Kevin Barral

Although the Miami Marlins fell to the Philadelphia Phillies, it was a win for Patrick Monteverde, who made a long relief appearance in his Major League debut. It was a long road for Patrick Monteverde to make it to Citizens Bank Park on Saturday afternoon. Overlooked as a soft-tossing high school prospect and set back by injuries, the 27-year-old left-hander made his Major League debut and gave the Marlins length they needed in a 11-10 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. The first stop of Monteverde's collegiate career was a Division III school, Virginia Wesleyan University. In his lone season there, he was named 2017 ODAC Rookie of the Year, 2017 All-State Second Team in Virginia, 2017 All-State Rookie of the Year and 2017 ABCA Second Team All-Region South. Monteverde then transferred to Division II Seton Hill, where he spent three years, but was limited to 91 ⅔ innings due to Tommy John surgery and the COVID pandemic. Next, after posting a video of one of his bullpen sessions on social media, Monteverde finally received interest from 34 Division I schools including Miami, Alabama, Auburn, Indiana and UCF. He chose to play at Texas Tech. In his lone season with the Red Raiders, Monteverde posted a 3.75 ERA in 86 ⅓ innings pitched. Texas Tech went 39-17, reaching the Lubbock Super Regional. Monteverde was selected in the eighth round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Marlins. Nearing his 24th birthday, he received only a $47,500 signing bonus. Monteverde continued to overachieve and the Marlins developed him as a starter. In 2023, the Pittsburgh native was one of two players selected to represent the organization in the MLB Futures Game where he closed out a win for the National League. The MVP of that game? His organizational teammate, Nasim Nuñez who is now with the Washington Nationals. This season, Monteverde was invited for a second consecutive year to big league camp and in three appearances, he posted a 3.18 ERA, striking out nine and not walking anyone. He was reassigned to minor league camp and later sent to begin the season in Double-A Pensacola. He was quickly promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville, posting a 4.82 ERA in three appearances (all out of the bullpen). On Friday, he received the greatest call of his life from Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp manager David Carpenter while at the team's hotel in Memphis. "We were just in my room playing Mario Kart," said Monteverde on Saturday. "(Carpenter) called me and said, 'Hey what are you doing, you going to the (Memphis Grizzlies) game?' Cause I thought he was going to go and I thought he just wanted to meet up or something. I was like, 'No, we're here. We're at the hotel.' He said, 'Well, they're gonna need you in Philly tomorrow. You're going to big leagues.' So I was like, 'Woah.' That's not where I thought this conversation was going." In relief of a struggling Cal Quantrill, Monteverde went on to give the Marlins 3 ⅔ innings, allowing four runs on nine hits, one walk and three strikeouts. He threw 87 pitches, marking one of the longest relief appearances in franchise history. Monteverde went with his slider (47%), four-seam fastball (16%), changeup (14%), curveball (14%) and sinker (9%). The slider generated five whiffs and two of his four strikeouts. "He gave us much needed length today," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Yesterday our bullpen had to cover quite a bit. Today was shorter start than we were hoping for, but for Patrick to get through basically the bulk of that game there and do the job he did in his Major League debut there was a lot asked and then stretched him out. For him to come here and do that for us, while we end up losing this game, you hope that at least sets you up in a better position for tomorrow." Quantrill made his fourth start of the season and it was probably his worst. The Phillies offense knocked him out after 3 ⅓ innings pitched. He allowed seven runs on eight hits and three walks. The last time Quantrill went a start without striking out anyone was in his final start with the Colorado Rockies in 2024. "Just some mistakes in the middle of the plate that they were able to get to," said McCullough. "Just couldn't get some of the misses there late in the count and guys were able to get on some pitches that stayed more up in locations he probably didn't like, but Cal's a really good pitcher and he'll get right back on the horse and get ready for his next one." In the top of the sixth inning, Griffin Conine knocked in his seventh RBI of the season, but it came at a cost. As he slid to second, he grabbed his left arm in pain and was removed from the game. The Marlins later announced that Conine suffered a left shoulder injury and