Kevin Barral

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

Following his Grapefruit League debut, Miami Marlins right-hander Cal Quantrill addresses the media about what he needs to work on before the real games begin. Quantrill's final line against the St. Louis Cardinals: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K (28 pitches/13 strikes). View full video

Breaking down how Cal Quantrill, Valente Bellozo and Adam Mazur pitched on Thursday, plus more Marlins roster moves. JUPITER, FL—The Miami Marlins have gotten mixed results from their starting pitchers so far in spring training. Although Cal Quantrill began his spring on the wrong foot Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals, the veteran right-hander wasn't concerned when discussing the performance postgame. Quantrill surrendered four runs off of two hits. He also walked two and struck out one. Out of the 28 pitches Quantrill threw, only 13 landed for strikes. "It won't go down as one of my best ones, but we'll get it all solved," he said. After falling behind 4-0 with Quantrill on the mound, the Marlins offense tied the game, but the Cardinals immediately retook the lead in the next inning and won by a final score of 8-4. Quantrill, 30, signed with the Marlins on a one-year, $3.5M deal. He lack control in this outing and repeatedly missed his spots to the arm side. "I don't see this being a long-term issue, just first time back out on the mound in a little while and I think that you'd like for that not to be part of part of the process, but I guess it is this time and it just gives us a little more to work on here in the next five days." In addition to that, Quantrill's velocity dipped. In 2024, his sinker averaged 94.0 miles per hour. On Thursday, his sinker averaged 92.3 mph and topped out at 93.5 mph. On the flip side, Valente Bellozo, who is fighting for the fifth rotation spot, made his second appearance of the spring, this time going two innings. He allowed one run off of three hits and struck out two. Bellozo's command was great, with 28 of his 37 pitches thrown landing for strikes. In his previous outing, Bellozo's fastball averaged 92.3 mph, topping out at 92.9 mph. This time, Bellozo averaged 90.9 mph, topping out at 92.2 mph. "Feel good. I think getting tired being in the bullpen throwing and throwing, then stop, throwing and throwing, then stop, but arm feels good and keep going during spring training." "Velo getting up just makes everything else play off of it," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Kind of go soft early, then he snuck a fastball up in the zone with two strikes. For him, just the different weapons and how he just can use them and somewhat slow a guy down, speed him up. He's a real pitcher." After noting in his last start that he added a sweeper to his pitch mix, Adam Mazur went two innings for the Marlins, throwing it four times as classified by Jab. He finished his outing allowing one run off of two hits and striking out three. "Very good," McCullough said. "I think he changed speeds well, used the fastball appropriately. He was striking with his breaking ball, very efficient couple of innings. Quality stuff from Mazur today." The main differences that Mazur noted between his slider and sweeper are the speed and horizontal movement. His sweeper is slower and moves more horizontally than his slider. On Thursday, Mazur's sweeper averaged 84.1 miles per hour with 13.0 inches of horizontal break. The slider on the other hand averaged 86.1 miles per hour with 2.1 inches of break. jj90h5.mp4 One position player that continues to have a strong spring is first baseman Matt Mervis. Through three games, he is 3-for-7 with one home run and three RBIs. On Thursday, Mervis went 1-for-3 with an RBI single. Mervis is on track to be the Marlins Opening Day first baseman come March 27. He will split time with Jonah Bride. "Been great," McCullough said. "I know he's really connected well with the hitting group here. He's been a performer in the minor leagues and there's a ton of hitting ability there. It's always nice when you come to a new organization and feel good about the work you're doing, then they also see some results play out in the game. It's probably a really good confidence booster for him." Notes - Xavier Edwards delivered his first RBI of the spring in the top of the second on a soft infield single. - Eric Wagaman returned to the Marlins lineup after having been under the weather the last couple of days. He had the Marlins' top exit velocity of 112.6 mph on his only base hit of the game. - Andrew Pintar, who made his second start of the spring, went 1-for-2 with an RBI single in the top of the second inning. - Agustín Ramírez, who made his first start of the spring as the designated hitter, went 0-for-2 with a walk. - Declan Cronin made his first appearance of the spring, but he was only able to record two outs. "Wasn't feeling great. Health is fine, just maybe dinner last night didn't cooperate with Declan," said McCullough postgame. - Seth Martinez was scheduled to make his organizational debut on Friday. Instead, he was designated for assignment shortly after Thursday's game to make room for waiver claim Brett de Geus. Recently DFA'd by the Pittsburgh Pirates, the 27-year-old de Geus made seven relief appearances for the Marlins last season and posted a 6.35 ERA. What's Next Sandy Alcantara will take the mound for two innings on Friday against the Atlanta Braves (1:10 pm first pitch). Grant Holmes will start for the Braves. Expect Marlins prospect Robby Snelling to follow Alcantara and toss two innings as well. View full article

