Kevin Barral

On Opening Day eve, the Miami Marlins struck a trade with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays which brought them back outfield prospects John Cruz (Yankees) and Shane Sasaki (Rays). Jon Berti is now headed to New York while the Rays acquired catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Yankees. John Cruz, 18, has spent two years in the Yankees system. Ranked as their number 28 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, the 6'3", 171-pound outfielder slashed .294/.376/.531/.907 with 10 home runs, 47 RBIs and a 131 wRC+ in the Florida Complex League. Although Cruz is said to have an aggressive approach, he only struck out at a 21.8% rate, lower than the league's 22.9% average. He also had a fine 10.9% walk rate. Between both of his years in the New York farm system, Cruz hit 15 home runs in 102 games. "He's got power, somebody that we think is an interesting combination of power and ability to put the ball in play," said President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix on Wednesday. "It's hard to know what an 18-year-old is, but it's a good tool set to add to the organization." Cruz has quickly learned to hit the ball to all fields. In 2023, the MLB league-wide opposite field percentage was at 24.8%, but he was at 29.9%. Same goes with pull percentage, where the league average is 38.9% and he was at 50.0%. With prospects as young as Cruz who are challenged against much older competition, usually you see a high strikeout percentage followed by a high pull percentage with little to no opposite field hitting. Cruz is on the right path early on. Defensively, there is a lot to like with the speed he possesses, but maybe a permanent move to right field would benefit him early on so he can become an overall better defender at the position. Speed is certainly what stands out when talking about Cruz. Through his two years in the Yankees system, he's stolen 19 bases. It's too early to tell what Cruz can ultimately be as he is only 18 years old, but he has a lot of "helium" as talent evaluators like to say, a player with the chance to become one of the best prospects in all of baseball. Ideally, the Marlins would place Cruz at the Low-A level after a strong season in the FCL, but it wouldn't come as a surprise if Cruz were to start the season in the FCL for a couple at-bats before getting promoted to Jupiter midway through the season. Shane Sasaki, who the Marlins acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays, is an interesting prospect as well. After struggling in 2019, Sasaki has never gone under the league average 100 wRC+, but at 23 years old, he hasn't seen action at the AA level. This offseason, Sasaki was left unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft, but as you may have guessed, he wasn't selected. "Somebody I know a little bit better from my time with the Rays," said Bendix. "Pretty well-rounded outfielder. Speed-power combination, does a lot of things well. A little further along in his career, but somebody that we like the upside of." In 2023, Sasaki slashed .301/.375/.465/.840 with seven home runs, 39 RBIs and a 130 wRC+. Power isn't the name of the game for this right-handed hitter, but he offers speed and good hitting fundamentals. An aggressive approach is one of the first cons for Sasaki, never posting a K% under 20%. Just like Cruz, Sasaki has a good balance between opposite field percentage and pull percentage, with both above the league averages. Sasaki saw action in this past Arizona Fall League season where he slashed .259/.348/.333/.681 with nine RBIs and 13 stolen bases. On the downside, he struck out 31 times in 81 at-bats, which goes back to his aggressive approach at the plate. Sasaki has the ability to play center field and stick there, but at the moment, it seems that his ceiling is most likely as a fourth outfielder, a versatile one at that. Although his success in the lower minors has been impressive, it's all about what he can do at the AA level where the quality of pitching is much better than what he's used to.

MIAMI, FL—On Tuesday, the Miami Marlins held an intrasquad game which featured Trevor Rogers and Max Meyer as the starting pitchers along with Edward Cabrera coming out of the bullpen. Trevor Rogers threw around 85 pitches and went three to four innings. Although you can't take away anything from the results of these type of games, Rogers did give up a home run and multiple RBIs. "The results weren't there, which is not really kind of the point of it," said Rogers when asked about going up against his own teammates. "Just get out there and make sure my body sound good, my pitches are good and moving well." Rogers is one of four lefties in the Marlins starting rotation entering this season and he thinks it's a great opportunity to bounce ideas off of each other. "It's gonna be awesome," said Rogers. "I never thought I'd see the day where there's more lefties than righties. We're all gonna compete against one another, feed off each other and root for each other." Rogers will take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the final game of the four-game set on Sunday. Max Meyer, the only right-handed pitcher in the rotation, took the mound and went five innings of work, something he hadn't done since his debut game against the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022. "I'm just so excited that I can contribute to this team," said Meyer. The Marlins' 2020 first-round pick was in the weight room when he was told he would be breaking camp. