Kevin Barral

MIAMI, FL — Less than 24 hours after it was reported that the Miami Marlins agreed to a one-year major league deal with right-handed hitting outfielder Austin Slater, he took the field for his new team in a workout at loanDepot park. "Really excited to have Austin join our club," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough on Wednesday. "Saw him for a number of years as an opponent and he'll bring a real high quality at-bat versus left, something that historically he's done. Expect him to start versus left, also be a real weapon off the bench versus left-handed relievers. He's got the ability to play very solid defense in the outfield as well. We think this really rounds out our roster nicely and provides myself with a lot of options, and someone that has done this for a very long time at a high level." To add Slater to their 40-man roster, the Marlins placed starting pitcher Adam Mazur on the 60-day IL as he underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month. For his career against left-handed pitchers, Slater has slashed .267/.357/.430/.787 with 30 home runs and 112 RBI. With the White Sox, Slater did post a wRC+ of 100 (right at league average), but it was his Yankees tenure that dropped his overall wRC+ to 78 on the season. He owned a .726 OPS against left-handed pitching this past season between both organizations. This offseason, Slater signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers and in 15 spring training games, he slashed .267/.389/.467/.856 with one home run, four RBI and a 126 wRC+. Despite the strong spring, Slater was informed that he did not make the Tigers Opening Day roster and triggered his opt-out. Slater described the last couple days as "a lot of chaos." "I was able to go home for a little bit, so that was nice and relaxing," Slater told the media. "See my son and my wife and my parents, kind of get re-grounded, and now it's time to go. Kind of a quick reset. Luckily, it wasn't too long. Still feel like I'm in baseball shape and ready to go." Prior to the Slater signing, the Marlins player with the most MLB service time was Sandy Alcantara (seven years and 100 days). Pete Fairbanks, who the Marlins signed this offseason, was the oldest player on the roster at age 32. Slater now takes over as the team leader in both categories. "Being on a young team and being able to help guys out in any way I can, whether it's tips or just mindset or whatever it might be, I find that really exciting," Slater said. "Then also just the opportunity to play and contribute on a big league team. Those were key factors, and I had a familiarity with (general manager) Gabe Kapler here and his time in San Francisco, and he helped me a ton in my career. I'm hoping to make some adjustments and keep going." Defensively, Slater has always been either league average or just about league average in the outfield. Although he's been used most often in center field in the past, most of his time with the Marlins will be spent in the corner outfield spots, with Jakob Marsee handling center. The Marlins are set to face two left-handed starters this weekend in Kyle Freeland (Friday) and José Quintana (Sunday). Slater is highly likely to be in the lineup for those matchups. "I don't think we're going to need to ease him in," McCullough said. "He was in camp the whole time and had a few days off, but he'll have a chance today to get a little bit of work, moving around some today and tomorrow. He will have the chance to get some work and get some at-bats, and he'll be ready for Friday."

MIAMI, FL — At one point, Andrew Nardi "did not see the light at the end of the tunnel." Lower back inflammation took away not only his entire 2025 season, but prevented him from doing "normal life stuff" without experiencing pain. But after an impressive showing in spring training, the left-handed reliever will find himself back on the Miami Marlins 26-man active roster for Opening Day. "Seeing last year the difficulty he went through, did everything he could to try to get back, and there were times when it was just hard to pinpoint what was going on," said manager Clayton McCullough. "(Physical therapist) Mike Chamberlain deserves a lot of credit as well. Him and Nardi kept trying to find a way to figure this thing out. I think our excitement grew as spring training begun because he started to hit some markers that he hadn't hit. He was able to throw more regularly." The 2025 season, which saw the Marlins win 79 games and remain in the National League Wild Card race up until the very end, was a very tough one for Nardi. He had to watch it all unfold from the dugout. There were low points when he couldn't even put his socks on. Early in the 2025-26 offseason, the Marlins had enough doubts about his recovery that they reportedly considered non-tendering him. "I was struggling, but I stayed positive as much as possible and kept grinding through it," Nardi told Fish On First. "Thankfully, took a turn." It wasn't until the 27-year-old started doing pilates that he noticed a change. Then, one of his buddies recommended posture restoration, which is a specialized physical therapy approach that identifies and corrects common, asymmetrical postural patterns caused by habit, muscle imbalance, and uneven neurological function. "From the first one, I just felt decompression in my spine for the first time in almost a year," Nardi said. "That definitely got the ball rolling and eventually, got my body to just trust the process and trust itself more." Part of maintaining his physical health