Kevin Barral

JACKSONVILLE, FL—This is the player that the Miami Marlins were expecting when they acquired outfield prospect Jakob Marsee from the San Diego Padres in the Luis Arraez trade. Marsee enters Wednesday leading all Marlins minor leaguers in home runs (14) and stolen bases (47) while competing at the Triple-A level.

However, the transition to a new organization did not go smoothly. Marsee spent most of 2024 with Double-A Pensacola where he slashed .188/.342/.303/.645. His underlying numbers were more encouraging and his results improved in 22 AAA games at the end of the season (.275/.370/.363/.732 slash line). Meanwhile in San Diego, Arraez went on to win his league's batting title for the third consecutive year.

Looking back at it, the 24-year-old is thankful for the ups and downs.

"I think last year, it was really good for me to fail and learn to stay within myself," he told Fish On First. "This year, sticking to my approach, knowing that if I get out, it's okay. Pitchers make good pitches and just learning from that each and every at-bat and just not trying to do too much. Last year, it got a little bit big at times, and this year, just cleaned up that stuff and just stayed within the middle of the field."

Marsee is slashing .248/.379/.440/.820 through 97 games with the Jumbo Shrimp while drawing the most walks in the International League. He ranks in the 93rd percentile among all AAA hitters in chase rate, per Prospect Savant.

Marsee's baserunning stands out as well. Baseball America evaluates him as a 60-grade runner, but that may be conservative. His 29.1 ft/sec Sprint Speed this season is second-highest on the Jumbo Shrimp, trailing only Andrew Pintar. He stole both second and third in the bottom of the first inning on Tuesday night. He has a 84.1% success rate during his minor league career when attempting to steal.

"It just depends on what the pitchers are doing and just picking up on what he's doing," Marsee said in an interview on Turn 2 with Scott & Troy. "Always just trying to get in scoring position, or closer to home."

The Marlins have one starting outfield spot locked up for the foreseeable future with All-Star Kyle Stowers, but the other spots are unsettled. With the trade deadline just a day away, recent reports have indicated that teams are interested in Jesús Sánchez and Dane Myers. Moving either one of them would create room for Marsee to get his feet wet in the majors down the stretch of this season.

"We all think about it every day," Marsee said. "It's hard not to. I've been dreaming about it ever since I was a little kid, so knowing I am close is really cool, but I also trust God and know that when the time comes, it'll come, and whenever it happens, it happens. I'm not really worried about that. Just focused on playing ball here and just winning games."

With Marsee's contributions, Jacksonville has done plenty of winning, clinching the International League First Half Championship. The team is 20 games above .500 overall with a 61-41 record.

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JACKSONVILLE, FL—After years of being one call away from the major leagues, Troy Johnston has received his long-awaited promotion. The Miami Marlins selected the contract of the longtime minor league first baseman/outfielder, filling the spot that previously belonged to catcher Nick Fortes. Johnston is in Tuesday's starting lineup to make his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting seventh and playing first base.

"It's amazing. He's ready," said Jumbo Shrimp hitting coach Mike Marjama. "It's been a long time coming. When we found out, me and (manager David Carpenter) were here yesterday—I was in the gym and he was in his office. We both heard screams from each side of the complex. We ran and met in the middle, just like killing each other. He means a lot to this team, to the staff and to the players here. Seeing this happen to this guy is pretty incredible."

Johnston was selected in the 17th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Once he takes the field, he will become the 11th big leaguer produced by the Marlins from that draft class.

Marjama said that being "open, transparent and honest" has made Johnston very coachable. He also praised Johnston's "development and prep, staying ahead of the game, continually working on the little things."

Johnston played 636 minor league games and totaled 2,741 plate appearances, including parts of four seasons at the AAA level. Through 84 games this season with Jacksonville, the 28-year-old slashed .252/.333/.439/.773 with 12 home runs, 39 RBI, 31 stolen bases and a 108 wRC+.

Johnston has been splitting time between first base and left field.

"Mainly, when he was with me in Pensacola, he was at first base," said Kevin Randel, who was his Double-A manager. "New position, so obviously I've seen that get better over time, but the outfield numbers have really surprised me and his infield defense has been getting better year after year."

Johnston fully embraced his time in Jacksonville, even partnering with Jumbo Shrimp broadcaster Scott Kornberg to co-host the Turn 2 with Scott & Troy podcast where they interview Johnston's teammates and discuss the minor league lifestyle.

It's a fluid situation with the trade deadline only two days away, but as the Marlins roster is currently constructed, Johnston should be getting frequent starts at first base against right-handed pitching with Eric Wagaman handling first against lefties.

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The Miami Marlins have made their first 2025 trade deadline move, sending longtime backstop Nick Fortes to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for outfield prospect Matthew Etzel. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was first to report the deal on Monday. The Marlins announced it on Tuesday morning.

Fortes, drafted by the Marlins back in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, made his MLB debut back in 2021 and has been on the major league roster ever since. Through 59 games this season, he is slashing .240/.288/.349/.637 with two home runs, 10 RBI and a 76 wRC+.

Defense is primarily where Fortes' value comes from. He currently has seven blocks above average (92nd percentile among MLB catchers), two blocks above average (75th percentile), a pop time of 1.92 seconds (76th percentile) and six defensive runs saved. The 28-year-old is arbitration-eligible through the 2028 season.

The Marlins had been juggling three catchers on their active roster for most of 2025. Following this move, rookies Liam Hicks and Agustín Ramírez can get an increase in reps behind the plate. Prospect Joe Mack could potentially be up before the end of the season as well.

