Alex Krutchik

After beginning his career as a starting pitcher, A.J. Puk is trying to get back into the role. While he's been leaning on his high work ethic, he's also getting insight from fellow starter Jesús Luzardo. JUPITER, FL—A.J. Puk looks like he’s one of the more seasoned starting pitchers in the Marlins rotation this spring. For a rotation that features the talent that it does, that’s a bold statement, but the newly minted reliever-turned-starter is living up to it. One of those talented pieces is Cy Young candidate Jesús Luzardo. Both pitchers came up in the Oakland Athletics system before Luzardo was traded to Miami at the trade deadline in 2021. Now, Luzardo is somewhat of a mentor for Puk as he moves into his new role, and he’s impressed by what he’s seen in camp so far. “I feel like he came into this camp probably the best I've ever seen him,” Luzardo told Fish on First. “Just to see how he's progressed and how his arsenal has gotten bigger and better, even from last year to this year. Using more pitches, using more sides of the plate, more parts of the zone, and it's really all him. He takes it upon himself. He worked really hard in the offseason and he committed to that this offseason.” Puk, who spent part of last season as the Marlins’ closer before transitioning to a middle-relief role, is already mostly stretched out as a rotation piece. On Thursday, he threw five innings and around 70 pitches in a minor league game against the New York Mets. In his most recent Major League outing against the Washington Nationals on March 9, Puk threw 3 ⅓ scoreless innings. Five days prior to that, Puk threw three more scoreless innings against the New York Yankees. In both games, the 28-year-old lefty sat his fastball in the mid-90s throughout the game, never losing velocity on that pitch. His secondary pitches—sweeper, two-seam fastball, cutter, splitter—looked sharp throughout his outings. He has only lost about a mile per hour off his fastball compared to last year, which is to be expected as he trades off a little velocity in exchange for a higher inning workload. When it comes to recovery after starts and preparing for the next one, Puk said he has been “just copying” everything Luzardo does. “There's a couple little techniques that we use in the training room that I like to do that work for me,” Luzardo said. “I know he started to use some of them, and it worked for him as well. But just really managing the workload, trying to dial it back and maybe ramp up the throwing a little bit within the five days I think is important to build that strength up.” Those techniques, combined with a heavy set of endurance training over the offseason, have allowed Puk to feel like he still has a lot left in the tank after his outings. “I feel great,” Puk said after his three innings against the Yankees. “I'm not tired out there. I'm not going out there trying to overthrow and light up the radar gun. I'm trying to make my pitches, get out of at-bats so I can go deep in games. and that's my goal. The difference from closing, it’s max effort for 15 pitches. I'm just trying to, not say "cruise control," but that controlled aggression when I need it for a start.” Puk has also added three pitches to his repertoire: cutter and a splitter, and a two-seam fastball that he used sparingly last season. “A lot of attention to detail, a lot of focus on every time you play catch,” Luzardo said. “It is unheard of. You usually hear one or two pitches (added), but he's come out with like three new ones, and they all look really good.” With Braxton Garrett out for at least the first couple weeks of the season, Edward Cabrera’s progression being interrupted for a few days due to right shoulder impingement, and Eury Pérez dealing with a nagging fingernail issue, Puk looks close to a lock for the starting rotation. View full article

The Marlins' stable of starters looked sharp on Monday. JUPITER, FL—The Miami Marlins fell to the New York Yankees in a rare spring training night game, 3-2. The Marlins’ runs came on a Josh Bell double in the sixth inning and a Dane Myers opposite-field home run in the eighth. Monday was the first time Puk had faced a lineup two times through since 2021 as a member of the Oakland Athletics. Puk faces lineup a second time for the first time With one out in the third inning, he allowed a walk to Anthony Volpe when the lineup flipped back over, but struck out Trent Grisham on a splitter and Gleyber Torres with a four-seam fastball. Most importantly, perhaps, was the fact that Puk’s velocity never seemed to waver through his outing. Puk averaged 94 miles per hour on his four-seamer throughout the night. His 46th and final pitch was a four-seamer that registered at 93.5 miles per hour. The lefty got into a few deep counts, walking two and throwing 19 balls to 27 strikes. “I kind of wanted to see if I could get my cutter going today. It was kind of lacking. It's kind of the pitch that's not completely there yet. Other than that, I'm happy with where my splitter is at. I'm getting a lot of weird swings on it and swinging misses. I mean, that's gonna be huge for me.”’ Puk also incorporated a two-seam fastball to his repertoire this spring, throwing 15 of them on Monday, with seven of them going over for strikes, two hit into play for outs, and one being hit for a single by Gleyber Torres. Cabrera finds strike zone Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera followed Puk, also pitching for three innings. Cabrera allowed zero runs and four hits, while striking out three. Most importantly: he walked zero batters and threw 22 of his 30 pitches for strikes. The 25-year-old was so efficient, in fact, that he still threw about a dozen more pitches in the Roger Dean Stadium bullpen when his outing was done so he could get more work in. Cabrera is throwing 70 percent of his pitches for strikes this spring, compared to 59 percent last regular season. It should be noted, however, that Cabrera’s strike percentage was also up last spring, before coming back down to earth in the regular season. While it’s hard to gauge whether a player’s spring performance will carry over into the regular season, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said there’s reason to believe Cabrera has grown as a pitcher. “Won't know until we get there, but it's encouraging, I'll tell you that,” Schumaker said. “Every year you get more mature and you grow up a little bit more. Last year, it was an up-and-down year for him. And I think he ended on a good note. Hopefully it's carried over into the offseason.” One of those metrics Schumaker has seen is Cabrera’s ability to hold runners. With one out in the fifth inning, he picked off Spencer Jones at first base. “That shows you that the game is slowing down and there's some maturity in there,” Schumaker said. Tanner has control issues Tanner Scott struggled Monday, allowing four walks and three runs without recording an out. While his spring hasn’t been stellar, Schumaker said he’s not worried about Scott. “It's my fault, honestly,” Schumaker said. ”He hasn't pitched in five days. If you guys know Tanner, he likes to throw every single day. If I give him three days in a row, he's pissed that he's down on the fourth day. So he needs to get in a better rhythm. And the only way to do that is to pitch." Scott will likely get more reps as roster cuts are made and the bullpen thins out. View full article

Jazz spoke to Fish On First about what a successful season would look like for him. Jazz Chisholm Jr. knows he hasn’t been healthy for most of his Major League career. He also knows what he could be if he actually plays a full season. “When all the hitters start to get hot in the season, it's in the summer,” the Marlins center fielder said. “I haven't even played in summer yet. Like, I've never played in the summer.” For the most part, that’s true. While battling through turf toe and a left oblique strain in 2023, Chisholm only played in 97 games, missing most of May, June, and July. In 2022, Chisholm’s season ended in late June after 60 games when he suffered a stress fracture in his lower back. He also underwent surgery on his right meniscus that September. Prior to that, Chisholm was slashing .254/.325/.535 with a 138 OPS+. His 14 home runs at that point had him on pace for roughly 37 bombs over a 162-game season. “If I play 160 games, I have the same numbers as a lot of guys out there,” Chisholm said. “Just to add it up. As far as me being in the big leagues, I haven't even had a hot stretch yet.” Chisholm played six games last year in between his two IL stints, against the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves. In those late June/early July series, he went 8-for-23 with two home runs, two doubles, and five RBI. Unfortunately for Chisholm, arbitration-eligible MLB players get compensated for production rather than potential. He and the Marlins were unable to settle on a 2024 salary figure and had to go an arbitration hearing. The Marlins won. The 26-year-old will earn only $2.625M this season, a number that certainly would've been higher had he avoided the IL altogether. He told Fish On First his main focus over the offseason was getting his body healthy and aiming to play 160 games. “For me, it's just: if I stay healthy, I know what I can do,” Chisholm said. “I know the type of player I am. Every time I stayed healthy, even through the minor leagues, if I stayed healthy and didn’t have a hot stretch, I was still hitting 25 homers.” Chisholm’s contributions last year went beyond what