Kevin Barral

Final score: NCA 2, PUR 5 Nicaragua held a lead through most of the game, but couldn't complete the upset. MIAMI, FL—The first game of the 2024 Caribbean Series got going at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday and featured Puerto Rico and Nicaragua. Although Puerto Rico had the flashier names in this tournament and the overall better team, Nicaragua put up a fight. The underdogs took an early 1-0 lead and it was a close contest, which would end up going in favor of Yadier Molina’s ballclub, 5-2. Nicaragua vs. Puerto Rico box score and play-by-play After not winning a single game in the World Baseball Classic, expectations for this Nicaraguan team were low. Still, in the top of the second inning, Raudy Read led off the inning with a 102.0 mph double and was later driven in by catcher Cheslor Cuthbert to make it an early 1-0 lead for Nicaragua. Although Puerto Rico starter Eduardo Rivera gave up four hits, he made hitters work with 24 swings and nine whiffs. Rivera was sitting around 90.7 and ended the morning slate going 3 ⅓ innings, five strikeouts, two walks, and gave up one run off of four hits. He was then replaced by Christian Torres. Although Puerto Rico had its moments throughout the game, especially in the bottom of the fourth inning, Nicaragua’s starter Luis Ramirez provided length. He went 4 ⅓ innings and allowed only one run on three hits. Ramirez struck out three hitters and walked three. It wasn’t Luis Ramirez who gave up the lead though. It was reliever Carlos Teller who gave up an RBI triple to shortstop Jack Lopez who drove in San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos to give Puerto Rico a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth. That run was credited to reliever Jesús Linarez, who left the game with Ramos on base. After Bryan Torres got on base with a single, Vimael Machin smacked an RBI single to drive in Bryan Torres and make it a 3-1 Puerto Rico lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. For Nicaragua, they just weren’t able to get anything going through a Puerto Rico bullpen which was regarded as one of the best in the tournament. The bottom of the eighth inning ended up being the dagger in this game as Heliot Ramos drove in the fourth run on an RBI double and Jack Lopez drove in the fifth run on a sacrifice fly. Each of Nicaragua's pitchers ended up giving up a single run each. Nicaragua brought the potential tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth, but couldn't pull any closer. The next time Nicaragua will be back on the field is on Friday as they go up against the Dominican Republic at 3:30 p.m. As for Puerto Rico, they take on México in the 8:30 p.m. slate on Friday as well. Watch every Caribbean Series game in English on Bally Sports Florida/Bally Sports Sun or in Spanish on ESPN+/ESPN Deportes. View full article

We're taking team-by-team looks at each Caribbean Series participant, how they stack up against the rest of the competition and what connections they have to the Marlins. Reigning Caribbean Series champion Dominican Republic is arguably the favorite to win the tournament again. Tigres del Licey defeated Estrellas Orientales in seven games to win the 2023-24 LIDOM title and their roster also includes players from the Dominican Winter League's other teams. Overall, Licey has 11 Caribbean Series titles (1971, 1973, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2023). That being said, we all saw what happened to D.R. in the World Baseball Classic, where they didn't escape the pool play round. Anything can happen when the sample size is so small. Dominican Republic's Roster Marlins Connections With Vidal Bruján unable to participate, the biggest Marlins connection to D.R.'s team is the MVP of the LIDOM Round Robin, Emilio Bonifacio. From 2009-2012, Bonifacio was with the Fish and ended his career slashing .271/.332/.345/.677 with seven home runs, 84 RBIs and a 83 OPS+. He is one of two former players in the Caribbean Series to have played with the Florida Marlins. Bonifacio has been playing in the Dominican Winter League since 2006, but continued to get better as he went along in his LIDOM career. Now 38 years old, Bonifacio stole 14 bases during the LIDOM regular season and eight more in their Round Robin. The former Marlin not only brings experience through his many years in LIDOM, but through his time playing in the Caribbean Series itself, slashing .342/.438/.487/.925 with one home run and eight RBIs. His primary position is center field. Notable Players Pitchers Brooks Hall, Jorge Martinez, Andy Otero, Raul Valdes and Cesar Valdez are listed as the starters for the Dominican Republic . Although Hall has struggled for the Tigres del Licey this season, he has only seen a limited amount of action, which is 5 ⅔ innings. Hall should be a fresh arm for the team and provide length. Despite zero Major League experience, Jorge Martinez is proving to have his best winter ball season posting a 2.45 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 18 strikeouts and eight walks in 25 ⅔ innings pitched. Martinez does have some Minor League experience, but has not been with any MLB affiliate since 2019. Andy Otero provides recent Minor League experience, throwing in the 2022 season, but in 2023, he was a part of team Panama in the World Baseball Classic, so he has experience not only pitching in loanDepot park, but pitching in loud environments. With the Estrellas this season, Otero had a 2.61 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 17 strikeouts and 15 walks in 31 innings of action. Raul Valdes proves to be the starter with the most amount of MLB experience, pitching from 2010-2014. His stops at the Major League level were with the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros. He has made 12 career Caribbean Series starts, posting a 3.67 ERA in 68 ⅔ innings pitched. Valdes is the oldest player in the tournament (age 46). Along with Valdes, Cesar Valdez is the starter with most recent Major League action, having pitched in 2022 with the Los Angeles Angels. With the Tigres this year, Valdez has a 3.46 ERA in 52 innings pitched. He also saw action in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, so he is no stranger to this atmosphere. Out of the bullpen, Fernando Abad has been lights out in his 11 appearances, posting a 0.82 ERA in 11 innings pitched. He most recently pitched with the Colorado Rockies in the 2023 season, but has been in the majors since 2010, where he began his career with the Houston Astros. J.C. Mejía has been with Licey since 2020. As he has been doing since arriving onto the scene in LIDOM, Mejía had a productive winter ball season, posting a 2.76 ERA in 16 ⅓ innings pitched. Just like most of the bullpen, Mejía has Major League experience. Joining the Dominican Republic's bullpen is Pedro Payano who posted a 0.53 ERA in 17 innings pitched. He should be a high-leverage guy out of the bullpen. This will be Payano's first