is being evaluated. kpnegm_1.mp4 In the top of the ninth inning, the Marlins made it very interesting despite initially trailing 11-4. Jesús Sánchez led the inning off with a double and Eric Wagaman followed him with a base hit. Dane Myers, who pinch-hit for Kyle Stowers, hit his first home run of the season to make it 11-7. Javier Sanoja reached on an infield single and Connor Norby grounded into a fielder's choice. After defensive indifference advanced Norby into scoring position, Graham Pauley drove him in on an RBI double. This marked Pauley's first career three-hit game. He was sent down to AAA when the Marlins reinstated Norby, but recalled the next day when Derek Hill landed on the 10-day IL. Liam Hicks hit his first Major League home run to make it a one-run game. The Rule 5 Draft pick became the second catcher in Marlins history to record four hits, four RBI and a home run in a game. This was Hicks' first career four-hit game. Once the Phillies deployed closer José Alvarado, Xavier Edwards flew out to right field to end the Marlins rally. It marked the 17th time in franchise history that the Marlins scored six-plus runs in the ninth inning or later. It was only their fourth loss in that situation. "Love the way it finished," said McCullough. "Love the way that we fought back in there late in the game to scratch back and end up bringing the tying run to the plate, then to get their closer in. Hats off to our whole crew for hanging in there and continuing to play and keep going all the way through 27 outs. So from that end, it was great." The Marlins have now lost five straight. They will look to snap the streak and salvage the series against the Phillies on Sunday as they will send Connor Gillispie to the mound. On the other side, former Marlin Jesús Luzardo will not only face his former team, but his hometown team. First pitch is at 1:35 pm. View full article

Friday's start was one of the shortest of Sandy Alcantara's career. Its now been four starts and the Miami Marlins are still searching for the Sandy of old. In a 7-2 loss, Sandy Alcantara was only able to complete two innings and surrendered six runs on four hits (one home run). He now has a 7.27 ERA this season and the Marlins fell to 8-11, losing their fourth straight. "Got some two-strike counts and I think there was trouble putting guys away today," said manager Clayton McCullough. "He really ran the pitch count up early and then there were some pitches he just didn't execute as well and they were able to put some swings on it. Just the unfortunate nature of just getting a lot of those foul balls and inability to put them away when you had two strikes and for the pitch count to get up to where it was after a couple of innings." To say the least, this was a concerning start for Alcantara. He's been known for his high ground ball rate, posting a career 50.7% ground ball rate and through the first three starts of this season, 65.1%. It was down to 33% on Friday night. He was also threw two wild pitches. The Phillies offense wasted no time getting it going. In the bottom of the first inning, Bryce Harper took Alcantara deep for his fifth home run of the season, crushing it 418 feet to the second deck in right field. That was only the second time in his career that Harper has taken the Marlins ace deep. In the second inning, Alcantara walked Max Kepler, allowed a base hit to former Marlin J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm knocked in the third Phillies run. Johan Rojas followed Bohm with an RBI single. After throwing his first wild pitch of the game, Alcantara gave up his fifth run on a Bryson Stott sacrifice fly. Alcantara allowed the sixth run on a wild pitch. Most of the damage that Alcantara allowed came on 0-2 counts, including the Harper home run, Bohm's RBI and the second wild pitch. The Marlins ace attributes that to missing his spots. "I tried to go cutter up and in and just left it out there in the middle-middle and it was easy peasy for him," said Alcantara regarding the home run he gave up to Harper. "If you're gonna find any kind of silver lining, I think we feel good about where the stuff is tonight," said McCullough. "It is more of an execution thing and just trying to put them away with two strikes." Following the game, Alcantara expressed his frustration: "I don't feel happy about the job I've been doing the past couple of starts. I think it's time for me to get back into Sandy mode and just be out there every fifth day and do what I do." Anthony Veneziano, a Hackettstown, New Jersey native—just an hour and 30 minutes away from Citizens Bank Park—came in relief of Alcantara. In front of friends and family, he went 2 ⅓ innings, allowing one run on a home run to Kyle Schwarber. He struck out two. On the other side, Phillies ace Zack