Here are the main takeaways from Tuesday's eventful Marlins spring training game. JUPITER, FL—The Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals were the last two MLB teams to hit home runs this spring. They made up for lost time on Tuesday by going deep three times apiece as the Nationals won by a final score of 14-7. Matt Mervis got the party started in the bottom of the second inning against veteran right-hander Trevor Williams. With an exit velocity of 108.6 mph, it was the hardest-hit ball by any Marlins player in a spring training game thus far. That's exactly what Miami had in mind when acquiring the first baseman in an offseason trade from the Chicago Cubs. Back in 2022, Mervis was one of the top home run hitters in the minor leagues. The Marlins are buying low on him coming off a down year where he was limited to 81 Triple-A games and nine MLB games due to a broken hamate bone. Splitting time at first base and DH, he should have an opportunity to get more consistent playing time to establish himself than he previously did with the Cubs. Meanwhile, the competition continues for spots in the Marlins' Opening Day outfield. In addition to returning players Dane Myers, Derek Hill, Griffin Conine and Kyle Stowers, non-roster invitees Albert Almora Jr. and Heriberto Hernández could also be in the mix depending on how camp plays out. "I'm not even thinking about that," said Hill. "I'm just going out and playing baseball. Whatever happens, happens and leave it up to the man upstairs." Hill, who played in 32 games this past season for the Marlins, hit his first home run of the spring off of reliever Colin Poche. His ability to play center field—he started there on Tuesday—and the fact that he's out of minor league options help his case. "He's got some real power and our hitting guys have been very excited with the work they've been doing with Derek," said manager Clayton McCullough. Edward Cabrera has historically done well in spring training games, entering Tuesday with a career 1.67 ERA in 27 Grapefruit League innings. It was a different story against Washington as he allowed three earned runs off of four hits and generated only two whiffs. Even so, McCullough was pleased that Cabrera landed 15 of his 21 pitches for strikes (71.4%). The right-hander's velocity was impressive as usual, topping out at 98.3 mph. "The focus here going out is just trying to get count leverage as much as you can," McCullough said. "He did that some today. Clipped one ball hard, but I think it was nice to see him be able to get some secondary pitches in the strike zone. He got his count up there, got his work in and it was good. All in all, from what he's been doing, good first step." Joe Mack has gotten off to a great start. Fish On First's number 11 prospect reached base safely in each of his first four spring training plate appearances before grounding out to end Tuesday's contest. He has yet to whiff at a single pitch. "Has had a great, great camp," said McCullough. "Joe Mack is a talented player. Big season last year. We think a lot of him. With the opportunities he's gotten, he's like looked very comfortable, he's looked calm. Swung the bat very well and he's fit in very well, too. He feels confident, like he feels comfortable in the clubhouse." Notes - Deyvison De Los Santos, who made his first start of the spring at first base, went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. - Andrew Pintar, who the Marlins acquired in the A.J. Puk trade, hit his first home run of the spring. He's a versatile outfielder who started the first spring game of the season and entered late into the game on Tuesday. - Reliever Josh Ekness made his spring debut and struck out two in his inning of work. - Andrew Nardi (lower back inflammation) went through a recovery day after beginning to play catch on Monday. He will continue his throwing progression. Up Next The Marlins will welcome the New York Mets on Wednesday for a 1:10 pm first pitch. Max Meyer will take the mound for Miami in what will be his first start of the spring. He is expected to go only one inning, just like all other Marlins starters have so far. Cal Quantrill will make his Marlins spring debut on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals. View full article