is doing posture exercises three times a day. Nardi still entered 2026 with some ongoing discomfort. It wasn't until early February that he started to feel better, then his timeline was pushed back again due to a blood blister on his left hand. The first couple pitch design and live batting practice sessions hadn't lived up to what he expected, with his fastball velocity sitting in the high 80s, but in his first Grapefruit League outing on March 10, he struck out the side, averaging 93.8 mph and topping out at 94.6 mph. "It was the first time in a while where I had some jitters going, so I was definitely super excited," Nardi said. Nardi would finish spring training tossing 5 ⅓ shutout innings, allowing just one hit, which came in his second outing. He struck out nine total against three walks, and he only surrendered a hard-hit rate of 28.6%. It came down to the final days of camp, but on Sunday, right before the final spring game, the Marlins announced that they optioned Cade Gibson (the other lefty competing for a spot) to Triple-A and reassigned Tyler Zuber to minor league camp. WU9ZbERfWGw0TUFRPT1fVWdGV0FWRURVZ0FBQ0FBQVVnQUhDVlZRQUZoUlVsSUFCd1pSVlF0UkJnQlVWZ0JV.mp4 Nardi's goal this upcoming season is to "go back to my 2023 self," which consisted of a 2.67 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 11.46 K/9 and 3.30 BB/9 in 57 ⅓ innings pitched. He was especially successful when coming into games with inherited runners that season, but struggled with that in 2024. "We will try to be judicious with these back-to-backs early on in the season," McCullough said regarding the bullpen in general. "We'll see how (Nardi) feels after. It's going to be different the first time he gets into a major league game again and expend some of that energy. Andrew is a healthy pitcher that we'll have to go post, but also, like him and the others, will always read and react with what information they're telling us, how they're recovering to then help guide us to availability." Along with John King, Nardi will be one of two left-handed pitchers in Miami's bullpen for the time being. Last season, Marlins lefty relievers combined for only 107 innings pitched, the fifth-lowest total in the majors. "Having a couple of them, some battle-tested, high quality left-handed pitchers to go in and help us get out of a particular jam against a left handed hitter or a particular part of the lineup that it's more advantageous to have them? Sure, I think that's great," McCullough said. "But it's just as important—or more—that they're just two really good pitchers that give our bullpen a lot of depth and flexibility." The Marlins will have two more workout days at loanDepot park before their highly anticipated Opening Day matchup against the Colorado Rockies on Friday at 7:10 p.m.

In the aftermath of losing both Kyle Stowers and Esteury Ruiz to injuries, the Miami Marlins are in agreement with right-handed-hitting outfielder Austin Slater, Craig Mish of SportsGrid reported on Tuesday. It is a one-year major league free agent deal, which the club has yet to confirm. Sources tell Fish On First that Slater is guaranteed $1 million and can earn more through performance bonuses. Slater, 33, spent the 2025 season with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees. Between those two teams, he slashed .216/.270/.372/.642 with five home runs, 13 RBI and a 78 wRC+. Before being dealt to the Yankees at the trade deadline, Slater posted a 100 wRC+ (right at league average), but then his production took a major dip, with a hamstring injury limited his availability down the stretch. This offseason, Slater signed a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers. In 15 spring training games, he posted a 126 wRC+, but did not make the club and instead triggered his opt-out. With Ruiz expected to miss 6-8 weeks with an oblique strain, the Marlins had several internal options, including fellow righty outfielders Andrew Pintar and Kemp Alderman. Instead, they'll turn to a veteran entering his 10th MLB season who becomes the oldest player on their 40-man roster. Despite the struggles this past season, Slater has a lifetime OPS of .787 against left-handed pitching. The Marlins will face two left-handed starters this weekend in Kyle Freeland on Opening Day and José Quintana on Sunday. Expect Slater to start both of those games. Slater is mainly a corner outfielder at this stage of his career, but he does have more career games in center field (235) than any other position. There is a notable connection between Slater and Marlins. Current general manager Gabe Kapler was the manager of the San Francisco Giants from 2020-23. Slater played for him throughout that period and enjoyed the best seasons of his career. The most likely corresponding roster move to add Slater to Miami's 40-man roster and 26-man active roster will be to place starting pitcher Adam Mazur on the 60-day injured list, as he underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery earlier this month. Once official, this will be the Marlins' fifth major league free agent signing of the 2025-26 offseason. The others were Pete Fairbanks, Chris Paddack, Christopher Morel and John King.