Caribbean Series. Position Players Although Robinson Cano is in the twilight of his baseball career, he brings veteran leadership to a fairly young team in some aspects, but when you need him in a big moment, he will step up. His career slash line at loanDepot park is .254/.266/.524/.789 with four home runs and eight RBIs. One of the best overall players in the Dominican Winter League is former Chicago Cubs outfielder and a name that Marlins fans remember very well is Junior Lake. Most notably known for shushing the Marlins dugout when he hit a home run off of Dan Harren, which led to a benches clearing, but in winter ball, Lake has been dominant. In 2023, Lake has slashed .237/.340/.339/.679 with four home runs and 20 RBIs. Despite his many years in winter ball, this will mark Lake's first Caribbean Series. Now, despite a down season in 2023, for his career, Lake has slashed .262/.362/.379/.741 with 42 home runs and 220 RBIs. Expect to see Lake move around the outfield. One of the best overall hitters on this Dominican Republic roster is former Chicago White Sox utility man Leury García. This season for the Gigantes del Cibao, he slashed .340/.406/.436/.842 with 12 RBIs. He should move around the infield along with providing depth in the outfield. Always good versatility to have on your team. The only Cuban native on the Dominican Republic roster will be outfielder and former Washington National Yadiel Hernandez. Through his three seasons with the Nationals (2020-22), Hernández slashed .267/.315/.412/.727 with 19 home runs and 79 RBIs. With Águilas Cibaeñas this season, he slashed .302/.407/.343/.750 with 20 RBIs. He should slot in as a right fielder or designated hitter for the Dominican Republic. Other current/former Major Leaguers on the position player side include Sergio Alcantara, Kelvin Gutiérrez, Dawel Lugo and Luis Barrera. Serie del Caribe Schedule February 1 vs. Venezuela, 8:30 p.m. February 2 at Nicaragua, 3:30 p.m. February 3 at Puerto Rico, 8:30 p.m. February 4 vs. México, 8:30 p.m. February 6 vs. Curacao, 3:30 p.m. February 7 at Panamá View full article

We're taking team-by-team looks at each Serie del Caribe participant, how they stack up against the rest of the competition and what connections they have to the Marlins. Don't sleep on "Team Rubio." Puerto Rico will be represented at the Caribbean Series by winter league team Criollos de Caguas, managed by former St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. This is Molina's second stint as a manager, with his first coming in the World Baseball Classic. This team obviously doesn't have as much Major League star power as the WBC team, but there is still plenty of depth and experience. Puerto Rico's Roster Former Marlins The only Marlins connection on the staff is pitcher Alex Sanabia who was in the organization from 2009-2014 and on the Major League team for three seasons. In his Marlins tenure, Sanabia posted a 4.15 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 5.6 K/9 and a 2.9 BB/9 in 138 ⅔ innings pitched. Following his Major League career, Sanabia bounced around the minor leagues and eventually just stuck playing winter ball. Sanabia has thrown in the Caribbean Series before. In two games, he had a 3.60 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and threw in 10 innings. Notable Players Pitchers Alex Claudio may be the Puerto Rican player with the overall best Major League career, pitching in now 10 years with four different teams. Thus far, Claudio has posted a 3.59 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 6.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 348 innings pitched. This isn't his first rodeo in the Caribbean Series, as he has three gams of action under his belt with a 3.38 ERA, 0.75 FIP, one strikeout and zero walks in 2 ⅔ innings. Since the 2019 MLB season, Claudio hasn't seen much action on the field, only throwing a total of 55 ⅓ innings between four years, including the shortened 2020 season. Despite his lack of action at the. big league level, Claudio has dominated at the winter ball league, as he had a 1.64 ERA in 11.0 innings pitched and 12 games. He should be coming out of the pen in high leverage situation for Puerto Rico. Cuban Bryan Garcia just recently threw in front of scouts to see if he can land back on his feet. Prior to Garcia looking for a new team, he pitched in for four season with the Detroit Tigers where he had a 5.52 ERA, 5.60 FIP, 7.0 K/9 and a 5.1 BB/9 in 88 innings pitched. In his recent showcase, in which the Marlins were present along to watch Yoan Lopez and Vladimir Gutierrez, Garcia was hitting 96 mph on the fastball. Despite his overall struggles at the Major League level, Garcia has been unhittable in the Winter Leagues this season. Currently with a 0.00 ERA, 0.56 WHIP, 10 strikeouts and one walk in nine innings of action (eight appearances). Garcia will certainly be someone that Molina will rely on along with Claudio to have one of the better one-two punches out of the bullpen in the tournament. On the pitching side, the only other player with big league experience is Daryl Thompson who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 2008 and 2011. He posted a 8.31 ERA in 17 ⅓ innings pitched between both years. Thompson has gone to spend most of his time in winter ball where this year, he has put up a 2.09 in 47 ⅓ innings pitched. He will provide Puerto Rico with a good amount of innings as an opener. Position Players On the position player side, there is more overall experience at the Major League level, but also just in winter ball. This offense is highlighted by outfielder Nelson Velazquez, who Marlins fans may remember given he hit a home run off of Jesús Luzardo this past season. Thus far in the Puerto Rican winter league, Velazquez is slashing .280/.337/.451/.788 with three home runs and 12 RBIs. The .788 OPS mark is the highest on the team. Along with Velazquez, Bryan Torres, who hasn't played at any level of MLB baseball is slashing .299/.415/.350/.765 with 13 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. He is certainly making the case to sign a minor league deal with a team, especially if he has a strong showing in the tournament. Dwight Smith Jr. spent four years in the Major Leagues, two with the Toronto Blue Jays and two in Baltimore Orioles, but was never able to fins consistent success. In his second year playing winter ball, Smith Jr. is slashing .269/.342/.407/.749 with two home runs, 10 RBIs and four stolen bases. He should be the teams left fielder on Thursday. National League champion Emmanuel Rivera finds himself playing for team Puerto Rico in this Caribbean Series. During the 2023 MLB season, Rivera slashed .261/.314/.358/672 with four home runs and 29 RBIs. Rivera was mainly a platoon option at third base and just an overall filler, but it ended up playing a big role in the Diamondbacks run. In the 2023-24 season in Puerto Rico, Rivera is slashing .259/.352/.353/.705 with two home runs and 13 