Kevin Barral

Recently called up Marlins rookie Jacob Amaya speaks with Kevin Barral of Fish On First about his first taste of Major League Baseball. Amaya shouts out new teammates Joey Wendle for "showing him the ropes," Archie Bradley for paying for a fresh haircut and Jazz Chisholm Jr. for giving him new cleats.

The Miami Marlins have exceeded expectations so far in 2023. However, to sustain this (and to better position themselves for perennial postseason contention), they’ll likely need to acquire help from outside the organization. Leading up to the August 1 MLB trade deadline, Fish On First will profile potentially attainable players who would fit with what the Fish are building. SS/3B Jordan Westburg (Baltimore Orioles)Since the beginning of his pro career, Jordan Westburg has been consistent. Facing older competition throughout his climb up the minor league ladder, the 2020 draft pick has homered in every full month he has played with only two months of sub-.200 batting averages. The number 47 prospect on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 list, Westburg has been one of the best prospects in the Baltimore Orioles system. He is currently having a career year at AAA slashing .291/.371/.570/.941 with 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a 130 wRC+. Westburg's power continues to increase year by year and there could be even more from him in the future considering he's only 24 years old. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/a71268dc-e3e6-4a49-9da7-f933f32f563e.mp4Westburg has plenty of experience at shortstop, third base and second base. He has added even more to his versatility in 2023 with occasional starts in the corner outfield spots. Aside from Jorge Soler, nobody on the Marlins is on pace to reach 20 homers this season, and Soler could opt out of his contract this winter. Westburg fits perfectly with Miami from that standpoint. Availability Currently, the Baltimore Orioles stand at 44-27, which is second in the AL East and good enough to hold the top AL Wild Card spot. They aren't getting much offense from shortstop Jorge Mateo, who is slashing .231/.271/.367/.638 with six home runs, 27 RBIs, and a 74 wRC+. Calling up Westburg to share playing time with Mateo is a possibility, but Mateo still makes a positive impact with Gold Glove defense. Starting pitching is a bigger need for the O's moving forward, so they might be willing to trade Westburg under the right circumstances. Roster Fit & Trade Considerations Just like I mentioned in the Iván Herrera article, you can never completely trust a young player to succeed in the majors immediately even when he's been raking at Triple-A. If the Marlins were to pull the trigger on a Westburg trade, it would be mostly about 2024 and beyond rather than counting on him during their current playoff push. Before being slowed down by Tommy John surgery and a foot fracture, Vanderbilt product Jake Eder was widely regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in the Marlins system. As of Tuesday, the left-hander has made three minor league rehab starts as he gets stretched out to be a starting rotation option. In 18 career MiLB appearances, Eder has a 2.11 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched. If Eder gets back to full strength by the deadline, maybe he'd be the centerpiece of a Westburg package? Former All-Star Trevor Rogers should have even more value with a league-average adjusted ERA during his four MLB seasons. It's unclear when he'll be ready after suffering a right lat strain (on top of his initial injury of a left biceps strain). That would be a big gamble for both teams—Rogers has been inconsistent since the middle portion of 2021, but he still has great upside and won't be on any sort of innings limit down the stretch of this season.

The Miami Marlins have exceeded expectations so far in 2023. However, to sustain this (and to better position themselves for perennial postseason contention), they’ll likely need to acquire help from outside the organization. Leading up to the August 1 MLB trade deadline, Fish On First will profile potentially attainable players who would fit with what the Fish are building. C Iván Herrera (St. Louis Cardinals)Iván Herrera was signed by the Cardinals on July 7, 2016. Since then, Herrera has been a consistent player in the Cardinals minor league system and was even considered the successor to the legendary Yadier Molina. The Panamanian made his major league debut in the 2022 season, but only played in 11 games and didn't produce during that small sample. This season for Triple-A Memphis, Herrera is slashing .297/.424/.545/.969 (144 wRC+) with seven home runs and 35 RBIs. The similarities between his walk rate (17.2%) and strikeout rate (20.2%) are evidence of his good plate approach. Herrera is slashing .299/.397/.537/.934 with five home runs and 23 RBIs against right-handed pitching. Against lefties, he is slashing .296/.484/.568/1.052 with two home runs and 12 RBIs. There's nothing else for him to learn in the minors when it comes to hitting. As intriguing as the 23-year-old is, there is a true risk in acquiring somebody who has barely any major league track record. It's never been more difficult to predict how AAA numbers will translate to the highest level. Also worth noting, both MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs describe Herrera's defense as fringy/below-average. With only 29 days of MLB service time, Herrera would be under club control through at least 