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL — The Miami Marlins announced on Friday that their starting rotation will consist of right-handed pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Max Meyer, Chris Paddack and Janson Junk. Less than a week away from Opening Day, the bullpen situation is not as settled. The current locks are Pete Fairbanks, John King, Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender and Tyler Phillips. Beyond those names, there are three open spots. The names in contention are left-handers Cade Gibson and Andrew Nardi along with right-handed pitchers Michael Petersen, Lake Bachar and Tyler Zuber (a non-roster invitee). The Marlins will wind up using all of them over the course of the 2026 season. Determining who breaks camp with the big league club will be influenced by who can be relied on most to provide quality length. "Trying to get as many members down in that bullpen that potentially would break with us into a spot where they can go multiple innings—they can go the 40-50 pitch range, if needed from them," said manager Clayton McCullough on Friday. "We feel like we're not there yet. We still have some decisions to be made here at the end with some, but we feel like that of those remaining in that mix for our 'pen, that we have a high number of them that are going to give us that type of ability to go multiple innings." Gibson, Bachar and Petersen all threw in West Palm Beach on Friday, while Nardi threw in Jupiter. Gibson struggled, unable to complete an inning, allowing two runs on three hits while recording one walk and one strikeout. Bachar, who followed Gibson, threw an inning, striking out two. The righty's fastball topped out at 96.0 mph and averaged 95.5 mph (both personal bests for him during spring training). Both strikeouts came on his slider, which generated two whiffs. Petersen struggled as well, going one inning, walking two and striking out one. "(Gibson) and (Petersen) ran into some traffic, but fought through it," said Marlins bench coach Carson Vitale following the game. "Thought they did a nice job. Lake was good tonight. It's kind of the best version we've seen of him this spring. The velo was up, the strike zone was up, the two-k execution was really good. All three of them did a nice job tonight, but Lake stood out for sure." As for Nardi in Jupiter, he went one scoreless inning, walking and striking out one. "Very encouraging," McCullough said. "I think we were optimistic coming into camp, not sure maybe what type of version we'd get. As the camp's gone along, he's handled everything that we've thrown at him. He's filled up the strike zone, breaking balls have been good and we're seeing the life of his fastball come back as he goes along." In 4 ⅓ innings of work this spring, Nardi has allowed just one hit in the process and struck out seven against two walks. He is making a strong case for the roster, but he was behind schedule compared to the other pitchers due to a blood blister issue. That may be used as a tiebreaker, giving the Marlins a reason to initially build him up in Triple-A Jacksonville. The Marlins' Grapefruit League finale will be Sunday afternoon against the New York Mets. However, they will have a series of team workouts at loanDepot park from March 24-26, allowing them to gather even more information about these relievers if necessary.

JUPITER, FL - On Friday, the Miami Marlins announced that left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett has been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. Janson Junk will round out the Marlins rotation as the fifth starter. "I will say that it was very difficult, and in some ways it's a good thing that it was so difficult," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told the media. "It means that a high number of our potential starters that came into this camp, outside of Adam (Mazur), have stayed healthy, and they've performed well. We like where a lot of our guys are at. (Braxton) has worked his butt off to get back. He's put in a lot of time to get himself healthy, was throwing the ball well this spring and just felt like to start the year that we had a five that I wanted to go with." Garrett, who is returning from Tommy John surgery, made two Grapefruit League starts. After a shaky first one, surrendering two runs on one hit and walking two, he bounced back against Team Israel where in three shutout innings of work, he struck out two. The Marlins never saw Garrett in the bullpen, so it'll allow him to continue building up as a starting pitcher. One caveat is that in Triple-A, it is typically a six-man rotation, so that is something "that will be discussed," per McCullough. "There will also be a number of individuals there that we see as potential bulk options that might not be starting who also need to stay stretched out," McCullough said. "I actually look at this as a good problem to have." Garrett has one minor league option remaining, which will be used up if he spends at least 20 days in the minors this season. It'll be an all right-handed rotation to begin the season with Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Max Meyer, Chris Paddack and Janson Junk. Meyer will throw in a sim-game on Tuesday to begin his final build-up and both Paddack and Junk will pitch in Miami before Opening Day on Friday. "Janson (Junk) deserves a chance to be in our rotation to start the season," McCullough said. "Max Meyer as well. I think this move today adds some clarity as to where we're at with starting the year with Sandy, Eury, Max, Paddack and Janson in the rotation. As much that we think Janson can start, if we get to a point where performance or things dictate that we pivot, then we will. That's how I've kind of seen this spring play out." It's a split-squad day for the Marlins on Friday, with Paddack starting in Jupiter (7:10 p.m. first pitch) and Pérez starting in West Palm Beach (6:05 p.m.).