RBIs. Rivera should be the teams third baseman. Vimael Machin has certainly been able to get it going offensively this winter ball. Machin has played for three years in the Major Leagues, but did not see any action in 2023, only at the Oakland Athletics AAA level. In the Puerto Rican winter ball league, Machin slashed .288/.369/.365/.734 with two home runs and 21 RBIs. Certainly a positive development for Machin as he gets closer to Spring Training. The final notable player is San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos. Once among the best-regarded prospects in the Giants system, Ramos has struggled at the MLB level thus far slashing .158/.220/.250/.470 in a total of 34 games played. It is still too early to tell if Ramos will turn into the player that they thought they were getting when bringing him into the organization. He slashed .224/.337/.368/.705 with six RBIs in 22 winter ball games. He should be their starting center fielder in Miami. This is a Puerto Rico team that will be hit or miss. The pitching is certainly there with a lot of depth, but this is an offense that has weaknesses. It'll be interesting to see how far the Puerto Rican pitching can take them in this tournament. Serie del Caribe Schedule February 1 vs. Nicaragua, 10:30 a.m. February 2 at México, 8:30 p.m. February 3 vs. Dominican Republic, 8:30 p.m. February 4 at Venezuela, 3:30 p.m. February 5 at Panamá, 8:30 p.m. February 7 vs. Curacao, 10:30 a.m. View full article

We're taking team-by-team looks at each Serie del Caribe participant, how they stack up against the rest of the competition and what connections they have to the Marlins. With loanDepot park hosting the Caribbean Series beginning this Thursday, Fish On First will be introducing you to all seven participating teams. Next up: Curacao. Although Curacao may not be the favorite to win the tournament, they certainly have a lot of big league ammo on the roster. That experience could take them a long way. They may be my personal darkhorse of this tournament given the chemistry that they have together. These players won't forget what happened when their Netherlands team was bounced early from the World Baseball Classic last year, so they will use that disappointment as motivation here. Curacao's Roster Marlins Connections The only Marlins connection that lies in Curacao is former minor league pitcher Cody Mincey. Signed by the Marlins in 2021, Mincey made it up to AAA before he was eventually released. Mincey hasn't pitched in winter ball games this season, but last year, he also represented Curacao in the Caribbean Series (3.46 ERA in 13.0 IP). Other Notable Names The last time Didi Gregorius was playing Major League Baseball, he was with the Philadelphia Phillies and was released and then signed with the Seattle Mariners on a minor league deal, but was never added to their big league roster. The last time Gregorius had a wRC+ over 100 in a full season, it was with the 2018 New York Yankees where he slashed .268/.335/.494/.829 with 27 home runs, 86 RBIs and a 122 wRC+. Gregorius did play in the most recent World Baseball Classic with Netherlands where he slashed .250/.438/.250/.688 with three RBIs and four walks. He would only play four games as they failed to advance out of their pool. Gregorius likely slots as the team's second baseman or designated hitter, depending where other players will go. He brings 28 games of experience at loanDepot park where he has slashed .290/.356/.409/.764 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. Jurickson Profar has been able to stay at the big league level for parts of 10 seasons, but struggled in 2023 with the Colorado Rockies to the point where he was released midway through the season. As a Rockie, Profar slashed .236/.316/.364/.680 with eight home runs, 39 RBIs and a 76 wRC+. Profar went back to San Diego and in 14 games, he slashed .295/.367/.409/.776 with one home run, four RBIs and a 120 wRC+. Profar did see action in all games of the 2023 World Baseball Classic where he went 3-for-13 and had one home run and one RBI. He should be in left field for the Curacao Suns. Profar's brother, Juremi, should slot in as the team's first baseman or third baseman. Sharlon Schoop, brother of Jonathan Schoop, will be participating in the Caribbean Series. Schoop slashed .417/.517/.417/.934 with two RBIs and five walks during last year's Caribbean Series (seven games played). In seven minor league seasons, Schoop slashed .237/.300/.332/.632 with 40 home runs and 287 RBIs. Schoop was on the Netherlands roster in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, but he went 0-for-2 in the two games he played. Schoop should be used in the infield. Recently retired from MLB, Andrelton Simmons plans to have one last go at it with his home country as he will likely be the starting shortstop. Simmons only baseball played in 2023 was in the World Baseball Classic where he slashed .182/.182/.182/.364 in 11 at-bats and four games played. The starting catcher seems to be Hendrik Clementina who has found success with the Cardenales De Lara this season, slashing .283/.333/.478/.811 with two home runs and eight RBIs in 14 games played. This past season, Clementina was in the Atlanta Braves organization at the AA and AAA level. Between both levels, he slashed .255/.321/.367/.689 with one home run and 14 RBIs. On the pitching side of things, Wendall Floranus pitched in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Netherlands where in two games, he posted a 0.00 ERA and struck out one. In his last taste of winter ball action, Floranus threw in 11 games where he posted a 2.38 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, nine strikeouts and 12 walks in 11 ⅓ innings pitched. Another pitcher that was with the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic is Kevin Kelly, who in three games posted a 4.15 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, three strikeouts and two walks. Shairon Martis was on the Washington Nationals in 2008-09 and then the Minnesota Twins in 2013. Through his three years, he posted a 5.35 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, seven strikeouts and four walks in 116 innings pitched. Martis has been in the past four World Baseball Classics, all with the Netherland where in total, he had a 1.80 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 11 strikeouts and eight walks in 25 innings pitched. Other pitchers who were on the WBC team for the Netherlands or have had Major League experience include Eric Mendez (WBC), Shea Spitzbarth (MLB), Juan Carlos Sulbaran (WBC) and Franklin Van Gurp (WBC). The only other pitcher that stands out is Jonah Scolaro, who is in the Chicago White Sox organization and is coming off of a season where he posted a 4.80 ERA, 1.399 WHIP and 69 ⅓ innings pitched. He found more success at AA where he had a 3.72 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 10.67 K/9 and a 5.17 BB/9 in 55 ⅔ innings pitched. He also went to Florida State. Serie del Caribe Schedule February 1 at México, 3:30 p.m. February 2 vs. Panamá, 10:30 a.m. February 3 vs. Venezuela, 10:30 a.m. February 5 vs. Nicaragua, 10:30 a.m. February 6 at Dominican Republic, 3:30 p.m. February 7 at Puerto Rico, 10:30 a.m. View full article

