Hector Rodriguez

Position: SS Height: 6’1″ Weight: 185 pounds School: Strawberry Crest HS (FL) Commitment: Florida State Arjun Nimmala is a 6’1”, 185-pound middle infielder out of the talent-rich Central Florida region. Nimmala is one of the highest-ranked prospects in the 2023 MLB Draft class. On MLB Pipeline, Nimmala is the 14th-ranked overall draft prospect and the third-ranked shortstop. Nimmala is also the top-ranked prep middle infield prospect in the class. On Perfect Game, Nimmala is the third-ranked prospect and the #1 shortstop in the country. He’s also the #1 prospect in the state of Florida. Nimmala is an all-around talent prospect with good hitting and defensive tools with above average speed. During his senior season, Nimmala slashed .479/.573/.904 with 35 hits, seven doubles, six home runs, fourteen walks, and a 1.477 OPS. Strengths Good contact hitterCan drive to ball to all fieldsAggressive hitterProjects to play shortstop at the next level Raw power potential Plus rangeWeaknesses Has some swing-and-missInconsistent results against tough competition at the platePro Comparison: Didi Gregorius Projection: Top 15 pick Bottom Line Arjun Nimmala is being viewed as one of the top talents in this draft class. He has stood out in an area filled with D1 or pro-level talent. That's despite being exceptionally young for a draft-eligible player—Nimmala won't turn 18 until October. If the "safest" college bats are already off the board when it's time for the Marlins to pick in the #10 spot, Arjun Nimmala could be an option. Featured image courtesy of arjunnimmala99/Instagram

The 2023 MLB Draft is barely a month away as it begins on Sunday, July 9. The Miami Marlins have one of the earliest picks in each round due to their poor performance during the 2022 season. The Fish finished the 2022 season with a 69-93 record (fourth in the NL East). They hold the tenth overall pick and will have the tenth pick in each subsequent round minus the compensation and competitive balance rounds. For the first mock draft, we’ll only simulate three rounds—the 10th, 35th, 47th, and 78th overall selections—but will continue to expand the exercise as the draft date approaches. Here is the Miami Marlins 2023 MLB Mock Draft 1.0. First Round (10th overall)—Jacob Gonzalez, SS, Ole Miss With the tenth pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, the Miami Marlins select shortstop Jacob Gonzalez. The Marlins grab one of the top collegiate hitting prospects in this draft class. He also filled a position of need for the Fish. Jacob Gonzalez is a 6’2”, 200-pound left-handed hitting shortstop from the University of Mississippi. On MLB Pipeline, Gonzalez is the eighth-ranked prospect and the second-ranked shortstop in the draft. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqyfBwAgThY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MTcxNTI2OWQ4ZQ==During his collegiate career, Gonzalez has been a highly productive hitter with a good mix of contact and power. He has a career slash line of .319/.427/.561 with 225 hits, 43 doubles, 40 home runs, 158 RBIs, and a .988 OPS. Gonzalez would be a really good option for the Marlins with the tenth overall pick. He’s a very talented hitter who has competed against some of the toughest pitchers in college baseball. The Fish have a need at shortstop moving forward and Gonzalez could be a candidate to lock down that position. Competitive Balance Round A (35th overall)—Nolan Schanuel, 1B, FAU With the 35th pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, the Miami Marlins select first baseman Nolan Schanuel. The Marlins grab an elite power-hitting first baseman/outfielder not too far away from home. Nolan Schanuel is a 6’4”, 210-pound left-handed hitting first baseman from Florida Atlantic University. On MLB Pipeline, Schanuel is the 39th-ranked prospect and the second-ranked first baseman in the draft. https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/1644900769387126784/pu/vid/1280x720/BBOrdif58OVmMV9A.mp4During his collegiate career, Schanuel has been a monster in the middle of FAU’s lineup. However, he had a major breakout season in 2023 and was even ranked as the #1 collegiate first baseman in the country. On the season, Schanuel slashed .447/.615/.868 with 88 hits, eighteen doubles, nineteen home runs, 64 RBIs, 71 walks, and a 1.483 OPS. Schanuel would be a huge steal for the Marlins if he’s still on the board. There have been some mock drafts that think Schanuel could sneak into the first round. He has a plus hitting tools and an advanced approach at the plate. Second Round (47th overall)—Jonny Farmelo, OF, Westfield HS (VA) With the 47th pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, the Miami Marlins select outfielder Jonny Farmelo. The Marlins grab their first high school prospect in the 2023 MLB Draft Jonny Farmelo is a 6’2” 205-pound left-handed hitting outfielder from Westlake High School in Virginia. On MLB Pipeline, Farmelo is the 48th-ranked prospect and the eighth-ranked outfielder in the draft. Farmelo is a talented ballplayer who projects to play center field at the next level. He’s a good contact hitter with elite speed and promising defensive tools. On Perfect Game, he’s one of the fastest high school players in the country as he was clocked running a 6.34 60-yard dash. Jonny Farmelo is also signed to play college baseball at the University of Virginia. Third Round (78th overall)—Ty Floyd, RHP, LSU With the 78th pick of the 2023 MLB Draft, the Miami Marlins select right-handed pitcher Ty Floyd. The Marlins grab their first pitching prospect from one of the top programs in college baseball. Ty Floyd is a 6’2”, 195-pound right-handed pitcher from the LSU Tigers. On MLB Pipeline, Floyd is the 78th-ranked prospect and the tenth-ranked collegiate right-handed pitcher in the draft. Floyd possesses a four-pitch mix that includes a fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. Floyd’s fastball is his best pitch as it sits at 91-94 mph and tops out at 97 mph with a high spin rate. His slider is his best secondary pitch as it sits in the low-80s and gets some swing-and-miss. Floyd has a good feel for the curveball but doesn’t really use his changeup much. The Marlins have done a terrific job of developing pitchers and Floyd fits the mold of what the Marlins look for in a pitching prospect. He has a plus fastball and breaking pitches, but lacks a changeup. The Fish can help develop that offspeed pitch and make him into a starter. Featured image courtesy of jake.jjg/Instagram