2029. Availability This past offseason, the Cardinals signed longtime Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras to a five-year deal which blocks Herrera from being their primary guy behind the plate. Contreras' backup, Andrew Knizner, is under control through 2025. For the right price, Herrera should be available. Herrera is in his third and final minor league option year. If the Cardinals hold onto him until the offseason, they will lose leverage as other teams know he'll need to be on the 2024 Opening Day roster. The Cardinals are one of baseball's biggest disappointments this season, currently standing at 27-42. Even with no elite rivals in the National League Central division, it's becoming harder and harder to believe that they'll be in the playoff mix. A franchise with such high expectations could be very active at the deadline to make the necessary adjustments to contend next year. Roster Fit & Trade Considerations Currently, the Marlins have the duo of Jacob Stallings and Nick Fortes at the backstop position. Stallings is hitting far below .200 with mediocre defense at best, making him an obvious DFA candidate. Despite hitting the ball better in the recent weeks, Fortes isn't performing at the level of a true everyday catcher, so the Marlins should be willing to make a significant investment to acquire somebody to split time with him for the rest of 2023 and beyond. Herrera could be recalled right away, or the Marlins could wait until rosters expand in September if they prefer not to cut Stallings. The Cardinals' main focus is addressing their big league rotation. However, Miami doesn't necessarily have the depth to trade from that part of their roster right now without greatly hurting their playoff chances. A top prospect like left-hander Dax Fulton would've made a lot of sense for this trade scenario if he was healthy and progressing normally, but that's not the case unfortunately. /news/injuries/dax-fulton-elbow-surgery/At the Double-A level, LHP Patrick Monteverde and (to a lesser extent) RHP Evan Fitterer have impressed in 2023. The Marlins might have to bundle them together to have a chance to get Herrera. The last time that the Marlins and Cardinals completed a consequential trade with each other was the Sandy Alcantara/Zac Gallen/Marcell Ozuna blockbuster in December 2017. Featured image courtesy of herrera.ivan01/Instagram

Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout are joined by Ely Sussman. Topics covered on Episode 43 of Fish Unfiltered include: The Marlins' inconsistent offensive performance Trevor Rogers' setback Frustrating season for Edward CabreraHow the Marlins should use Eury Pérez Dax Fulton's season-ending surgery Potential trade targets Yasmani Grandal, Yan Gomes and Iván Herrera Subscribe to the Fish On First YouTube channel to watch video versions of every Fish Unfiltered episode. Follow Kevin (@kevin_barral), Isaac (@IsaacAzout), Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. Our Fish On First podcast programming includes The Offishial Show, Fish Unfiltered, Fishology, State of the Fish and What a Relief. All new episodes are posted to FishOnFirst.com/podcasts. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, Megaphone or wherever you normally get your pods from.

After dropping game one of the three-game set against the Seattle Mariners, the Marlins sent Edward Cabrera out there to see if he can continue the nice stretch that he was on the past couple of games. Unfortunately, not only would the Marlins offense disappoint, but so would Edward in a lopsided 9-3 Mariners win. Edward Cabrera, who had his last outing cut short due to a blister, struggled in his start against Seattle. Going with his usual changeup/fastball combo was nothing new with Edward, but he did walk three batters, which ended up hurting his pitch count as he would go into deep 3-2 battles at times in his outing. The first home run that Cabrera gave up was to Cal Raleigh, who was in a 0-for-21 slump prior to the home run. Cabrera, who doesn't usually go to the curveball much, threw it to Raleigh who took advantage of it and crushed it 409 feet into the air and left the bat at 105.4 MPH. That was Raleigh's ninth homer of the season which got Seattle off to an early 3-0 lead. The second home run that Cabrera gave up was to Mike Ford, who was a .158 hitter before the at-bat. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Cabrera went to his trusty changeup, which was low enough in the zone for Ford to take Cabrera 399 feet deep for a two-run blast that extended Seattle's lead, 5-0. The ball left the bat at 101.0 MPH and that was Ford's third homer of the season. Cabrera would be taken out following the fourth inning. He struck out four, walked three, and gave up five earned runs on four hits. Cabrera's next start will likely be on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays. On the other end of the pitching matchup, 2019 first-round draft pick George Kirby had a special night for the Mariners as he pitched six innings, struck out a career-high ten hitters, didn't walk anyone, and only gave up one (unearned) run on three hits. What made Kirby's outing so good? It helped that he didn't walk a single hitter, and that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone as he ranked in the 99th percentile in walk rate entering this start. Kirby has the lowest walk per nine among qualified MLB starters this season, and after his start against Miami, that will remain the case. In terms of pitch