Going into Monday's slate of games, Rays catchers ranked 25th in wRC+. They will now roll out a duo of Fortes and Matt Thaiss following a separate trade on Monday that sent Danny Jansen to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The return for the Marlins is 23-year-old outfielder Matthew Etzel. He was originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2023. Through 56 games this season, he has slashed .230/.360/.347/.707 with five home runs, 34 RBI, 17 stolen bases and a 115 wRC+.

Etzel was placed on the injured list back on June 22. Expect him to report to AA-Pensacola when healthy.

Peter Bendix's first trade after being named Marlins president of baseball operations was acquiring Calvin Faucher and Vidal Bruján from Tampa Bay in November 2023. They also collaborated on a three-team deal right before Opening Day in 2024. Overall, the Rays have been the Marlins' most frequent trade partner during Bruce Sherman's ownership tenure.

The Marlins 40-man roster is now at 39.

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The expectation throughout this season was that the Miami Marlins would approach the MLB trade deadline as traditional sellers, focused on acquiring more young talent to develop for 2026 and beyond. As it turns out, with four days until the deadline, there is a chance for them to compete for a postseason spot ahead of schedule. They enter Sunday only five games back of a National League wild-card spot and they have one of the best records in the league dating back to early June.

If the Marlins have an opportunity to plug a hole on their current roster while also getting a head start on next season's plans without losing any top prospects, would they do it?

According to a recent report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Tampa Bay Rays have been "signaling to teams" that first baseman Yandy Díaz is among the veteran players they could move. The Rays have a 6-14 record in July, dropping them 2.5 games back of an AL wild-card spot. Trading one of their longest-tenured and most valuable players wouldn't necessarily mean giving up on the 2025 season, but an attempt to mix things up and address other needs.

The Marlins could definitely use an upgrade at first base. A combination of Eric Wagaman and several others has produced -1.4 fWAR at the position this season, which is second-worst in the majors ahead of only the Colorado Rockies. Miami first basemen have a .209/.265/.322/.587 slash line with eight home runs.

Meanwhile, the former AL batting champ Díaz is still performing at a very high level as he nears his 34th birthday. Through 99 games with Tampa Bay, he's slashing .286/.345/.475/.820 with 18 home runs, 61 RBI and a 128 OPS+. He continues to strike out at a low rate of 13.9% (the MLB average is 21.5%). He's dangerous against both left-handed and right-handed pitching.

Defensively, Díaz used to play third base regularly, but he graded out poorly there in terms of both outs above average and defensively runs saved. All of his appearances over the past two seasons have come at first base and designated hitter.

The Marlins have been lacking a veteran presence in their lineup. Díaz has been to the playoffs six times in his career and Miami president of baseball operations Peter Bendix knows him well from their time together in Tampa Bay.

Díaz would stick around for at least one additional season beyond 2025. He is set to make $12M in 2026. For 2027, there is a $10M club option that could turn into a $13M vesting option if he reaches 500 plate appearances in '26. This is a solid investment for a Marlins team with the league's lowest payroll and the kind of acquisition that could energize the fanbase by showing a desire to compete.

If this deal went through, it would probably squeeze Wagaman off the active roster with Liam Hicks being Díaz's backup at 1B. The debut of prospect Deyvison De Los Santos would be pushed back until 2026.

What do the Rays get out of it?

A big reason for Tampa Bay's slump has been bullpen blow-ups in high-leverage situations. The Rays took a step to address that when trading a draft pick for right-hander Bryan Baker earlier this month, but Baker has struggled with his new club and exited Saturday's game with a calf injury. They might part with Díaz if it meant getting Miami's most talented reliever, Ronny Henriquez.

Henriquez, who the Marlins claimed off of waivers from the Minnesota Twins, has been a revelation in 2025, posting a 2.94 ERA, 3,88 FIP, 12.31 K/9, 3.67 BB/9 and six saves in 46 appearances (49.0 IP). Henriquez leads all National League relievers in strikeouts. He is still pre-arbitration eligible and only 25 years old.

Henriquez would immediately be the Rays' main setup man for closer Pete Fairbanks and a cheap candidate to eventually replace Fairbanks, who can be a free agent after the 2026 season.

The Marlins would prefer to trade other pieces of their bullpen instead of Henriquez, but ultimately, they shouldn't be growing too attached to individual relievers. They have been getting promising performances from a bunch of Double-A and Triple-A arms this season who have the stuff to help right away if called up.

To fully balance this hypothetical trade, the Marlins would add Karson Milbrandt. Milbrandt was taken in the third round of the 2022 draft and has been a consistent presence on the Fish On First Top 30 list, but he still has not put it all together. Through 14 starts in High-A this season, he's posted a 3.74 ERA, 3.98 FIP, 10.53 K/9 and 5.43 BB/9. He has worked into the sixth inning only twice in those 14 starts.

The 21-year-old has an above-average fastball and slider, but lacks control. Milbrandt is more likely to be a reliever than a starter long term.

It is hard to believe that this kind of deal could really come to fruition, but as the Marlins continue stacking up wins, their front office may be ready to think outside the box and get aggressive. Yandy Díaz would be a great option at a position that's been holding the team back and they have enough pitching in the pipeline to cover for the losses of Henriquez and Milbrandt.

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Nothing was working for Otto Lopez at the plate on Wednesday as he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts against the San Diego Padres. In the very next game, Friday's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, he was the offensive star. Lopez cleared the bases with a double in the seventh inning to put the Miami Marlins ahead for good as they won by a final score of 5-1 in front of a soldout crowd at American Family Field.

Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta gave his team five innings of one-run ball, only surrendering a home run to Kyle Stowers in the top of the third inning. He walked two and struck out nine.

Milwaukee's relievers were not as effective. Lefty Aaron Ashby and righty Nick Mears combined to load the bases in the top of the seventh of a 1-1 game. That set up a high-leverage situation for Lopez, who had slashed .317/.423/.567/.989 under those circumstances going into Friday. He came through again, giving the Marlins a 4-1 lead.