The Miami Marlins were in the win column Saturday afternoon with one of their most comfortable victories this season. The Marlins dominated the Oakland A’s, 12-1, and clinched the series win. Rookie right-handed pitcher Eury Perez got the start and win for the Marlins. Perez had another impressive outing in his young MLB career. He pitched five innings allowing four hits, no runs, one walk, and five strikeouts. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-06/03/8abc999c-94fa4ea6-1d7609fa-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4The Marlins’ offense had a big game teeing off against Luis Medina and the A’s pitching staff. Leadoff hitter Luis Arraez stayed hot at the plate. The league-leading hitter went 5-for-5 for the first time in his career. He also drove in a career-high five RBIs. Arraez hit for the first cycle in Marlins history earlier in the year, but this individual performance may have been just as special. https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-06/03/383a8514-9f5df19e-422aa2fe-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Shortstop Joey Wendle also had a huge game at the dish. Wendle went 3-for-4 with two doubles and scored three times (he hadn't had more than one hit in any previous game this season). Outfielder Jonathan Davis went 1-for-3 with a two-run double and Jesus Sanchez went 1-for-3 with two walks. Protecting the lead for the Perez, left-handed relief pitcher Steven Okert came in for the sixth and was lights out as well against the Oakland offense. Okert struck out all three batters he faced in the sixth in his one inning of work. Right-handed reliever George Soriano came out of the bullpen for the Fish in the top of the seventh. Soriano completed the game from there, picking up a rare three-inning save. What’s next? The Miami Marlins will look to complete the sweep versus the Oakland A’s in the series finale on Sunday. Reigning NL Cy Young Award pitcher Sandy Alcantara will be on the mound for the Marlins. Alcantara hasn’t looked like himself this season, but will look to rebound against the A’s offense. The A’s will have right-handed pitcher Paul Blackburn on the bump as they look to avoid another sweep. Blackburn pitched well in his first start of the season versus the Braves—he threw four innings allowing four hits, one run, two walks, and six strikeouts. The first pitch for the series finale is at 1:40 pm EST on Bally Sports Florida. Featured image by Danis Sosa/Fish On First

Position: OF Height: 6’1″ Weight: 170 pounds School: Vanderbilt Enrique Bradfield Jr. is a 6’1”, 170-pound center fielder who plays for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Bradfield is considered to be one of the fastest prospects in this draft class. Coming out of high school three years ago, Bradfield was a Top 100 prospect and a top ten prospect out of Florida. Bradfield went undrafted in 2020 as his commitment to Vanderbilt was very solid. His career as a Commodore has solidified him as somebody capable of succeeding at the pro level. During his first season at Vandy, Bradfield earned a starting role and played in 67 games. Bradfield slashed .336/.451/.414 with 82 hits, eight doubles, four triples, 38 RBIs, 47 stolen bases, and a .865 OPS. Bradfield was named a Freshman All-American and the SEC Freshman of the Year. In his sophomore season, Bradfield had another big season and started to hit with more power. He slashed .317/.415/.498 with 77 hits, ten doubles, five triples, eight home runs, 46 stolen bases, and a .913 OPS. He was a consensus All-American and wasn’t caught stealing at all during the 2022 season. So far this season, Bradfield continues to hit for the Vanderbilt Commodores. He is slashing .286/.423/.441 with 63 hits, 12 doubles, six home runs, 33 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. Bradfield is one of the best athletes in the 2023 class. He utilizes that athleticism on the bases, but it also has turned him into an elite defensive center field with Gold Glove potential. In the SEC this season, the league average strikeout rate is 20%—Bradfield’s strikeout rate is only 13% (a career best). Bradfield is the 10th-ranked draft prospect on MLB Pipeline. StrengthsElite speedPotential Gold Glove winnerPlus hit toolsHits to all fieldsExtremely low strikeout rateLeadoff type batterWeaknessesDoesn’t possess any powerBelow-average arm strengthHis batting average has dipped since he has tried to hit for more powerPro Comparison: Juan Pierre Projection: Top 15 pick Bottom Line From left to right: Enrique Bradfield Jr., Jazz Chisholm Jr., Xavier Edwards and Juan PierreParticularly over the last year, the Miami Marlins have zoned in on contact-oriented hitters. Enrique Bradfield Jr. will surely be on their radar if they intend to stick with that approach. Bradfield grew up in Hialeah and watched the Marlins as a kid. He already has relationships with key members of the organization (as pictured above). The question is whether the Marlins are comfortable utilizing their first-round pick on the lefty-swinging 21-year-old because he’s unlikely to still be on the board when their second selection comes around.

