Kevin Barral

Throughout the course of the 2023 season, there have been many guys who have stood out from the Marlins' affiliates in the Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League. These are the youngest players in the Marlins organization, so they're also the furthest away from making a major league impact. Still, it's important to monitor their progress because you can be sure that other MLB teams are paying attention. It's no coincidence that the New York Mets wanted Marco Vargas and Ronald Hernández in exchange for reliever David Robertson—Vargas and Hernández were Miami's very best rookie-level performers. Even with those two out of the picture, there are more FCL/DSL prospects worth highlighting. INF Fabian López (DSL Miami) https://videopress.com/v/qe3lij71?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=trueAt the just the age of 17, Fabian López has found early success in the DSL as he is slashing .259/.316/.414/.730 with four home runs, 18 RBIs and a 93 wRC+. López has had an aggressive approach at the plate with a walk percentage that is less than half of the DSL average this season. He is also striking out at a 24.3% rate. López has been the everyday shortstop for DSL Miami, also starting four games at second base. He earned a spot in last week's DSL All-Star Game. Although a lot of these guys will chance their mechanics as they develop, López current has a similar swing path to fellow Marlins prospect Dane Myers. OF Jancory De La Cruz (DSL Marlins) https://videopress.com/v/vh9weNBB?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=trueThe second DSL All-Star, Jancory De La Cruz, is having himself a great season slashing .248/.376/.447/.823 with five home runs, 22 RBIs and a 119 wRC+. When you look at his batting stance, it looks like he models it after Juan Soto and Jesús Sánchez. The bat movement is the same, but the only notable difference is that De La Cruz stance is a bit lower and the leg kick is also larger than Soto's, but not by too much. If De La Cruz continues to stick in center field as he gets older (that's been his only position this season), the prospect world will take notice. OF Andres Valor (DSL Miami) https://videopress.com/v/FCawqLVv?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=trueAlthough Andres Valor has a high strikeout rate, he is still slashing .277/.341/.440/.781 with four home runs, 17 RBIs and a 104 wRC+. He leads all Marlins rookie ball players with 18 stolen bases (78.3% success rate). He should have the arm strength to be a solid corner outfielder. The big thing for Valor this season is to cut down on the strikeout rate, which has been improving slowly since his debut. INF Erick Lara (DSL Marlins) https://videopress.com/v/dY3i4vfQ?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=trueDespite the lack of games played, Erick Lara has been one of the top performers when playing as he is slashing .329/.429/.476/.905 with one home run, 21 RBIs and a 148 wRC+. He's been used mainly at shortstop since debuting on July 1. So far, Lara has benefited from a very high BABIP (.448). Even if he's hitting the ball hard, that will probably come down eventually. C/INF Carmine Lane (FCL) A 2022 draft pick, Carmine Lane was primarily a third baseman at USF, but the Marlins drafted him as a catcher. After being limited to only three MiLB games during his first summer as a pro, Lane is currently slashing .371/.522/.371/.893 with three RBIs and a 159 wRC+. It's too soon to say whether Lane can stick at the catcher position defensively, but the bat is definitely intriguing. He's the oldest player in this article (22 years old). Now that the trade deadline has passed, it shouldn't be much longer before he gets promoted to Low-A to face more age-appropriate competition. INF Daniel Gaitor (DSL Miami) https://videopress.com/v/Eq4vUT83?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=trueThe Marlins have become one of the best MLB teams at scouting the Bahamas, and Daniel Gaitor has found success early on in his pro career, slashing .244/.392/.412/.804 with three home runs, 15 RBIs and a 123 wRC+. Gaitor walks a ton but strikes out a ton as well, accounting for about half of his total plate appearances. C Jesús Abreu (DSL Marlins) https://videopress.com/v/xlGteAFH?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=trueAnother young catcher who could be coming up quick through the system is Jesús Abreu. This season, Abreu is slashing .257/.426/.371/.797 with five RBIs and a 124 wRC+. From videos that we have been given access to, Abreu's pop time is as quick as it gets. I have been told he's somebody we need to be keeping an eye on. RHP Walin Castillo (FCL Marlins) https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cu8W__jAXSP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Walin Castillo has been extremely consistent during his brief professional career. After recording four times as many strikeouts as walks in the D.R. last year, he's been making multi-inning appearances in the FCL throughout 2023. Castillo hasn't allowed more than one earned run in any of those appearances this season (1.77 ERA in 20.1 IP). Additional FCL/DSL Notes Two-way player Janero Miller was the Marlins' top signing from the 2023 international free agent class. On days that he isn't pitching, he's been starting at designated hitter.The 2022 top signing, INF Yoffry Solano, missed the majority of the season due to a wrist injury. He did not appear in any official games between June 9 and August 2.All rookie-level affiliates conclude their regular season on August 22.