Wheeler turned in his best start of the season, striking out 13 through seven innings of work. He generated 20 whiffs, with 11 of them coming on his four-seam fastball. Four of his 13 strikeouts came on the sinker, three of them strikeouts looking. "Early on, we talked about the fastball and how well it plays," said McCullough. "I think that we weren't able to take that away from him. Early on, he got a lead and was able to settle in there and get into a groove and then started to mix his pitches a little bit more." The only run that Wheeler allowed came in the top of the sixth inning. Eric Wagaman took the Georgia native deep for his second home run of the season. It was a two-run shot to left center field, leaving the bat at 105.9 mph and going 427 feet. After a slow start to the season, Wagaman is now slashing .260/.339/.440/.779 with two home runs and six RBI. The Marlins will look to bounce back on Saturday as Cal Quantrill will get the start. As for the Phillies, they will deploy Taijuan Walker who is off to a nice start in 2025. First pitch will be at 1:05 pm. View full article

For the first time this season, the Miami Marlins were swept. The D-backs stole five bases off of Edward Cabrera and Miami's offense couldn't take advantage of their many scoring opportunities. MIAMI, FL—The series finale between the Miami Marlins and the Arizona Diamondbacks produced one of the weirdest box scores you'll see this season. Despite out-hitting Arizona, 13-5, the Marlins fell by a final score of 6-4 and were swept for the first time in 2025. After a nice season debut, Edward Cabrera regressed to his career norms on Thursday afternoon. Cabrera surrendered five runs on four hits, walked three and struck out six. In the top of the first inning, Corbin Carroll manufactured the first run of the ballgame by stealing second and third, then scoring on a sacrifice fly. Jupiter native Pavin Smith made it 2-0 when he took a Cabrera four-seam fastball deep for his third home run of the season. Smith had an incredible series overall, going 6-for-11 with three walks. In his previous start, Cabrera's fastball averaged 97.9 mph, topping out at 99.5 mph. On Thursday, his fastball velocity saw a significant dip, averaging 95.6 mph (a 2.3 mph decrease) and topping out at 96.8 mph. "They started running some deep counts," said manager Clayton McCullough. "When he got ahead, they tightened up there when he had count leverage and was a lot of foul balls and then they ran the pitch count up along with some of the walks and it just got up on there. Overall for how it went, he did a good job of just keeping it in there and doing his best to continue to go as long as he could. The pitch count got to him there, especially in his second start coming back." The Diamondbacks stole five bases while Cabrera was on the mound. He noted postgame that he needs to be more unpredictable. "We're always discussing ways, varying times or holding the ball," said McCullough. "They have some guys very capable on their roster. Unfortunately, the ones that do get on base, they have that ability and days like this happen will. We need to try to do our best to just vary up the timing." Third baseman Connor Norby made his season debut following a stint on the injured list due to a left oblique strain. He played third base and hit second in the lineup and went 1-for-5. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Norby got to reliever Ryan Thompson, knocking his first base hit of the season and moving Rob Brantly to second. "I think the first at-bat was a little antsy," said McCullough. "I think he was really aggressive, and to be expected. For him this is kind of like Opening Day this season. The last couple of at-bats, he started to settle, to slow things down a little bit, let the action come to him which I think that's just very normal for anyone that missed the start and now is just getting back into it." When catcher Nick Fortes landed on the IL last week, the Marlins called up Rob Brantly from Triple-A Jacksonville. On Thursday, he made his second start of the season and went 3-for-3 with three singles. It marked his first multi-hit game since September 28, 2017 when he was with the Chicago White Sox and first three-hit game since June 8, 2013. He became the second-oldest catcher in franchise history to record a three-hit game. Mike Mordecai was 36 in 2004 when he did so as an emergency catcher. The Marlins put runners on base in all nine innings, but also struck out 16 times. Brantly was the only starting position player without any Ks. The Marlins are 8-10 on the season and will now take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Sandy Alcantara will take the mound for the Marlins on Friday and go up against Zack Wheeler. First pitch is at 6:45 pm. View full article