We're taking team-by-team looks at each Serie del Caribe participant, how they stack up against the rest of the competition and what connections they have to the Marlins. With loanDepot park hosting the Caribbean Series beginning this Thursday, Fish On First will be introducing you to all seven participating teams. First up: México (Naranjeros de Hermosillo). México's Roster Marlins Connections Pitcher Odrisamer Despaigne was with the Marlins from 2016-2018. In those two-and-a-half seasons, Despaigne posted a 4.52 ERA, 3.95 FIP, 5.4 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and threw 81 ⅔ innings. His tenure came to a close in the midst of the 2018 season when he was dealt to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for cash considerations. The veteran right-hander posted excellent numbers in the winter ball regular season with Yaquis de Obregon, including a 2.98 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 68 strikeouts and 26 walks in 87 ⅔ innings pitched. He added 24 more innings in the Mexican Pacific League playoffs. Despaigne was selected to join the Naranjeros de Hermosillo when his original team was eliminated (a common practice for other winter leagues as well). The last time Jeff Kinley was with the Marlins, the organization's AAA affiliate was the New Orleans Baby Cakes. In his five seasons in the Marlins farm system, Kinley had a 3.67 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 in 250 innings pitched. He was released in 2019 and still has not reached the big leagues. This year, with the Algodoneros de Guasave, Kinley posted a 2.47 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 43 strikeouts and 19 walks in 58 ⅓ innings pitched. Reliever Taylor Williams made six late-season appearances with the 2021 Marlins and posted a 7.11 ERA. Williams was claimed from the San Diego Padres, but the Marlins later DFA'd Williams and he ended up electing free agency at the end of that season. This is Williams' first-ever winter ball experience. He only made four appearances during the 2023-24 regular season, but had an expanded role for Hermosillo in the playoffs (2.89 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 in 9.1 IP). Catcher Julián León has slashed .176/.348/.314/.662 in 24 games this winter, starting only once in the month of January. He was in the Marlins organization during the 2020 season. Unfortunately, the minor league season was cancelled due to COVID, so the only action he saw was at the alternate training site. The final player with Marlins ties is pitcher Elkin Alcala. The Colombian right-hander signed with the Marlins in 2015 as a minor league free agent and got all the way up to the Low-A level before being released in 2019. In 73 games in the minor leagues, Alcala posted a 3.40 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 94 strikeouts and 27 walks in 137 ⅔ innings pitched. Alcala dominated this season with a 1.71 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 25 strikeouts and seven walks in 31 ⅔ innings pitched. He led all winter ball pitchers with 20 saves. He has previous Serie del Caribe experience representing his native Colombia two years ago. Other Notable Names Coming off a breakout season with the Tampa Bay Rays, Isaac Paredes has brought that success to winter ball, slashing .355/.494/.613/1.107 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. Paredes is easily the best player on the Naranjeros roster. Paredes is having a bounce-back year compared to his struggles last year in winter ball. In 2022-23, Paredes slashed .125/.297/.238/.535 with two home runs and seven RBIs. Along with Paredes, at first base, Bobby Bradley slashed .281/.331/.388/.719 with three home runs and 19 RBIs. This was all with the Sultanes de Monterrey before making his way to the Naranjeros where between both teams, he slashed .260/.319/.385/.704 with four home runs and 23 RBIs. Bradley does have MLB experience as he spent three years with the Cleveland Guardians (2019, 2021 and 2022), where he played a total of 97 games and slashed .199/.278/.414/.692 with 17 home runs and 45 RBIs. Born in Hermosillo, Irving López saw action last season for the St. Louis Cardinals, but it was only in a five-game sample size. He mainly spent the year at the AA and AAA levels where he slashed .260/.368/.420/.789 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs. López is not only a current big leaguer, but also a former FIU Panther. This winter ball season with the Naranjeros, Lopez is slashing .222/.311/.314/.625 with two home runs and 26 RBIs. He should slot as the team's second baseman in this tournament. Serie del Caribe Schedule February 1 vs. Curacao, 3:30 p.m. February 2 vs. Puerto Rico, 8:30 p.m. February 3 at Panamá, 3:30 p.m. February 4 at Dominican Republic, 8:30 p.m. February 5 vs. Venezuela, 3:30 p.m. February 6 at Nicaragua, 10:30 a.m. View full article

Several returning Marlins players will move into expanded roles this year, including A.J. Puk. A full-time reliever during his previous MLB seasons, Puk describes starting as "something I've always wanted to do." The 2024 season will certainly be an interesting one for Miami Marlins pitcher A.J. Puk. In 2023—Puk's first year in Miami—he posted a 3.97 ERA, 3.59 FIP, 12.39 K/9, 2.06 BB/9 and threw 56 ⅔ innings. After getting off to a great start in the first half, he began to struggle and eventually lost the closer's job. The 28-year-old is still proud of what the Marlins accomplished collectively, qualifying for the postseason in a full-length season for the first time since 2003. "We had a nice little playoff push last year," said Puk. "That's kinda what we are expecting to do again. Once you get that taste of the playoffs, you just wanna be back." Confirming what Fish On First's Isaac Azout reported in December, Puk says, "they're giving me an opportunity to start again. That's something I've always wanted to do and it's going to be fun to go out there and compete and battle for a job and I am looking forward to it." All 142 of Puk's career appearances in the majors have come out of the bullpen. Only one of those (Apr. 5, 2021) involved going multiple times through a lineup and he suffered a biceps strain during that outing. His largest single-season workload was 125 innings, but that was way back in 2017. With Sandy Alcantara down for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Marlins must figure out how to replace close to 200 innings and 200 strikeouts as well. That replacement is unlikely to come from a single pitcher. Instead, maybe Puk and several other depth arms can combine to produce similar results. "The offseason has been great for me personally," said Puk. "I know all the guys have been working hard and we're really excited to get going." Puk also expressed how excited he is to have someone like Peter Bendix leading the front office moving forward. "It's great," said Puk. "You see what they do with the Rays. Very analytical and that's going to help on the pitching side. Just to be able to know what your strengths are, I think it's going to help out a lot." Just this week, Bendix hired Brandon Mann as the Marlins' new pitcher strategist. Puk has actually crossed paths with Mann: in 2017, they were minor league teammates in AA with the Athletics. "Excited to get back with him and work with him," said Puk. View full article