arsenal and usage, he didn't change much. Per usual, Kirby went with his fastball/sinker combo followed up by the slider which is his fourth-most used pitch this season. Miami got to Kirby in the top of the sixth inning when Garrett Hampson got a base hit and then stole second. Jorge Soler continues having success this season and drove in Hampson to end the shutout. Seattle still led, 5-1. Archie Bradley made his Marlins debut. It did not go well for the veteran right-hander, going one inning, striking out one, but giving up three earned runs off of two hits. Bradley walked three batters. All of those runs came around to score because of José Caballero's bases-clearing triple, which extended the Mariners lead to 8-1. More fireworks went off in the eighth inning for both teams. Garrett Cooper took Chris Flexen deep for a two-run homer on an 0-2 fastball and Mike Ford hit a solo shot off JT Chargois. That was the first homer that Chargois has allowed as a Marlin. With the loss, the Marlins are now 37-31 while the Mariners go to 33-33 and take the series against the Marlins. Game Notes: To make room on their roster for Archie Bradley, the Miami Marlins transferred Trevor Rogers to the 60-day IL and optioned Huascar Brazoban to AAA Jacksonville. Rogers is eligible to come off the IL next week, but that is "doubtful" to happen, per Craig Mish.This was Cabrera's first time allowing multiple homers in a game since April 24 in Atlanta.All of Seattle's offensive production came from the No. 5-9 part of the order for the Mariners. The others near the top of the lineup combined to go 0-for-16.Luis Arraez's MLB-leading batting average dropped to .384, the lowest it's been since June 2.Miami will send out Eury Pérez on Wednesday as they try to salvage a game and avoid the series sweep. The Marlins have to face a former prospect of theirs, Luis Castillo, who has won five of his six career starts against them.

Fan voting is underway for the 2023 MLB All-Star Game. The Miami Marlins had three representatives last year and they have improved their roster since then, sitting at 37-29 entering Monday. Miami's 2022 All-Stars—Sandy Alcantara, Garrett Cooper and Jazz Chisholm Jr.—have each taken steps back, but several of their teammates have stepped up in their place. The fans are taking notice. Let's go through the cases that four key Marlins players have made for themselves so far. Jorge Soler When you think of bounce-back seasons, the first player you think of is Cuban slugger Jorge Soler. This season, Soler is slashing .258/.346/.559/.905 with 19 home runs, 38 RBIs, and a 144 wRC+ this season. Soler is currently tied for second with Aaron Judge in home runs, but could be first very soon as both Judge and Pete Alonso (the league leader in homers) currently find themselves on the IL. The biggest factor for Soler this season has been health. He has yet to be put on the IL this season, only taking a couple days rest due to a sore thumb. He has played 46 games as a DH this season against 14 games in right field to help him deal with the back issues that interrupted his 2022 campaign. Soler has also mentioned a couple times that he feels like he is being more patient at the plate and is being able to take more walks this season. Going from a 29.4% strikeout rate in 2022 to a 25.0% strikeout rate in 2023 is a very nice improvement that has helped out his batting average and overall his results in general this season. What stands out with Soler is the fact that not only he leads the NL in homers, but he is on a Marlins team that is having a lot of success this season, and a lot of that success is thanks to Soler and being one of the most clutch hitters in baseball. Despite his success, Soler is unlikely to be a fan-elected starter. He is listed as a DH just like J.D. Martinez (Dodgers), who is having a very good season, and Andrew McCutchen (Pirates), who is having his own huge bounce-back season. Bryce Harper (Phillies) is off to a hot start and always receives strong fan support. Martinez, Harper and Travis d'Arnaud (Braves) are currently ahead of Soler in the voting. Luis Arráez If there is a player on the Marlins who is a lock to get into the All-Star Hame, it is Luis Arráez. The new Marlin is slashing .397/.447/.485/.931 with 30 RBIs and a 158 wRC+ through 61 games played this season. Arráez leads the league in batting average and nobody else is even close. When the Marlins traded for Arráez, he already had the reputation for being an elite contact hitter, but he's gotten even better at that. He's striking out at a 5.1% rate, which is the lowest in the league. A .415 BABIP is unsustainable, but Arráez has historically demonstrated the ability to find open spaces between fielders. His expected batting average is still very impressive at .332 (99th percentile among MLB qualifiers, per Statcast). Arráez does have some competition on the ballot such as Ozzie Albies (Braves) and Nolan Gorman (Cardinals). However, his chase for .400 has captured the nation's attention and will continue to earn him votes from those outside of the Marlins fanbase. Arráez is deservedly the number one NL second baseman in the voting at the moment. If for whatever reason he doesn't hold onto his lead, he is still a lock to go to Seattle as a reserve. Bryan De La Cruz One of the streakiest players in baseball seems to have finally found consistency. In the month of May, Bryan De La Cruz slashed .337/.398/.541/.939 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. He is continuing to do well