he could do offensively. After the Marlins acquired second baseman Luis Arraez in a trade prior to the season, Chisholm was moved to center field—a position he had never played in as a professional—so Arraez could take Chisholm’s original fielding spot. Through some growing pains in spring training, Chisholm actually looked serviceable manning the outfield. According to Baseball Savant, Chisholm recorded four outs above average, which was in the 87th percentile of fielders. This is even more impressive when considering this is a cumulative stat, and Chisholm played less than 100 games out there. "It's night and day from (the first day of camp) last year,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. Schumaker warned that fielding fly balls in spring training, battling high skies and wind, is difficult, and much shouldn’t be made on what his first reads look like this early in the calendar. “If you can catch a fly ball in Florida in spring training, you can catch them anywhere,” Schumaker said. “So I don't really put a huge emphasis on his jumps in spring training. However, just watching him do his drills is—I mean, it's not even close to where he was at.” TndrODZfWGw0TUFRPT1fQWxkWlZ3QlNVQW9BQ1FjQ1VRQUFBRkFIQUZsVUIxWUFVMU1NVmdZTkFBRUdBZ1pY.mp4 Chisholm’s turf toe, which required surgery at the end of the season, was caused by him colliding with the outfield wall at loanDepot park. Chisholm said he’s spoken to current and future Hall of Famers in outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. and Mookie Betts over the past year about how to balance the desire to go all out on each play while also staying healthy. “Griffey was hurt a lot in his career because he wanted to go all out,” Chisholm said. “So just to learn that it's a business. You’ve got to stay healthy, and that's the only way you're gonna stay in this business, is staying healthy.” Noah Berger contributed to this report. View full article

Peter Bendix and Bruce Sherman spoke to the media prior to workouts in Jupiter. One of the biggest questions this offseason: what's taking so long to lock up their young talent? The Miami Marlins front office is keeping things close to the vest when it comes to contract extensions. When Marlins owner Bruce Sherman and general manager Peter Bendix spoke to media Tuesday afternoon in Jupiter, Bendix was asked about what boxes need to be checked before he approaches a player about an extension. “It's really a case-by-case situation,” Bendix said. "We have a lot of young talented players. So there's always going to be that discussion. And whenever there's questions about that, whenever it's something we're thinking about, that's what we're aiming for. It means we have a really talented player who wants to be here.” When asked the day before, one of those extension candidates, Luis Arraez, said he still hasn’t been approached for those talks. He said he is “100 percent” interested in staying in Miami. “I love Miami,” Arraez said. “My family is here. Everybody lives in Miami. I love the fans.” Turning 27 on April 9, Arraez is under team control for the next two seasons before he becomes a free agent after the 2025 season. “I love that he wants to stay here,” Bendix said. “I would much prefer players want to stay here than not. That's the kind of culture that we're building. And those conversations happen in due time. That's something that we're going to keep internal. But it's meaningful when you have really good players who want to be here.” Just prior to this year’s spring training, Arraez lost his arbitration case to the Marlins, being awarded a $10.6 million salary instead of the $12 million he filed for. The Venezuelan second baseman was traded to Miami just before the 2023 season in exchange for right-handed pitcher Pablo López. Arraez won the National League batting title, hitting .354 with 30 doubles and 10 home runs. He became the first player in major league history to win batting titles in consecutive years in both leagues. “We love Luis Arraez,” Sherman said. “We congratulated him in front of his teammates on winning the batting title. I look forward to giving him that Silver Slugger award.” Jesús Luzardo, another extension candidate, is under team control through 2026, on track to reach the open market at 29 years old. The Parkland native and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School graduate pitched a career-high 178 ⅔ innings in 2023 and recorded a 3.58 ERA. After ace Sandy Alcantara suffered a UCL sprain in September last year, Luzardo started Game 1 for the Marlins in the National League Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The lefty gave up three runs in four innings in Miami’s first playoff game since 2003. With Alcantara set to miss the entire 2024 season, it’s