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker gave him the news. "I was just rolling out in the weight room and (Schumaker) came up to me and told me that I better be ready to go on the fifth day," said Meyer. "I was pretty pumped even though I didn't show it too much, but I was excited." Meyer is set to take the mound for the Marlins on April 1 in the first game of the second series of the year against the Los Angeles Angels. Edward Cabrera, who suffered a shoulder impingement that kept him out towards the back half of spring training, threw about 39 pitches in two innings of work and looked good for the most part. He told the media that the pain went away not too long after he suffered the injury which took him out of his start on March 10. "I felt very good," said Cabrera. "Constantly working with the athletic trainers to stay on the field." Cabrera noted that he threw his full arsenal except the slider. In about 4-5 days he expects to take the mound again, but this time as if he were to start a game. It will most likely be in a backfields game in Jupiter, a couple days after Braxton Garrett pitches his own simulated game on Thursday. News and Notes Fish On First can confirm that Huascar Brazoban has been placed on the restricted list. Still unable to solve his visa issues, Brazoban has not been with the team for the entirety of the spring. This opens up a 40-man roster spot. The 40-man roster currently stands at 39. Wednesday will mark the final workout for the Marlins before taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL—The Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates are just five days away from beginning the regular season, but Skip Schumaker's ballclub still has two more spring training games to go, with the first one in CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches against the Washington Nationals. It was a true dress rehearsal for the Marlins as they traveled about 20 minutes south with their potential Opening Day lineup, but leading the charge on the mound was Cuban non-roster invitee Vladimir Gutierrez. Prior to the game, Skip Schumaker said Gutierrez is still vying for a spot on the Marlins roster. Schumaker also just shared the harsh reality on how much they will need the depth that is left with the injuries in the starting rotation. "People can spin it however they want to spin it, but that's what it is," said Schumaker of Gutierrez. "We need guys because of what our rotation looks like. You might not even see guys go maybe over five or six innings initially. You need a couple guys to bridge to get to the eighth and ninth inning. You can't go back-to-back with multiple inning guys every single night." With how good Gutierrez had been this spring, his final appearance seemed like an outlier, giving up hard contact, with two home runs in the bottom of the first inning. After his rough first inning, a lot of his quick outs came from lineouts or long fly balls. He ended up going three innings, giving up three runs off of seven hits, no walks and struck out one. Gutierrez attributed his first-inning struggles to throwing too many strikes. "I was throwing a lot of strikes," said Gutierrez through an intrepeter. "Most of the adjustments we did was starting looking into pitches more in the corners, going around. I was able to pick it up again." Following Gutierrez, both Declan Cronin and Anthony Maldonado had shutout outings. They are Gutierrez's competition for the final couple bullpen spots remaining on the roster, but he believes that his versatility helps as well as what he has already done. "I can do all the three things," said Gutierrez. "I can start a game, be a reliever and close the game. Most important is that my arm is 100% healthy. If I make the team, I'm there to help in any way I can." Cronin, who was claimed off waivers by the Marlins this past offseason, went 1 ⅔ innings, struck out one, walked one and gave up two hits. "I feel pretty good about how I've attacked hitters for the most part this spring," said Cronin. "I think that was a point of emphasis when we got here to camp for everybody—not just me—to start with strike one and go from there. Thought I did a really good job of that early and as of late as well." Maldonado came in for Cronin in a tight spot in the bottom of the fifth inning and ended up going 1 ⅓ innings, striking out one, walking one and giving up zero hits. "I thought I did well," said Maldonado after his outing. "I thought I showed what I can do this spring. There was good spots and bad spots. I can learn on the fly. I can adjust to get big league hitters out. My minor league success wasn't a fluke. I think I've shown that so far." Jesús Luzardo was supposed to take the mound on Friday. It would've been the ideal game to have the Opening Day lineup on the field in Jupiter, but with the cancelation, most of that lineup was used on Saturday instead. The key difference was at catcher. Schumaker already confirmed that he will go with Nick Fortes behind the dish instead of Christian Bethancourt on March 28. In the top of the first, Luis Arraez, who is 16-for-45, took Nationals Opening Day starter Josiah Gray deep to right field . So did Jake Burger, as his was a two-run homer, driving in Jazz Chisholm Jr. after Jazz worked a walk. Tim Anderson would have his best game of spring training, as he goes into the regular season with a strong 4-for-4 game, just a homer shy of the cycle. News and Notes It was announced prior to the game that NRIs Trey Mancini, Curt Casali and Mychal Givens did not make the Opening Day roster. Mancini opted out of his contract, Casali is still weighing his options and Givens has been reassigned to minor league camp. The Marlins also announced the following injury updates: Reliever Calvin Faucher (shoulder) threw a live bullpen. He will not be making the Opening Day roster because he needs more time to build up. JT Chargois (neck) played catch and will be rehabbing in Jupiter. Eury Pérez (elbow) played catch. Josh Simpson (elbow) threw with hitters in the box, but they did not swing. Xavier Edwards (foot) went through a workout. Darren McCaughan will get the start on Sunday against the New York Mets for the final spring training game of 2024. The expectation is that he begins the season in Triple-A Jacksonville.