Entering his first spring training with the club, Snelling has added another pitch to his arsenal. JUPITER, FL—Before deciding to pursue a baseball career, Robby Snelling was highly regarded as a football player and received 23 offers to play in college. As the 21-year-old left-hander prepares for his third season as a pro in a different spot, he still brings a "bulldog mentality" to the mound with him and believes that contributes to his success. "Some people say sometimes you kind of have to learn to tone it back a little bit, kind of become more of a pitcher with a little more feel and finesse on the mound," Snelling told Fish On First. "But there definitely still are some times where that side can come out. I think the mental stuff that (football) taught me playing is helping me a lot more than what I can imagine if I never played." Snelling was the main piece the Marlins received in the trade that sent Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing to the San Diego Padres, coming to Miami with fellow prospects Adam Mazur, Graham Pauley and Jay Beshears. Prior to the Scott/Hoeing trade, they also traded Luis Arraez to the Padres in exchange for Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee, Nathan Martorella and Woo-Suk Go, all names who Snelling was familiar with. "Makes it a lot easier for sure. That being my first time being traded and hopefully my only time being traded, I can't imagine how tough it would have been if it was just me and getting thrusted into an organization that I had no idea about, but being able to kind of sift through it with guys that I had prior knowledge of and prior relationships with makes it an easier battle." One pitcher that Snelling compares himself to is New York Yankees lefty Carlos Rodón. "Physical guy on the mound and he's been a pretty successful pitcher," said Snelling. Rodón's fastball averaged 95.4 miles per hour in 2024, while Snelling saw his velocity drop into the low 90s, which may have made the Padres more willing to trade him. However, in his first spring training appearance against the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie on Sunday, Snelling's fastball averaged 95.7 mph and topped out at 96.7, a velo that he never reached last season. "It's nice to be able to come in off of a fresh offseason," Snelling told Fish On First. "It was the start of a game, so you got pretty amped up, but as this offseason has been going on, my arm's been feeling pretty good. Hopefully that's velocity that I can maintain and keep going on with throughout the season." This offseason, Snelling incorporated a slider into his arsenal. He threw it once on Sunday at 86 mph, splitting the difference between his fastball velo and curveball velo. "They said that it's moving really well, matches up with my arsenal very well, plays off the fastball great," said Fish On First's number six prospect. "As long as they keep telling me that, I'm gonna keep throwing it so it can definitely get better than what it's at right now, but for just working on it and this being my first spring training throwing it, I'm pretty happy with it." Snelling's appearance against the Mets only lasted seven pitches. He retired the side in order, getting Luis Torrens to line out, Jared Young to pop out and Donovan Walton to line out. Assuming that Snelling will pitch again five days later, his next outing would be on Friday in Jupiter against the Atlanta Braves. View full article

Full media availability with Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough following his team's 2025 Grapefruit League opener. View full video