Marlins infielder Connor Norby speaks with the media at loanDepot park about being reinstated from the injured list after missing the first 17 games of the season due to an oblique strain. View full video

For the fourth time this season, the Marlins surrendered double-digit runs. MIAMI, FL—For the fourth time this season, the Miami Marlins have surrendered double-digit runs, falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks by a final score of 10-4. Starting pitcher Connor Gillispie struggled on Tuesday, going five innings, allowing eight runs off of eight hits (two home runs), walking two and striking out six. The Diamondbacks put up four runs in the top of the second inning. Corbin Carroll drove in the first run of the game on an RBI double and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo took Gillispie deep for a three-run shot to the left field second deck. Former Marlins prospect Josh Naylor hit his second home run of the season in the third inning, extending the Diamondbacks lead, 5-1. Gillispie would go on to retire nine in a row until the top of the sixth inning when he surrendered back-to-back base hits to Lourdes Gurriel and Eugenio Suárez. Catcher Gabriel Moreno drove in Gurriel on an RBI single, putting the Diamondbacks up 6-1 when Marlins manager Clayton McCullough took the righty out. "Little bit of a mixed bag," said manager Clayton McCullough. "I think he looked at probably the one mistake with Perdomo, just didn't get a cutter where he was hoping to get it with two outs. Some traffic on second and he gives up the home run. Then I thought he really settled in well and threw the ball very nicely into the sixth. He may have wanted a pitch or two back." McCullough deployed George Soriano out of the Marlins bullpen and after former Marlin Garrett Hampson reached first on a fielder's choice, Corbin Carroll took Soriano deep for his third career grand slam, essentially putting the nail in the coffin as the Diamondbacks increased their lead to 10-1. Jesús Sánchez, who made his season debut, went 1-for-4 with a walk while starting in center field. " I thought he looked great," said McCullough. "Bat speed was there, hard contact the majority of his plate appearances. I thought he tracked the ball really well. Last at-bat, he got a walk there against the lefty, which was a good sign." Veteran right-hander Merrill Kelly entered the night with.a 7.20 ERA, but enjoyed his best start of the season in Miami. He struck out nine over six innings with only one run allowed. The Marlins made some noise in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring two runs to make it a 10-3 game, but with the bases loaded, Eric Wagaman struck out swinging. In the ninth, Griffin Conine crushed a 117.4 mph double, easily the hardest hit of his MLB career. He came around to score on a Graham Pauley sac fly. The Marlins fell to 8-8 on the season. They will look to get back over .500 on Wednesday as Max Meyer will make his fourth start of the season at 6:40 pm. View full article

Miami Marlins outfielder Jesús Sánchez speaks with the media at loanDepot park about completing his recovery from an oblique strain and returning to a team with a winning record. View full video

Alderman is tapping into his plus power more consistently so far this season with the help of mechanical changes. Prior to the Double-A season beginning, Miami Marlins outfield prospect Kemp Alderman told reporters that he wanted to have a 20/20 season (20 home runs, 20 stolen bases). That seemed to be an unlikely goal for a player who had only nine homers and nine steals over the previous two minor league seasons combined. Through nine games, Alderman is well ahead of that pace, slashing .375/.432/.750/1.182 with three home runs, 11 RBI and five stolen bases. That earned him a selection to MLB Pipeline's Prospect Team of the Week. Miami's second-round draft pick in 2023, Alderman missed nearly half of the 2024 season due to a hand injury. He reached the AA level for the first time in September, but slashed .174/.174/.348/.522 with one home run and three RBI through six games played. Fish On First spoke to Alderman about his limited experience in Pensacola and he said it "opened my eyes a lot." "As you go up in the levels, you learn that you're not just up there swinging—you have to have a plan," said Alderman. "Just having my plan, my approach, sticking to it, and if it works, it works and if it doesn't, we'll go from there." To make up for lost time, Alderman went to the Arizona Fall League. His plus power was on display during a phenomenal nine-game stretch where he slashed .306/.375/.833/1.208 with six home runs and eight RBI. "It's a great experience," said Alderman. "Just getting to play with different guys, different orgs and see what they do, see what