After a rough 2023 season, Miami Marlins catcher Nick Fortes believes that he is in a good state offensively after making some adjustments. On Thursday, the Marlins held their annual media day at loanDepot park. A rotation of players were made available to the media with catcher Nick Fortes speaking in the most detail. “Just been working every day with everything,” said Fortes. “It’s just like a normal offseason. We just try to fine tune all aspects of the game. It’s been good. I think really productive." In 2023, Fortes slashed .204/.263/.299/.562 with six home runs, 26 RBIs and a 53 wRC+. Despite the struggles on offense, Fortes had a strong defensive season, primarily in the blocking department, where he ranked in the 97th percentile in blocks above average, according to Baseball Savant. Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2021 24 MIA NL 14 34 31 6 9 0 0 4 7 1 0 3 8 .290 .353 .677 1.030 170 21 1 0 0 0 0 /2HD 2022 25 MIA NL 72 240 217 41 50 6 1 9 24 5 3 18 45 .230 .304 .392 .696 95 85 5 5 0 0 0 2DH/3 2023 26 MIA NL 108 323 294 33 60 10 0 6 26 4 2 17 59 .204 .263 .299 .562 52 88 12 7 3 2 0 2H/D “The guys that I caught—which I take a lot of pride in—they all had career years," said Fortes. "That’s my main focus: making sure that they’re taken care of and doing well.” With that being said, inconsistency with the bat held Fortes back from establishing himself as the team's lead catcher. There were multiple stretches throughout the season where Fortes did look like an offensive threat, but he couldn't sustain it. Fortes continued to split time with Jacob Stallings despite being the more talented player at this stage of his career. The 27-year-old catcher is now entering what should be his prime years and the Marlins are counting on him to take advantage of the opportunity. Fortes says he's been focused on "finding something that works for me and not changing it so much during the season." After admittedly "tinkering" with his stance and approach throughout 2023, "I think I am in a really good spot right now.” The Marlins have a new hitting coach, promoting John Mabry from within (he had previously been assistant hitting coach to Brant Brown). Fortes and Mabry have been in contact throughout the offseason with Fortes sending Mabry videos of him hitting two to three times a week. One of the few major transactions that the Marlins have made since last season ended was trading for catcher Christian Bethancourt. When the Marlins visited the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023, Bethancourt put on a defensive clinic, throwing out multiple runners and limiting runners on base, something the Fortes/Stallings tandem struggled to do. “He comes from an organization to where they are very analytical,” said Fortes about Bethancourt. “I am very curious to hear his take on what they did over there, maybe stuff that we can bring over here to help, but he’s been around for a long time, he’s a great defender, he’s got a cannon of an arm. Anything that I can learn from him will always be knowledge worth knowing.” It’s currently a mystery as to how playing time will be divided between Fortes and Bethancourt, but Fortes just wants to play to the best of his abilities this upcoming season. “I would love to maximize my capabilities,” said Fortes. “I want to be the best catcher that I can possibly be. I think that it’s in there for me. If I can maximize everything to the best of my abilities, I think that I can be a really good catcher in this league.” View full article

With Spring Training about to get underway for the Miami Marlins, so much of their roster is similar to the one that ended the 2023 season. That doesn't mean those players will be putting up the same numbers again this season. Every year, Dan Szymborski's ZiPS projection system uses data and past comps to project how individual players will perform. The accuracy of his projections obviously isn't perfect, but has been very good as of late. What does ZiPS have to say about 2024 Marlins players? Let's break it down. You can read Szymborski's original article about it and use these sortable tables. Thank you to the guys at the Just Baseball Show for inspiring this idea. You can check out their series of episodes reacting to ZiPS projections along with the rest of their great content on all podcast platforms. Position Players Right off the bat, Luis Arraez is projected to slash .316/.369/.418 with seven home runs, 59 RBIs and a 116 OPS+. In 2023, Arraez slashed .354/.393/.469/.861 with 10 home runs, 69 RBIs and a 132 wRC+. Although this does seem like a down year compared to what the Venezuelan second baseman did last season, ZiPS takes your whole career into account, but more specifically, the last three years. In 2022, prior to Arraez arrival in Miami, he slashed .316/.375/.420/.795 with eight home runs, 49 RBIs and a 131 wRC+. Although right now it makes sense to take the over on the ZiPS projection, it shouldn’t come to anyone as a surprise the projection placed on the Marlins second baseman. Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 2019 22 MIN AL 92 366 326 54 109 20 1 4 28 2 2 36 29 .334 .399 .439 .838 124 143 2 1 0 3 1 475/6HD RoY-6 2020 23 MIN AL 32 121 112 16 36 9 0 0 13 0 0 8 11 .321 .364 .402 .765 113 45 2 0 0 1 0 4/H 2021 24 MIN AL 121 479 428 58 126 17 6 2 42 2 2 43 48 .294 .357 .376 .733 105 161 9 2 0 6 2 547H/D 2022 25 MIN AL 144 603 547 88 173 31 1 8 49 4 4 50 43 .316 .375 .420 .795 128 230 6 3 0 3 2 34DH/5 AS,MVP-13,SS 2023 26 MIA NL 147 617 574 71 203 30 3 10 69 3 2 35 34 .354 .393 .469 .861 133 269 18 4 1 3 10 *43/HD AS,MVP-8,SS In 2023, Jazz Chisholm Jr. slashed .250/.304/.457 with 19 home runs, 51 RBIs and a 103 wRC+. In 2024, ZiPS projected Chisholm to slash .249/.313/.451 with 19 home runs, 61 RBIs and a 107 OPS+. These projections line up with his usual career norms. To see different results, it will take the Marlins center fielder to play over 100 games in a season, which is where different projections may be seen in 2025. At least an uptick in most numbers. At the moment, it is hard to disagree with the projection. Defensively, ZiPS has Chisholm continuing to improve at center field with a plus-four DEF. In 2023, he ranked in the 87th percentile of outs above average, which was one of the best in baseball along with an arm strength in the 80th