Just a little over 24 hours following the acquisition of third baseman Jake Burger, first baseman Josh Bell and pitcher Ryan Weathers, the Miami Marlins had a baseball game to play against the Philadelphia Phillies. After the Phils took both games one and two of the series, Burger and Bell played key roles in getting the offense going on Wednesday as the Marlins overcame a five-run deficit. Final Score: 9-8, Marlins. Despite giving up three earned runs, this was a positive start for Garrett who went five innings, struck out five, walked two and gave up six hits. A big positive for Garrett tonight was the quality of his fastball. In his last start against the Tigers, he saw an increase in velocity, and he saw it again tonight in recording his highest average fastball velocity of his season. "I think maybe a mile or so up," said Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker following the game. "I think the blisters healed up which is obviously a good thing, but at the top of the zone, he's ripping at the top. It's a four-seam, no longer a two-seam or running it front hip." In terms of getting guys out, he was efficient through the first three innings of work. He ended the night generating 10 swing & misses. As for the Phillies offense, they were able to get to Garrett in the fourth inning. Alec Bohm got the inning going with a base hit followed by a Bryce Harper double, his 18th of the season. Phillies All-Star Nick Castellanos drove in Bohm to give the Phillies an early 1-0 lead. The ball left the bat at 95.7 MPH and that was Castellanos' 63rd RBI of the season. Bryson Stott, who was the hitter right after Castellanos, smacked an RBI single to drive in Bryce Harper and extend the Philadelphia lead, 2-0. After Garrett walked Bryson Stott to kick-off the sixth inning, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker took Garrett out in place for Huascar Brazoban who ended up loading the bases and then walked former team Israel player Garrett Stubbs to extend the Philadelphia lead, 3-0. Brazoban was able to strike out center fielder Johan Rojas and induce a Kyle Schwarber pop fly, but went on to give up an RBI double to Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm who drove in two more runs to extend the Philadelphia lead, 5-0. That was Bohm's 68th RBI of the season, which left the bat at 81.9 MPH. Up until the sixth inning, Phillies ace Zack Wheeler had shut down the Miami lineup, but the Marlins eventually woke up thanks largely to the combination of their key additions at the deadline as well as players who recently returned from injuries. Josh Bell, who was acquired from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Jean Segura and Kahlil Watson took Wheeler deep for his first home run as a member of the Miami Marlins and his 12th homer of the season. Wheeler joins Patrick Corbin as the only other pitcher to surrender three home runs to Bell. The former All-Star also is the 19th player in franchise to hit a home run in their Marlins debut. The last player to do it was Jerar Encarnación last season, but last to do it in loanDepot park was Nick Fortes in 2021. "New guys stepped up and stepped in," said Schumaker. "You can see what that does to a lineup. It lengthens it out. Bell with four hits, Burger, couple big hits and hit by pitch and good defense." It didn't take too long for Miami to tack on their second run of the ballgame. Jazz Chisholm Jr., who is playing in his second game since coming off the IL, took Wheeler deep for a 424 foot home run that left the bat at 110.8, which was the top exit velocity of the night. Phillies still lead, 5-2. "Yeah, it was cool. I've never really been a part of any of those (dugout celebrations)," said Josh Bell following the game. "I've kind of just missed it with the teams I've been on. I've seen those from afar they look like a lot of fun. But it was great, and then it was over to get it all off and then pass it off to Jazz, but there's no better feeling than that." In the eighth, Miami was able to score twice more. Drawing three walks in a row was the key to that rally. In the ninth inning, instead of going to their All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel, the Phillies went with the surprising choice of Gregory Soto.He gave up the game-tying home run to none other than Jorge Soler, who's been launching clutch bombs all season. The paid part of this game was fairly intense, but the free baseball is where this game got weird. Miami went with newely acquired closer David Robertson who gave up a two-run home run to Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh. He was able to get out of the inning after that, but the Phillies tacked on two runs to make it a 7-5 game. In the bottom of the tenth, that is when Philadelphia decided to go with Kimbrel. Jazz, who was the placed runner on second, advanced to third because Kimbrel did an intentional balk. Something to note is the fact that Kimbrel doesn't use PitchCom, preferring traditional signs from the catcher, so it could've been a case where he didn't want Jazz to relay the signs. Avi Garcia grounded out, but Jazz scored to make it a 7-6 game. Newest Marlin Jake Burger kept the inning alive with a base hit to set the stage up for Jesús Sánchez who smacked a double to put Burger at third and that's when Skip went to his bench. Jon Berti, who has been Miami's best hitter was pinch hitting for Nick Fortes who was in the nine whole and with one out, Berti hit a sac fly to drive in Burger and tie the game at seven apiece. After the teams exchanged runs in the 11th, Miami took control in the top of the 12th inning, which is where Tanner Scott struck out Brandon Marsh and Garrett Stubbs followed by a Johan Rojas groundout to end the inning. The Marlins just needed to break the 8-8 tie instead of rallying from behind again. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/225a4255-7559-4ce3-8a82-6f3d22c9833a.mp4The bottom of the 12th inning, the Phillies intentionally walked Avi Garcia, which brought up Jake Burger with runners on first and second with no outs. Burger was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Jesús Sánchez. He walked it off with an RBI single. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/91d9e87c-7c1f-44f6-94b8-a1780e202d11.mp4 The Marlins now have one last game against the Phillies before heading off the Texas to face the top team in the American League West. Thursday's game will begin at 12:10pm as Johnny Cueto takes the mound for Miami opposing deadline acquisition Michael Lorenzen.

