discomfort and a mechanical change, something I tweaked along the way and I kind of lost my feel for the zone. I spent all offseason working on that and it’s been amazing so far. I don’t think I’ve thrown more than two balls in a row in my eight outings here." On Friday, the top right-handed high school pitcher in the 2023 draft went two innings, allowing one run off of two hits, walking one and striking out one. His fastball topped out at 95.0 mph. "Just seeing him battle a little bit today, and again, somebody who's maturing a lot in a lot of different ways—and he was always pretty mature," said Balkovec. "To see what he's doing this year is pretty exciting." On the offensive side of the ball, the only Marlins player with a multi-hit game was Andrés Valor. Valor entered the game in place of Kemp Alderman, who was taken out due to precautionary reasons after making a catch where he hit a wall in foul territory. Last season, Valor was in the Florida Complex League where he slashed .289/.374/.421/.796 with two home runs, 28 RBI, 35 stolen bases and a 119 wRC+. "Incredibly high ceiling," said Balkovec regarding Valor. "He has put on about 20 pounds over the past six months and that's an incredible gain. He's taking pride in that and you'll probably see it even a little bit more with him. That process started after the season last year. We'll see what comes of it this year and I have no doubt that physicality is going to really bode well for him." Two players who made their organizational debuts were infielders Starlyn Caba—acquired from the Phillies in the Jesús Luzardo trade—and Andrew Salas, the Marlins' top international signing of 2025. In the top of the sixth inning, they turned a double play, potentially previewing what that duo can bring to Miami in the future. "What people may not see is electric personalities and really energetic," said Balkovec about Caba and Salas. "People who are probably going to be voices and leaders in the organization, which is very cool, but the talent and the physical capabilities are pretty impressive." At 17 years old, Salas is already stateside and will start his minor league career in the FCL, sources tell Fish On First. He went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Salas flew out to right field, but acting manager Juan Pierre thought that was gone. The ball had an exit velocity of 95.9 mph and traveled 356 feet. View full article

Former big leaguer Juan Pierre addresses the media following the 2025 edition of the Spring Breakout showcase, which ended in a 3-3 tie between top prospects from the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. View full video

In advance of the Spring Breakout prospect showcase, Miami Marlins second-round draft pick Carter Johnson explains what he was working on this offseason. View full video

These dark horse candidates are seemingly on the outside looking in at the Opening Day roster, but they've performed well enough to stick around big league camp with less than two weeks of spring training remaining. Several rounds of cuts have already occurred, but the Miami Marlins are still a long way away from finalizing their 26-man active roster for the regular season. With Opening Day 14 days away, we take a look at some names on the position player side who have impressed this spring and whether they have a path to cracking the roster. Graham Pauley Pauley, acquired in the Tanner Scott/Bryan Hoeing trade, has been a nice surprise through nine games played. He's slashing .318/.400/.364/.764 with four RBI. Pauley has been primarily at third base this spring and plays the position solidly. He's also somewhat of a utility man with plenty of recent experience at first base, second base and left field. Pauley is already on the 40-man roster and played briefly in the majors with the San Diego Padres in 2024. The Marlins likely need to make a choice between Pauley and Eric Wagaman for this part-time role. Will he make the team? I'll go with yes. Pauley can help the team right now in more ways than Wagaman can. The two of them can always switch places if Pauley repeats last year's early-season struggles (.125/.125/.313/.438 and 46.9 K% in 13 G). Agustín Ramírez Ramírez has shown that his approach is major league-ready. He's walked four times against only two strikeouts in 20 plate appearances. He's posted a .350 on-base percentage and has some of the hardest-hit balls this spring. Defensively, he has cut down on his mistakes as a receiver and blocker. Although he is also on the 40-man, Ramírez has no MLB service time yet. It is in the Marlins' best interest long term to delay his call-up by a couple weeks to guarantee that their club control of him goes through the 2031 season. Will he make the team? Ramírez will be a big leaguer at some point in 2025, but I find it hard to believe that it will be on March 27. Veteran catcher Nick Fortes will be backed up by Rule 5 selection Liam Hicks, who has impressed as well and cannot be optioned to the minor leagues. Expect Ramírez to be sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville very soon. Ronny Simon A minor league free agent signing who's in camp as a non-roster invitee, Simon has been great through ten games played. He has seen almost all of his reps at second base and right field this spring, but he's versatile enough to play almost any position if needed. Offensively, he's slashing .286/.474/.357/.831 with two RBI. Simon is on the outside looking in because of Javier Sanoja. The reigning Marlins Minor League Player of the Year is on the 40-man and proved himself as an elite contact hitter in AAA. Will he make the team? It depends on how the Marlins want to develop Sanoja—are they satisfied with him as a utility player or confident that he can turn into something more down the road by getting everyday at-bats in Jacksonville? The most likely outcome is Sanoja goes to Miami and Simon to Jacksonville, but it's too close to call at the moment. Albert Almora Jr. Almora was having a very quiet spring up until his four-hit game on March 10 against the Washington Nationals. He is likely the best defensive center fielder on the Marlins, but has only started once there in the Grapefruit League, with Derek Hill and Jesús Sánchez splitting up most of the playing time. Almora hasn't been in the majors since 2022. Will he make the team? I would lean toward Almora accepting a Triple-A assignment just like he did with the Arizona Diamondbacks last year and waiting his turn until the outfield is less crowded. View full article