A week away from Miami Marlins Opening Day, the roster battles are finally getting settled. AJ Ramos, Kevin Barral and Ely Sussman react to the news of Janson Junk earning a starting rotation spot at the expense of Braxton Garrett, who's been optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. They also discuss the importance of the Jupiter Academy's recent renovations and AJ's memories of making his first career Opening Day roster in 2013. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Garrett, 28, has one minor league option remaining, while the 30-year-old Junk is out of options. Junk is scheduled to make his final Grapefruit League start on Saturday afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals.

On the most recent Fish Unfiltered, one of my five bold predictions was that Miami Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards will win the National League batting title. He's looking to join Hanley Ramírez (2009), Dee Strange-Gordon and Luis Arraez (2023) as the only Marlins players to achieve that. The 2025 NL batting title champ was Trea Turner, who posted a .304 batting average in 141 games. Edwards finished 11th among qualified hitters and slashed .283/.343/.353/.695 overall with three home runs, 43 RBI, 27 stolen bases and a 95 wRC+. Entering his second full-length MLB season, I see the potential for him to improve. Edwards will likely continue to lead off for the Marlins. He puts immediate pressure on opposing defenses because he puts the ball in play a lot, as reflected in his 14.2% strikeout rate in 2025, which was 12th-lowest in the NL. Combining his contact skill with his 75th-percentile sprint speed, it makes sense that Edwards was tied for fourth in MLB last season with 33 infield hits. He is an outstanding bunter and that's a weapon he should consider using more often to break out of slumps like the ones he experienced at the beginning and end of 2025. When it comes to the mental side of the game, it should help Edwards that he is now a full-time second baseman. He opened 2025 as the Marlins starting shortstop, even though it was clear he was overmatched. Not surprisingly, his defensive struggles negatively impacted his all-around performance. He batted only .263 at SS, but .291 following the transition to 2B. After being a Gold Glove finalist at the position, he can fully focus on his work at the plate. Although Edwards is a switch-hitter, he had large platoon splits last season—he was great against right-handed pitching (.306/.368/.391/.758), but disappointing against lefties (.236/.289/.275/.564). All indications are that he will get everyday starts for the foreseeable future. However, if it's more of the same from him during the first half of 2026, the Marlins may eventually limit his exposure to LHP, which could boost his overall average while still getting him enough plate appearances to be a qualified hitter. Turner's .304 mark was unusually low for a batting champ. In predicting Edwards to win the title this season, I'm counting on him to finish somewhere above .310.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL—For the first time since the inception of MLB's Spring Breakout prospect showcase, the Miami Marlins had to leave the friendly confines of Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Their top farmhands traveled 15 minutes south to West Palm Beach on Thursday afternoon to face the Houston Astros prospects. "This is the future of our organization," said acting manager Jeff Conine following the game. "They are a bunch of good kids, work hard and I think on the pitching side we just didn't have it today in the strike zone, but we gave them a good effort." Here are the takeaways from the 7-6 loss. Mr. Marlin the skipper Jeff Conine, who is a special assistant to Marlins chairman and principal owner Bruce Sherman, was the acting manager for the game after Juan Pierre assumed the role in 2025. Although rumored as a managerial candidate in the past, this opportunity arrived unexpectedly. Conine enjoyed the afternoon, but the Marlins Legends Hall of Famer is content with where he is. “This is a one-and-done,” Conine said. “Unless they ask me to do this again next year.” Milbrandt dominant in start Karson Milbrandt, who is Fish On First’s 13th prospect, went three innings, striking out six (all swinging). His fastball velocity topped out at 97.1 mph and averaged 95.6 mph. Milbrandt executed his strategy perfectly, elevating heaters and burying his breaking stuff, including his relatively new gyro slider, which he developed quickly last season. It has emerged as his best pitch. Milbrandt's slider generated five whiffs and recorded three strikeouts. His first slider strikeout victim was Astros No. 5 prospect Walker Janek. "It's quickly become one of my favorite pitches," Milbrandt said. "I like to throw it a lot. Today the feel was a little bit off, but the movement was good, so looking forward to getting that pat down." A slight lapse in control aside, Milbrandt looked fantastic. Multi-hit day for Alderman Starting designated hitter Kemp Alderman (FOF #10 prospect) went 2-for-3 on Thursday. His single was clocked at an 87.4 mph exit velocity into center field. In the top of the fourth inning, Alderman singled again to drive in Starlyn Caba and Dillon Lewis, extending the Marlins' lead to 6-1. Last season between Double-A and Triple-A, Alderman slashed .285/.338/.482/.819 with 22 home runs, 70 RBI, 22 stolen bases and a 135 wRC+. He was named the 2025 Marlins Minor League Player of the Year. This spring, Alderman was with the big league club, and in 11 Grapefruit League games, he went 4-for-24 with one home run. He was reassigned to minor league camp on March 15. As Alderman rounds out his development in the minor leagues and matriculates to the big leagues, a major focus will be put on his ability to continue to limit strikeouts and boost his walk rate. If both of those factors work out in the 6’3”, 200-pounder’s favor, he could reach a fairly high ceiling as a four-tool threat. A righty-hitting outfielder, Alderman could fill a need for the Marlins sooner rather than later. He will be a name to follow closely as he starts the season with Triple-A Jacksonville. Mack continues to impress behind the plate Second-ranked prospect Joe Mack went 1-for-3 at the plate, but it was what he did defensively that impressed. In the bottom of the first inning, with Milbrandt on the mound, Mack threw out Astros top prospect Kevin Alvarez trying to steal second. "Joe Mack is polished back there," Conine said following the game. "You see the way he commands the strike zone with his framing and his release down to second base and his discipline at the plate. He's close, very close." In nine spring training games with the big league team, Mack went 3-for-24 with one home run and four RBI. The Marlins optioned Mack to Jacksonville on March 15. He slashed .257/.338/.475/.813 with 21 home runs, 58 RBI and a 120 wRC+ between AA and AAA. Walks, then walk-off Overall, it was a rough afternoon for Marlins’ pitching control-wise. As a unit, Miami’s hurlers issued an astounding 18 walks. For context, Miami affiliates had just one game with 16+ walks in 2025; it was a 22-walk game by the Jupiter Hammerheads on April 8 which broke MiLB records. Aiden May stranded the bases loaded in both of his innings. The Marlins also stranded the tying run in scoring position in the eighth. Their early lead held up until the bottom of the ninth. Cannon Pickell walked two and allowed a single to load the bases once again for Caden Powell, who walked it off for the Astros. 4cf159bd-66814055-2befe09e-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Final pitching lines Karson Milbrandt: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO Aiden May: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 3 SO Hayden Cuthbertson: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO Grant Shepardson: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 SO Jake Clemente: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO Cannon Pickell: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

Since the inception of the World Baseball Classic in 2006, there have been a plethora of Miami Marlins players who have participated, including a few you may not have known about. As the sixth edition of the WBC inches closer and closer, Fish On First has created this all-time list of players who were part of the Marlins organization when the tournament took place. This list will be updated again following the 2026 tournament, which is being hosted at Miami's own loanDepot park. Marlins Players in the World Baseball Classic Year Name Country 2006 Alfredo Amézaga Mexico 2006 Miguel Cabrera Venezuela 2006 Dontrelle Willis United States 2009 Alfredo Amézaga Mexico 2009 Jorge Cantú Mexico 2009 Dave Davidson Canada 2009 Andy González Puerto Rico 2009 Chris Leroux Canada 2009 Hanley Ramírez Dominican Republic 2009 Rick van den Hurk Netherlands 2013 Henderson Álvarez Venezuela 2013 Steve Cishek United States 2013 Giancarlo Stanton United States 2017 Tayron Guerrero Colombia 2017 Martín Prado Venezuela 2017 Giancarlo Stanton 🏆 United States 2017 Edinson Vólquez Dominican Republic 2017 Christian Yelich 🏆 United States 2023 Sandy Alcantara Dominican Republic 2023 Luis Arraez Venezuela 2023 Johnny Cueto Dominican Republic 2023 Enmanuel De Jesus Venezuela 2023 Jesús Luzardo Venezuela 2023 Anthony Maldonado Puerto Rico 2023 Jean Segura Dominican Republic 2026 Sandy Alcantara Dominican Republic 2026 Owen Caissie Canada 2026 Yiddi Cappe Cuba 2026 Liam Hicks Canada 2026 Ian Lewis Great Britain 2026 Otto Lopez Canada 2026 Jakob Marsee Italy 2026 Agustín Ramírez Dominican Republic 2026 Javier Sanoja 🏆 Venezuela 2026 Jared Serna Mexico 2006 Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela)—Cabrera participated in all versions of the World Baseball Classic through the end of his Hall of Fame-caliber playing career, but only the 2006 one as a member of the Florida Marlins. In six games, he slashed .211/.400/.579/.979 with two home runs and five RBI. The 2006 season would be arguably his best as a Marlin, posting a .998 OPS in 158 games played. Dontrelle Willis (United States)—D-Train struggled in both of his outings, posting a 12.71 ERA while taking losses against Canada and Korea. Alfredo Amézaga (Mexico)—Also part of the inaugural World Baseball Classic, Amézaga slashed .250/.400/.250/.650 with one hit, two stolen bases and one hit by pitch. 