in June, slashing .289/.341/.474/.815 with one home run and 12 RBIs. Many had DLC as a breakout player candidate entering the season and he is proving them right. Although De La Cruz is establishing himself as an everyday starter, his late-April slump is holding down his overall numbers too much for him to overtake the NL's other top outfielders. Andrew Nardi It's difficult for any non-closing relief pitcher to be recognized as an All-Star. After a horrid beginning to his MLB career, Nardi now has a 2.48 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 10.55 K/9, and 2.79 BB/9 and is looking like one of the top lefty relievers in the National League. He also leads the NL with 32 appearances out of the bullpen. Nardi needs to be pretty much perfect for the next month to be seriously in the mix. Even then, his selection would probably rely on another pitcher's injury or personal situation. Featured image by Danis Sosa/Fish On First

With a 35-28 record, the Miami Marlins are off to their best start to a season since 2004. Instead of fading out of the playoff race, the Marlins are currently riding their longest winning streak so far (six in a row entering Friday) thanks to an improving offense. While Luis Arraez gets most of the headlines, Jesús Sánchez has been another big part of Miami's success. Since coming off the injured list on May 30, he is slashing .345/.406/.655/1.062 with three home runs (most on the Marlins during that period). Sánchez has had a rollercoaster of a career with the Marlins since they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019. In a brief cup of coffee with the big league team in 2020, Sánchez struggled and didn't get anything going. In 2021, we saw exactly what we wanted out of Sánchez (.251/.319/.489, 14 HR in 64 G). In 2022, though, he once again struggled and was even sent down to Triple-A. Expectations were low entering 2023. Sánchez barely played during the first month of the season and he wasn't hitting for power in his limited opportunities. He looked more like a DFA candidate than a building block. That has fully turned around—now, his .958 OPS is even higher than Arraez's. This is Sánchez's first year working with hitting coach Brant Brown and the rest of the new Marlins coaching staff. "Mentally, he has helped me to maintain my approach," said Sanchez in Spanish. "From time to time, I tend to change or adjust my approach and he tells me to remember my strong points. He is always on top of me and I can't thank him enough for it." Sánchez is also getting help from a familiar face. He's been playing alongside fellow Dominican outfielder Bryan De La Cruz since 2021 and benefiting from his friendship. "For me, it is like playing in the Dominican Republic," said Sánchez. "We just have fun. He is a great teammate and an excellent person." The lefty-hitting Sánchez takes pride in how he's using the opposite field more consistently this season. According to Baseball Savant, 36.2% of his batted balls are going the opposite way, the highest rate of his career (MLB average is 25.4%). As Sánchez explains it, his mindset as a hitter is "just hit a lot of doubles." Against the Arizona Diamondbacks last month, he had five of those in a single series. As valuable as Sánchez has been, the Marlins also have a winning record in games he doesn't play. The talent around him in the clubhouse has clearly improved and the vibes around the team are a lot better. "We have people who want to help us," said Sánchez. "Help amongst us, the players. That is what has helped us a lot." Sánchez is not listed on the MLB All-Star ballot (the Marlins outfielders on there are De La Cruz, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jorge Soler). It'll be a challenge for him to even make it as a reserve due to a lack of playing time, but little by little, he's making a case for himself and getting recognition from the rest of the baseball world. Featured image by Danis Sosa/Fish On First

With the Miami Marlins trying to go for back-to-back series sweeps, they sent Edward Cabrera to the mound to face a struggling Kansas City Royals team. A nice start from Cabrera and Jesus Sanchez's three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning helped extend Miami's winning streak. Final Score: 6-1. Edward Cabrera gave up a run early in the game off of a Nick Pratto RBI single that drove in Maikel Garcia. Despite that, he looked great, going five innings, striking out four, and only giving up one run on two hits. In Cabrera's previous scoreless performance against the Athletics, he relied on his changeup, but tonight went mainly fastball and only threw the changeup 12 times. He went to his curveball more this time around and didn't use the slider. Unfortunately, Cabrera was taken out of the game during warmups in the top of the sixth due to a blister. That's been an off-and-on issue for him since the beginning of his Marlins career. "Cabby was doing great, but he couldn't spin the ball anymore because the blister," said Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. "Once he told me that, that was it." For Miami, the star of the show was Jesus Sanchez, who continues to have success in 2023. On an 0-1 count with two on and two out in the third, Sanchez hit one of the most impressive Marlins home runs of the season, going 445 feet deep to straightaway center. Sanchez's 109.8 MPH exit velo would be the second-hardest-hit ball of the night. "He's worked hard," said Schumaker. "He's worked really hard in spring training with