worked for them. Just playing against some really great competition, facing good arms...It was probably the most fun I've ever had playing the game of baseball, to be honest." Alderman lost some weight entering 2025 to prove himself as "a big guy who can run," but another development has been his all-around improvement as a hitter. Carrying over from the AFL, the 22-year-old has switched to a new batting stance, holding his hands higher and his bat at a more horizontal angle. The clip below shows Alderman's September 2024 stance on the left and his current stance on the right. Kemp Alderman split screen.mp4 In these photos, you can more clearly see that his hands were previously at the letters as the pitcher began their delivery. They are now above his shoulders. Swinging down at the ball has understandably caused his groundball percentage to spike up (from 49.0% to 58.3%), but the production doesn't lie. He is hitting for average and getting on base a lot more. Alderman is a strong candidate to be added to the FOF Top 30 list following our next update. View full article

For the first time since 2013, Brantly is catching for the Miami Marlins after bouncing around the league for more than a decade. MIAMI, FL—Rob Brantly is back on the Miami Marlins active roster for the first time since September 28, 2013. Back then, Mike Redmond was a rookie manager and the late José Fernández was the NL Rookie of the Year, the Miami Heat were reigning NBA champions and Barack Obama had just begun his second presidential term. A lot has changed. On Friday, the Marlins selected Brantly from Triple-A Jacksonville when Nick Fortes was placed on the injured list due to an oblique strain. He'll be making his 2025 season debut on Sunday against the Washington Nationals. "Getting activated is always exciting," Brantly told Fish On First. "The chance to be here on the taxi squad from the get-go, we've been preparing for this. I'm excited to put in the work, or the work that I've been putting in, go out there and put it to the test. I feel prepared and ready to go." The Marlins originally acquired Brantly in 2012 as a prospect in the package that sent pitcher Aníbal Sánchez and Omar Infante to the Detroit Tigers. He made his MLB debut in Miami a few weeks later and was the team's primary catcher through the first half of the 2013 season. In 98 total games, Brantly slashed .235/.298/.325/.623 with four home runs, 26 RBI and a 71 OPS+. cv_24250149_1200K.mp4 Brantly served as Triple-A depth in 2014. Following that season, the Marlins placed Brantly on waivers and he was claimed by the Chicago White Sox. Since his time in Miami, the backstop has played in only 39 MLB games, but spent time with nine different organizations. "The evolution of what catching was back then to what it is now is vastly different," said Brantly. "It's been a fun process along the way, getting a chance to learn from so many different coaching minds and all the different organizations I've been with. It's been an exciting journey. It's really helped me grow defensively, and like I said, we're here now in 2025 ready to put in the work." There has been extreme turnover inside the Marlins organization in between Brantly's stints, but he still has some familiarity with his surroundings and colleagues. "It really has felt like home, especially being back in loanDepot park and being in this atmosphere," said Brantly. "The unique part for me especially with all the new surrounding staff and coaching staff, a lot of the guys, I've actually had a chance to work with since I've been here...I've actually played with a lot of these coaches in different organizations. It's cool to see that Miami has got the best pieces of all those organizations here under one roof." Milene Brantly (@milenebrantly) • Instagram reel WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 189 likes, 7 comments - milenebrantly on April 8, 2025: "Wild what 12 years can do! (it was all good, but the song was just fitting) 😘". At the age of 35, Brantly's experiences are especially valuable to a Marlins team that is the youngest in baseball. "A lot of lessons learned within that time frame," said Brantly. "For me, it's really helped me grow and if I can help, lend a word to a younger teammate, to maybe help them avoid something that might not be great, or give them an edge. I'm always willing to do that." View full article