The Marlins struck the first of their three deals on Tuesday with just an hour left in the MLB trade deadline, acquiring Jake Burger from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for left-hander Jake Eder (Fish On First number three Marlins prospect). Craig Mish was the first with the news. Burger, 27, is finally seeing successful results at the major league level after two Achilles injuries slowed down his career progress. This season, he is slashing .214/.279/.527/.806 with 25 home runs, 52 RBIs and a 115 wRC+ along with a 31.6% strikeout rate. Burger's low batting average and high strikeout percentage are atypical of Marlins hitters, but he continues to produce with this offensive profile. "In terms of the profile, you always have an ideal that you're shooting for, but you're not necessarily gonna get that profile in every single hitter," Kim Ng explained to the media during Tuesday's game. Now that Jean Segura was traded, third base belongs to Burger on most nights. His defense there is a concern—this season, he is sporting a -4 DRS—but his versatility is a plus. The White Sox also used him at first base and second base in small samples. The former top draft pick entered 2023 with less than a full year of MLB service time, so he'll remain under club control through at least 2028. What Miami will get in Burger is a big bat in the middle of the order who'll generate runs. That is one of the big needs that was identified early on to avoid deflating losses like we saw against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. Miami made a splash in the market with not only the big bat that hits for power, but a bat that has control for five years. Miami gave up Jake Eder, who was making a return from a Tommy John injury and was seeing improvements after every start he made. Since moving back up to Double-A last month, Eder had a 3.94 ERA, 4.61 FIP, 11.53 K/9 and a 4.85 BB/9. His fastball velocity isn't where it used to be, but the White Sox must be optimistic about him regaining it with more time. /farm/jake-eder-update-2023-trade-deadline/Health permitting, Eder should be a major leaguer in 2024. The big question for the White Sox is whether he can stick as a starter. He'll have a great opportunity to establish himself as they rebuild on the South Side. MLB Pipeline has Eder as the number four prospect in the White Sox organization. For us over at Fish On First, the injured Dax Fulton becomes the top left-handed pitching prospect in the Marlins org, followed closely by new draft pick Thomas White.

The news didn't break until several minutes after the 2023 MLB trade deadline officially passed, but the Miami Marlins acquired first baseman Josh Bell from the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday in exchange for third baseman Jean Segura and infielder Kahlil Watson. It's a creative swap of bad contracts that also involves our Fish On First number four Marlins prospect. Bell signed with the Guardians this past offseason, but has struggled throughout this season. He is slashing .233/.318/.383/.701 with 11 home runs, 48 RBIs and a 95 wRC+ (his career averages are .259/.347/.451/.799 and a 114 wRC+). What does stand out about Bell is how his 20.6% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate are fairly close to what he's previously done. Bell is familiar with the NL East given that he played for the Washington Nationals for one-and-a-half season. He was an NL Silver Slugger winner for Washington in 2022, and then going back further, an All-Star in 2019 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. When it comes to Bell defensively, he is first base-only at this stage of his career. He previously got occasional work in the corner outfield spots. According to defensive runs saved, he's been a below-average first baseman throughout his career, including -1 DRS in 2023. After Bell signed with Cleveland at the 2022 Winter Meetings, general manager Kim Ng admitted that the Fish had interest in him. Bell ended up signing a contract that pays him $16.5M in 2023 with a $16.5M player option for the 2024 season. Given the down year he has had, he's highly likely to exercise that option and stick around another year. In terms of what Miami gave up, it is worth to start with the surprising departure of Jean Segura. He was the Marlins' most expensive free agent signing this past offseason (two years, $17M with a 2025 club option). Unfortunately for Miami, Segura just wasn't a good player despite playing well at certain portions of the season. He will finish his Marlins tenure slashing .219/.277/.279/.556 with three home runs, 21 RBIs and a 55 wRC+. Segura also had his challenges on defense at third base after having played mainly second base in recent years. Segura was immediately released by the Guardians, who are still fighting for a playoff spot themselves. Maybe another team will give the 33-year-old a chance to re-establish himself. Marlins 2021 first-round draft pick Kahlil Watson is the main piece going to the Guardians. Watson was considered the steal of his draft class after having been projected as a likely top-five overall pick and falling to the Marlins at the 16th pick. A pattern of immature behavior earned him a suspension in the middle of the 2022 season. He played at High-A Beloit this season and was on his way toward returning from a minor finger injury at the time that the trade went through. The 20-year-old shortstop finishes his Marlins minor league career slashing .234/.331/.412/.743 with 19 home runs and 76 RBIs (157 games). Following the trade, Watson is now the 15th-ranked prospect in the Guardians farm system, according to MLB Pipeline. Thankfully, Cleveland is well known for developing infield prospects. Some examples of infielders that the Guardians developed and had success in the majors include shortstop Francisco Lindor and third baseman José Ramírez. Overall, the only complaint with this trade from Miami's perspective is that they gave up Watson, who had as much upside as any player in their farm system. But it's understandable if the organization did not trust him to realize his full potential.