JUPITER, FL—Just a day after Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker told the media that he was leaning a certain way towards who his fifth starter would be for the 2024 season, SportsGrid's Craig Mish broke the news that Max Meyer has made the Opening Day roster in that role. Schumaker informed Meyer of his decision on Saturday morning. "He deserves it," said Schumaker. "Looking forward to seeing him back in loanDepot [park]." Meyer, 25, was the third pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. The right-handed pitcher made his Major League debut two years later, but that would be short-lived. In his second start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he suffered an elbow injury which led to Tommy John surgery. After a minor setback, Meyer did not pitch in any organized games last season. When he returned to the mound this spring, he made three Grapefruit League appearances where he allowed one (unearned) run off of four hits and one walk, but struck out five. In his most recent start against the New York Mets, Meyer's fastball was sitting 93.9 mph and topped out at 96.1 mph. The 25-year-old's arsenal revolves around his fastball, slider, changeup and sinker. Meyer mainly goes with a fastball/slider combo, as the slider is his best secondary pitch. The third-ranked prospect on the preseason update of our FOF Top 30 list, Meyer never went through any struggles at the Minor League level. Due to COVID, he had to wait until 2021 to make his professional debut and the Marlins challenged him with a Double-A assignment, but that was his best season in the Marlins farm system. He threw 101 innings with Pensacola and posted a 2.41 ERA, 3.34 FIP, 10.07 K/9 and 3.56 BB/9. His ERA jumped up to 3.69 at the Triple-A level in 2022, but part of that was trying to pitch through another elbow injury in May of that season. Why Meyer was chosen to be the Marlins' fifth starter? "He was our best pitcher available to help us," said Schumaker. "Max was really good in spring training. He's coming off injury, so trying to monitor his innings and pitch counts. That's just the reality. He's part of the future of the Marlins." The 26-man roster hasn't been fully announced, but we now have a pretty clear idea about what it will look like. Jesús Luzardo, A.J. Puk, Ryan Weathers, Trevor Rogers and Max Meyer are the five starters entering the season. Eury Pérez, Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera are going to begin on the injured list, but they continue to make progress. Meyer's final preseason start will be on Wednesday at loanDepot park when the Marlins play an intrasquad game. He will then start against the Los Angeles Angels on April 1. {playlist}

On Saturday, Craig Mish broke the news that Max Meyer has made the Marlins Opening Day roster. Kevin Barral reacts to how the right-hander fits with Jesús Luzardo, A.J. Puk, Ryan Weathers and Trevor Rogers in the Miami Marlins rotation, plus more news and notes from the final weekend of spring training. Find Big Fish Small Pod 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, Fish Unfiltered, Swimming Upstream and more. The Fish On First podcast is now being presented by MPT College Consulting! They pride themselves on helping clients navigate the college application process. This includes preparation for standardized testing, guidance through high school, assistance with essays and applications, and choosing the right college. Visit them today at mptcollegeconsulting.com to learn more about their services and schedule a free consultation. Follow Kevin (@kevin_barral) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com.

JUPITER, FL—On Friday, Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker spoke to the media. Along with announcing that reliever Sixto Sánchez had made the Opening Day roster, Schumaker provided the team's initial 2024 starting rotation. The rotation is as follows: 1) Jesús Luzardo (starting March 28 vs. PIT) 2) A.J. Puk (March 29 vs. PIT) 3) Ryan Weathers (March 30 vs. PIT) 4) Trevor Rogers (March 31 vs. PIT) 5) TBD* (April 1 vs. LAA) *Craig Mish of SportsGrid reports that Max Meyer has made the Marlins roster and has the "inside track" to earning the No. 5 starter job. Jesús Luzardo, who was supposed to make his final spring training start on Friday, instead threw a 50-pitch live bullpen at 10:00 a.m. Although it wasn't a game atmosphere, he did have hitters in the box to face. "He got something out of it," said Schumaker. "He just didn't just go out there and throw a bullpen. He was there, there was intent. We put different situations there—acted like certain guys were up to bat, game-planning against for Opening Day." Although Luzardo's final tune-up was postponed, it wasn't for Ryan Weathers and Trevor Rogers, who both got action in the backfields against Marlins minor leaguers. Weathers was 95-97 mph on his fastball and according to Schumaker, who watched both Weathers and Rogers, command was a little bit off if you asked Weathers himself, but he reached the pitch count that he wanted to as well as the velo. The last time Trevor Rogers took the mound in a spring training game on Saturday, March 16, his fastball averaged 91.6 mph and topped out at 93.3 mph. On Thursday in the backfields, Schumaker said that he was 90-93 mph, which marks a second consecutive start where the velocity was down from his usual range. "It's tough to sometimes get that those juices flowing," said Schumaker about pitching in the backfields in front of a small crowd and facing guys from your own organization. "The good news is he came out healthy he feels good. He's ready to be a part of our rotation."

JUPITER, FL—Although the Marlins' night game against the St. Louis Cardinals was cancelled due to inclement weather, Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker informed the media on Friday that pitcher Sixto Sánchez has made the Opening Day roster. This spring Sánchez has thrown seven innings, not allowing a run, striking out four and only allowing one hit while walking three. Going into the spring, Sánchez's velocity was always a point of emphasis, but through his five appearances, he averaged around 95 mph, topping out at 99 mph in his third appearance against the Washington Nationals where he averaged 97.3 mph on the fastball. "He came to camp and I didn't think he was going to be throwing the way he's throwing," said Skip Schumaker. "So really impressed how he's throwing the baseball and a bunch of us were in the room and let him know how excited we are for him." Schumaker did admit that entering spring training, he did not expect Sánchez to make the roster ("he was on the outside looking in"). Schumaker added, "He had to show that he could come out healthy, recover, show that he could go multiple innings and still feel good, show that there's velo, offspeed and the swagger. All of that is when you know he's back. He wasn't timid, he was going right after guys. We put him in against some harder lineup situations, sometimes to see how that would look. He controls the running game. The clock did not mess him up whatsoever...There's new rules and the whole deal. He's filled his position as good as anybody." President of baseball operations Peter Bendix called Sánchez "a very pleasant revelation." "To see him get better every single time that he's thrown the ball dating back to bullpen sessions, in this first live BP and you can see him gain confidence, even from the first pitch of an outing to the last pitch, you can see that the old Sixto is still in there. I think he's beginning to understand that he can really turn it loose, let the ball go and it's not going to hurt his shoulder." Sánchez was acquired by the Marlins five years ago in the J.T. Realmuto trade along with Jorge Alfaro and Will Stewart. That was back in 2019 and Sánchez stands as the last player from the trade who's still with the Marlins organization. He made his MLB debut with the club in 2020, throwing 39 innings, posting a 3.46 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 7.6 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. He would be sidelined for the next three years due to various shoulder surgeries and setbacks in his recovery. His lone appearance this past season was with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos where he went one inning, struck out two and the velocity was nowhere near where it is now. Sánchez will be a reliever moving forward, but it isn't clear what his specific role will be. "You're gonna see him in a number of different roles and then the game will tell you," said Schumaker. "The season will tell you what role he's going to be in, but, you know, I haven't gotten that far yet."