"I think they were just really high quality at-bats with people not trying to do too much," said manager Clayton McCullough. "You love when you get some opportunities early to break through. Freddy (Peralta) is a tough pitcher and we just continued to try to build innings and stay disciplined."

After his clutch hit, Lopez advanced to third base on an error. Liam Hicks drove him on a sac fly, making it 5-1.

Cal Quantrill matched Peralta and went five innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and striking out four. He surrendered a solo homer to Jackson Chourio in the bottom of the fourth inning. For a second consecutive start, he didn't walk an opposing hitter. His first-pitch strike rate was 72.2%.

Quantrill's cutter continues to be his best pitch, generating three whiffs and an average exit velo of 85.2 mph. He used it to strike out Joey Ortiz in the bottom of the fifth inning.

"Cal has been throwing the ball well for the last couple of months," said McCullough. "I think he's done an excellent job of using his cutter both sides. Threw a couple good sliders today and his split-finger. Showed enough of the four-seam and the sinker and the ability to go both sides of the plate. I think that's what he's continually done and can very efficient pounding the strike zone, getting the ball off the barrel of the bat."

McCullough took Quantrill out with only 65 pitches thrown, his second-lowest pitch count of the season.

"I think it's where we were in that game, getting back towards the top [of the order]...Coming off an off day, we had different directions we could go and thought that what we got from Cal today was what we needed," McCullough said.

Quantrill is the only pending free agent on the Marlins. Sources tell Fish On First that the team is very open to trading him ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

With the win, the Marlins are now 49-53, just four games under .500 and 5.5 games out of a NL Wild Card spot. Janson Junk will take the mound for the Fish as they aim for their fourth straight series win. First pitch is at 7:10 pm.

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MIAMI, FL—Prior to Wednesday's series finale against the San Diego Padres, Fish On First spoke to Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine, who suffered a dislocated left shoulder on April 20 against the Philadelphia Phillies, underwent surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. He slashed .281/.352/.438/.790 with one home run, seven RBI and a 121 wRC+ in 20 games played.

"Think the way that I went to slide was a bit unorthodox," Conine told Fish On First reflecting on the unusual injury. "I hit the ball in the gap, thought for it was for sure a double and then (Johan) Rojas cut it off and made a good play, got into the cut really quick. I was running first with my head down, seeing the bag hit, and then when I looked up, I was surprised to see (Bryson) Stott almost had the ball, so I hit the ground hard because I was thinking about it. It felt like a normal slide, but at the same time, the way that I went down was a lot more sudden than usual if you're sliding head first. You'll gradually get low and I think I went from straight up to just slamming the ground pretty hard. That just caused whatever to happen to the dislocation."

Conine says he is "in a good spot" nearly three months removed from surgery. He began a throwing program on Tuesday, playing catch from 60 feet. That distance will increase by 15 feet every other day. He will be back to doing long toss at some point in August.

Conine has also begun some "swing stuff" with his right arm. Three to four weeks from now, he expects to be cleared for full swings. "Doctor (Neal) ElAttrache is really happy with where we're at and how it's progressed."

Assuming no setbacks, Conine should be healthy in time to participate in either the Arizona Fall League or an international winter league. From there, he'll be a full participant in Marlins spring training and look to earn an Opening Day roster spot for a second straight season.

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MIAMI, FL—One inning changed the course of the series opener between the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres. In the top of the second inning, Eury Pérez would surrender two runs, and that proved to be enough for the Padres in their 2-1 win.

Pérez pitched around a Luis Arraez single in the top of the first to keep San Diego off the scoreboard, but things got messier in the next inning. 

He surrendered a leadoff double to Xander Bogaerts, threw a wild pitch, allowing Bogaerts to advance to third and that's when Jackson Merrill drove in the game's first run on an RBI single. Pérez struck out Jake Cronenworth and Jose Iglesias lined out to Xavier Edwards. Throughout this season, retiring the opposing team's ninth hitter has been an issue for the Marlins. Veteran catcher Martín Maldonado continued the trend, smacking a 106.3 mph RBI double down the left field line, driving in Merrill and making it a 2-0 game.

Pérez walked Fernando Tatis Jr. and that's when pitching coach Daniel Moskos made a mound visit to stop the bleeding.

"Agustín (Ramírez) and I had a small conversation given we weren't in agreement on a couple things," said Pérez in Spanish after the game. "Made a couple adjustments to make sure we can keep going competing. We also made some adjustments when it came to which pitches I wanted to throw to him."

Early on in his start, Pérez was heavily reliant on his fastball-heavy. Overall, his fastball generated five whiffs and he used it on four of his five strikeout pitches. However, it was being hit harder than usual with an average exit velocity of 97.6 mph. His slider (used 17% of the time) and sweeper (13%) were leading to more soft contact.

The 22-year-old's control was not as sharp as it had been prior to the All-Star break. He posted a season-low 36.4% first-pitch strike rate.

Pérez went on to give his team five innings of work, allowing five hits, two walks and striking out five. Outside of his second inning, he had a solid outing against a good Padres lineup.

"I thought he really made some nice adjustments the last few innings," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Had a good heater again. Really happy with some of the breaking balls and secondary stuff he threw tonight. He had some some sweepers in there and he threw some good, hard sliders. I thought his ability to utilize his entire repertoire tonight—and especially as the outing wore on—is a great sign."

The Marlins' lone run of the ballgame came courtesy of the red-hot Kyle Stowers, who hit his 22nd home run of the season off of Padres starter Randy Vásquez. The ball left his bat at 103.2 mph and went 400 feet towards AutoNation Alley in left-center field. It was his sixth homer over the last five games.