With only a week remaining in spring training, recent injuries have changed the team's plans. Sudden changes are always in play for the Miami Marlins as president of baseball operations Peter Bendix showed us in 2024. Whenever a good deal presents itself, even if it's on the eve of Opening Day, Bendix is ready to shake things up. For this piece, let's assume the final week of spring training is a boring one and the Marlins head into the regular season with the players who are currently in the organization. Here's what the 26-man active roster should look like. Since Nate Karzmer's mid-spring projection, news came out that outfielder Jesús Sánchez suffered a left oblique strain. On the pitching front, right-hander Edward Cabrera (blister) exited his last outing early and will miss his next scheduled start, while reliever Seth Martinez was claimed off waivers. Position Players Default starting lineup: C Liam Hicks, 1B Matt Mervis, 2B Otto Lopez, 3B Connor Norby, SS Xavier Edwards, LF Griffin Conine, CF Derek Hill, RF Dane Myers, DH Jonah Bride Bench: C Nick Fortes, OF Kyle Stowers, INF Eric Wagaman, UTIL Javier Sanoja While he's on the injured list, Jesús Sánchez doesn't have to be replaced by another full-time outfielder. Griffin Conine, Derek Hill, Dane Myers and Kyle Stowers should divide the playing time among themselves. Instead, Eric Wagaman can step into the open roster spot as a pinch-hitter and backup corner infielder. There have been good performances in camp from non-roster invitees Ronny Simon, Heriberto Hernández and Albert Almora Jr. They are all call-up candidates during the season, but will likely begin in Triple-A because the 40-man roster is crowded on the position player side for now. Simon in particular deserves consideration because of his versatility. He has hit just as well as Javier Sanoja, slashing .235/.435/.294/.729 through 11 games with only two strikeouts. Sanoja should still have the inside track to make the team coming out of camp. Pitchers Starting rotation: RHP Sandy Alcantara, LHP Ryan Weathers, RHP Cal Quantrill, RHP Max Meyer and RHP Connor Gillispie Bullpen: RHP Jesús Tinoco, RHP Calvin Faucher , RHP Anthony Bender, RHP Declan Cronin, LHP Anthony Veneziano, RHP Ronny Henriquez, RHP Lake Bachar and RHP Seth Martinez Expect Edward Cabrera to be placed on the IL as the Marlins give him time to fully stretch out as a starter—he hasn't gone beyond two innings in any spring game. Meanwhile, Connor Gillispie has impressed throughout the spring. This offseason, Gillispie added a sweeper and it's clearly been working. Through eight innings pitched, he hasn't allowed a hit or run thus far. Gillispie will start in Cabrera's place on Tuesday and he should be filling out the Marlins rotation to begin the season. In his lone appearance this spring, Seth Martinez was unable to finish the inning and allowed four earned runs off of four hits and one home run. Without any minor league options remaining, the Marlins will have to carry him on the Opening Day roster. View full article

Acosta has made a strong impression in Marlins camp and could earn a call-up to Miami in 2025. Jake Burger quickly became a fan favorite with the Miami Marlins. The decision to trade him away this past offseason didn't go over well because of how affordable he still was and how little we knew about the three Texas Rangers prospects who came back to Miami in exchange. Midway through spring training, 22-year-old infielder Max Acosta is showing that the Marlins may have gotten good value for Burger after all and it won't be long before he gets an opportunity to prove it in the major leagues. Acosta signed with the Rangers out of Venezuela in 2019 for $1.65M, but did not make his pro ball debut until 2021. In the Arizona Complex League, he slashed .246/.279/.393/.673 with a 70 wRC+ through 17 games played. He had an aggressive approach, drawing walks only 4.4% of the time (the ACL average was 11.4%). Acosta's walk rate doubled to 8.8% in 2022 as he posted a 101 wRC+ and stole 44 bases at Low-A. In 2023, he took a step backwards in most areas, though added some power with a career-high 11 home runs for High-A Hickory. In 2024 at the AA level, Acosta slashed .288/.353/.425/.777 with eight home runs, 58 RBI and a 119 wRC+. The big breakout occurred during the second half of the season as mechanical adjustments allowed him to hit the ball a lot harder and chase outside the strike zone a lot less. His overall strikeout rate of 13.4% was a massive improvement compared to the previous season (21.1 K%) despite facing tougher competition with the promotion to AA. That success carried over to the Arizona Fall League as well (.338/.413/.521/.934 in 20 games). Participating in his first big league spring training camp, Acosta is 3-for-9 with a home run and two walks through five games played. As much as the Marlins need impact bats to come through their farm system, they also need quality defenders. Acosta has flashed the leather in camp and shown he can stick at shortstop. "Watching him defensively, he's made some really nice plays in the game and made the routine plays, routine," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Even watching him on the backfields during the workouts, he's been great.” On Monday, Acosta played his first game of the spring at second base, allowing Otto Lopez to play shortstop. Acosta has yet to play a game at AAA. That is his most likely assignment to begin the 2025 season with the Marlins hoping that Xavier Edwards can improve at shortstop despite rating poorly there last year. If arm strength continues to be too much of a weakness for Edwards, Acosta can slot right in there with Edwards moving to second base. Starlyn Caba is the most talented shortstop of them all, but he's still several years away from potentially debuting. The 15th-ranked prospect on our latest Fish On First Top 30 update, Acosta is on the roster for next week's Spring Breakout game. There is a strong chance that he's in the starting lineup at one of the middle infield positions. Marlins prospects will face St. Louis Cardinals prospects at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on March 14 at 12:10 p.m. ET. View full article