very likely Luzardo will get the ball on Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates at loanDepot park on March 28 and be the Marlins ace the rest of the way. Jesús Luzardo: The Longer I Can Be a Marlin, the Happier I'll Be At the start of Spring Training, Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo speaks to the assembled media. More Videos 0 seconds of 5 minutes, 58 secondsVolume 90% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up FULL PRESS CONFERENCE: Bruce Sherman Says Marlins Ownership is Committed for the Long Term 09:03 facebook twitter Email pinterest Linkhttps://fishonfirst.com/news-rumors/miami-marlins/watch-interview-press-conference-spring-training-2024/ Copied Auto720p720p540p406p360p270p180p Live 00:00 05:58 05:58 The last Marlins player to agree to an extension was left-handed relief pitcher Richard Bleier—the club gave him two years and $6 million in 2022. Midway through that deal, Bleier was traded to the Boston Red Sox prior to the 2023 season in exchange for reliever Matt Barnes. Prior to Bleier, the Marlins extended starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara. Entering his first season of arbitration eligibility, Alcantara and the Marlins agreed to a five-year, $56 million extension with a club option for 2027. During his two years as general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays from 2021-2023, Bendix was involved in negotiating a few extensions that secured additional years of club control, such as those for infielder Yandy Díaz and relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks. Bendix also signed infielder Wander Franco to an 11-year extension worth $182 million, which was the largest in Rays franchise history. View full article

The Marlins pitching coach took time after Sunday's workout to speak with the media about Miami's staff. JUPITER, FL—Mel Stottlemyre Jr. isn't available to the media every day like Marlins manager Skip Schumaker or the players are. So when we do get the opportunity, it’s always a great chat. Instead of compressing his 30-minute interview into a single storyline, I put together a sectional story for pretty much every topic he talked about. How will the rotation make up for Sandy’s absence? Sandy Alcantara, out for the entire 2024 season while he recovers from Tommy John surgery, has been the Marlins’ workhorse since he arrived in 2018. In each of his last four years—excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season—he has recorded at least 180 innings. Last year, the Dominican right-hander pitched a team-high 184 ⅔ innings. Now, there is a sizable hole to be filled. “I mean, from a personal standpoint, I always embrace challenges,” Stottlemyre said. “Going into the season without your guy, that hurts. But it opens up and presents an opportunity for other people and also the staff to step up collectively as a group.” Stottlemyre anticipates that the pitching staff will seize the challenge as well. The Alcantara-less rotation will include Jesús Luzardo, Braxton Garrett and Eury Pérez, with Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers, Max Meyer, Bryan Hoeing, Ryan Weathers, George Soriano and A.J. Puk as additional candidates. Stottlemyre lauded Alcantara’s leadership ability even while he can’t physically be on the mound. “Sandy put himself in a position, winning the Cy Young, starting to become more of a vocal leader. Just having him around is going to push guys, because we know how Sandy is built. He never settles. So from a player standpoint, that should push you. Knowing your guy is out here every day, standing in the corner, going to battle with you. He can't do it physically, but he's there morally supporting this staff. So nothing's gonna falter and slip. How we work, how we push, none of that will go away. How to ease the starters into spring Four pitchers—Luzardo, Hoeing, Garrett, and Pérez—each recorded career-highs in innings pitched last season. Stottlemyre said that carries over into the next Spring Training and requires the team to be careful about not pushing them too hard too early. He added that “Spring Training means different things to different people.” “Guys that are starters that we pushed, there is a fine line between ‘we have to get them ready and make sure that they get their their 25 innings or so in’, and their ups and downs, and that volume, and get them ready for the season, but still stay cognizant of what they've gone through and what is going to become of their next season. So certainly we, as pitching coaches, look at that stuff.” Garrett has been eased into spring more than any other pitcher so far. The lefty missed his first scheduled bullpen on Friday with minor shoulder soreness, but has been able to play catch from about 105 