After that, the Marlins did out-hit the Padres, but had no runs to show for it, going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

A lot of credit needs to go to the Marlins bullpen, which kept the Padres hitless through four innings. Josh Simpson, who last threw on July 13 against the Orioles, gave the Marlins two innings of work, striking out three. Tyler Phillips went the final two innings of work, striking out one. Phillips' ERA is now down to 3.47 on the season.

With the loss, the Marlins are now 46-53 on the season, 8.5 games back of a National League Wild Card spot.

Edward Cabrera will start against the Padres on Tuesday. He left his previous start with posterior elbow discomfort and underwent an MRI, which came back negative. With the trade deadline approaching next week, this could potentially be his final home start as a member of the Marlins. First pitch is at 6:40 pm.

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MIAMI, FL—On Sunday, the Marlins drew a crowd of 18,219 for their series finale against the Kansas City Royals. That capped off the second-best-attended weekend at loanDepot park this season, totaling 46,953 across the three games.

Even with a loss on Sunday, the Marlins have been among MLB's hottest teams in recent weeks. Their 46-52 record is good for third in the National League East and 12 games ahead of where they were at the same point in 2024, surpassing all expectations. It's a fun brand of baseball that is beginning to produce real results and grab the community's attention.

"It means a lot to me and our group that more people continue to come out and watch," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough following the game. "This is an exciting group. These guys love to play. They love to compete. They're going to continue to fight the whole way through...It was great to get that support here this weekend and the energy we felt in the building. We hope that continues on for us in the second half."

Properly marketing the team matters as well. On Friday, the Marlins held their first-ever dollar dog night, which sold a total of 20,128 hot dogs. The Marlins defeated the Royals by a final score of 8-7 thanks to a walk-off two-run homer from All-Star Kyle Stowers. That was followed by the annual Colombian heritage celebration on Saturday, drawing 14,292 fans and ending in another win.

Sunday's "Selfie Day" was an opportunity for Marlins Members to meet and take photos with their favorite players and media personalities. Per a team source, this event saw the largest turnout in franchise history since the event began back in 2019.

"We’re deeply grateful for the passion our community brings, both in the stands and beyond," said Marlins president of business operations Caroline O'Connor. "I want to thank our players and coaches for taking pride in making this day meaningful for everyone involved. It’s moments like these that highlight the perks of a Marlins season ticket membership and also remind us that we’re part of something bigger than the game."

Along with the increased in-person attendance, more fans are watching from afar on FanDuel Sports Network. According to a recent press release sent by the network, the average streaming audience for Marlins games is up 14% compared to the same period last season.

It's safe to say that Marlins fans are starting to put their faith in president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. Some of the young talent acquired by Bendix since his hiring in November 2023 is already contributing at the highest level, with more on the way.

Kyle Stowers is in the midst of one of the best seasons that a Marlins left-handed hitter has ever had. He was acquired last season alongside Connor Norby from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Trevor Rogers.

Agustín Ramírez has become one of the favorites to win National League Rookie of the Year. It was controversial when the Marlins traded Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the New York Yankees to get Ramírez, but that's clearly looking like a win-win deal.

Miami's starting shortstop, Otto Lopez, and top reliever, Ronny Henriquez, were both former waiver claims. They're emerging as crucial pieces for 2026 and beyond.

Winning will bring the fans out and giving them a good experience at the ballpark will convince them to keep coming back.

Next up, the Marlins welcome the San Diego Padres for a three-game set, beginning Monday at 6:40 pm. Young phenom Eury Pérez will start for the Fish.

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MIAMI, FL—In what may have been his final home start as a member of the Miami Marlins, Cal Quantrill turned in six shutout innings. Thanks to late-game heroics from Otto Lopez, the Marlins defeated the Royals by a final score of 3-1.

The Marlins have kept Quantrill on a short leash all season. He entered Saturday averaging only 4.54 innings pitched per start, never completing a full six innings. In his final outing prior to the All-Star break, he was given the opportunity to reach that milestone, but wasn't able to record an out in the sixth on the way to a 7-2 loss.

Quantrill made it look easy against Kansas City, only allowing two hits in the process, issuing no walks and striking out three. He generated a 62.5% ground ball rate, which matched a season-high.

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough praised "the efficiency at which he was able to do it."

"Collected a lot of early outs and really for the most part, he kept them off the barrel," added McCullough. "First couple innings, defense made some very nice plays behind Cal, kind of got wind at his sails and never really was threatened, or there wasn't a whole lot of really traffic, and he kept filling it up. It was a really great outing."

A big reason for Quantrill's efficiency on Saturday was his 63.2% first-pitch strike rate.

"I think for most guys, that's a good sign," Quantrill said. "You'd like to have a little more swing-and-miss if you can get it, but today was one of those days where they weren't going to let very many strikes go without swinging and that's fine—you can pitch to that. I was really happy with the game plan. I thought we executed at a high rate. Ground ball outs are generally pretty safe."

The 30-year-old Quantrill is the only pending free agent on the Marlins roster. He isn't scheduled to make another home start until after the MLB trade deadline passes on July 31. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported earlier this week that the team is "very open" to moving him to a contender.

For the second time this series, the Marlins were on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Xavier Edwards led the inning off with his second triple of the season. After Jesús Sánchez popped out, Otto Lopez grounded out to third, but it was enough to drive Edwards in, giving the Fish a 1-0 lead.

With a 1-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning, Ronny Henriquez surrendered a game-tying solo homer to longtime Royals catcher Salvador Pérez. The Marlins bullpen has blew a one-run lead on Friday.

In the bottom of the inning, Graham Pauley led off with a walk, followed by an Edwards double, moving Pauley to third. Once the Royals intentionally walked Sánchez, Otto Lopez smacked a 108.2 mph double off the left field wall, driving in both Pauley and Edwards, giving the Marlins a 3-1 lead.