On Friday, the Marlins kicked off "Miguel Cabrera Weekend" at LoanDepot Park, a two-day celebration of the retiring franchise icon. A storybook ending would've been to see Cabrera lead the Tigers to victory in his final trip to Miami, but Braxton Garrett and the Marlin's offense spoiled his return as the Fish took game one of this three game set. Final score: 6-4, MIA. Although the Marlins were able to tack on four runs throughout the course of the ballgame, Braxton Garrett had his best start since the All-Star break. He went six innings, struck out six, walked one and only gave up one run on five hits, which is exactly what the Marlins needed from their southpaw. "Needed that start out of Brax," said Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. "He needed that probably personally too after a few rough ones in a row. He did a really good job. I thought his fastball command was great. Four-seamers looked really good. Some curveballs he just looks like the old Brax, the first-half Brax, and it was a really good sign for him and for us moving forward." Despite going deep into his pitch mix, Garrett saw an increase in velocity on all of his pitches, but most notably on his sinker, changeup, fastball and curveball. Braxton, who has only thrown his changeup 9.6% of the time entering Friday's start, threw it 13 times, which was his third-most used pitch of the night. "I've been kind of trying to get my arm out a little bit earlier," said Garrett following the game. "I feel like when I struggle, my my hands kind of stick as I go down the mound and getting that arm out. Having enough above my shoulder at footstrike I think is huge as it creates more downward plane and I've been really trying to do that." Garrett was also on point when it came to his pitch location. Attacking all parts of the strikeout zone and some of those generated swing and miss. Five out of his six strikeouts were by swing and miss. Although Braxton didn't go seven, he gave the Marlins exactly what they needed to then go with Huascar Brazoban. The only run that the Alabama native gave up was to none other than former Florida Marlin Miguel Cabrera. In their first matchup, Garrett hit Cabrera with a breaking ball and received boos from the crowd. The next time up, Cabrera hit a ball to Jean Segura at 96.5 mph and reached second base on Segura's fielding error. He still drove in Javier Baez, who had a base hit in his at-bat. As for the Miami offense, Bryan De La Cruz, who found success in game two of the Tampa series, once again hit the ball well as he homered in his first at-bat to drive in two early runs. De La Cruz's homer left the bat at 98.8 mph and went 398 feet into the air. That was De La Cruz 14th home run of the season, which is a career high for him. Miami led, 2-0. It didn't take long for Miami to score their third run of the night. The second inning began with a Jon Berti double which was then followed by Joey Wendle getting on base due to an error by Tigers second baseman Andy Ibañez. Then, the slowest RBI was hit by none other than Jean Segura. That was just enough to drive in Jon Berti and extend the Miami lead, 3-0. The ball left the bat at 72.9 mph. Miami's fourth run of the ballgame scored thanks to De La Cruz. He doubled to drive in Jorge Soler, who had hit a blooper hit in his at bat to get on first base. The ball left the bat at 93.5 mph. When Brazoban entered the game for Miami, that is when the Tigers were able to make something happen. Jake Rogers got it going with a single followed by a Nick Maton single which put runners on first and second. Although he struck out former NL East foe Matt Vierling, Brazoban was taken out of the game and Tanner Scott entered the game. Spencer Torkelson, who had struck out three times before this at bat, smacked an RBI single to drive in Rogers and give the Tigers their second run of the game. Marlins still led, 4-2. Although the Marlins were able to take an early 4-0 lead, it evaporated in the top of the eighth inning. After Tanner Scott allowed a base hit to Javy Baez, Scott was removed from the game due to a mild right calf strain he suffered while covering first base. JT Chargois then entered the game for Miami, but after walking Zach McKinstry, he gave up an RBI double to nine hitter Nick Maton who drove in both Baez and McKinstry to tie the game up at four apiece. Thankfully, the Marlins were able to quickly bounce back and regain the lead. After Jesus Sanchez led the inning off with a base hit down the third base line, Yuli Gurriel smacked a base hit into right field to advance Sanchez to second and then replace him with speedster Garrett Hampson. Jon Berti got the big hit of the night, an RBI single to drive in Hampson and move Gurriel to third. Berti's hit streak is now at nine games. Miami's sixth run came thanks to a sac fly by Joey Wendle which drove in Gurriel to extend the Miami lead, 6-4. "I was going back and forth on whether or not to bunt there," said Schumaker. "It's really hard to find the guy throwing 100 so I just kind of rolled the dice with the hot hitter and he's just as good as anybody right now at the plate on our team and it's tough to bunt your hottest hitter right now." Although things got a bit scary with A.J. Puk in the ninth inning, the Marlins were able to hold on. Johnny Cueto will take the mound for the Marlins on Saturday and for Detroit, they have Beau Brieske who only has pitched in five games this season for the Tigers. The game will begin at 4:10 and Miguel Cabrera will once again be honored.