2009 Hanley Ramírez (Dominican Republic)—Ramírez is one of the most electric players Marlins fans have ever seen. Representing the Dominican Republic, in three games, he went 2-for-9 with one RBI and two walks. Jorge Cantú and Alfredo Amézaga (Mexico)—After participating as a member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2006, Jorge Cantú was a member of the Florida Marlins in 2009. In six games, he slashed .360/.407/.800/1.207 with two home runs, six RBI and overall, went 9-for-25 in that stretch. Amézaga appeared in just one game, where he went 2-for-5 with one home run and two runs scored. Rick van den Hurk (Netherlands)—van den Hurk spent almost a decade in the Marlins organization. Towards the end of his tenure, in 2009, he represented the Netherlands, where in two starts, he went 5 ⅓ innings pitched, allowing one earned run off of seven hits (one home run), five walks and struck out four. Dave Davidson and Chris Leroux (Canada)—In his lone appearance for Canada in 2009, Davidson went one inning, allowing one hit, one walk and struck out one. He went on to make one appearance for the Marlins during the regular season. As for Leroux, he was in the '06, '09 and '13 tournaments, making a total of four appearances. He was only a member of the Marlins in 2009 where in two appearances, he went 1 ⅓ innings, allowing one hit, one walk and struck out one. During the MLB regular season, he made five appearances posting a 10.80 ERA. Andy González (Puerto Rico)—In four games, González went 1-for-4 with a run scored. With the Marlins in 2009, he only played in 14 games posting a .333 OPS. González returned to the WBC in 2013, but he was under contract with the Chicago White Sox by then. 2013 Giancarlo Stanton and Steve Cishek (United States)—This would be Stanton's first of two World Baseball Classic's as a member of the Miami Marlins. In the 2013 installment, he played in five games slashing .235/.381/.235/.616 with one RBI and four walks. This would mark the one time Cishek participated in the WBC, but he made four appearances (2.1 IP) for the United States, posting a 3.86 ERA, allowing one run on no hits, walking two and striking out two. He was an excellent closer for the 2013 Marlins, throwing 69 ⅔ innings pitched, which still stands as a career-high. He led Major League Baseball with 62 games finished. Henderson Álvarez (Venezuela)—Álvarez only made one appearance, but in three innings of work, he allowed three runs off of five hits, walking one, hitting one and not generating a strikeout. Later that year, Álvarez went on to finish the 2013 season with a 3.59 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 5.0 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 102 ⅔ innings pitched. His season was cut short due to injury, only making 17 starts. 2017 Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich (United States)—In his second go-around in the WBC, Stanton slashed .227/.320/.455/.775 with one home run and four RBI. Stanton's home run came against the Dominican Republic. In his lone WBC appearance, Yelich played in eight games, slashing .310/.375/.448/.823 with three RBI. Yelich went on to have a great 2017 season with 18 home runs and a 120 OPS+. The United States won the tournament for the first time, defeating Puerto Rico, 8-0. During the ensuing offseason, the Marlins traded Stanton and Yelich to the New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively. Martín Prado (Venezuela)—Prado played in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, but not as a member of the Marlins. In 2017, he played in five games, slashing .368/.429/.526/.955 with five RBI. Edinson Vólquez (Dominican Republic)—Vólquez had just signed with the Marlins that offseason leading up to the WBC, but he was a vet on that DR squad, having participated in 2009 and 2013 tournaments. In 2017, Vólquez started two games, going eight innings, allowing three runs (one earned) off of 10 hits. He also struck out eight. On June 3 of that year, Vólquez became the sixth Marlins pitcher in franchise history to throw a no-hitter, which came against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Tayron Guerrero (Colombia)—Guerrero was acquired by the Marlins at the 2016 MLB trade deadline in the infamous Andrew Cashner trade with the San Diego Padres. In his lone appearance of the WBC, Guerrero went one inning, allowing one hit and struck out two. 2023 Sandy Alcantara, Johnny Cueto and Jean Segura (Dominican Republic)—The National League's reigning Cy Young Award winner, Alcantara made the first start of the WBC for the Dominican Republic, where he allowed three runs off of five hits in 3 ⅔ innings pitched. He struck out two against Venezuela. Cueto, who had just signed with the Marlins in that offseason, made one start, going 4 ⅔ shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out five against Puerto Rico. Just like Cueto, Segura was a new Marlins free agent signing and was set to play third base for the team. In two games, he went 4-for-11 with three RBI. Segura flopped during the regular season, though. The Marlins dumped him at the 2023 trade deadline and he announced his retirement in 2025. Luis Arraez, Jesús Luzardo and Enmanuel De Jesus (Venezuela)—Arraez was just traded to the Marlins in exchange for Venezuelan teammate Pablo Lopez that offseason. In five games in his new ballpark, he gave Marlins fans a lot of hope, going 4-for-17 with two home runs, four RBI and scored four runs. Both of his home runs came against the United States. This went on to be Luzardo's best season as a member of the Marlins, but before that, he made one start for Venezuela, where he went four shutout innings, allowing four hits and struck out five. De Jesus had signed a minor league deal. He made one WBC appearance, which came against Israel, where in 3 ⅔ innings of work, he allowed one run on four hits, walked one and struck out five. MzU4N1ZfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X0ExUUNVQVVEWGxRQUNGcFhYZ0FBVWdRREFGZ0hBbGNBQUZkUVUxVU1DQUpVQWdzQw==.mp4 Anthony Maldonado (Puerto Rico)—Maldonado—at the time a prospect in the Marlins system—made just one appearance where he struck out two against Nicaragua. 