"It starts a lot with his improved plate discipline," said McCullough. "The ability to check off on some of those sliders, check off on some of the chase pitches. He got a ball elevated there, put a great swing on it. We think Otto has been in a really good place now for a while. It goes back to he's got always had high contact ability. He's showing some more ability to impact. It's the key for the run of success he's been on."

With the win, the Marlins are now 46-51 on the season. They've won back-to-back series and six of their last eight.

The Fish aim for a series sweep on Sunday with Janson Junk taking the mound. For the Royals, it'll be Kris Bubic. First pitch is at 1:40 pm.

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MIAMI, FL—At one point, Friday's series opener against the Kansas City Royals was shaping up to be among the most painful Miami Marlins losses of the season. Starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara let most of his 5-0 lead slip away, Calvin Faucher blew a save opportunity in the ninth inning, and the Royals pulled ahead in extras.

Kyle Stowers bailed them out. Fresh off his first career All-Star selection, Stowers continues to be the hottest hitter in baseball, launching a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th to win it by a final score of 8-7.

"It's a lot of fun watching Kyle," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "Keep saying that Kyle is an easy guy to root for because of how he goes about everything and how humble he is. Everything has been coming his way through a lot of hard work and very happy for him."

This marked his second walk-off home run of the season and his third walk-off hit overall in 2025. It was also his 21st home run of the season.

Stowers became one of two players since 1901 to have recorded at least eight hits, five home runs, and 11 RBI in a two-game span. The other? Hall of Famer Ty Cobb.

"I just love winning, man," Stowers said. "I think all these guys do and anytime we can win, however we can get it, I'm happy. That's what we want to bring here to Miami. We all want to be a part of the winning culture and hopefully, eventually, get in the playoffs. Absolutely just dream one day about winning the World Series. It just starts with one day at a time and stacking as many wins as we can."

The Marlins offense got off to a fast start. In the bottom of the first inning, both Jesús Sánchez and Stowers took Royals right-hander Seth Lugo deep. For Sánchez, it was his eighth home run of the season, while for Stowers, it was his 20th. Stowers became the first Marlins left-handed hitter since Justin Bour to hit 20 homers in a season. 

In the bottom of the third, Otto Lopez drove Xavier Edwards in on an RBI double, while Stowers drove Lopez in on a bloop RBI single. The Marlins at that point had a commanding 5-0 lead.

After a clean three innings of work, Alcantara allowed back-to-back base hits in the fourth, then struck out former Florida Gator Jac Caglianone. The bottom of the order got to him. There was an RBI infield single by Nick Loftin and John Rave hit his first career home run, a three-run shot, making it a 5-4 game.

Alcantara went six innings of work, allowing four runs off of eight hits, two walks and two strikeouts. He generated a 54.5% ground ball rate, which is what he was averaging prior to undergoing  Tommy John  surgery.

Throughout the night, the Royals kept making hard contact, specifically off his four-seam fastball (which was his most-used pitch), averaging an exit velocity of 95.3 mph against it.

Alcantara felt that it was his mistake to Rave that really altered the results of his outing. Outside of his four-seamer, his secondary stuff was hit for plenty of soft contact. The slider had an average exit velo of 82.8 mph and the changeup, 73.5 mph.

"I think I was doing great," said Alcantara. "Just take one pitch out of there and everything feels way better, but a lot of soft contact and I can't control that. I just got to go out there, do my job, do my best and help the team anyway I can."

During the All-Star break, the struggling veteran took a trip to Puerto Rico. "Try to forget about what happened in the first half and just come back here stronger, positive and keep doing the same out there: competing. Doesn't matter what happens."

Alcantara's next start is expected to be on Wednesday at home against the San Diego Padres. With the trade deadline less than 13 days away, it could potentially be his final game at loanDepot park in a Marlins uniform.

With the win, the Fish have now walked if off seven times in 2025. They have a 45-51 record, 7.5 games back of a National League Wild Card spot. Cal Quantrill will toe the rubber Saturday against Michael Wacha at 4:10 pm. Marlins first-round pick Aiva Arquette will be introduced as well.

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Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers speaks with the media at loanDepot park after hitting a walk-off home run against the Kansas City Royals. Stowers is the first player in Marlins history to homer five times in a two-game span!

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Fish Unfiltered—Episode #77

A bunch of Miami Marlins players have defied expectations this season. Kevin Barral, Isaac Azout and Ely Sussman make their picks for the team's current MVP, Cy Young, "Best Rookie" and "Best Newcomer." Also, they look ahead to the most likely scenarios for the upcoming MLB Draft.

Find Fish Unfiltered on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes The Offishial Show, Swimming Upstream, Big Fish Small Pod and more.

Kevin's midseason award winners: Kyle Stowers (MVP), Edward Cabrera (Cy Young), Janson Junk (Best Newcomer) and Agustín Ramírez (Best Rookie).

Isaac's midseason award winners: Otto Lopez (MVP), Ronny Henriquez (Cy Young), Heriberto Hernandez (Best Newcomer) and Agustín Ramírez (Best Rookie).

Ely's midseason award winners: Kyle Stowers (MVP), Edward Cabrera (Cy Young), Ronny Henriquez (Best Newcomer) and Agustín Ramírez (Best Rookie).

Follow Kevin (⁠@kevin_barral⁠), Isaac (@IsaacAzout), Ely (@RealEly) and Fish On First (⁠@FishOnFirst⁠) on Twitter. Join the ⁠Marlins Discord server⁠! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at ⁠FishOnFirst.com⁠.

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The Miami Marlins dropped their third straight game by a final score of 5-2 against the Baltimore Orioles. To make matters worse, their most consistent starting pitcher and biggest potential trade chip, Edward Cabrera, came out of the game due to posterior elbow discomfort. He was limited to only four innings of work.