the group. Him, (Bryan De La Cruz), everybody up and down the lineup in the roster, they've worked really hard to get to a spot where they're succeeding day in and day out." Aside from Sanchez, the Marlins offense wasn't able to do much off of Royals starter Jordan Lyles. Lyles went seven innings, struck out two, walked one, and gave up five runs off of six hits, though two of those runs were pushed across against reliever Jose Cuas. Lyle suffered his MLB-leading 10th loss, but had arguably one of his best starts of the season. The Dominican Bash Bros were responsible for the insurance runs off of Cuas. With runners on first and second with no outs, Bryan De La Cruz, doubled to drive in Garrett Hampson and Luis Arráez. Miami extended the lead, 5-1. Not long after, Sanchez smacked an RBI single to drive in De La Cruz. The ninth inning would be smooth sailing for A.J. Puk who finished the game off for the Marlins to give them win number 35 on the season and their first back-to-back sweeps of the season. Marlins win, 6-1. This was the first time that Puk pitched since returning from his injury (left elbow nerve irritation). "I was just real focused," said Puk following the game. "I'm feeling good again and I was just ready to get back out." Game Notes Luis Arráez is now batting .403Jesus Sanchez is now hitting .306The Marlins bullpen combined for a total of six strikeouts tonight while allowing only one hitMiami finished the homestand going 7-2Edward Cabrera tells the media that he will be making his next scheduled startFeatured image by David Badia/Pelota Cubana USA

The 2023 Dominican Summer League and Florida Complex League seasons have begun. Once again, the Miami Marlins have one FCL affiliate (FCL Marlins) and two in the DSL (DSL Miami and DSL Marlins). Rookie ball leagues are home to the youngest players in professional baseball, but someday, these prospects could develop into impactful major leaguers. Don't wait until later to get to know them. Based on the information we have on these players right now, I'll be going through key names on each of the affiliate's rosters. DSL Marlins INF Yoffry Solano was the top Marlins signing in the 2022 international signing period. In 2022, Solano slashed .320/.393/.398/.791 with a 8.5% walk rate and 16.2% strikeout rate. He didn't hit a single home run. Solano was good but not quite the star of the show, and that's why he is repeating the DSL for the time being. The 18-year-old switch-hitter has a lot of speed. Offensively, he's been more productive from the left side of the plate so far. From the 2023 international class, INF Jayden Felicia and INF Erick Lara are going to be two players to keep an eye out for. Felicia is a 5'11", 153-pound, left handed hitting shortstop. Lara is a 6'1", 191-pound, left handed hitting third baseman who will probably project to stick at his current position. Lara's arm strength tops out at 90 MPH, which is impressive at his age (turning 17 on Saturday). Another signing that the Marlins made in 2023 was OF Jancory De La Cruz. I personally am excited to see the 6'2", 201-pounder. With average arm strength of 85 MPH and topping out at 87 MPH, he will likely play the outfield corners, but maybe the Marlins will try him out in center at some point. Looking at the pitchers on the DSL Marlins, RHP Derek Arellan is a 17-year-old from Venezuela. In his arsenal, he has a fastball which sits between 84-90 MPH, changeup (82-84 MPH), and curveball (71-75 MPH). It is encouraging to see a prospect entering pro ball with a legitimate three-pitch arsenal and filling out his 6'2" frame (listed at 195 pounds). That will help Arellan's chances of developing as a starter. RHP Bayant Melo stands at 6'3", 189 pounds. Melo is an 18-year-old out of the Dominican Republic. LHP Luis Porfirio stands at 6'0" feet, 195 pounds. The 17-year-old throws a 84-87 MPH fastball, a sweeping slider which is between 69-73 MPH, and a changeup (80-82 MPH). Long term, it will necessary for Porfirio's velo to tick up significantly. LHP Eiver Espinoza stands at 6'6", 178 pounds. In 20 DSL innings pitched last season, Espinoza had a 1.35 ERA and 19 K's, but also 15 walks and six wild pitches. The 19-year-old can get a ticket to come stateside if his control improves. Finally, the DSL Marlins have Jesus Abreu (6'0", 211 lbs) and Adrian Bello (5'11", 171 lbs) at the catching position. Abreu has the slight edge in arm strength at the moment (81 MPH to Bello's 80 MPH). DSL Miami Meanwhile, this DSL Miami team features bigger names with even higher upside. Kicking it off with Janero Miller, the top Marlins signing this past international signing period. Miller is a left-handed pitcher and outfielder who comes from the Bahamas, a place where the Marlins have been heavily scouting in recent years. Miller's fastball, curveball and changeup were on display during preseason scrimmages. As for the bat, he has a very laid-back stance, but shows a little twitch in his bat during his load, a little bit like Gary Sheffield's back in the day. Miller made his DSL debut as a DH on Monday. The question now becomes if he will be able to develop simultaneously as both a pitcher and a hitter. OF Andres Valor is a 6'2", 199-pound Venezuelan who bats from the right side. OF Osvaldo Heredia is a 6'2", 172-pound lefty hitter. At just 15 years old, Heredia was already topping out at 92 MPH in arm strength, though it required a max-effort throwing motion for him to get it there. Switch-hitting OF Daniel Gaitor is another product from the