2026 Javier Sanoja (Venezuela)—The ultra-versatile Sanoja made two starts in center field during pool play, but then didn't set foot on the diamond again until the ninth inning of the WBC final. Pinch-running for Arraez in a 2-2 game, he stole second base and scored the go-ahead run on Eugenio Suárez's double. Thanks to his legs, Venezuela won its first-ever WBC championship. On a related note, Miguel Cabrera served as Venezuela's hitting coach. Sandy Alcantara and Agustín Ramirez (Dominican Republic)—Alcantara's lone start was unremarkable (3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), but came in a winning effort. Ramírez was behind the plate twice. As a hitter, he went 1-for-6 with a walk. Owen Caissie, Liam Hicks and Otto Lopez (Canada)—Caissie shined the brightest among this Marlins trio. He slashed .412/.476/.765 in five games, with good corner outfield defense, too. Yiddi Cappe (Cuba)—Cappe defected from Cuba as a teenager. At age 23, he received the opportunity to represent his homeland in international competition again. The second baseman slashed .250/.308/.583 in pool play. Ian Lewis (Great Britain)—The switch-hitting Bahamian slashed .214/.214/.429 in pool play with a home run in Great Britain's lone victory. Jakob Marsee (Italy)—In six WBC games, Marsee posted a .174/.345/.217 slash line. His five walks were tied for the second-highest total on the team. Reaching the semifinals made this easily Italy's most successful run in tournament history. Jared Serna (Mexico)—A standout performer in the Mexican Winter League, Serna cracked his country's WBC roster in a utility role. He appeared in three of Mexico's four games, every time as a late-inning substitute. He was hit by pitches in both of his plate appearances.

MIAMI, FL — Although Italy was eliminated by Venezuela in the semifinal round of the World Baseball Classic on Monday night, this tournament was definitely a successful step for the country. This was the furthest that Italy has ever advanced in the WBC, a run that included five consecutive wins and an upset of Team USA during pool play. Miami Marlins outfielder Jakob Marsee was able to soak it all in as their starting center fielder. Marsee, who was participating in his first WBC, has grandparents of Italian descent on both sides of his family, which made him eligible to participate. "It's been amazing," Marsee told Fish On First prior to Monday's game. "The atmosphere has been electric everywhere I've been. We've been the away team most of the time wherever we've gone, but it's been a lot of fun playing in these packed crowds. We're making a lot of noise early, and getting to play baseball that means something this early is a lot of fun." Heading into the 2026 season, the Marlins have one of Major League Baseball's youngest rosters. Every hitter on their 40-man roster is still in their 20s (Marsee is 24), and even their coaching staff has very limited MLB playing experience. That's why in the two weeks he spent around Team Italy, Marsee found it valuable to speak with veterans like Jon Berti and Vinnie Pasquantino. "They've been around and they're successful at what they do. I wanna play this game a long time and try to find out what makes them click each year." The Italian club was managed by Francisco Cervelli, who himself spent 13 seasons in the majors. The former catcher's final season as a player came with the 2020 Marlins. "Jakob is one of our best players, and I've known that from the start," Cervelli said pregame. "He’s someone who wants to play every day no matter what. I've tried to give him a day off his feet and put him in as the designated hitter, but he doesn’t want that—he wants to play center field. He has truly impressed me, and I think the Marlins have a future star." Marsee's insistence on remaining in center field paid off in the top of the first inning against Venezuela. With one out and Maikel Garcia on first base, Luis Arraez lined out to Marsee, who noticed Garcia was nearly all the way down to second. Marsee fired a 90.5 mph throw to Pasquantino to turn an inning-ending double play. It marked Marsee’s second outfield assist of the tournament, both coincidentally with Aaron Nola on the mound. In six WBC games, Marsee posted a .174/.345/.217 slash line. His five walks were tied for the second-highest total on the team. Marsee will return to Marlins spring training camp on Wednesday, according to manager Clayton McCullough. In the meantime, Tuesday’s WBC championship game is set between the United States and Venezuela. Nolan McLean (New York Mets) will start for Team USA, while Venezuela will go with veteran left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez (Arizona Diamondbacks). With a Venezuelan victory, Javier Sanoja would join Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich (2017) as the only Marlins players to ever win a WBC title. First pitch will be shortly after 8:00 p.m. ET.