JUPITER, FL—More than a week after Eury Pérez initially experienced right elbow soreness, news broke Friday afternoon that the 20-year-old Miami Marlins starter has been diagnosed with mild right elbow inflammation, delaying the start of his sophomore season. This comes after Pérez met with Dr. Keith Meister, the surgeon who performed Tommy John surgery on Sandy Alcantara in October. Surgery was not recommended for Pérez and he'll attempt to rejoin the Marlins rotation later in 2024. He will begin a throwing progression by playing catch this weekend, per Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. Pérez entered the 2022 season as the organization's number four prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, and then was at the top of the list in 2023. With their rotation down multiple starters, the Marlins called up Pérez shortly after his 20th birthday on May 12, 2023. He became the youngest pitcher in Marlins history when he debuted against the Cincinnati Reds. Through his first 11 starts at the Major League level, the Dominican right-hander posted a 2.36 ERA and 3.69 FIP and opposing hitters slashed .208/.274/.401/.675 against him. b6bb5b43-87f12efe-ea5b9cdf-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Pérez's workload was a huge storyline every step of the way. The Marlins had to figure out how to responsibly limit his innings considering his lack of experience and small workloads in previous seasons. On July 7, the day after Pérez made a start against the St. Louis Cardinals, Kim Ng and the front office sent him back down to Double-A Pensacola to give him what was described as "a breather." Pérez stopped throwing for a brief period, then made a few shortened minor league starts before being called back up on August 7. He ended up making eight more starts for the Marlins and posted a 4.26 ERA, 4.70 FIP and opponents slashed .221/.293/.457/.750. In September, he was placed on the injured list with left SI joint inflammation. Pérez pitched a total of 128 MLB/MiLB innings, easily marking a career-high for him. The expectation for him entering 2024 was to spend close to a full season in the Marlins rotation. However, Pérez suffered a broken fingernail during his March 2 start and left early. The Marlins tried to have him pitch through it rather than waiting for a full recovery. Then on March 13, he didn't even complete his first inning. It initially looked like a nail issue again, but the next day, he felt elbow soreness as well. The Marlins took steps to protect Pérez from overuse, but this is a reminder that pitcher health is complicated, especially when it comes to elbows. The 2023 Marlins starting rotation primarily consisted of Sandy Alcantara, Jesús Luzardo, Eury Pérez, Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera. Luzardo is the only one of them who'll be available for 2024 Opening Day, as Garrett and Cabrera both battle minor shoulder injuries this spring. Thankfully for the Marlins, Ryan Weathers and A.J. Puk have both had strong spring trainings. However, Weathers (career 5.88 ERA) is completely unproven in the majors and Puk has never been a starting pitcher at the MLB level. As nice as it is to have Trevor Rogers back, he only threw 18 innings in 2023 and has not yet regained the fastball velocity that made him an All-Star during his rookie season.