The Miami Marlins opened the spring with a 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. JUPITER, FL—Marlins baseball returned on Saturday afternoon under first-year manager Clayton McCullough. Trailing 6-0 through six innings, young prospects drove in seven runs against the Cardinals bullpen to win by a final score of 7-6, marking back-to-back years where Miami has won its Grapefruit League opener. Making the start for the Marlins was right-handed pitcher Valente Bellozo. His outing only lasted one inning, not allowing a hit and striking out two. After his fastball only averaged 89.2 miles per hour in 2024, his average fastball velocity ticked up to 92.3 miles per hour on Saturday. He topped out at 92.9 mph. "Last year when the season finished, they told me to get stronger so I can maintain the velo," Bellozo said. "That was my goal for the offseason. I think all my breaking pitches were good, I threw strikes...The only thing was the velocity. I think velocity was good today." Catcher Nick Fortes observed that Bellozo's fastball was "a little bit sharper, which showed that he was missing some barrels. Today, guys were swinging underneath, which is a good indication that he's spinning in the ball pretty well." "Was in and around the zone with everything," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough following the game. "Easy to mix and match and be able to alter speeds and get us going on the right foot." Following Bellozo was 23-year old Adam Mazur, who was one of four players acquired in the Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing trade. Mazur's biggest focus this offseason was fine-tuning his changeup and curveball. "Same [curveball] grip from last year," Mazur said. "Just getting more comfortable with it because really started using the curveball more last year, so just kind of getting a full offseason with it under my belt has been a lot of fun and has really paid off." Mazur also added a sweeper this week and threw it once on Saturday. "It's kind of funky, like the release height is higher than usual," Mazur said. "It's getting a little bit more depth, which is kind of nice because it's kind of a two-plane pitch and it's not just straight across or straight down." dnZCRzNfVlZjPV9Wd05SQVFZRFZnUUFYVnNGWHdBQUFGSlNBQU5VVlFNQUExeFVBZ0JUVlZaU0ExRUg=.mp4 Mazur debuted in the majors with the Padres in 2024, making eight starts, but struggled posting a 7.49 ERA through 33 ⅔ innings pitched. For the Minnesota native, having that experience provides some comfort. "I think to myself more and how I need to go out there and get out so it's definitely taking what I learned last year and apply it to this year and just try to get better every single day." Fish On First's number ten prospect finished the day going one inning, not allowing a hit or run. He didn't strike out or walk anyone. "Fell behind in some counts," said McCullough. "He was able to come back and pitch a clean inning. First one out of the way there, so it was good for him to have a clean 1-2-3 and I know he'll go back and say prioritizing strike one and staying ahead of people." The following pitchers also entered in relief: Anthony Veneziano, Lake Bachar, Connor Gillispie, Luarbert Arias, Zach McCambley, Christian Roa, John Rooney and Matt Pushard. Prospects were responsible for all seven Marlins runs. Brought over from minor league camp, outfielder Colby Shade drove in the first run of the spring in the bottom of the seventh inning. Non-roster invitee Heriberto Hernández hit a bases-clearing RBI double to make it a 6-4 game. Third baseman Jacob Berry grounded out to short, but still managed to drive in a run to make it a one-run game. In the bottom of the eighth inning, minor league Rule 5 selection Jack Winkler hit an RBI double to drive in the game-tying run. Fish On First number 11 prospect Joe Mack delivered the winning run. "It's credit to what's been going on here the last year-plus," said McCullough. "Acquiring and infusing talent into our system and they come over into a major league spring training game for the first time for a lot of them and just go out there and play. They looked comfortable, they looked like they were at ease and just went out there and played." The Marlins will drive about 40 minutes north on Sunday to take on the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie at 1:10 pm. Sandy Alcantara will take the mound for Miami. It will mark the first time he will pitch in an official game since September 2023. Expect a completely different group of position players from the ones who started the opener. Sunday's game will be televised on SNY. View full article

During Monday's joint press conference, Peter Bendix and Bruce Sherman were non-committal about the long-term status of their ace. JUPITER, FL—Monday marked the first full-squad workout of Miami Marlins spring training. As they have done in previous years, that meant Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and chairman & principal owner Bruce Sherman spoke to the media about the upcoming season. The status of Opening Day starter Sandy Alcantara was the final topic discussed. Alcantara, 29, is entering the fourth year of a five-year, $56M deal. He is currently making $17.3M and will make that same amount in 2026. The contract also includes a $21M club option for 2027. If healthy, it's a very team-friendly deal for an ace, but with the Marlins in the middle of a rebuild and having recently traded many other veterans, rumors have already begun to swirl that their longest-tenured player could be gone soon. "We can't really comment on what might happen in the future," said Bendix. "Sandy is here right now. Sandy looks as good as I think he's ever looked in his career. He was sitting 98 miles an hour in a side session out on the field looking like he was just playing catch." "That's unusual," added Bendix, "but really the even more unusual thing is the degree to which Sandy is that leader. He is the leader that everyone else looks to and he is helping set the tone." Sherman was then asked about whether he would to make a commitment not to trade Alcantara. "Sandy is on a contract," Sherman said. "I was the one who extended him. He's one of the better deals that we did...I'm gonna rely on the front office for all those decisions, but Sandy is our franchise right now, we get it." During the presser, both Bendix and Sherman made sure to share their excitement about potentially having Alcantara and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates face off on Opening Day (the Pirates have not formally announced Skenes as their starter yet). However, fans are left wondering how many more starts they'll get to see Alcantara make in a Marlins uniform after that. View full article

Miami Marlins chairman & principal owner Bruce Sherman and president of baseball operations Peter Bendix address the media prior to the club's first full-squad workout of spring training. View full video