Kevin Barral

Reporting early to spring training, Marlins outfield prospect Victor Mesa Jr. speaks to Fish On First about his recovery from a 2024 injury and his determination to be a big piece of the team's future. View full video

After spending a few weeks in the major leagues last season, Eric Wagaman hopes to have a larger role with his new organization. MIAMI, FL—As the MLB offseason wraps up, the Miami Marlins are one of three teams who have yet to sign a free agent to a major league deal. That doesn't mean there aren't new players in the organization. On December 20, the Miami Marlins signed infielder Eric Wagaman to a split contract—he is on the 40-man roster, but still needs to fight for an active roster spot. If Wagaman makes the big league team, he will earn a salary of $770k, which is slightly above the standard MLB minimum of $760k. If optioned to the minors, his salary will be $200k. Wagaman, 27, was selected by the New York Yankees in the 13th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. After spending six seasons with the Yankees organization, he was picked by the Los Angeles Angels in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Between Double-A and Triple-A, he slashed .274/.339/.469/.808 with 17 home runs, 60 RBI and a 129 wRC+. That led to a brief taste of the majors where he slashed .250/.270/.403/.673 with two home runs, 10 RBI and an 86 wRC+ through 18 games played. After his stint in Anaheim, Wagaman was DFA'd and signed by the Marlins in free agency. "Hopefully there is some opportunity here," said Wagaman about Miami. "That's not really my call. All I can do is go out there and perform, whether it's here or just be ready to come up here and help this team win. I am definitely looking forward to getting to know the coaching staff a little more and all the players. It should be an exciting time." Wagaman made changes to his swing this offseason in order to find more consistency at the plate. "It was kinda hard during the middle of the season," Wagaman said. "I was having success, but then the Angels definitely mentioned it, but it was something already in my head. It was nothing really major, just kind of not getting stuck and stuff." Defensively, the California native has played primarily first base in the minors, but when called up to the majors, he made all 17 of his starts at third base. He began feeling "a lot more comfortable" at the hot corner during the last two games of the season. He's also able to play the corner outfield spots if necessary. Wagaman could be valuable to the Marlins because of his ability to hit left-handed pitching well. In the minor leagues, he had a 1.036 OPS in 114 plate appearances. In a much smaller sample with the big league club, he only had 18 plate appearances, posting a .222 OPS. Aside from the Chicago White Sox, the Marlins were MLB's worst offense in 2024 against lefties. Wagaman's fit on the Marlins Opening Day roster will depend on how well he hits this spring and how much the club believes in his defensive versatility. The first full-squad workout is set to take place on February 17. View full article

During Marlins FanFest, the team unveiled the four members of their inaugural 2025 Hall of Fame class: Jeff Conine, Luis Castillo, Jim Leyland and Jack McKeon. Who should go in next year? View full video

Full 2025 Miami Marlins Media Day interview with starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara entering spring training. View full video

Full 2025 Miami Marlins Media Day interview with new manager Clayton McCullough entering spring training. View full video

Full 2025 Miami Marlins Media Day interview with infielder Connor Norby entering spring training. View full video

The young Miami Marlins starting pitcher provided an update on his rehab entering 2025 spring training. MIAMI, FL—The Miami Marlins entered last year hoping that right-handed pitcher Eury Pérez could lead their starting rotation. In 2025, the best-case scenario is half a season of work as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. Coming off an impressive rookie season, Pérez was slowed down last spring training by a fingernail issue, then experienced right elbow inflammation after his start on March 13, 2024. He underwent surgery the following month. Close to a year later, Pérez addressed the media in Spanish and updated his progress. He is at 75% and has thrown seven bullpen sessions since the surgery. He's using all of his pitches in these bullpens (fastball, slider, curveball and changeup). The Marlins have told Pérez he could potentially return following the All-Star break—their first game back from the break is July 18. Pérez was regarded as a consensus Top 100 MLB prospect when he debuted and the best prospect in the Marlins organization. He lived up to the hype as a 20-year-old, posting a 3.15 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 10.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 through 91 ⅓ innings pitched. Including the minor leagues, he threw 128 innings, the most of his professional career. "It was a bit hard," said Pérez regarding his injury setback. "I was a bit disappointed, especially knowing that Sandy (Alcantara) was going to be out for the season and I hoped to help the team a little bit more. It was a little bit tough for me, but I tried to keep my head up and try to get back to full strength and work hard." The rehab process has been grueling for Pérez, but also valuable. It has taught him to "have a bit more patience, control the emotions, to regain my strength and know when I feel good and when I don't, and know more about my physique." Alcantara is a fellow Tommy John survivor who's on the verge of returning from October 2023 surgery. Pérez has been able to rely on the Marlins ace for advice. "He helped me a lot," said Pérez. "The fact that he had been first wasn't good, but he helped me now that he knew what was good and what was bad. He helped me throughout this whole process. I would communicate to him how I was feeling and how this process was going and he let me know with what he could help me." Although not ready to appear in Grapefruit League games this spring, Pérez will be at big league camp in Jupiter, Florida. View full article