JUPITER, FL—On Friday night, Ryan Weathers went up against Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado and several other St. Louis Cardinals Opening Day starters. Weathers entered the game as a major bright spot for the Marlins, with only two total runs allowed during spring training, but his final line in this one was less impressive: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 SO, 1 HR, 79 NP. "I don't know why, the first couple of innings, I just couldn't pick up their approach," said Weathers after the game. "Approach switch-up, stuff in the strike zone. I think it was just I needed a little bit of a game point adjustment." Going with his usual fastball/changeup combo, Weathers did get a lot of swings, but just not the type that he would want. St. Louis hitters recorded even more hard-hit balls than whiffs. Weathers fastball velocity topped out at 97.2 mph, which came on the fourth pitch of the game. Weathers averaged 95.7 mph with the four-seam fastball and also went to his sinker, sweeper and changeup. Although the sinker specifically saw some hitters biting at it, the four-seamer is what carried his start on the night as he struck out three out of the four batters with it and only one with the changeup. With only one start left to go this spring, Weathers isn't thinking about all the injuries going on in the Marlins rotation and it is all "tunnel vision" for the Marlins starter. "Just gotta keep throwing the ball. My job is to throw the ball every time I am out there and just put myself in the best position." Along with Weathers the Marlins offense backed him up through most of the game, putting up sevens runs, highlighted by a three run top of the second and fifth. Five Marlins ended the night with multi-hit games and one of those was Josh Bell, who went 2-for-2 with an RBI single. "Feel good and it was good to get three at-bats right handed today," said Bell. "Had a good long work today and was trying to hit the ball the other way. Worked out tonight, kept me off from chasing pitches." The expectation this season is that Bell will be the team's primary first baseman, but as was the case this evening, he will also get a considerable amount of games at designated hitter. A couple days ago, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker had told the media that the DH spot isn't comfortable for everyone. For Bell, he has found a good rhythm there. "You feel like, longer innings," said Bell. "You want to take the first pitch, stuff like that. You have to stay active with those thoughts remembering that you have other guys that are playing on the field, but aside from that, I think the attack plan stays the same. Regardless whether or not I am at first base, the work in the cage should stay the same." The only home run of the night for the Marlins came from utility man Jon Berti, who hit a three-run homer to left field. The ball left the bat 96.8 miles per hour and it went 374 feet. Through the first 25 at-bats for Tim Anderson, he has five hits, one of those being the solo home run he hit against the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie. On Friday, Anderson knocked in a double, marking his second extra-base hit of the spring. In his sixth appearance of the 2024 Grapefruit League season, Anthony Bender went one inning, struck out two and only gave up one base hit. Bender averaged 97.0 mph on the sinker and was able to make hitters work, with five whiffs. Bender has struck out eight hitters and only given up one earned run. Game notes - In his first Grapefruit League at-bat, minor leaguer Jake DeLeo took pitcher Wilking Rodríguez deep in the top of the ninth inning. The ball left the bat at 98.8 mph and it went 387 feet deep into the Miami Marlins offices. - Avisail Garcia was among the five Marlins hitters who had multi-hit nights, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. - Trevor Rogers will be the starting pitcher on Saturday when the Marlins take on the Philadelphia Phillies. - Skip Schumaker will be away from the team for a couple days due to personal reasons. Bench coach Luis Urueta is taking over as interim manager.

On Wednesday, C Paul McIntosh was announced as the replacement for OF Victor Mesa Jr. on the Marlins' Spring Breakout roster. What is Spring Breakout? It's a series of exhibition games featuring rosters of the best prospects from each of the 30 MLB organizations. The Marlins will take on the St. Louis Cardinals in this seven-inning showdown on Friday, March 15 at 2:05 p.m. Released on Thursday, the Marlins roster is highlighted by 2023 draft picks Noble Meyer and Thomas White. There's a player with big league experience and several others who also have 40-man roster spots, putting them on the cusp of debuting in Miami. Overall, the roster includes 18 of the players ranked on our recently updated Fish On First Top 30 list. Keep reading below for key details about each of them. Pitchers Noble Meyer, RHP (Fish on First #1 prospect) The obvious choice for this game was Noble Meyer. The tenth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft got off to a strong start in his pro career. Meyer was a part of the Jupiter Hammerheads team that won the Florida State League championship and this offseason, Meyer was hitting 100 mph in his bullpen sessions. During February's pre-spring developmental camp, Meyer made a couple starts in scrimmages and faced live hitters, most notably hitters in the upper minors such as Victor Mesa Jr., Paul McIntosh, Griffin Conine and Jonah Bride. Meyer did produce a lot of swing-and-miss, but as expected he did get hit around at times. Thomas White, LHP (FOF #2) Thomas White was chosen in Comp Round A of the 2023 draft. White saw early struggles in pro ball, but just like Meyer, he had a strong offseason and is sitting between 97-98 mph on the fastball. His secondary stuff has also made an early impact causing a lot of swing-and-miss. He's been developing rapidly, even more so than Meyer. White was supposed to be a first-rounder. Although he fell in the draft, the Marlins paid him far above his pick's slot value. White will be the first to take the mound for the Marlins in the Spring Breakout game. Karson Milbrandt, RHP (FOF #11) Milbrandt, a second-round pick in the 2022 draft has gotten off to a rollercoaster of a start, but seems to be on the right path as he will likely start the season in High-A. Along with his power fastball, Milbrandt's repertoire includes the curveball and changeup which for Milbrandt thus far, he has put up good numbers, but still has struggled when it comes to his control. Patrick Monteverde, LHP (FOF #15) Recently cut from major league camp, Patrick Monteverde was in the MLB Futures Game this past year in Seattle. He posted a 0.00 ERA in four innings pitched during Grapefruit League action. Monteverde struck out five hitters and didn't walk anyone. The lefty only gave up one hit. Monteverde mainly relies on his secondary stuff, being primarily a soft tosser, but that leads to a lot of swing and miss, which is what stands out with the lefty pitcher. Juan De La Cruz, RHP (FOF #16) One of the youngest players participating is Juan De La Cruz, who was a part of the Jupiter Hammerheads rotation with Noble Meyer and Thomas White towards the end of the season. In all likeliness, De La Cruz will also be a part of that rotation with Meyer and White. De La Cruz is still extremely young and is still learning, but right away, his ability to get hitters to whiff and the high velo on the fastball stands out. His arsenal of a curveball and changeup stands out and with the Marlins organization known to develop the changeup well, that is a pitch to keep an eye out on as well as likely incorporating another pitch into his mix. Jacob Miller, RHP (FOF #17) Drafted before Milbrandt, Jacob Miller's pro career has been held back a bit due to injuries, but when on the mound, Miller's peripherals have been encouraging, just a lack of total innings pitched, so most likely Miller will begin at the High-A level. Anthony Maldonado, RHP (FOF #18) The best reliever on the roster is Anthony Maldonado. He arrived at spring training aiming to break camp with the Marlins, but Maldonado has had his highs and lows thus far. In game action, he has held his own, but has struggled, entering with inherited runners and allowing them to score and in live BP, he was taken deep a couple times. Last season in AAA Jacksonville, Maldonado posted a 1.76 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 13.89 K/9 and 4.11 BB/9 in 46 innings pitched. Maldonado was the Jumbo Shrimps closers and he had nine saves. He will have a great opportunity to close this game out or go out there in high-leverage innings to make a name for himself. Evan Fitterer, RHP (FOF #27) This is the first prospect that Fish on First has ranked and Pipeline did not. Evan Fitterer was promoted to AA-Pensacola early last season where he struggled, but the struggles could've been anticipated as he posted a high 4.52 FIP in Beloit. Fitterer's high K rates have always stood out, but the control has been an issue, posting high walks rates and it has just been inconsistent, even when he did succeed at the High-A level. Thankfully, Fitterer is only 23 years old and will go through his first full season at the AA level. Luarbert Arias, RHP (FOF honorable mention) Arias also stood out towards the end of the 2023 season, but should've received more attention early on. In 2023, he posted a 1.69 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 12.23 K/9 and 1.27 BB/9 through 21.1 innings pitched at the AA level. In High-A, Arias put up similar numbers which is encouraging to see the translation from High-A to AA to be a success thus far. Ike Buxton, RHP Buxton made great strides in his first full MiLB year. He progressed from Jupiter up to AA-Pensacola and participated in the Arizona Fall League. Buxton will likely start 2024 back in Pensacola. Similar to Monteverde, he is not a strikeout-dominant pitcher, but with the Jupiter Hammerheads, he showed flashes of being capable of that. Nigel Belgrave, RHP Belgrave was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 15th round of the 2023 draft and has already received the eyes of MLB Pipeline, as he is 28 on their list. His arsenal consist of fastball and slider stands out and with the Jupiter Hammerheads, Belgrave posted a 2.16 ERA, 2.96, 15.12 K/9 and 7.56 BB/9 through 8.1 innings pitched. It is a small sample size, but in a small sample size, there is still a lot to hope for. Matt Pushard, RHP Pushard was added to MLB Pipeline's list late into the 2023 season and rightfully so. He posted a 1.21 ERA, 1.58 FIP, 11.69 K/9 and 2.01 BB/9 through 22.1 innings pitched at the High-A level. Pushard struggled in his first taste of AA ball, but will likely begin the season either in AA or AAA due to his age (already 26 years old). Hitter Victor Mesa Jr., OF (FOF #4) Recently added to the 40-man, Mesa Jr. has made a strong first impression in big league camp. In the Grapefruit league opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, the 22-year-old went 2-for-3 with two doubles. For Mesa, his ability to play all three outfield spots is undoubted. The big question will be how consistent can the bat be through a full season of action. Through the first three months of the 2023 season, the Cuban outfielder slashed .257/.331/.415/.746 with six home runs and 37 RBIs. After that point, Mesa Jr. slashed .227/.289/.402/.692 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs. Although the bat isn’t where it should be just yet, the make-up and athleticism is certainly top notch and if he finds consistency, then his chances at becoming a big leaguer in 2024 are high, especially with the organization being as high as they are. Jacob Amaya, SS (FOF #7) Amaya was the player Miami received in exchange for longtime shortstop Miguel Rojas. After his first season in the org, there are things to like, but things to also be a bit concerned about. Amaya's glove is MLB-ready. Everything that was said when it comes to his defense turned out to be the case. Offensively, he was proving many wrong early on in 2023, but after his cup of coffee at the big league level, he struggled back down in AAA. Yiddi Cappe, INF (FOF #9) Cappe took a major step back in 2023 slashing .220/.250/.308/.558 with five home runs, 53 RBIs and a 55 wRC+. Unlike in 2022, Cappe didn’t put the ball in play as much