Sandy Alcantara will take the mound on Wednesday for the Dominican Republic against Venezuela. Although both the Dominican Republic and Venezuela have already clinched spots in the quarterfinal round of the World Baseball Classic, Wednesday’s matchup will determine the winner of Pool D and who finishes in second place. The runner-up will face Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan on Saturday at 9:00 p.m. ET. On Monday, Alcantara met with national media ahead of his start. It will mark his second career World Baseball Classic start—both coming against Venezuela. In 2023, the matchup served as the tournament’s opening game, but this time the stakes are higher with seeding implications. In that 2023 outing, Alcantara pitched 3 ⅔ innings, allowing three runs on five hits—including one home run—while issuing three walks and striking out two. “I don’t think it’s a revenge game because this is a short tournament,” Alcantara said. “This tournament is about winning or losing. We gave everything we had and things didn’t go the way we wanted, but on Wednesday we’ll have the opportunity to give it our all. I just need to go out there and battle from the first pitch on and upwards." Last season marked the 30-year-old’s first year back after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He posted a 5.36 ERA, 4.28 FIP, and 7.32 K/9 across 174 ⅔ innings pitched. However, his second half was much more Sandy-like, as he recorded a 3.33 ERA over his final 13 starts. The Dominican Republic will hope Alcantara can replicate that solid second half on Wednesday. Through two spring training starts this year, Alcantara has allowed three runs across four innings, which all came in his first outing. In his most recent tune-up before joining the Dominican squad, he tossed three perfect innings while striking out four. This will be the biggest pool game of the World Baseball Classic, and it's already sold out in Miami. In 2023, the Dominican Republic fell to Venezuela by a final score of 5-1. Many fans have called this a rivalry and plenty of storylines are being created, but Alcantara does not see it that way. “The fans can go fight each other as much as they'd like, and there will always be controversies about how players get along with each other and whether there is good sportsmanship,” Alcantara said. “On our end, we’re good. All this talk about a revenge game—I think there’s a lot of talk on social media, with Venezuelan fans saying things to Dominican fans and vice versa. Let them say what they want. We are here to compete and represent our country, which is what we want to do the most.” As previously noted, this will mark the second time Alcantara pitches not only in the World Baseball Classic, but against Venezuela in this environment that held 35,890 fans in 2023. Alcantara referred to the saying, "the past is the past" and that they are not interested in that game when it comes to his 2023 outing against Venezuela. “This year we are focused on one goal, which is to win,” Alcantara said. “We have good vibes, and every guy on this team is helping in a positive way. (Juan) Soto, (Manny) Machado, (Vladimir) Guerrero Jr., and (Junior) Caminero are all extremely excited and emotional. When it comes to the pitching, we’re doing a great job. The focus for us this year is to do better than the last Classic, and I think everything will be possible if we put God ahead of everything.” Along with Alcantara, his Marlins teammate Agustín Ramírez is also on the Dominican Republic roster, but it will be New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells who will be catching Alcantara on Wednesday. Ramirez's lone start of the World Baseball Classic may very well have been Monday's game against Israel where he went 1-for-4 with an RBI. "Wells will play against Venezuela," Dominican Republic manager Albert Pujols told reporters on Monday. "They all knew that was going to be the case and that is how it was communicated. The plan for Ramírez was to have him start this game and he knew he was going to start this game. Wells could've gone 4-4 with four home runs, and he still would've had the day off today." Who Alcantara will go toe-to-toe with is still uncertain, but Eduardo Rodriguez has still yet to pitch, so he can be a potential option for manager Omar Lopez's club. First pitch is scheduled for 8:00 pm and the game can be streamed on FS1.