percentile. Where the metrics didn’t do him any favors, it was in DRS, where he was at minus-nine, but that should improve. ZiPS currently projects Jake Burger to once again have a strong season and continue his 2023 success by slashing .252/.308/.483 with 27 home runs, 74 RBIs and a 113 OPS+. Although projections show that Burger won’t continue to be the contact hitter that he was when arriving in South Florida, he will continue to show off his plus power and in fact lead the team in home runs. Unfortunately, ZiPS doesn’t see a world where Burger strikes out at a 21.7% like he did with the Marlins. It believes that Burger will go back to his career norms and strikeout 140 times, which would lead the team this upcoming season. Despite a solid 2023 season, ZiPS projects Jesús Sánchez to have a similar 2024 season. Sánchez came onto the scene in 2020 where he saw limited game action. In 2021, Sánchez had a 111 wRC+ with 14 home runs, but the strikeout percentage was high. 2022 was an up-and-down season for Sánchez, but still put up a 109 wRC+ and had a 14 homer season. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that with the lack of overall years, ZiPS thinks that Sánchez will have a repeat year with some improvements. He is projected to slash .252/.322/.443 with 18 home runs, 61 RBIs and a 108 OPS+. Along with a strong offensive season, Sánchez is projected to have a positive defensive season with plus-three DEF. If Sánchez can cut down on the strikeout percentage just a bit more into the 20-21% range, then it is possible that we see an overall better approach along with more success from the projected right fielder in 2024. If there is one player that ZiPS is high on (and rightfully so), it is Xavier Edwards who they have fourth on the team in WAR at 2.0. After slashing .351/.429/.457 with seven home runs, 47 RBIs and a 130 wRC+ at the AAA level, Edwards was called up to the big leagues where he slashed .295/.329/.333 with three RBIs. It does seem like ZiPS believes that Edwards will be earning plenty of playing time, especially given that Miami has yet to sign a shortstop, so having him play games at short will be something that may have played a factor. The highest-rated minor leaguer by ZiPS is Jake Thompson who ended the 2023 season with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. ZiPS has him slashing .248/.326/.414 with 12 home runs, 51 RBIs and a 102 OPS+. He is projected to be a 1.3 WAR player this upcoming season. Defensively is where I begin to have doubts with Thompson, but not ZiPS, projecting him at plus-four DEF. So far in the minors, Thompson has seen action in the corner outfield spots along with first base. 2022 24 2.8 Jupiter FLOR A MIA 34 141 120 23 35 13 0 3 16 0 1 20 32 .292 .397 .475 .872 57 6 1 0 0 0 2023 25 2 Teams 2 Lgs A+-AA MIA 103 397 335 63 93 15 3 18 53 6 0 47 72 .278 .385 .502 .887 168 6 13 0 2 0 2023 25 1.4 Pensacola SOUL AA MIA 14 58 48 6 13 1 0 2 9 0 0 9 11 .271 .379 .417 .796 20 0 0 0 1 0 2023 25 2.8 Beloit MIDW A+ MIA 89 339 287 57 80 14 3 16 44 6 0 38 61 .279 .386 .516 .902 148 6 13 0 1 0 Pitchers One of the more interesting projections on the starting pitching side of things is Braxton Garrett who is projected to have a 4.06 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 21.5% K in 136.0 IP. What fascinates me the most about the ZiPS projection for Garrett is the comparison section. The comparison that I am a fan of the most is the first one, which is José Quintana. Below are Quintana’s first three seasons in the major leagues compared to Garrett’s career up to this point (2020-2023) and you can see that Quintana leads in most categories, but primarily due to more overall games played in. Despite leading in most stats, Garrett isn’t too far off in ERA, ERA+ and actually strikes out hitters at a higher rate, but as expected less walks given less games. Garrett is just now starting to ramp up in terms of games played, so maybe doing this comparison in a couple years, we will have a lot more similarities than the ones we have now. Eury Pérez is coming off of a strong rookie campaign where he ended up throwing over 100 innings between the major and minor leagues. In 2024, ZiPS projected the young Dominican to throw 124.0 innings and have a 3.63 ERA, 3.71 FIP and 26.4 K%. The comparisons that ZiPS gives Pérez are Denny McLain, Dennis Eckersley and José Fernández. Although Pérez didn’t have the same rookie years that Eckersley and Fernández had, it gives you a good look at what players who were similar to Pérez in their age-20 season. Certainly a good amount of names to have, especially Fernández, a former Marlin himself who won the NL Rookie of the Year that season. It is very likely that Jesús Luzardo will be the Miami Marlins Opening Day starter in 2024. ZiPS projects that the Marlins number one starter will have a 3.88 ERA, 3.85 FIP, 26.8% in 153 ⅓ innings pitched. What stands out not only about Luzardo, but the remaining of this Marlins rotation is how low ZiPS has them at innings pitched after coming off of career highs in that category, but you look back even further, Luzardo and Garrett haven’t seen as much action as they did in 2023, which is why some of these comps see the compared player have more overall stats. When it comes to both Luzardo and Pérez, I would take the under on the ERA and expect Luzardo to pitch over that 153 ⅓ innings marker that they have him set at, which in the 2025 ZiPS projections, should increase the innings count. With Pérez, it is hard to know what will be the plan. Although we do know he will pitch over his 2023 total, we don’t know by how much more he will beat that. ZiPS does project Edward Cabrera to once again struggle in 2024, posting a 4.41 ERA, 4.53 FIP, 23.8% K, 10.9% BB in 112 ⅓ innings pitched. These projected numbers should come to no surprise given his 2023 struggles and late struggles in the 2022 season. Trevor Rogers, who only saw action in four games last year is set to pitch just over 100 innings according to ZiPS. He is projected to have a 4.06 ERA, 3.91 FIP, 23.7% K, 7.8% BB in 102.0 IP. These stats shouldn’t come as a surprise given that Rogers threw 107 innings in 2022 and 18 innings in 2023. He has only surpassed 110 innings once, which was in 2021 where he was the runner up for the NL Rookie of the Year. Despite heavily struggling in the second half of the season, ZiPS thinks A.J. Puk will have a 114 ERA+ (100 league average). What will be interesting is seeing how different these stats will be if he does end up going into that swingman-type role, taking on more innings of work. ZiPS projects minor leaguer Luis Palacios to be the best minor league pitcher for the Marlins, despite being projected to have a 4.69 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 13.7% K, 4.7% BB, 90 ERA+, but they have him giving Miami length with 128 ⅔ innings pitched. 