Bahamas. He stands at 5'10", 184 pounds. INF Fabian Lopez, who signed with the Marlins for $650k, sticks out a lot. At 6'1", 164 pounds, the glove will stick at shortstop for the time being. Lopez homered in his professional debut on Monday. RHP Johan Palacios is intriguing simply for the fact that he stands at 6'11" (he was only 6'9" when signed in 2022). In this article (Spanish), former Marlins official Clifford Nuitter spoke about his potential. RHP Yohanfer Santana, who stands at 6'7", has a fastball at 87 MPH, changeup at 84 MPH, curveball at 77 MPH, and a slider at 77 MPH. He should have good enough secondary stuff to get a lot of swing-and-miss in the DSL. Finally, RHP Hamlet Garcia was identified by a team source as a player to keep an eye out for. The 17-year-old Dominican is smaller than most pitchers at 5'10", 198 pounds. FCL Marlins The FCL roster is a diverse group including DSL success stories who've been promoted along with some older prospects trying to get their baseball careers back on track. INF Marco Vargas was arguably the Marlins' top DSL player in 2022, slashing .319/.421/.456/.877 with 38 RBIs and 14 stolen base with a 139 wRC+. Vargas is regarded as one of the top international players in the Marlins system and was added to the latest edition of MLB Pipeline's top 30 prospect list. Now he makes his way stateside and should be an exciting prospect to watch. Defensively, Vargas was alternating between second base, third base and shortstop last season. It wouldn't surprise me if we see that continue—the Marlins can wait until later in his career to focus on determining his permanent home. OF Jose Gerardo and OF Antony Peguero are also in Pipeline's top 30 after outstanding debut seasons. Peguero, who is known for his bat-to-ball skills, slashed .286/.355/.423/.778 with five home runs and 33 RBIs with a 112 wRC+. Peguero will be someone who we will be keeping a close eye out on to see what differences and adjustments he makes stateside that we may not have seen in the D.R. As for Gerardo, he holds a lot more power as he hit 11 home runs in the 2022 season, slashing .284/.417/.551/.969. His throwing arm is also as powerful as anybody's in the Marlins farm system. C Ronald Hernandez will be repeating the FCL initially, where he slashed .236/.329/.321/.651 with 22 RBIs and a 90 wRC+ last season. He stood out during 2023 minor league camp and frankly should be moving up to Low-A Jupiter sooner rather than later. More Roster Notes Players demoted to the FCL after playing at full-season levels earlier this year: Noah Williamson and Angeudis Santos.In addition to Williamson, recent MLB Draft picks RHP Brandon White, RHP Jack Gowen and C Carmine Lane are on the FCL team.Hiroshi Takahashi is from Tokyo, Japan, but moved to Venezuela and speaks Spanish. He will be with DSL Miami.

After dropping two out of three against the San Diego Padres, the Fish welcomed the Oakland Athletics, who are the worst team in baseball as they entered with a record of 12-46. Edward Cabrera shined for the Marlins as he struck out 10 and the most encouraging sign, only allowed one walk. Along with Cabrera, Jesus Sánchez shined going three-for-four with a opposite field home run and two base hits. He also shined defensively to keep the A's off the scoreboard. Cabrera did exactly what he had to do against a weak opponent. Going six innings, striking out 10, walking one, and only giving up four hits is as good as it gets. "Yeah, he's had a couple of really good starts," said Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. "This one was right at the top. I just think, one walk, six out of seven three-two counts that were strikes, so that shows you a lot that he dialed it in and focused and when you have those three-ball counts, you have to focus and let them put it in play, or strike him out, and he did." A big factor in Cabrera’s start was his fastball command. He used it to set up his changeup which he threw 27 times to generate nine of his 18 whiffs. "He mixed and matched and kept a lot of lefties off balance," said Schumaker, "and the changeup was really good." https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-06/02/295a954a-fdd9fe33-30e0ab19-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4 When speaking to Cabrera postgame, he said that attacking the zone is what worked for him, but most importantly, he took pride in the length of his outing. "I have to thank God for that performance," said Edward Cabrera through translator Luis Dorante Jr. "Greatest thing of all was that I was able to get to that sixth inning and with only one walk, so I did feel very good today." As for the Marlins offense, they were able to quickly get to opener Shintaro Fujinami. After allowing a single to Bryan De La Cruz with two outs, Jesus Sánchez, who just recently came back from a hamstring injury, crushed a two-run home run to give the Marlins an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. "We needed the lefty bat bad," said Schumaker. "He's been playing good defense, running the bases right, getting two hits against the lefty, he got a home run opposite field, and all three hits run the opposite direction. I mean, it was a really good night." Sánchez would end the night going three-for-four with two more base hits along with a 95.2 MPH throw to get speedster Esteury Ruiz attempting to go to third on a Cabrera throwing error. "The thrill wasn't great." said Schumaker. "I'll be honest with you. It was like an in-between hop, but the fact that (Sánchez) was there, that's what we're talking about. He was there, he didn't anticipate it being a bad throw, he just didn't watch the paint dry." "It feels good to start doing things right where we left off," said Sánchez through translator Luis Dorante Jr. following the game. "I think it's a matter of trust. Once you have that trust and confidence, you got to continue doing what you're doing right and then just continue working hard and playing with all your teammates." After Fujinami opened the game, the A's went with Hogan Harris. He pitched well for the most part, but gave up two earned runs on five hits and pitched five innings while striking out five. Harris only mistake came in the bottom of the fifth inning. After Jacob Stallings got a base hit, with two outs, Jorge Soler hit a 107.2 MPH RBI double to drive in Stallings and extend the Miami lead, 3-0. The two-out rally continued with Bryan De La Cruz who hit an RBI single to make it 4-0, but was caught trying to go for second base after the throw from home came to make an attempt to get Soler. "I was looking for the fastball, said Soler following the game. "Hoping he didn't throw the fastball becasue he has a really good fastball, but I was also looking at the changeup, because in my last at-bat, he had struck me out with the changeup." On top of the nice night that Sanchez had, his Dominican bash bro De La Cruz also had a nice night going two-for-four with an RBI in the game. "DLC has been taken out after good and bad, leadoff, three-hole, doesn't matter. He's been really good for us," said Skip Schumaker. After Cabrera, the Marlins went with relievers JT Chargois, Andrew Nardi, and Tanner Scott to finish off the shutout. The bullpen combined for four strikeouts and only one hit allowed, which was off of Tanner Scott. Manager Skip Schumaker Postgame Press Conference Miami took game one of the three-game set to improve to a 30-28 record. Miami finds themselves in third place in the NL East. Next for the Marlins, Eury Perez will take the mound as Luis Medina goes up against him. Game time is at 4:10pm and it is a Legacy Saturday. https://twitter.com/ballymarlins/status/1664808585346314240?s=61&t=oNMyVPIbn5gjHLP3ug9pgQ

In the 2022-2023 offseason, the Miami Marlins traded longtime shortstop Miguel Rojas to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Jacob Amaya. After having been drafted and developed by the prestigious Dodgers organization since 2017, Amaya had to adjust to new surroundings, but he tells Fish On First that the transition went smoothly. "Not really too difficult," said Amaya. "I think it was just an easy process. You know, came out of nowhere type thing. I found out through social media. So again, just spring training and getting to know the guys and how they are around other people and they talk to you and stuff like that...that kind of made the process easier." The Dodgers were consistent World Series contenders during Amaya's time in their system, winning it all in 2020 and earning postseason berths in all other years as well. What did he take away from that environment and bring with him to the Marlins? “Just how to go about everything," said Amaya. "How to go about your business every day, what you need to do coming in when you get to the field, and what you need to do when the game is going on. So definitely a good org to be a part of. Thankful for my time there.” A former 11th-round draft pick, Amaya earned his way onto the Dodgers 40-man roster after the 2021 season. Then in 2022, splitting the season between Double-A and Triple-A, he slashed .261/.369/.427/.795 with 17 home runs and 71 RBIs while spending almost all of his games at shortstop. Amaya entered big league camp with the Marlins this year as a darkhorse candidate to crack the Opening Day roster, but he struggled in limited Grapefruit League action, slashing .053/.100/.053/.153 in nine games played. The slump continued after being optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville—in March/April, he slashed .211/.284/.311/.595 with two home runs and ten RBIs. “I think I'm a slow starter myself,” said Amaya. The poor performance didn't shake the 24-year-old's confidence in himself. Amaya rebounded with a phenomenal month of May, slashing .368/.443/.658/1.101 with five home runs and 16 RBIs. His hot streak included a home run on Sunday that traveled an estimated 447 feet. The combination of smooth defense and solid game power is extremely encouraging. “Not really changing too much,” said Amaya. “For me, it was just timing. Just trying to get the timing down and then seeing the pitches coming at me and stuff like that.” Another big part of Amaya’s game is his discipline at the plate. Despite a lower walk rate this season (10.0%), he is still striking out only 21.1% of the time, which is less than the International League average. He seems to be seeing the ball better against right-handed pitching than he was in 2022 as his platoon splits aren't as pronounced. When Miami acquired Amaya, he drew comparison to a younger Miguel Rojas with a better bat. That is exactly what we have seen from him in the month of May. Joey Wendle has played poorly this season and is a pending free agent, while Jon Berti is versatile enough to play other defensive positions. Amaya's upside is higher than theirs because of his power potential. If he can continue to do what he is doing at a consistent level, then the Marlins really need to call him up and find out whether he can be their long-term solution at shortstop.