In game two of the Citrus Series, Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins took down a tough Tampa Bay Rays team. Thanks to Alcantara's complete game and Miami getting to starter Zach Eflin early on, the Marlins won by a final score of 7-1 to split the series. After a quick 1-2-3 inning for the Marlins offense in the first inning, Yuli Gurriel got it going with a double in the second. Jon Berti, who continues to be red-hot since the All-Star break, smacked an RBI single with two outs to give Miami their first run of the game. Berti is on an eight-game hit streak following the RBI. The bottom of the lineup became the story of the game. Jacob Stallings smacked an RBI double to drive in Berti and extend the Miami lead to 2-0. That was Stallings seventh double of the season. "I thought Jacob Stallings really good today at the plate," said Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. "When they walk Berti, that's a big bet for him to come up and put together another quality at-bat." In the top of the fourth inning, Garrett Hampson, who came in for Jesús Sánchez, smacked a single followed by a Gurriel single to put runners on first and second with no outs. Joey Wendle had a sac bunt to move both runners up a base. The Rays intentionally walked Berti, which loaded the bases with one out for Stallings. Once again, the catcher came through and smacked an RBI single to drive in Hampson. Dane Myers went on to hit a sac fly to drive in Gurriel and extend the Miami lead, 4-1. It was a quiet game for Luis Arráez until he hit his 100th career double, which scored Berti for the fifth Marlins run. That ended up being Zach Eflin's final inning of work. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/bc0bbd0f-0192-41a5-8907-830b4d2dbc0a.mp4Against Rays reliever Calvin Faucher, Bryan De La Cruz crushed a first-pitch homer to left field and extend the Miami lead to 6-1. The ball left the bat at 107.9 MPH and went 410 feet. That was De La Cruz's 13th home run of the season. In the top of the sixth inning Arráez again drove in Berti with a hit. With his 2-for-4 performance, Arráez is now batting .376 on the season. With the Marlins having lost nine of their last 10 games, they needed a 2022 type start from Sandy. He responded by throwing a full nine innings, striking out seven, walking one and only giving up one run on five hits. What was most impressive about Alcantara's start was how efficient he was throughout the course of his start. He did not throw more than 15 pitches in any inning. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-07/26/d5212d27-a1c6b585-829326f8-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Alcantara's slider has been his least-used pitch this season, but against Tampa Bay, it had the highest usage (27.8%). "They've been aggressive team trying to get a fastball," said Alcantara following the game. Another big difference was the amount of swing-and-miss that Alcantara was generating, which paved the way for a seven-strikeout performance. Sandy's main goal when he takes the mound is to work quickly so he can stay in the game for as long as possible. In this case, he was able to do that while also getting plenty of K's. "I mean you expect him to be dominant every start, every outing," said Skip Schumaker. "Kind of vintage Sandy right there and I thought that the two-seam/changeup sequencing with the slider was really, really effective today. Really good job with Stallings, with the game plan, and when Sandy throws it where he wants to throw it, you see a lot more of that type of Sandy." Miami was able to hold down the lead and split the series against the Rays. This was Miami's first win at the Trop since the 2020 shortened season and this was Alcantara's 11th complete game of his career (tied with Carlos Carrasco for 6th among active pitchers). Alcantara is set to get his next start against the Philadelphia Phillies on August 1, immediately after the MLB trade deadline passes. Photo: Nicole Moriarity

With both teams in desperate need of wins, the Citrus Series meant a lot more this time around. Edward Cabrera and the Marlins were unable to deliver in game one of the two-game set as the Rays offense jumped out to an early lead on Tuesday and Tyler Glasnow dominated the Marlins lineup, giving up only two hits. Cabrera was great in his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals. However, after a quick first inning, things got ugly in the second as he gave up three runs off of four hits and didn't strike out anybody. Back-to-back singles got the inning going for the Rays. An RBI single by Josh Lowe with two outs put them on the scoreboard. Catcher Christian Bethancourt worked a walk to keep the rally going and then Cuban All-Star first baseman Yandy Díaz smacked a double that drove in both Manuel Margot and Lowe. Cabrera's outing came to a close after that due to a blister situation that has frequently been an issue throughout his career. He threw only 30 of 53 pitches for strikes (56.6%). "He didn't have an issue with it before the game started," said Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. "Everything felt fine so just kind of blew up a little bit after the first inning into the second inning and and we looked at it and we had to take him out." Miami got on the board in the top of the third. Joey Wendle worked a walk and advanced thanks to a couple of groundouts. Wendle scored on a Tyler Glasnow wild pitch. Glasnow struck out eight and generated 17 swings & misses. He went to his usual fastball/slider combo and also had some good luck on long fly balls that stay in the park. "He's throwing 97 miles an hour at the top of the zone. Consistently throwing strikes, really