and only walked 18 times against 102 strikeouts. The 21-year-old’s struggles were apparent as well when he received the promotion to Low-A in 2022. He went from a strong 139 wRC+ to a 91 wRC+ and walked a lot less along with just putting the ball in play at a league average rate. Defensively, Cappe will likely stick at second or third. Doesn’t seem like he can stick at short although he has seen various reps at the position from time to time. The right-handed bat will most likely begin the 2024 season at High-A Beloit, but struggles can certainly push him even lower on this list, but this was his first true sign old struggles. A second go-around can change things up for Cappe. Troy Johnston, 1B/LF (FOF #10) Johnston, the reigning Miami Marlins minor league player of the year, has a chance to make the Opening Day roster, especially with the early struggles of Trey Mancini. In 2023, between AA and AAA, Johnston slashed .307/.399/.549/.948 with 26 home runs, 116 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Johnston became the first Marlins minor leaguer since 2008 to achieve a 20/20 season. Having a left-handed hitter who also adds at least some sort of versatility could be valuable. Andrés Valor, OF (FOF #12) Valor has quickly stood out with his 6'3", 180 pound frame which has allowed him to succeed early in the Dominican Summer League slashing .294/.360/.466/.825 with five home runs, 25 RBI and a 116 wRC+. He also had 21 stolen bases. Valor has also made a name for himself in the developmental camp. This should be a great opportunity for the 18-year-old. Jacob Berry, 1B/3B (FOF #14) When the Miami Marlins drafted Jacob Berry in 2022, the pick was criticized heavily, given the struggles on defense and the bat possiby not translating as well as it could to pro ball. All of that ended up being the case, but there is hope for the former first round pick. The organization can identify that Berry just isn’t for for third base and switch him to become a first base/DH where he can solely focus on the bat and see improvements there. When he arrived to AA-Pensacola, Berry slashed .248/.301/.442/.743 with five home runs, 22 RBIs and a 94 wRC+. Berry was selected to attend the Arizona Fall League and there, the LSU product slashed .265/.329/.441/.770 with two home runs and seven RBIs. Through the first four games of spring training, Berry has gone 2-for-5 with one strikeout and one walk. In the fourth game against the New York Mets, Berry had his first multi-hit game of the spring. He was the only Marlin with a multi-hit game that day. Will Banfield, C (FOF #20) In 2023, Will Banfield finally looked like the player the Miami Marlins drafted back in 2018. Slashing .258/.302/.472/.773 with 23 home runs, 76 RBIs and a 100 wRC+, Banfield worked with some of Miami’s top pitching prospects in Eury Pérez and Patrick Monteverde. Banfield should begin the season at the AAA level if there's room for him. The only possible reason to hold him back would be to see if he can find consistency with the bat, as 2023 was his first true successful offensive season. Fabian López, SS (FOF #22) López was signed last year in the international signing class and has the highest chance of sticking at shortstop. Although he was under the league average wRC+, there is still a lot to like about the profile and the fact that he is still just a teenager makes you believe that there is room for maturity and growth. The strikeout percentage for López can certainly go down and there is a good chance that it does. His walk percentage also needs to increase. Those are the only true needs of improvement right now. Javier Sanoja, UTIL (FOF #23) The speedster utility man Sanoja survived the first round of spring training cuts and has been able to learn from the vets of the Marlins clubhouse like Luis Arraez and others. This past season, Sanoja began the season in Low-A and went up to High-A. There is a chance we see an aggressive promotion, but unlikely. Sanoja plays every defensive position fairly well and if he finds a home at one spot, that can allow him to become a plus defender as well as show off his very low strikeout rate and plus contact that he makes. Kemp Alderman, 1B/OF (FOF #24) Alderman was the Marlins second-round pick and similar to Vradenburg, it's really a power profile with a high strikeout rate. Alderman has stood out early on in camp, which is good to see. He has also gotten reps in left field, which was a rare occasion for him when he first began playing in the Marlins organization. Griffin Conine, OF Most recently, Conine hit a home run to dead center off of Patrick Corbin and has played in almost every single spring training game, giving him a good opportunity to see reps and see if maybe he has the chance to play at the major league level someday, but at the moment, for Conine, lowering the strikeout rate is the big concern, Striking out at almost 40% in AAA last year was concerning and that needs to change. The power is there and he can play the corner outfield spots, but all in all, there is a future where we won't see the last name Conine at the major league level. José Gerardo, OF José Gerardo truly struggled in 2023. Striking out at a 42.5% marked one of the highest in the organization and the power numbers dipped. There is hope that another full season in the FCL will help Gerardo and soon enough he can make the jump to Low-A, but right now, FCL is his home. Joe Mack, C Mack has struggled since going pro. It can't be said any other way unfortunately. Defensively, there has been growth, but for a prospect who was expected to be an offensive-first catcher, it is tough to see the bat not produce the way that he was supposed to. There is hope (like in Banfield's case) that Mack is a late bloomer, but at the moment, that isn't a given, which is why he missed the cut for our FOF Top 30 list. Brock Vradenburg, 1B Although the power is there for Vradenburg, there is still a lot to that we haven't seen. At the moment, Vradenburg's swing is a bit weird where there are still a lot of moving parts in it and it is really a power/pull profile where there isn't variety. In a power profile, there is also a high strikeout rate, and for Vradenburg, it was at 27.8%.