After suffering a 9-4 loss on Tuesday night, the Marlins looked to bounce back in game two as they had Braxton Garrett on the mound. Aside from giving up a home run early in the game, Braxton held his own and only allowed one run throughout his 5 1/3 innings of work. Despite the Marlins offense grounding into three double plays, Nick Fortes would walk it off to win the game. Final score: 2-1. Garrett has credited his new cutter for some of his recent success, but he went in a different direction against the Padres, relying more on his sinker and slider. His putaway pitch was the changeup, which got him three strikeouts. "My changeup was great tonight," said Garrett. "Kinda made a few adjustments with it coming into the start and didn't use as many sliders tonight." "Yeah, that's one of the pitches that I'm talking about that's grown so much," said Nick Fortes after the game. "It used to be like a last option, a last resort for him, but he's gotten to a point to where now we're going into it more and kind of evening out those different pitches." It didn't hurt that Braxton's velo was slightly up on most of his pitches. Overall, he generated a season-high 14 whiffs. Garrett's only mistake of the night came in the top of the third inning when newest Padre Gary Sanchez crushed a solo homer into left field to give San Diego the 1-0 lead. Sanchez's homer left the bat at 111.4 MPH and went 406 feet to left field. The only other issue aside from the home run was the length of his outing. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker decided to take him out after only 79 pitches. Even so, there is a lot for Garrett to be proud of. Blake Snell entered the night struggling with a 5.04 ERA, but you wouldn't know it from watching him work against the Marlins as he went six innings, gave up three hits, walked three, and struck out six. Aside from using his trusty fastball, Snell went with the changeup which was a pitch he had only used 13.6% of the time this season. He used that pitch more since it worked as a putaway pitch. Aside from that, his usage was the same and the velocity was up on most of his pitches. "I had Snell when I was over there at San Diego," said Skip Schumaker. "You will see a guy that has really good stuff all the time. It's just if he throws enough strikes and does and he did today and his curveball was really good." After shutting out the Marlins for eight straight innings, the Padres went with Josh Hader to close the game out. Yuli Gurriel drew a lead-off walk and Joey Wendle advanced him to second with a sacrifice bunt. With one out, Jean Segura, who had one of Miami's four hits up to that point, smacked an RBI double to drive in Gurriel and tie the game up at one apiece. Turning 39 years old next week, Yuli wasn't signed for his baserunning, but he showed off the speed by sprinting 27.4 feet per second on the play. "In the last couple of days, I feel more aggressive," said Segura. "I feel like when you're struggling, it's like automatic first two pitches strike out of the way and now just start fighting pitches outside and so on and so on." This was Segura's 500th career RBI. Right after Segura, it was Nick Fortes' turn to take a hack at Hader. Fortes received help as Jean stole third to put himself in an even better spot. All Fortes had to do was hit a sac fly deep enough for Segura to score, but Fortes ended things off even better. On a 1-1 count, Fortes smacked the ball 105.2 MPH to the first-base side to drive in Segura to win it. "Just honestly looking for a fastball and get on top of it," said Fortes. "We know that (Hader's) fastball plays good at the top of the and from the on-deck circle that's what it was looking like, so I was just looking for a fastball and just try to get on top of it." "Had a good road trip," said Schumaker on Fortes. "Anaheim, that series was really good. The bat started to come alive and he caught some really good games." This marked the first time all season that Josh Hader had given up multiple earned runs, so what Miami did tonight was impressive off of the April NL Reliever of the month. Game Notes The Marlins finish the month of May with a 13-14 recordThis was Nick Fortes' second career walk-off winner. The last one came on June 26, 2022 when he hit the walk-off home run against the Mets.The Marlins bullpen combined for six total strikeouts. Brazoban and Okert each had three strikeouts.The Marlins are now 16-4 in one-run games.The Marlins currently sit at 29-27, just one game shy of win number 30 on the season. The Marlins are in second place in the NL East. On Thursday, Jesus Luzardo takes the bump against Joe Musgrove who's a better pitcher than his 2023 numbers suggest. First pitch at 1:10 p.m. Featured image by Photo by Al Diaz/Miami Herald