2021 20 -1.9 Jupiter LASE A MIA 5 6 .455 3.88 4.02 12 10 1 2 0 1 65.0 48 29 28 10 16 0 66 5 1 0 265 0.985 6.6 1.4 2.2 9.1 4.13 2022 21 3 Teams 3 Lgs A-A+-AA MIA 8 7 .533 4.17 4.31 23 21 0 1 0 0 131.2 135 63 61 20 16 0 124 5 0 3 535 1.147 9.2 1.4 1.1 8.5 7.75 2022 21 -3.4 Pensacola SOUL AA MIA 1 0 1.000 2.70 2.70 2 2 0 0 0 0 10.0 4 3 3 2 4 0 9 1 0 0 38 0.800 3.6 1.8 3.6 8.1 2.25 2022 21 -2.1 Beloit MIDW A+ MIA 3 2 .600 4.85 4.85 7 7 0 0 0 0 39.0 45 21 21 7 7 0 33 4 0 1 165 1.333 10.4 1.6 1.6 7.6 4.71 2022 21 -1.0 Jupiter FLOR A MIA 4 5 .444 4.03 4.25 14 12 0 1 0 0 82.2 86 39 37 11 5 0 82 0 0 2 332 1.101 9.4 1.2 0.5 8.9 16.40 2023 22 3 Teams 3 Lgs AA-A+-AAA MIA 11 9 .550 4.30 4.61 25 23 0 0 0 0 144.1 142 74 69 29 31 0 110 7 4 2 594 1.199 8.9 1.8 1.9 6.9 3.55 2023 22 -4.9 Jacksonville IL AAA MIA 1 1 .500 5.28 5.28 3 3 0 0 0 0 15.1 16 9 9 6 3 0 12 1 0 0 62 1.239 9.4 3.5 1.8 7.0 4.00 2023 22 -2.3 Pensacola SOUL AA MIA 9 7 .563 4.62 4.95 19 17 0 0 0 0 109.0 114 60 56 21 26 0 81 5 4 2 456 1.284 9.4 1.7 2.1 6.7 3.12 2023 22 -1.1 Beloit MIDW A+ MIA 1 1 .500 1.80 2.25 3 3 0 0 0 0 20.0 12 5 4 2 2 0 17 1 0 0 76 0.700 5.4 0.9 0.9 7.7 8.50 2023-24 22 -5.9 Caracas VEWL FgW 0 0 2.70 2.70 8 1 1 0 0 0 10.0 14 3 3 0 4 0 4 0 0 0 47 1.800 12.6 0.0 3.6 3.6 1.00 At the end of the day, there are always players who will defy their projections, but with all the factors that ZiPS takes into consideration, these numbers can tip us off about guys who are likely to trend in a positive or negative direction. 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How to make the most out of your FanFest experience this Friday. Less than 48 hours away from another edition of Marlins FanFest, we take fans through some tips on what they should do (and shouldn’t do) this year at FanFest, which will take place on Friday, January 26 from 4-10 p.m. at loanDepot park. As always, you can claim tickets for free here (up to six free tickets 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. FanFest traditionally takes place on a Saturday. Because of the unique weekday scheduling this year, traffic will be an unavoidable issue. Beginning at 4:00 p.m., that is when cars begin to pile up in the ballpark area and it'll be at its worst around 6:00 p.m. Arrive early if you can. Parking is complimentary for this event, so you will be able to park for free in any of the four garages. Who will be there? Although we are still several weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Jupiter for Spring Training, the expectation is that most of the Marlins 40-man roster will come to town early to attend FanFest. That includes recent 40-man selections like Victor Mesa Jr. and Anthony Maldonado along with offseason acquisitions. The two main acquisitions so far, Vidal Bruján and Christian Bethancourt, are actually still playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic and Panamá, respectively, so it's unclear if they will be there. However, this is also the first-ever FanFest for 2023 trade deadline pick-ups like Jake Burger and Josh Bell. Player interaction Like last year, players will be roaming around the entirety of the ballpark, including the West Plaza. Fans will have the opportunity to talk to the players and take pictures with them. In the Biscayne Brewery, which is located around sections 11-13, there will be Interviews in Spanish interviews throughout the entirety of FanFest. On the main stage, which is usually behind home plate, there will be other interviews live. "State of the Fish" At 5:00 p.m, just one hour after the beginning of FanFest, Marlins Members will have the opportunity to sit down with president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and manager Skip Schumaker to ask them questions about the team and baseball in general. This should take place on the main stage, which is behind home plate around sections 14-16. Highly encourage any Marlins Members to attend and ask questions to Bendix and Schumaker. 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. What will be new this time around is the Marlins Museum, which made its debut last season and has been a hit thus far. Also, you'll find new mascots Bobby, Charlie and Pepito, who competed in the Marlins Rooster Race during every home game beginning in August. 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 which the Marlins have done well with when they have done them. Drinks Fans 21 and older can get an early taste of one of the Marlins biggest promotions in Beerfest, which will take place from 6:00-8:00 p.m. For $25, you can taste 20 domestic, international and local craft brews. Swing For Your Seats (Marlins Members Only) This annual promotion has been around for a long time, but is now being integrated with FanFest itself. Marlins Members will be able to step up to the plate and have the opportunity to take one swing. If you hit a home run, the Marlins will cover up to $10,000 of your committed 2024 Membership purchase. Make sure you bring someone with a little bit of pop, because you can have a great 2024 season with one good swing of the bat. 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, when we were covering as Fish Stripes, we did a mini edition of Marlins Jeopardy with fans. That was just for fun. This year, with la Serie del Caribe (aka the Caribbean Series) coming to loanDepot park next week, we have decided to give away three pairs of game tickets to lucky fans who can answer the three questions we have for you. Be on the lookout for myself, Isaac Azout and the rest of the Fish On First staff to play. View full article

Brown's versatility, low salary and remaining years of club control could appeal to Miami. As the Marlins continue their quiet offseason, we look for players who would fit on this team and be realistic to acquire. It is unlikely that the Marlins add any major names to their team, but there are other specific targets out there who make sense that Peter Bendix could be possibly looking at. The Oakland Athletics aren’t looking to compete anytime soon and do have a couple of veteran players that could be going out the door if another team is willing enough to deal for them. Bendix should make a call and work a trade for outfielder Seth Brown. In 2023, Brown had a down year, slashing .222/.286/.405/.692 with 14 home runs, 52 RBIs and a 92 wRC+. However, the season before, Brown slashed .230/.305/.444/.749 with 25 home runs, 73 RBIs and a 116 wRC+. da0323b2-671797f4-f3bd454c-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4 Along with primarily playing right field, Brown has spent time at first base, which gives him the positional flexibility that the Marlins need in this case. Although Josh Bell is back with the Marlins, it is on a one-year deal, so his future beyond 2024 is undecided. Brown would be able to slide right into first base if Bell is gone, but also, gives Miami another DH option now that Jorge Soler is all but gone. In terms of DRS, Brown was actually above league average at every position he played this season, except first base where he was exactly at league average. Certainly a positive that shouldn't be taken for granted. Brown is currently set to make $2.6M after avoiding arbitration with the Athletics this year and will become a free agent in 2027, so still some years of control there for the 31-year-old. The Athletics would be seeking prospects from the Marlins minor league system, though Brown shouldn't cost any of Miami's true top talents. Switch-hitting infielder Ian Lewis could maybe benefit from a new destination given his struggles during his age-20 season. The Marlins could also attach Peyton Burdick to the deal. Burdick is coming off of a 24-homer year at AAA Jacksonville, but hasn’t been able to establish himself at the big league level due to strikeout issues. If things don’t pan out well for him immediately in Oakland, he has two minor league options left. Brown is the type of player profile Bendix could look to add to his team because of his versatility, low salary and remaining years of club control. View full article