The Marlins found another way to win on Saturday despite ace Sandy Alcantara struggling to miss bats. Matt Mervis and Kyle Stowers continue to be pleasant surprises early in 2025. MIAMI, FL—Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara did not look like himself in his first start since coming off the paternity list. Thankfully, his offense backed him up, scoring a season-high seven runs off of 11 hits. The Marlins defeated the Washington Nationals by a final score of 7-6 with Alcantara earning his second win of the year. Pitching for the first time since April 1, Alcantara went 5 ⅔ innings, allowing four runs off of five hits, walking four and striking out just one. The last time he made a start without recording multiple strikeouts was June 16, 2023 (also against the Nationals). "It's not what I wanted," said Alcantara postgame. "At the end of the day, we won and that's what we are really looking for. It's now about getting better." In the top of the fourth, Alcantara walked Alex Call and after two consecutive base hits, Nathaniel Lowe drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in the first run of the ballgame. Former Marlins first baseman Josh Bell, who hit a home run on Friday, drove in two more runs on a single. The Marlins ace would keep the Nationals offense at bay for the most part until the sixth inning when he surrendered a base hit to Amed Rosario, giving Washington their fourth run of the game and knocking him out. Overall, Alcantara is not working as deep into games as we are used to seeing, averaging just barely over five innings per start so far. In his last season before Tommy John surgery, he went 6.60 innings per start. "I think there were a lot of misses that were just very close," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "He was really around the zone. There were a lot of close pitches that he just didn't get. I thought they had a pretty good approach and probably trying to see him up some, and probably giving him the bottom." Thankfully, the Marlins offense offered Alcantara plenty of support. In the bottom of the second inning, Matt Mervis hit his fourth home run of the season, giving the Marlins an early 1-0 lead. His fourth home run marks the most on the Marlins and it's just two shy of the MLB lead. In the following inning, Kyle Stowers drove in Graham Pauley with a bases-loaded sac fly and Nationals starter Trevor Williams threw a wild pitch, which brought in Miami's third run. On the first Marlins road trip of the season, Mervis slashed .353/.389/.881/1.271 with three home runs and six RBI. McCullough believes pitches that were previously foul balls are finally going Mervis' way. "Clicked a couple in Atlanta," said McCullough. "That was a big day for him. Get rewarded for good swings and a good approach and took it into New York. I think he's still getting good pitches to fire at. Right now, he's, seeing through the ball really well, he's pulled some, but I think the path is better, kind of through the middle of the field, allowing him a little bit more length and the ability to stay on some of those pitches." Eric Wagaman was hitless in his last 12 at-bats entering the bottom of the fifth inning. On the first pitch, Wagaman ripped a 106.6 mph double to left field to retake the lead, 4-3. Griffin Conine drove in two more for Miami on an RBI double, marking his second multi-hit game of the season. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Kyle Stowers laced an RBI double to center field, driving in the seventh run of the game. That marked Stowers' third multi-hit game of the season. He now has an .828 OPS this season. Quietly, former waiver claim Ronny Henriquez has been one of the Marlins' best relievers. Through five appearances, Henriquez has posted a 1.23 ERA, striking out nine against four walks. "We like his ability to spin the ball," said McCullough. "He's got a good fastball that can ride up and in the zone. He can throw multiple innings. You can use him in shorter bursts, and also feel good with him against right or left, so having that neutrality there, having that mix that can get both sides out." Like many Marlins pitchers, Henriquez recently added a sweeper to his arsenal. Thus far, he's thrown it 24.8% of the time. On Saturday, it had the highest usage rate and generated two whiffs, using it to strike out Amed Rosario swinging. "It was added during spring training by our pitching coaches," said Henriquez through translator Luis Dorante Jr. "At first, it was very difficult to maintain control/command of the of the pitch because I didn't know exactly the effect and movement it was going to have. Now I see that it's very effective and I'm not gonna stop using it." OTdXb2dfWGw0TUFRPT1fQVFjQUJWUUVWZ0VBRGxGUlZnQUhWd0pXQUFCVEFGSUFVRlFIQTFJSFZBVmNCUVJT.mp4 With the win, the Marlins are now at an even 7-7 on the season and will search for their second series win in Sunday's rubber match. Cal Quantrill will take the mound for Miami while MacKenzie Gore will try to continue his dominant start to the season. View full article