"We're optimistic it's nothing serious," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. "We'll get more clarity, more information in the coming days...It started to pop up during that fourth inning and then as we talked through things in the dugout, we made the decision to cut it short there."

Cabrera described it as a feeling of "fatigue," but shared McCullough's optimism about hopefully avoiding a major injury.

Prior to Friday's start, Cabrera had completed seven innings in back-to-back outings. Even without the health scare, he wouldn't have been effective enough on Friday to last that long against the Orioles.

In the bottom of the first, third baseman Jordan Westburg knocked in an RBI single, driving in former number one overall pick Jackson Holliday, giving the O's a 1-0 lead. Ryan O'Hearn, one of the hottest names to potentially be moved at the deadline, drove in the second run of the ballgame on an RBI double.

O'Hearn tacked on another run in his next plate appearance with an RBI single. Former future Marlin Ramon Laureano then drove Gunnar Henderson in on an RBI double, giving Baltimore a 4-0 lead through three innings.

On the plus side, Cabrera did generate 15 total whiffs, including eight with the curveball, his most-used pitch of the night (32%). His fastball averaged 97.7 mph, topping out at 99.4 mph. For the second time in his career (2022 was the first), Cabrera has not surrendered a walk in back-to-back starts. He struck out three straight batters before exiting.

"He's been terrific," said McCullough. "He's shown the ability to miss bats. He's shown the ability to consistently get the ball in the strike zone, using his weapons very effectively. He's had an outstanding half and I expect he'll come out in the second half and continue to pitch well for us."

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline 20 days away, Cabrera's availability is now up in the air. If he lands on the injured list, even for a minimum-length stint of 15 days, that would leave time for only one more start to show other teams that he's okay. Cabrera has made many trips to the IL during his career, but the most recent elbow-related injury was tendonitis back in 2022.

The Marlins are not under pressure to make a trade because Cabrera is club-controlled through the 2028 season. On the other hand, his market value may never get higher.

Orioles starting pitcher Dean Kremer completed seven shutout innings, only allowing three hits and one walk. He also struck out seven. It wasn't until the top of the ninth inning that the Marlins got on the board when Otto Lopez hit a two-run shot off of reliever Andrew Kittredge.

With the loss, the Marlins are now 42-51 on the season while the Orioles improve to 43-50. First pitch on Saturday will be at 4:10 pm with Janson Junk taking the mound. For the first time since being traded to the O's, Trevor Rogers will face his former team.

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It was a seven-run top of the third inning that propelled the Marlins to a rare blowout win on Tuesday. Eury Pérez limited the Cincinnati Reds offense to just two hits and the Fish won by a final score of 12-2.

After Matt McLain took Pérez deep in the bottom of the first inning, giving the Reds a 1-0 lead for a second straight night, the Marlins got to Miami native Nick Martinez in the top of the third, tacking on seven runs.

Martinez began the inning by walking first baseman Liam Hicks. That would be followed by six straight hits:

• Heriberto Hernandez infield single
• Dane Myers RBI single
• Xavier Edwards two-run double
• Jesús Sánchez RBI single
• Otto Lopez double
• Agustín Ramírez RBI single

Kyle Stowers snapped the hit streak, but drove Lopez in on a sac fly and Connor Norby did the same, driving in Ramírez on his own sac fly, giving the Marlins a 7-1 lead.

This was the Marlins' highest-scoring inning since September 8 of last season against the Philadelphia Phillies. Tuesday's game marked the most amount of runs that Martinez has allowed in a start.

On the flip side, Eury Pérez continued to resemble his 2023 self, giving his team five innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits, no walks and a season-high eight strikeouts. Although Pérez had to work some deep counts, especially after a 23-pitch bottom of the first inning, he settled in and went on to post a 70.6% first-pitch strike rate. Reds hitters fouled off 21 pitches, which contributed to him lasting only five frames.

Pérez's slider generated three whiffs and he used it for three of his strikeouts. Pérez's new sweeper was used 15% of the time, generating four whiffs and two strikeouts. His fastball averaged 97.8 mph, topping out at 99.5 mph.

Between his last two starts, Pérez has now thrown 11 innings, allowing three hits, one run, one walk and 15 strikeouts. His season ERA is now down to 4.00.

"Very encouraged with his willingness to utilize his secondaries and need to feel more confident in his breaking balls and getting some feel for his changeup," said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. "With each outing, the fastball is always going to be there and opponents are going to respect the ability to mix things up and utilize his full mix and get ahead of people. That's going to continue to be a driver of his success."

In the top of the sixth inning, the Marlins loaded the bases and Heriberto Hernandez worked a walk to extend the lead. They kept pouring it on with a Dane Myers double play and a Xavier Edwards RBI single. Reds starting catcher Jose Trevino pitched the final two innings. The 12 runs matched Miami's season-high for a single game.

With the win, the Marlins are 42-48 on the season, six games under .500. Per Marlins Communications, they are the first MLB club to record an 11-game road winning streak since the Phillies had a 13-game streak in 2023 (which was snapped by the Fish).

Sandy Alcantara will take the mound next for the Marlins as they aim for a series win. For the Reds, it'll be recently named All-Star Andrew Abbott. First pitch on Wednesday is at 7:10 pm.

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Right-hander Janson Junk already had some MLB experience when he signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins earlier this year, but he had mostly struggled in those opportunities. Not only did Junk earn his way back to the big leagues—he has settled into a starting rotation spot. He has now completed a career-high six innings of work in back-to-back starts, this time receiving a solid amount of run support. The Marlins defeated the Cincinnati Reds on Monday by a final score of 5-1, notching their tenth straight road win.