Position: SS Height: 6’3″ Weight: 190 pounds School: Grand Canyon Jacob Wilson is a 6’3”, 190-pound shortstop that plays for the Grand Canyon Lopes. Wilson is one of the top prospects in the 2023 MLB Draft class. Coming out of high school, Wilson was a top 500 ranked prospect and a top 100 prospect out of California. Wilson went undrafted out of high school and signed to play college baseball for Grand Canyon. During his first collegiate season, Wilson earned a starting role and played in 47 games. Wilson slashed .313/.376/.440 with 57 hits, eleven doubles, four home runs, 29 RBIs, and a .816 OPS. Wilson was named a Freshman All-American and earned All-WAC first-team honors. As a sophomore, Wilson had a breakout season and was a Golden Spikes semifinalist. Wilson slashed .358/.418/.585 with 88 hits, eighteen doubles, twelve home runs, 25 walks, and a 1.004 OPS. He also only struck out seven times in 275 plate appearances. So far this season, Wilson continues to hit for the Grand Canyon Lopes. Entering Friday, Wilson is slashing .412/.461/.635 with 79 hits, 17 doubles, four triples, six home runs and 61 RBIs, while striking out only five times (2.3 K%). https://www.instagram.com/p/Cscq77yLj9P/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Wilson is one of the best pure hitters in this draft class. MLB Pipeline rates his hit tool as a 65 and he's their seventh-ranked draft prospect overall. StrengthsPlus hit toolsAdvanced plate approachHigh Baseball IQConsistently barrels ballsExtremely low strikeout rateAbove-average arm strengthWeaknessesDoesn’t face great competition at Grand CanyonDoesn’t have a plus speedMight move to third base due to lack of rangePro Comparison: Luis ArraezProjection: Top 10 pickBottom LineBaseball-ReferenceJacob Wilson is a player talented enough to be selected in the top five. However, if Wilson falls to the Marlins with the tenth overall pick, he should be on their radar. The Fish have recently been focused on acquiring players who put the ball in play and have low strikeout rates. Wilson would continue that trend.

Position: SS Height: 6’2″ Weight: 200 pounds School: Ole Miss Jacob Gonzalez is a 6’2”, 200-pound shortstop who plays for the Ole Miss Rebels. Gonzalez is one of the top prospects in the 2023 MLB Draft class andt could be on the Marlins’ radar. Coming out of high school, Gonzalez was a top-150 ranked prospect and a top-25 prospect out of California. Gonzalez went undrafted out of high school and honored his commitment to the Rebels. During his first season at Ole Miss, Gonzalez had a monster season and started in all 67 games for Ole Miss. Gonzalez slashed .355/.443/.561 with 93 hits, sixteen doubles, twelve home runs, 55 RBIs, 38 walks, and 1.005 OPS. Gonzalez was also named the National Freshman of the Year by D1 Baseball. In his sophomore season, Gonzalez helped Ole Miss win a national championship. He didn’t hit as well as he did in his freshman season. However, Gonzalez led the Rebels in home runs with 18. So far this season, Gonzalez is raking for the Rebels. Gonzalez is slashing .327/.435/.564 with 66 hits, 18 doubles, 10 home runs, 51 RBIs, and a .999 OPS. MLB Pipeline has Jacob Gonzalez as the eighth-ranked prospect in the upcoming draft class. This left-handed-hitting infielder has good bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline. Gonzalez has walked more than he has struck out in each of the three seasons of his collegiate career. StrengthsPlus hit toolsAdvance plate approachGood powerGood gloveAbove-average arm strengthWeaknessesLacks range typically needed to stick at shortstopBelow-average speedGets pull-happy when he’s hunting for the homerPro Comparison: Vaughn Grissom Projection: Top 10 pick Bottom Line Baseball-ReferenceJacob Gonzalez has had an excellent collegiate career and will be one of the first players taken in the 2023 MLB Draft. Gonzalez might even be one of the top options on the Marlins’ draft board. Every team considering Gonzalez needs to ask themselves whether they see him as a shortstop in the pros. An offensive profile like his could be a steal with the 10th overall pick if he’s manning a premium defensive position moving forward.