One of the few homegrown players on the current Marlins roster, Sanoja credits Nelson Prada for building up his confidence early in his career and opening the door for him to play winter ball in his native Venezuela. MIAMI, FL—The Miami Marlins signed utility man Javier Sanoja out of Venezuela for only $90,000. That small investment is already paying off. Sanoja became the youngest player in more than a decade to make the Marlins Opening Day roster. Through 24 career games in the major leagues, he has already contributed at six different positions. Fellow Venezuelan Nelson Prada has been by Sanoja's side for the majority of his professional career. "That's always really good when you see those guys make it to the big leagues," said Prada. "That is what we're here for. We want those guys to make it. We put our best effort to try to give our our thoughts, our experience, our knowledge to this group. For me, when I talk to these guys and they made it, we don't really need to wait for nothing else than to be thankful because we put our lives on the field just to try to help guys reach their dreams." Prada and Sanoja have a "really close" relationship, which goes back to when Sanoja was an 18-year-old in the Dominican Summer League. Prada also managed him at Low-A Jupiter and coached him with Cardenales de Lara of the Venezuelan Winter League. "Nelson (Prada) is someone who has been very helpful in my career," said Sanoja in Spanish. "Especially when I began my professional career, he was my manager and gave me so much confidence and I really think that loosened me up. He helped me develop and allowed me to feel more comfortable. We have great communication and chemistry and I really appreciate him for that." When Sanoja debuted with Lara in 2022, he was one of the youngest players in the league. He noted to Fish On First that his time in Venezuela really accelerated his development and "has played a fundamental part" in his career. "After my first professional season, he asked me if I was interested in playing for the Cardenales," said Sanoja. "After talking to my family, they agreed that I should go play and I was able to sign with them. They were someone else who gave me that confidence to develop more." "It's a lot of good competition," said Prada. "It's like a Triple-A/big league type of league. The environment of 10k-15k people on the stands, big stadiums. It's a really a good experience." Prada just spent his 32nd season with Lara. He served as their bench coach on the way to a 2024-25 LVBP championship and Caribbean Series berth. At the Marlins' request, Sanoja did not participate this winter, but Prada had Luis Palacios on the roster, who he now manages with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Going into Saturday, Sanoja finds himself on a three-game hit streak. Overall, he is slashing .273/.333/.273/.606. The Marlins are holding their annual Venezuelan heritage celebration as Sandy Alcantara takes the mound in game two of their series against the Washington Nationals. View full article

Two of the four affiliated won on Tuesday, but certain players stood out through all levels. Here's a summary of what happened in the Miami Marlins farm system on Tuesday, April 8. Final Scores Triple-A Jacksonville won, 3-0 | box score Double-A Pensacola won, 5-4 | box score High-A Beloit lost, 3-2 | box score Low-A Jupiter lost, 19-5 | box score Starting Pitching Lines Adam Mazur (AAA): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO, 76 NP Luis Palacios (AA): 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO, 72 NP Emmett Olson (A+): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 24 NP Juan De La Cruz (A): 1.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 1 SO, 53 NP Pitcher Notes Adam Mazur was by far the best starter on Tuesday night. His slider, which is his best pitch, generated eight whiffs, followed by his fastball which averaged 93.7 mph, topping out at 95.9 mph. Fish On First's #11 prospect generated 12 whiffs in total and earned the win for the Jumbo Shrimp. One of the longest-tenured players in the Marlins organization, left-hander Luis Palacios continues to attack the strike zone. It was relievers Nigel Belgrave and Josh Ekness who stole the show. In one inning of work, Belgrave struck out the side, earning him the win. As for Ekness, he earned himself the save, striking four in 1 ⅔ innings pitched. Emmett Olson kept the opposition hitless, but was limited to only two innings. FOF will provide an update as soon as possible regarding why he exited so early. Will Schomberg, who the Marlins acquired from the Seattle Mariners in the JT Chargois trade, stepped in and gave the Sky Carp three innings of work, allowing one run off of one hit, walking one and striking out six. Every member of the Jupiter pitching staff had a hard time throwing strikes as they surrendered 22 walks on the night. Starter Juan De La Cruz walked five, two of the relievers