JUPITER, FL—Through his first eight major league seasons, Mychal Givens had quietly been one of baseball's most consistent relievers. Every year during that stretch, his ERA+ was above 100 (better than league average) and he rarely spent any time on the injured list. In 2022, Givens had a 3.38 ERA, 3.96 FIP, 10.4 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 through 61 ⅓ innings pitched with the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, pretty much exactly the kind of numbers he posted throughout his career. However, players are evaluated mainly based on their most recent work. Last season, in his second stint as a Baltimore Oriole, Givens struggled to stay on the mound (11.25 ERA and 7.51 FIP in 4.0 IP). After waiting deep into spring training, he settled on a minor league deal with the Marlins. "I'm from Tampa, so it's close to home and I got three kids," said Givens on Tuesday about why he signed with Miami. "I want to have the opportunity to be close and the way they've been since 2020. My buddy Richard Bleier told me great things about the direction they're going in. With guys Iike Jon Jay—I faced him in my career and he spoke highly of them and Skip [Schumaker] as well. It's just a great opportunity to be here and help the best way possible." Givens, 33, went to Plant High School in Tampa and was drafted in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Orioles. He remained with the organization until the 2020 season when he was ultimately traded to the Colorado Rockies. Since then, Givens has bounced around, making stops in Cincinnati, Chicago and New York before going back to Baltimore. This deal also reunites Givens with some former teammates, most notably Tanner Scott, who was on the Orioles when Givens was with them. "He was a young buck under my wing and I've been very proud of him and happy for him. He had some hiccups, but I think he just needed a change of scenery and it was great for him." The right-hander's arsenal consists of a four-seam fastball, changeup, slider and sinker. In 2022, Givens didn't use the sinker, but incorporated it in his limited 2023 sample size. The Florida native mainly relies on the fastball/slider combo. e243143c-59efd73d-7de424c1-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Givens would bring valuable experience to the Marlins. With David Robertson, Matt Moore and Matt Barnes leaving this past offseason as free agents, all members of their projected Opening Day bullpen are under 30 years old. Although he has only two weeks to prove himself, Givens hopes to be selected to the Marlins roster when the regular season begins on March 28. He's fully recovered from the knee and shoulder issues that held him back in 2023. The expectation is that Givens will throw live batting practice for the first time on Friday. If that goes smoothly, he could appear in a Grapefruit League game a few days after that. His path to making the Opening Day roster is helped by injuries that have sidelined fellow relievers JT Chargois (neck), Josh Simpson (elbow) and Calvin Faucher (shoulder).

On Friday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported that the Miami Marlins showed interest in designated hitter J.D. Martinez. They had "recent discussions" with the six-time All-Star free agent, but there's a question of how he'd fit with the current Marlins roster and whether the Marlins are comfortable giving him the two-year deal he's looking for. Martinez, 36, just had himself a revival season with the Los Angeles Dodgers slashing .271/.321/.572/.893 with 33 home runs, 103 RBIs and a 135 wRC+. His hard-hit rate was higher than ever, though so was his strikeout rate. The Miami native has a career .287/.350/.524/.874 slash line. But defensively, Martinez is pretty much a full-time DH at this point, playing only three games (one start) in left field since 2022 when the DH became universal. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker has spoken about the team's plan to use a DH rotation, including Josh Bell and Jake Burger. The addition of the right-handed hitter would give the Marlins an experienced and consistent offensive upgrade. He uses the whole field and has proven he can hit for power even in pitcher-friendly ballparks. The only recent concern for Martinez would be his lack of plate discipline, which led to his career-worst strikeout issues. It also could be damaging to the Marlins defense if he clogs up the DH spot every day. With less than three weeks until Opening Day, the Marlins have leverage in these negotiations and may be waiting for Martinez to drop his asking price and settle for a cheaper one-year deal. It's unclear what other teams are still in the mix for Martinez—the Dodgers have moved on and so have the Giants, who previously made an offer to him before reaching a deal with Jorge Soler instead. This signing would certainly help the Marlins' 2024 postseason chances, even if the fit isn't perfect.

JUPITER, FL—In January, the Miami Marlins signed Elvis Alvarado to a minor league contract. He has made it all the way to a major league team's spring training camp as a pitcher despite actually beginning his professional career as an outfielder. The last time Alvarado swung a bat was in 2017, when he was a part of the Washington Nationals organization. His .139/.199/.228/.427 slash line in the Dominican Summer League (30 wRC+) led to a position change. The 6'4" right-handed pitcher has experienced some minor league success on the mound, especially in 2022. Across three levels of the Detroit Tigers organization, he posted a 2.72 ERA, allowing only three home runs in 59 ⅔ innings pitched. However, he was on the injured list this past season throughout April and May and his ERA nearly doubled to 5.18 while seeing most of his action in High-A. Alvarado became a free agent at the end of 2023, but stayed busy as a reliever for the Dominican Winter League's Estrellas Orientales. He put himself on the Marlins' radar by throwing 12 ⅔ scoreless innings, striking out 10 and walking six. His sinker topped out at 100 mph. nub49e.mp4 Early on in Marlins camp, Alvarado impressed. He struck out center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. and utility man Vidal Bruján during live BP. In his first Grapefruit League appearance (February 26), he went one inning, struck out one and didn't allow a hit nor a walk. "He's uncomfortable," said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. "That's what you want, especially a righty kind of three-quarters arm slot...He hit the first guy, but I think the the reality is that if you can command his fastball and rip the slider like he's doing, he's gonna be an option for sure." Control is the main issue for Alvarado. He also doesn't get as much swing-and-miss as you might expect given his velocity. On March 1, he received a save opportunity against the Philadelphia Phillies and allowed a game-tying homer to David Dahl. A good comparison for Alvarado in terms of stuff, physical frame and eventual MLB potential is fellow Marlins reliever Anthony Bender. Bender burst onto the scene as a 26-year-old non-roster invitee during 2021 spring training and became a key piece of Miami's bullpen after debuting in May of that season. Alvarado turned 25 last month. While Alvarado doesn't look to be in the mix for an Opening Day job, don't be surprised if he gets a call-up to Miami at some point and contributes.