Sandy Alcantara threw even harder than he did in his previous outing. He also used the new ABS challenge system to his advantage and is in favor of bringing it to MLB regular season games. JUPITER, FL—With the help of two successful challenges that turned balls into strikes, Sandy Alcantara impressed on Friday afternoon in his second start of the spring. Prospect Robby Snelling struggled and was unable to complete his two innings of work. The Marlins' offense didn't record a hit until the bottom of the seventh inning. The Atlanta Braves won by a final score of 7-2. Alcantara went two full innings, allowing two hits, no walks and striking out three. Alcantara threw his changeup, slider and sinker, but went fastball heavy, throwing it 60% of the time. The fastball averaged 99.1 mph, which would've been a career high in the majors. He topped out at 100.4 mph. When asked if he could feel when he's throwing that hard, his answer was a simple "yes." "I know when I gotta throw hard," Alcantara said. "I gotta make my body work a little bit more, but today everything felt good. My arm was good out there and I just want to show people I'm healthy and I can throw hard." For the first time this spring, Alcantara experimented with the ABS challenge system which is being implemented into spring training games. In the top of the first inning, Alcantara challenged ball four on Sean Murphy. After further review, the call was overturned and ruled a strikeout. His second challenge when facing José Devers in the following inning was also overturned. Having gone a perfect 2-for-2 on the day, Alcantara was in favor of the system. "I think it's gonna be great, especially for the pitchers," said Alcantara regarding the challenge system. "When you know where you throw the ball and when you think that ball is a strike, just challenge it like I did today and I won both challenges." lw6e78.mp4 Throughout all of spring, Rule 5 selection Liam Hicks has caught Alcantara's bullpens and both games he's started. The Marlins' ace praised Hicks for the work he's done behind the plate. "I think we are on the same page," said Alcantara. "We're working together. He looks very good behind the plate. What I don't like is he always comes to me and ask me questions because I don't like to talk [laughing], but he's good. He's good behind the plate and I like the way that he caught my game." Hicks, who has never played above Double-A, is now in spring training catching the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner. Alcantara believes that Hicks is major league-ready and "the way that he looks, I think he's gonna be there (on the Opening Day roster)." After an encouraging seven-pitch outing last weekend, Robby Snelling was expected to go two innings, but struggled, only recording two outs and walking four. A lot of the lefty's struggles were due to him missing to his arm side. One positive was that his new gyro slider looked good. His only strikeout of the afternoon came in the top of the third inning. Sean Murphy swung at a 95 mph fastball. "Got those days sometimes that stuff's not working," said Snelling. "Body felt good, felt like I was holding velo well in the first inning and stuff just wasn't going in the zone. Trying to figure stuff out in the second inning, didn't feel like I was trying to place the ball or anything, but trying to focus a little more on getting it to where I want to throw it. Misses weren't quite as bad, but they were still arm side, so super frustrated with it." Notes - Jesús Sánchez, who was dealing with left elbow inflammation, was in right field for the first time this spring. He went 0-for-2. - In the bottom of the eighth inning, Marlins infield prospect Jack Winkler hit a solo home run. - Edward Cabrera will be the starting pitcher on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals. - Lefty Justin King suffered a left adductor strain. - Jakob Marsee (oblique strain) is resuming baseball activities. He's throwing and hitting. - Andrew Nardi (back inflammation) has resumed throwing. - Freddy Tarnok rolled his left ankle. He should be returning to game action in about two weeks. What's Next The Marlins make the 20-minute drive on Saturday to West Palm Beach as they take on the Washington Nationals. Ryan Weathers will make his first start of the spring. First pitch is at 6:05 pm. View full article