both walked four and three other relievers each walked three. Position Player Notes First baseman Deyvison De Los Santos had a two-RBI game despite striking out two times. He has now struck out 18 times in nine games played thus far, tied for the highest total in the Marlins org. He's slashing .263/.317/.289/.606 with five RBI. He's yet to hit a home run. De Los Santos had the second hardest-hit ball (111.3 mph) of the night, just behind his teammate Agustín Ramírez (111.8 mph). De Los Santos and Maximo Acosta were the only players with a multi-hit game for the Jumbo Shrimp. Outfielder Jakob Marsee, who is ranked 24th on our prospect list, has ten stolen bases this season. On Tuesday, he went 1-3 with a walk, strikeout and stole second and third base. He's now slashing .172/.400/.241/.641 with three RBI through nine games. After a slow first series, Joe Mack had himself a three-hit game, with one of those as his first home run of the 2025 season. He finished the night going 3-2 with a home run, three RBI and scored two runs. He's FOF's #8 prospect. Cody Morissette and Nathan Martorella drove in runs for the Wahoos in their win over Montgomery, putting them at 4-0 on the season, the only undefeated Marlins affiliate. It was a rough day for the Beloit lineup as they struck out 11 times, but did work seven walks. The only players who recorded base hits were Wilfredo Lara, Ryan Ignoffo, Brock Vradenburg and Emaarion Boyd. Even on a night where they outhit their opponent, they lost. By far the most impressive stat line in Tuesday's slate belongs to FOF's #2 prospect Starlyn Caba who worked five walks. Caba, who well known for his plate discipline has walked nine times this season and only struck out twice. He's currently sporting a .500 on base percentage. Outfielder Dillon Head extended his hit streak to four games and is now slashing .333/.316/.556/.872 with three RBI and stolen bases this season. The only downside thus far has been he's struck out five times and has yet to work a walk. Andrés Valor and Carter Johnson both knocked in a pair of runs for the Hammerheads late in the game as they were blown out by a final score of 19-3. View full article

Juan Soto gave the New York Mets an early lead on Monday and the Marlins offense had no response. For the second time on this road trip, the Miami Marlins wasted a strong performance by their pitching staff. The Marlins offense didn't contribute any runs on a cold Monday night in Queens as the New York Mets defeated the Fish by a final score of 2-0. Earlier in the day, the Marlins placed ace Sandy Alcantara on the paternity list and recalled Valente Bellozo to make his second career start against the Mets. Bellozo entered the ballgame having pitched two innings on Friday with Triple-A Jacksonville, but gave the Marlins 3 ⅔ innings of work, allowing one run off of five hits, walking two and striking out two. In the bottom of the third inning, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor led off with a bunt single. The Mets' $765 million man, Juan Soto, hit an RBI double to center field, driving in Lindor. That marked Soto's fourth double and RBI of the season. The Mets would never look back from there. After three relievers kept the Mets scoreless, George Soriano surrendered an RBI single to Tyrone Taylor, giving the Mets a two-run cushion in the bottom of the eighth inning. That marked the seventh earned run that Soriano has allowed this season, bumping his ERA up to 9.00 through five appearances. In his last outing against the Marlins, Mets starter Kodai Senga went five innings, allowing four runs (two earned) off of three hits (one home run), but still struck out eight. On Monday, Senga tossed five shutout innings, allowed five hits and struck out four. The Mets bullpen, comprised of Danny Young, José Buttó and former Marlin Ryne Stanek, shut down the Marlins, limiting them to two hits. The Marlins offense recorded no extra-base hits and only had runners in scoring position three separate times, in the first, third and fourth innings. Xavier Edwards was the lone Marlin with a multi-hit game and was in scoring position two of the three times. The Marlins will likely option Bellozo to AAA-Jacksonville before their weekend series against the Washington Nationals. Alcantara is expected back by then and so is injured starter Edward Cabrera, who is traveling with the team after making two rehab starts last week. With the loss, the Marlins are at an even 5-5 on the season and can potentially fall below .500 for the first time this season on Tuesday. Connor Gillispie will toe the rubber against Clay Holmes. These two faced off against each other in Miami on April 2. First pitch was originally scheduled for 7:10 pm, but has been moved up to 4:10 pm due to cold weather. View full article