The Marlins ace addressed the media at loanDepot park on Friday about the status of his Tommy John surgery rehab and the changes that the Marlins organization has made over the last year. MIAMI, FL—On Friday, the Miami Marlins held their annual Media Day with some players taking questions for the first time since the 2024 season ended, including starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara. More than 16 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Alcantara believes that he's back to "normal" and ready to lead the Marlins rotation again. Alcantara had a phenomenal 2022 season, earning the National League Cy Young Award in unanimous fashion. Despite the Marlins having much more team success in 2023, things were more frustrating for him personally. Alcantara's ERA nearly doubled, from 2.28 to 4.14, and he suffered an elbow injury in September. He attempted to return before the end of the season, but continued to feel discomfort following a rehab appearance. He underwent surgery in October 2023. There were no major setbacks for Alcantara during the past year. He threw many bullpen sessions over the summer and built up enough to throw live batting practice on September 17. Ultimately, the team didn't feel it was worth the risk to rush him back into game action. "It was very bad," Alcantara said in regard to not being able to pitch. "Being able to watch the games, I was not able to compete and I felt so bad, but right now I just gotta have a positive mindset." Alcantara said his 2024-25 offseason routine was the "same as when I was a normal person," which included training at FIU. "Nonstop, working every day and trying to get better." He confirmed to the media that he will have a normal spring progression. Although the plan is to have the Marlins ace take the mound every fifth day, Alcantara noted that for about the first two months of the season, his innings will be monitored. "After that, I think they have to let me compete. I think the work that I have been doing, my preparation—I know I'm coming back from surgery, but that doesn't matter to me. I just gotta give my 100% effort every time." Alcantara used to take pride in carrying a heavy workload and still does. In his Cy Young season, he led the majors with 228 ⅔ innings pitched. He would have been on his way to surpassing 200 innings again in 2023 if not for the injury. Entering his eighth year with the organization, the 29-year-old has seen it all. He's been part of two playoff berths and will be playing for his third different manager in 2025. The Marlins acquired him at the start of a rebuild and they're back in a rebuild again, projected to finish last in the NL East. "Nothing to say about it," responded Alcantara. Hired by the Marlins in November, Clayton McCullough has brought in a completely new coaching staff. "We've had great conversations and we're trying to have a great relationship before this season starts and I think we are on the same page," said Alcantara. Daniel Moskos is Miami's pitching coach now, replacing Mel Stottlemyre Jr. Pitchers and catchers are set to report to Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Florida on Wednesday and Alcantara is expected to throw a bullpen that day. View full article

Full 2025 Miami Marlins Media Day interview (in English and Spanish) with infielder Otto Lopez entering spring training. View full video

Full 2025 Miami Marlins Media Day interview with left-hander Ryan Weathers entering spring training. View full video