Salas will reportedly follow in his brother's footsteps once he's eligible to sign a professional contract next January. We are only a few days into the 2024 international signing period, but it's never too soon to look ahead. On Friday, Joe Doyle of FSS Plus reported that the Miami Marlins are the favorites to land third baseman/outfielder Andrew Salas in 2025. On Saturday, ESPN's Enrique Rojas confirmed the agreement. Salas will get a signing bonus of nearly $4M. The 15-year-old switch-hitter is listed at 6'1", 140 pounds, according to Perfect Game. Andrew will be the third Salas brother to be signed by a big league team. Infielder Jose Salas signed with the Marlins for $2.8M as the top player in their 2019 international class. He was traded to the Minnesota Twins exactly one year ago as part of the Luis Arraez package. Catcher Ethan Salas signed with the San Diego Padres for $5.6M in 2023 and is already among the highest-rated prospects in all of baseball. The Salas brothers were born in Florida, but later moved to Venezuela, allowing them to begin their professional careers at a younger age. andrew salas hitting october 2022.mp4 In recent years, the Marlins have preferred quantity over quality in international free agency. Venezuelan OF Luis Cova is their only signing since 2022 to receive more than $1M. This represents a switch in that philosophy because paying Andrew will limit their bonus pool flexibility to make additional signings in 2025. Salas will receive the largest payday for a Marlins international signing since Victor Victor Mesa ($5.25M in 2018). View full article

Marlins pitching prospect Ike Buxton was one of the best performers in Miami's farm system in 2023 as he climbed across three levels and competed in the Arizona Fall League. Buxton spoke to the media on Thursday recapping his past season as well as looking ahead to 2024. Right-handed pitcher Ike Buxton began 2023 way under the radar, but made a name for himself by succeeding in a starting role and reaching the Double-A level. Buxton posted a 2.45 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 5.0 BB/9 in 77.0 innings pitched in the Marlins minor league system, making the most impact with Low-A Jupiter (1.62 ERA in 39.0 IP) . "My mindset throughout the whole year was, 'What can I do to get to the next level?'" said Buxton when reflecting on 2023. "I think a lot of people focus on, 'Okay, I need to be a big leaguer,' and obviously, I think a lot of people want to have that attitude and it's not a bad attitude to have, but I think throughout the year my big focal point was, 'What can I do to get to the next level?' and that's going to change from Jupiter, especially being an older guy. My main focus was just being consistent. They needed me to just be in the zone a little more than I traditionally have and consistent when I get to the next level, you can kind of apply it a little bit." Buxton, along with seven other Marlins minor leaguers, went to the Arizona Fall League. In 17 ⅔ innings pitched, Buxton posted a 6.11 ERA, struck out 19 hitters and walked 10. Although the Marlins prospect didn't find too much overall success in the AFL, Buxton felt it allowed him to improve as an overall prospect. "I was fortunate enough to have a pretty decent year and had a very enjoyable time out in Arizona," said Buxton. All signs point to Buxton opening up his age-23 season with Double-A Pensacola, as he was at Blue Wahoos Stadium on Thursday for the team's annual Fish Fest. Before that, the 2022 draft pick will be going through his first regular Spring Training as a pro player. "I was out for a month or two, but hit the ground a little late," said Buxton. "I was still able to catch up with everyone and make some strides in terms of just holding that routine again to stay healthy and that's going to be my big focus for this upcoming year." The Blue Wahoos will be seeking a berth in the Southern League Championship Series for the third straight year. View full article

The Hall of Fame pitcher is excitedly looking ahead to the tournament in Miami. MIAMI, FL—As announced last week, the Pedro Martinez Foundation and the Miami Marlins Foundation are partnering up throughout the 2024 Serie del Caribe. Before going on to establish himself as a Hall of Famer in the United States, Martinez played winter ball early in his professional career. He is passionate about the Caribbean Series itself as well as baseball all around the world. "We're here in Miami, which is such a mixed city," said Martinez. "I think [Miami] brings a beautiful opportunity for everybody to understand better why we so loud, so happy, so excited about playing the game and I think that culture needs to really be exposed. I think people need to understand how much we care about the youth." Martinez also touched on what type of atmosphere we can expect during these games. "I think the Caribbean Series is gonna bring a lot of people just like the (World Baseball Classic) did," said Martinez. "I think there's a lot of work to be done. Some of the players that got picked up because they didn't win—some of them especially in the Dominican—they're gonna be really excited to be here and try to improve." Considered one of the favorites to win the 2023 WBC, the Dominican Republic failed to advance past the group stage of the tournament, which was also held at LoanDepot Park. A Dominican himself, Pedro recalled how enjoyable the experience was despite his team's disappointing performance. "What we saw was very unique and I'm extremely happy to help bring over that warm sensation that we had in the Classic," said Martinez. "It was beautiful to watch each game. Even the games that Dominican didn't win or Puerto Rico didn't win or Venezuela, it was beautiful baseball, beautiful respectful games that we saw. We're hoping to bring that over here in Miami." La Serie del Caribe begins with a tripleheader of games on Thursday, February 1 (Nicaragua vs. Puerto Rico, Curacao vs. Mexico and Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic). View full article