It was an unusual start to Junk's night as in the bottom of the second inning, he walked back-to-back hitters. Going into his start, he had only allowed two walks all season, so in the matter of just one inning, he doubled that number. In that same inning, there was a passed ball and wild pitch, which allowed Austin Hays to advance from first to third. The Reds got on the board first thanks to a sac fly from Tyler Stephenson, driving Hays in.

However, Junk regained his control after that. He gave his team six innings of one-hit and one-run ball, walking two and striking out three.

"It was just one of those days we were struggling with the grip in that one-run inning," Junk said. "Spiking a lot of my sliders down and I kind of fell into that mold and that trust in it. Once I landed some fastballs, got the strikeout, I was able to get out of that."

Junk also struggled with getting ahead in the count. He entered this game with a 74.8% first-pitch strike rate for the season, easily the highest mark among all Marlins pitchers. On Monday, it was all the way down to just 45%.

"Personally, I didn't think I had the best stuff today overall," said Junk postgame. "So it was pretty much recognizing that, accepted it and just dug deep and competed. I've had those endings where it unraveled, so I accepted where I was, how I felt and just did my best to be competitive in the zone."

The bat of Agustín Ramírez has been a big factor during the Marlins' road win streak. On Monday, he went 2-for-4 with two RBI. In the top of the fifth inning, Ramírez knocked in an RBI double, driving in Xavier Edwards. 

The "Gus Bus" was also involved in a close play at home plate when the next batter, Liam Hicks, singled to right field. It was a weird slide by Ramírez, but his left hand just snuck in before Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson placed the tag. The play was challenged by the Reds, but the original call stood, giving the Marlins a 2-1 lead at that time.

Ramírez later put the nail in the coffin by taking Reds reliever Brent Suter deep for his 14th home run of the season, extending the Marlins lead to 5-1. That was his 31st extra-base hit, which tied a franchise record set by Giancarlo Stanton in 2010 for most extra-base hits through 65 career games.

Ramírez has a .870 OPS on the road during his rookie season, compared to just a .644 OPS at loanDepot park.

With the win, the Marlins move to 41-48 on the season, remaining 7.5 games back of the third NL Wild Card spot. Eury Pérez will take the mound for Miami on Tuesday, and for the Reds, it'll be Nick Martinez. First pitch from Great American Ball Park is at 7:10 pm.

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MIAMI, FL—"At the end of spring training, I was playing pretty poorly, and I was actually nervous about making the team."

This was Kyle Stowers' mindset amid a spring training that saw him hit .175 with a .540 OPS following an introduction to Miami in 2024 that saw him hit .186 with a 35% strikeout rate. "I'm panicking because I'm doing so much good in the cage and it hasn't shown any on the field yet," he recalls telling Marlins assistant coach Derek Shomon.

Stowers, Shomon and hitting coach Pedro Guerrero had a 30-minute conversation that reassured the 27-year-old outfielder he was on the right track.

"To be able to communicate, to be vulnerable to those guys, and to then know they still believed in and had high hopes for me, I genuinely think that's something worth noting as a key point for me."

On Sunday, less than four months after that skin-shedding conversation, Major League Baseball announced that Stowers had been named to the 2025 National League All-Star roster as the Marlins' lone representative. In 84 games this season, he has hit .280/.352/.514/.866 with a team leading 16 home runs and 46 RBI.

"It''s pretty surreal to be honest," said a choked-up Stowers. "I'll be honest, there's always been a part of me that's believed I had this capability. I know there's been a group in my community that has believed the same thing. My appreciation goes out to those people who who always believed in me, and then first and foremost, God. I honestly feel like I've been leaning on him a lot this year and the doors that he's opened up I didn't expect to be in this position in spring training, so this is very special to me."

Stowers was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in Competitive Balance Round B of the 2019 MLB Draft. The Stanford alum was ranked as high as eighth on MLB Pipeline's Orioles top 30 prospects list.

In 2022, the Orioles gave Stowers his initial call-up to the majors. He played in 34 games and posted a 107 wRC+ (100 represents league average). In 2023, Stowers would be sent up and down from Triple-A, only playing 14 games in Baltimore, posting a -37 wRC+. He played in 19 more games with the 2024 O's, but he still wasn't a mainstay on the big league roster and was trending toward being labeled a "Quad-A player."

Stowers was acquired by the Fish last July along with Connor Norby in exchange for lefty Trevor Rogers. Following the trade, he was playing almost every day in MLB, but struggled.

"With how things kind of unfolded right when I got here, I obviously didn't play the baseball that I would have liked to last year, but with that being said, within the struggles, there's just so many learning opportunities. Playing so poorly for a stretch of time forced me to kind of lower my expectations, do less, lower the bar and take one step at a time."

It was a shock to many that Stowers made the Opening Day roster, but he immediately justified the decision by hitting a walk-off RBI single. He continued to produce throughout the months of March and April, slashing .323/.396/.510/.907 with four home runs and 19 RBI.

For his performance from April 28-May 4, Stowers was named National League Player of the Week, slashing .421/.421/1.105/1.526 (8-for-19) with four home runs and 10 RBI. He had a four-hit game and two multi-homer games. His 0.91 win probability added led the NL, per FanGraphs. By this point, it felt like a lock—barring injury—that he would be the Marlins All-Star representative.

Stowers' rough stretch of the season came in the middle of May, bleeding into early June. He went From May 16 through June 21 without hitting a home run. During that period, he slashed .228/.291/.297/.588 with 30 strikeouts against only seven walks. His playing time was also limited a bit by hand soreness, though he did not go on the injured list at any point.

Stowers snapped out of his homerless drought on April 22 against the Atlanta Braves. His power has fully returned since then and the Marlins have caught fire with a 10-3 record.