Position: RHP Height: 6’2″ Weight: 200 pounds School: Wake Forest Rhett Lowder is a 6’2”, 200-pound right-handed pitcher who plays for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Lowder is one of the top prospects in the 2023 MLB Draft class. Coming out of high school, Lowder was one of the top prospects out of North Carolina. Lowder was the twelfth-ranked prospect and the sixth-ranked right-handed pitcher in his home state. During his first season at Wake Forest, Lowder was named a starter for the Demon Deacons and started in twelve games. As a freshman, Lowder posted a 4-2 record with a 6.12 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, and 10.4 K/9. In his sophomore season, Lowder had a breakout season. He made sixteen starts and was outstanding for Wake Forest. Lowder posted an 11-3 record with a 3.08 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 2.4 BB/9, and 9.5 K/9. He was named the 2022 ACC Pitcher of the Year. So far this season, Lowder continues to perform like one of the best pitchers in the country. He has made 15 starts and has a perfect 13-0 record. Lowder also has a 1.69 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 114 strikeouts in 96 2⁄3 innings pitched. He won ACC Pitcher of the Year again. https://www.instagram.com/p/Csjgin4OaXa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==MLB Pipeline has Lowder as the ninth-ranked prospect in the upcoming draft class. StrengthsMid-90s fastball with sinkPlus changeupLow walk rateRepeatable deliveryPitches well against top-tier competitionWeaknessesDoesn’t have much more room for growthDoesn’t use his lower half muchThrows across his bodyPro Comparison: Mike Clevinger Projection: Top 10 pick Bottom Line Baseball-ReferenceThe Miami Marlins have done a fantastic job of identifying and developing pitching prospects. The Marlins have not had the same success with hitters, particularly when picking them in the first round. With that being said, they might want to stick with what they know. Lowder is a very talented pitcher who has two plus pitches and a good feel for the slider. Lowder projects to be a frontline to mid-rotation type arm. He would serve as excellent depth in Miami’s farm system.

Position: 3B Height: 6’4″ Weight: 225 pounds School: Miami Yohandy Morales is a 6’4”, 225-pound third baseman who plays for the Miami Hurricanes. Morales has been a stud for the Hurricanes since he enrolled on campus in 2021. He’s now a top draft prospect and could be selected by his hometown team. Coming out of high school, Morales was a blue-chip high school prospect. Instead of going pro then, he ended up not getting drafted and honored his commitment to the Miami Hurricanes. During his first season at Miami, Morales earned a starting role and made 53 starts at third base. Morales slashed .284/.343/.531 with 60 hits, thirteen doubles, three triples, eleven home runs, 45 RBIs, and a .874 OPS. Bradfield was named a Freshman All-American and made the All-ACC Freshman team. In his sophomore season, Morales had a breakout season for the Hurricanes. Morales slashed .329/.411/.650 with 79 hits, seventeen doubles, three triples, eighteen home runs, 59 RBIs, and a 1.061 OPS. He was named All-ACC Second team and was selected to play for the USA Collegiate National Team. So far in his junior season, Morales continues to be the best for the Miami Hurricanes. He is slashing .405/.477/.680 with 90 hits, thirteen doubles, sixteen home runs, 61 RBIs, and a 1.157 OPS. https://www.instagram.com/p/CswpyDEP6nD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Morales has tons of power and has consistently been a productive hitter for the Hurricanes. The Miami-born native is also the son of former Cuban National Team player, Andy Morales, who also spent time in the Yankees and Red Sox farm system. MLB Pipeline has him as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the upcoming draft class. StrengthsConsistently barrels ballsPlus powerGood hitting toolsStrong arm at thirdPlays well against top competitionWeaknessesChases at pitches out of the zoneCan overly aggressive at the plateBelow-average speedPro Comparison: Manny Machado Projection: Top 20 pick Bottom Line Baseball-ReferenceYohandy Morales has been one of the best hitters in college baseball and has a high ceiling. His offensive abilities make him a top prospect but he’s also a good defensive player. A shortstop out of high school, he outgrew the position similar to Miami native and six-time All-Star Manny Machado. Morales could be an early first-round selection and a serious target for the Marlins with the #10 overall pick.