Another season of Marlins baseball officially begins this Saturday with this free event at loanDepot park. The Miami Marlins are set to hold their annual FanFest on Saturday, February 8 from 4:00-8:00 pm. We take fans through some tips on what they should do (and shouldn’t do) this year. In 2024, FanFest took place on a Friday farther in advance of spring training, but the event is back to its traditional schedule this year. Although traffic shouldn't be as bad on a Saturday, it is still recommended to arrive on time to make sure you can be there for the full experience. You can claim tickets for free here (up to six free tickets available per person). Tickets will be delivered to your Ballpark app account, so make sure you can see them there. A personal suggestion for my fellow iPhone users would be to add them to your wallet to ensure that you can quickly scan your ticket and go inside to keep the line moving as fast as possible. Parking is complimentary for this event, so you will be able to park for in any of the four garages at no additional cost. Who Will Be There? The expectation is that most of the Marlins 40-man roster will attend FanFest, headlined by Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez. It will be the first Marlins event involving offseason acquisitions like Liam Hicks, Matt Mervis and Eric Wagaman and the FanFest debut for new manager Clayton McCullough as well as many young players who the club added during the 2024 season, including Connor Norby, Otto Lopez, Agustín Ramírez and Jared Serna. Player Interaction Just like in recent years, players will be scattered throughout the entirety of the ballpark, including outside in the West Plaza for photo opportunities. The Marlins announced that player selfies will take place in Sections 1, 32 and 205. For a second straight year, fans will NOT be able to get autographs from players unless they are Marlins Members. For non-members, keep in mind that if you attend spring training in Jupiter, players may be willing to sign for free if approached politely before or after games. For more information on Marlins spring training, Fish On First has a guide for that here. Main Stage Events Clubhouse Convos (4:30 pm & 5:30 pm)—This seems to be a new name for the player group interviews that take place every year. Special Alumni Announcement (6:25 pm)—The Marlins have a tradition of making announcements at FanFest. In 2023, it was that they were bringing back the old teal jerseys and wearing them for every "Flashback Friday" home game. In 2024, it was adding their blue spring training uniforms to the regular season rotation and editing their black jerseys. One educated guess about the 2025 announcement is that the Marlins could be retiring the number of a former player, which they've never done before. Jeff Conine's number 19 would make a lot of sense. 2025 Promos and City Connect Announcement (7:00 pm)—The Marlins are required to change their popular red "Sugar Kings" jerseys due to Major League Baseball's contract with Nike. Details about their new City Connects will be unveiled at FanFest. Along with that, we'll get specifics on the schedule for various promotions and ballpark giveaways for the upcoming season. Activities for Fans Along with player interaction, there is more than enough for fans to do at FanFest. Similar to last year, there will be the arcade trailer on the West Plaza, pitching in the bullpen, taking batting practice, taking pictures with the 1997 and 2003 trophies and the virtual home run derby. Although it isn't as flashy as it once was, the Marlins museum will be open to anyone who wishes to be there. Also, you'll find new mascots Bobby, Charlie and Pepito, who compete in the Marlins Rooster Race. They will be racing in 2025 at every Marlins home game. With the event taking place in the late afternoon, expect the roof to be open and at the end of FanFest, there will be a fireworks show at 8:00 pm, which the Marlins have done well in the past. Drinks Although this event is meant more for kids, the Marlins always find a way to include everyone, no matter how old you are. Like last season, fans 21 and older can get an early taste of one of the Marlins biggest promotions in Beerfest, which will take place from 5:00-7:00 p.m. For $25, you can taste 20 domestic, international and local craft brews. Marlins Youth Academy FanFest Clinics A new addition to FanFest will be the youth clinics. Kids from ages 5-13 will be able to play on the field with current players on the Miami Marlins. The available time slots for this are 5:00 pm, 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm. These are one-hour clinics which will have certain stations to do a little bit of everything. Fill Out the Waiver! To ensure that you can participate in all events on Friday, make sure to fill out this waiver in advance. If you are under 18 years old, a parent will have to fill it out for you. Fish On First Special Contest Last year, Isaac Azout and I went around asking contestants to identify the faces of certain players on the Marlins. In exchange we gave the winners tickets to the Caribbean Series, which was being held in Miami. This time around, Isaac and I are coming with tougher faces to identify on a Marlins team that will be completely new. We haven't decided on a prize yet, but I'm sure it'll be worth it if you can identify four players on the Marlins 40-man roster. View full article

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #68 With Miami Marlins spring training fast approaching next week, Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout provide an overview of the 2025 non-roster invitees, then open up the Unfiltered mailbag to talk position battles, potential breakout prospects, trade deadline scenarios, fan support and more. Thank you to Allie, K, Marcel J. Sparks, Parish, Sportsman, Vicent, Vik and Zach (and many others who we didn't have time to get to) for their mailbag submissions. Find Fish Unfiltered on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes The Offishial Show, Swimming Upstream, Big Fish Small Pod and more. Isaac predicts that the Marlins Opening Day lineup will be: SS Xavier Edwards, 3B Connor Norby, LF Jesús Sánchez, DH Jonah Bride, 1B Matt Mervis, CF Dane Myers, RF Kyle Stowers or Griffin Conine, 2B Otto Lopez and C Nick Fortes. Kevin has the same prediction except with Conine in LF and Sánchez in RF. Their breakout prospect picks for the 2025 season are Jared Serna (Isaac) and Graham Pauley (Kevin). Follow Kevin (@kevin_barral), Isaac (@IsaacAzout) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View full article