Stowers has significantly improved upon his strikeout rate, which is now down to a career-low 28.9%. He isn't pounding the ball into the ground as much as in years past, lowering his ground ball rate from 49.6% in 2024 to 40.6% this season. He's also shown an ability to hit left-handed pitching. In 72 plate appearances, he is slashing .313/.375/.406/.781 with 10 RBI.

The Marlins will head to Cincinnati to take on the Reds in a four-game set and then finish the first half of the season at Camden Yards, taking on Stowers' former club, the Orioles. Stowers and Marlins manager Clayton McCullough will take a private jet to Atlanta from there. The Midsummer Classic will take place on Tuesday, July 15 at 8:00 pm.

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The last trade between the Marlins and Phillies is trending toward being a win for Dave Dombrowski. In December, the Phillies acquired Jesús Luzardo for prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd. Although Luzardo has been hit hard on a few occasions to inflate his ERA to 4.48, he's been able to make every scheduled start so far in 2025 and record four double-digit strikeout games. Meanwhile, there is very little evidence that Caba or Boyd will be able to hit enough to develop into everyday big leaguers. Through 73 combined games this season, they have a .211 batting average and only two home runs despite repeating levels they already played at in 2024.

The Marlins are open to doing business with their National League East counterparts. Could we see another trade between them this month? The Phils have a clear need for bullpen upgrades as they cling to first place, and they have a young starter to offer in exchange who may have a better chance of reaching his potential with the Fish.

Right-hander Mick Abel is in an interesting situation. Taken with the 15th pick of the 2020 draft by the Phillies, Abel made his MLB debut back in May. He had mixed results in six starts, posting a 5.04 ERA, 6.25 FIP, 7.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 25 innings pitched. After his worst outing this past Wednesday, Abel was demoted back to Triple-A.

Abel has a five-pitch mix: fastball, curveball, slider, sinker, and changeup. The fastball velocity is upper-echelon for a starter sitting 96.2 mph and it has very strong shape, though it has not performed well (.729 xSLG, and 51.7 HH%). Abel works in the top part of the strike zone with the pitch, which has led to a high whiff rate, but it gets hit hard when contact is made. He is able to get down the mound with above-average extension, combining this with a solid 16 inches of induced vertical break and a low vertical approach angle.

Abel is in the 92nd percentile of high strike zone location for his four-seam. Becoming less reliant on the fastball will help him bring down the damage and reduce the fly ball rate against it. 

Abel’s breaking balls, the curveball and slider, have performed the best in the majors. The curveball gets great depth and is thrown in the zone at a high rate. This pitch has also been hit hard, however, it's getting a great 38.6% whiff rate (79th percentile among all curveballs). The slider has held opponents to only a .176 BA, and .187 wOBA. It has sharp break, less sweep and depth compared to the curveball, and also lives in the zone (95th percentile zone location among all sliders).

Lastly, Abel's sinker and changeup are platoon pitches. He uses the sinker strictly to righties and he's able to get much-needed ground balls with it. The pitch generates good armside movement and spin. Utilized only 4% of the time, the changeup is thrown to lefties and he currently lacks command of it.

Overall, the 23-year-old former top prospect has great stuff. The FanGraphs Stuff+ model has him at 109, with 100 representing the MLB average.

Mick Abel would undergo massive changes if he were to be hypothetically traded to the Marlins. He would benefit from utilizing more of his arsenal. That would include simply throwing his best pitches (slider and curveball) more often, and likely increasing his sinker usage at the expense of his four-seam fastball to generate more grounders.

Becoming less four-seam centric has been a pillar of the Marlins's new pitching philosophy and Abel could benefit greatly from the approach. He has the stuff and specifically the secondary pitches to fit in perfectly with Miami.

There are some similarities between Abel and Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Quinn Priester. Once regarded as a top prospect in the Pirates organization, Priester was traded to the Boston Red Sox, then moved again to the Brewers earlier this season, where his performance has significantly improved. In 2025, he's posting a 3.59 ERA, 4.21 FIP, 7.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 through 16 games (12 starts). He took the mound for Milwaukee on Friday night against the Marlins and took a no-decision.

Another interesting comp: Ryan Weathers. His former team, the San Diego Padres, was also in a position to win immediately and Weathers struggled in that environment. The Marlins were more patient with him after acquiring the left-hander at the 2023 trade deadline. The following season, his career took off. In 16 starts in 2024, Weathers posted a 3.63 ERA, 4.11 FIP, 8.3 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. If not for injuries, he was poised for a true breakout this season. Still only 25 years old, he's considered a key piece of Miami's long-term rotation plans.

Trade proposal: Marlins acquire Mick Abel in exchange for Anthony Bender and Calvin Faucher 

The Phillies currently rank 24th in bullpen ERA and they already know veteran lefty José Alvarado will be ineligible for the postseason due to a PED suspension. They could use the services of multiple high-leverage arms. Through 38 appearances, Anthony Bender has posted a 2.13 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 6.6 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9. As for Calvin Faucher, he's posted a 4.18 ERA, 3.71 FIP, 8.4 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 through 36 appearances.

Bender, who is under club control through 2027, has a dominant sweeper. That pitch has a plus-eight run value this season and hitters have a .079 batting average against it. Bender is allowing more contact than usual, but he has a 51.9% ground ball rate, which is right in line with his career average of 51.4%.

It has been an inconsistent season for Faucher—4.32 ERA in April and 6.52 ERA in May, then a 3.18 ERA in June. His cutter and curveball have been his above-average pitches this season. He's given up only two home runs over the last two years combined. The right-hander comes with even more control than Bender as he isn't even arbitration-eligible for the first time until 2026.

Abel would likely report to Triple-A Jacksonville initially with the hopes of returning to the majors as a September call-up, or at the very least, contending for a permanent rotation spot next spring.

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