hard curveball, and the slider I thought was the most effective pitch tonight against us," said Skip Schumaker. "I felt good," said Tyler Glasnow after the game. "I think timing was good. The only thing I had no idea was my curveball, but especially the last inning, it weirdly felt pretty good." The Rays scored their fourth and final run thanks to Brandon Lowe, who hit his 11th homer of the season off of George Soriano. That's the first homer allowed by Soriano in the big leagues. He ended up going 3.1 innings, striking out three. The rookie's ERA is still in good shape at 2.08. To close out the game, the Rays went with right-hander Pete Fairbanks, who shut down the Marlins in order to end the game. The Marlins once again face the Rays at 12:10 with Sandy Alcantara taking the bump for Miami up against Zach Eflin, who is a familiar foe to the Marlins after previously spending many year in Philadelphia. Photo credit: Nicole Moriarity

The Miami Marlins just snapped their eight-game losing streak on Sunday, thanks to a walk-off winner by none other than Luis Arráez. As the deadline looms closer and closer, Miami heads up to St. Petersburg to face the Tampa Bay Rays in what will be part one of their annual "Citrus Series" matchup. Tampa Bay Rays When looking at the Rays lineup, you'll find Randy Arozarena right in the middle. He's slashing .269/.372/.453/.825 with 17 home runs, 62 RBIs and a 137 wRC+. Arozarena has a .328 BABIP and strikes out at a 24.5% rate, but walks at a 11.5% rate. Yandy Díaz just continues to have a great season for the Rays. In 2022, the Cuban first baseman received down-ballot AL MVP votes, but this season, he has improved in every statistical category. Díaz is slashing .317/.401/.505/.905 with 14 home runs, 47 RBIs and a 159 wRC+. If there is a hitter that Miami will have to fear the most, it will be Díaz because he is such a well-rounded hitter. At shortstop, you have former number one prospect Wander Franco, who is slashing .267/.331/.437/.767 with 11 home runs, 47 RBI and a 115 wRC+. Franco leads the team with 28 stolen bases. Despite a 30.4% strikeout percentage, an underrated player on the Rays is DH Luke Raley who is slashing .268/.353/.540/.893 with 15 home runs, 39 RBI and a 150 wRC+. Raley is a prime example of how well the Rays identify overlooked talent. He was acquired from the Dodgers last year in a minor trade and spent most of 2022 in Triple-A before this breakout season. Game One (Tuesday at 6:40 p.m. ET) On the mound for Miami for game one, it'll be Edward Cabrera. He looked great in his last start against the St. Louis Cardinals, coming off the injured list by going five innings, striking out six, giving up one home run, only two hits allowed, but he issued three walks. After a shaky first inning, Cabrera was consistent. Cabrera didn't generate much swing-and-miss action, but still got enough strikeouts and weak contact to be effective. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-07/18/04290f41-745afc38-d7965917-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4This will be an interesting test for Edward. He is known for his changeup, but Tampa Bay ranks third in the majors with a .282 batting average against changeups in 2023. Also worth noting, aside from the Cardinals start, his only great performances this season have come against weak opponents (Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics). On the other side, Tyler Glasnow is the starting pitcher for the Rays. This season, the tall righty is sporting a 3.62 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 13.17 K/9 and 2.96 BB/9 through 54.2 IP. Glasnow mainly relies on his fastball, slider and curveball. He would be leading American League starters in strikeout rate if he had enough innings to qualify. In his last start, Glasnow went seven innings, struck out nine and only allowed two earned runs. Opponents are only slashing .198/.246/.372/.618 against him at the Trop. Betting Lines—Game One (via FanDuel) Moneyline: Tampa Bay -210 Spread: -1.5 Tampa Bay (+104) Isaac's Locks—Game One Tyler Glasnow over 8.5 strikeoutsEdward Cabrera over 1.5 walksMiami +1.5Game Two (Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. ET) The theme of Sandy Alcantara's 2023 season has been one inning of disaster, then looking good the rest of the way through. That was once again the case in his last start against the Cardinals, where he gave up four runs in the first inning and followed it with five scoreless frames. The Marlins bullpen has been burnt out lately, so the key for Sandy will be using his pitches efficiently and lasting deep into the game. Betting Line and Isaac's Locks—Game Two Coming soon Ways to watch and listen Bally Sports FloridaBally Sports Sun940 AMMLB.TV

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. Detroit Tigers right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen is one of the best players available as the 2023 trade deadline approaches. Lorenzen is posting a 3.49 ERA, 4.03 FIP, 6.79 K/9 and a 2.32 BB/9 through 100.2 IP. That production got him his first career All-Star selection. Lorenzen has a deep pitch mix—Statcast has credited him with throwing seven different pitch types this season. His five main offerings are a four-seam fastball, slider, changeup, sinker and sweeper. The four-seamer has been his most valuable pitch overall with a .175 batting average against and 31 strikeouts. Compared to the other starting pitchers who we have covered in this article series (Jordan Montgomery and Marcus Stroman), Lorenzen has higher fastball velocity. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/d9f57b8c-4bf7-4216-9dda-e3c24d0a08cd.mp4 However, Lorenzen is riskier than Montgomery or Stroman. He has already thrown more innings than in any other MLB season since his rookie year of 2015 because his original team, the Cincinnati Reds, used him mainly as a reliever. He is also benefiting from the lowest BABIP of his career. With that being said, Lorenzen has been lights out since the All-Star break with no runs allowed in his last three starts. During his last outing against the Kansas City Royals, he matched a season high by going seven innings. Lorenzen's bullpen background is not necessarily a bad thing. If Eury Pérez and Trevor Rogers make their way back to the big leagues as starters late in the season, the 31-year-old could contribute out of the 'pen in a role that he's familiar with (269 career relief appearances). After all, the Marlins are thin on quality right-handed relievers right now. Availability The Tigers currently find themselves with a 45-54 record. Although they are a third-place team just like the Marlins, the Tigers are a lot farther back of the nearest playoff spot and don't have the same pressure to compete this season. With Lorenzen performing well and being a pending free agent, he is their most obvious trade chip. MLB.com's Jon Morosi reports that the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston Astros have shown interest in acquiring Lorenzen. Player Movement Lorenzen's well-timed scoreless streak and the expected widespread interest in him around the league would require Miami to give up at least one notable prospect to obtain him. There's only about $2.8 million of salary still owed to him after the deadline. Young right-hander Karson Milbrandt would make sense as a centerpiece. The 19-year-old has already reached the High-A level. Overall this season, he has a 5.11 ERA in 16 starts (68.2 IP). As Craig Mish said on State of the Fish, Milbrandt is drawing a lot of interest from other teams. Along with Milbrandt, the Marlins should be willing to give up one of their Triple-A hitters who are being blocked from big league playing time such as Peyton Burdick or Jordan Groshans. They'll get more of an opportunity with a rebuilding team, plus that would help the Marlins with 40-man roster flexibility.

After going 0-6 on the first road trip after the All-Star break, the Marlins looked to get back in the win column against the Rockies, but that wasn't the case. The Rockies went for two runs in the first and they didn't look back from there. A struggling Colorado pitching staff mostly dominated Miami to take game one of the three-game set and turn up the heat even more on the Marlins as the MLB trade deadline gets closer and closer. Final: 6-1. Braxton Garrett, who had a rough outing against the Orioles in game two of that series, didn't look much better on Friday as he gave up seven hits, six earned runs, three home runs and five strikeouts. Although Braxton relied on his usual sinker/slider combo, Garrett was unable to locate pitches well and the Rockies took advantage of the ones he did throw into the strike zone. "I thought the curveball was just getting hit more than usual," said Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. "A couple of home runs off that. He feels good. It's just we haven't gotten the he hasn't been as successful last few starts." The first home of three Rockies home runs came in the first inning was from C.J. Cron. Braxton threw a curveball that landed in the lower portion of the strike zone and hit it 402 feet for a two-run homer to give the Rockies an early 2-0 lead. After the home run, Garrett gave up an RBI double to Alan Trejo, which drove in Randal Grichuk to make the game 3-0, Rockies. It didn't take long until the second home run of the game was hit by Jurickson Profar, also traveling 402 feet, but this one went to right-center. Once again, Braxton got beat on his curveball. The cherry on the top for the Rockies was the third and final home run of the game, which was hit by Marlins killer Elias Díaz 405 feet into the Marlins bullpen to extend the lead, 6-0. This time around, Braxton went with the cutter and left it hanging. Díaz also homered three times against the Marlins earlier in the season when these teams met in Coors Field. The one bright spot of the night for the Fish was the pitcher that came in after Garrett, George Soriano. He went four innings of hitless baseball and struck out eight. Although Soriano's velocity was slightly down, the spin rate on his pitches was up. Soriano stuck with the usual fastball/slider combo and generated 13 whiffs, a huge total for any relief appearance. Although most of his strikeouts were on the slider, he did utilize his changeup for two of them. To say that he did his job tonight is an understatement, eating valuable innings for a bullpen that could be busy on Saturday in support of Johnny Cueto. "Kept us in the game and helped us for tomorrow," said Schumaker. Miami was able to score one run off of a Nick Fortes groundout that drove in Bryan De La Cruz. However, the team went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Right-hander Gavin Hollowell then came in and shut the door down for the Rockies to take game one of the three-game set. The Marlins have now lost seven straight games, which is Skip Schumaker's longest losing streak as a manager, but he's been through this before during his baseball career. "I think you kinda find out who you are when you're going through these valleys," said Schumaker. "It's easy when you're winning. Coming into the ballpark and you're having fun and everyone's laughing and smiling. You kinda find out who you are and what your work looks like and what kinda teammate you are and what kinda coach you are when you go through these valleys."

Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout are joined by Ely Sussman to discuss where the Miami Marlins could find pitching upgrades on the trade market. Then, they analyze the Marlins' draft pick signings and unveil an updated list of the Top 30 prospects in the organization. Subscribe to the Fish On First YouTube channel to watch video versions of every Fish Unfiltered episode. Here is the updated Fish On First Top 30 as of July 21, 2023: RHP Noble MeyerRHP Max MeyerLHP Jake EderINF Kahlil WatsonOF Victor Mesa Jr.LHP Dax FultonINF Yiddi Cappe1B/DH Jacob BerryLHP Thomas WhiteOF/INF Dane MyersSS Nasim NuñezSS Jacob AmayaINF/OF Xavier EdwardsOF Kemp AldermanINF Marco VargasRHP Karson MilbrandtRHP Jacob MillerC Ronald HernándezC Joe MackOF José GerardoOF Antony PegueroINF Ian Lewis1B Troy JohnstonC/DH Paul McIntoshLHP Patrick MonteverdeRHP George SorianoINF Cody MorissetteLHP/OF Janero MillerINF Yoffry Solano1B Brock VradenburgFollowing the recording of this episode, Fish On First sources told Kevin that Miami's 18th-round draft pick, Tristan Dietrich, will honor his college commitment to Florida International University. The draft pick signing deadline is Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. ET. The Marlins are expected to sign their other 20 draftees. 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, State of the Fish, Swimming Upstream, Fishology 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.

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. The Marlins currently have an open spot in the rotation, so why not target one of the most successful MLB pitchers this season in Marcus Stroman? The veteran right-hander is sporting a 2.88 ERA, 3.38 FIP, 7.66 K/9, and 3.19 BB/9. He just earned his second career All-Star selection. Stroman, 32, has a deep pitch mix centered around his sinker. He's averaging nearly six innings per start and has had two career seasons of at least 200 innings pitched. Stroman has always been a groundball pitcher and he's taken that to an extreme in 2023. His 58.4 GB% is second-highest among qualified MLB starters behind only Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants (60.3 GB%). Playing for the Chicago Cubs and their great defensive middle infielders—Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner—has been a great fit. Stroman's advanced stats are not quite as impressive as his surface stats, such as the half-run gap between his ERA (2.88) and FIP (3.38). However, he showed the ability to outperform his FIP each of the last three seasons as well. That being said, his current .251 batting average on balls in play is on pace to be the lowest of his career—that part might be unsustainable. All things considered, Stroman has had a very nice season. Injecting somebody with his regular season track record, playoff/World Baseball Classic experience and enthusiasm into the Marlins rotation would make a lot of sense if the Cubs are willing to move him. Availability The Chicago Cubs enter Monday with a 43-49 record, eight games back of the nearest NL playoff spot. They own a better run differential than most of the teams ahead of them, but time is running out for them to get hot. FanGraphs gives Chicago only 7.3% odds of making the playoffs. Although the Cubs have a strong foundation and aren't going to launch a new rebuild, they have to be realistic about their 2023 chances and think about trading players on expiring contracts. Stroman is under contract for 2024 ($21 million base salary), but he has the ability to opt out of that and test free agency. He is almost certain to do so in order to secure a long-term deal. It's been reported that teams such as the Blue Jays and Astros have interest in Stroman, and you'd expect most other contenders to pursue him as well if the Cubs want to turn him into multiple controllable players. Player Movement A trade package for Stroman would have to start with one of the Marlins' very best prospects. With top 2023 draft pick Noble Meyer ineligible to be traded this season and Max Meyer still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, left-hander Jake Eder (No. 3 on our Fish On First Top 30 list) is a possible centerpiece. Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported that many scouts were in attendance to observe Eder's most recent start. In four outings with Double-A Pensacola this season, the 24-year-old has a 4.74 ERA in 19 innings pitched, but he is showing slight improvement each time he takes the mound after a long injury absence. Mish previously reported that outfielder Peyton Burdick was discussed between the Marlins and Cubs during Willson Contreras trade negotiations in 2021. Burdick's value has fallen since then, but he is slashing .241/.348/.514/.863 (110 wRC+) for Triple-A Jacksonville and doesn't have a clear fit with the Marlins moving forward. Funny enough, Burdick made his major league debut and hit his first career home run at Wrigley Field. Maybe it is meant to be? Ultimately, this would be risky move for the Marlins because of the team's unwillingness to spend big in free agency. They would be getting Stroman for the rest of 2023 and that's it. Also keep in mind that Stroman's salary for the rest of this season is over $8 million. Would you be comfortable trading away Eder and Burdick for a rental if it means addressing one of Miami's main weaknesses?