feet as of Saturday. What gives you confidence in A.J. Puk as a starting pitcher? Stottlemyre said he’s convinced there are some “weapons” the Marlins didn’t push with Puk coming out of the bullpen last year. Now that Puk will be stretched out for a potential starting pitcher role, Stottlemyre wants to unleash them. One such weapon will be a two-seam fastball that they plan to add to Puk’s repertoire that already includes a four-seam fastball and a sweeper. Stottlemyre noted that Puk has always thrown that two-seamer, but it wasn’t something he used often as it “wasn't a pitch that he felt like he wanted to get beat with when the game was on the line.” “You're going to see, it's real,” Stottlemyre said. “It's really good. It's a pitch you can lean on and get some early outs, out of some ugly counts and at-bats. The biggest question, Stottlemyre said, is in regards to Puk’s health. The 6’7" lefty missed about a month last season with nerve irritation in his throwing elbow. “Can he carry the pitch counts, can he carry the workload, can he carry the in between sides? I have no doubt from a stuff standpoint, that he's gonna push himself towards a front-end guy.” On Edward Cabrera’s control issues Everyone we’ve spoken to in the Marlins organization and those across the league all say the same thing: Cabrera’s stuff is otherworldly, but he needs to throw it for strikes. The 25-year-old gave up six walks per nine innings last year, but his stuff, especially on his changeup, is some of the best in the league. His run value of +9 on his changeup last year was the seventh-best in the majors out of all pitchers with at least 150 plate appearances that ended with that pitch. Stottlemyre said Cabrera’s issues seem to be mental, as opposed to mechanical. He added that Cabrera needs to trust his stuff as much as everyone else does. The team has continued to be patient with Cabrera, and there are indications that he can turn it around this year. “He looks like, to this point, that he's grown up a little bit,” Stottlemyre said. “And he’s shown some signs, from a bullpen standpoint, that maybe he's overcome a few things. I will tell you this about him: his work is really good. He throws strikes in bullpens. His misses are good. He does all the right things. He checks the boxes off from the pitching coach standpoint where the delivery and everything is repeatable, and that makes you say ‘okay, he's on the right track there.’” What have you seen from Sixto Sánchez this spring? Stottlemyre said it’s crunch time for Sixto as he enters camp looking to make the big league roster for the first time since 2020. The 25-year-old has played in one professional game since then, as he has battled a slew of injuries beginning with shoulder inflammation in Spring Training of 2021. Sixto has thrown two bullpens so far this spring, but they have been largely unremarkable. “If you're asking me, it's not the same Sixto to this point,” Stottlemyre said. “And I say that because I know what it looked like before when I had him.” Stottlemyre said Sixto is “feeling pain free” and that he can move along on his throwing program. The staff plans for Sixto to participate in live batting practice next week. "He's had so many hurdles and roadblocks,” Stottlemyre said. “He's just faltered. So it's obviously a tough road for him. We need, as an organization, to definitely see something.” View full article

Sandy Alcantara may not step on the mound for the Marlins this season, but his presence will be felt everywhere else in 2024. JUPITER, FL— Good luck keeping Sandy Alcantara away from the field this year. As players, coaches, and media filed into the clubhouse at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium for the first official day of camp for pitchers and catchers on Thursday, Alcantara was already dressed out in his locker before 8 a.m. He worked out in the weight room with his teammates and went through agility drills out on the field with them. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear he didn’t suffer a UCL tear in his throwing arm last September, requiring Tommy John surgery. The Dominican right-hander is ready to fill whatever role he can. “Maybe this year I want to be a coach, because I’m going to be talking too much,” Alcantara said prior to workouts. “So I just got to be there. Having fun with my teammates, trying to support them any way I can, and don’t be sitting in my house. Because I don’t want to go crazy. So I just got to be on the field and do my best.” When Alcantara first came to Marlins spring camp in 2018, he said there were veterans who helped him acclimate to the Major League life and make him into the pitcher he is today. Now, the 28-year-old is doing the same for Eury Pérez and other young arms. Throughout Pérez's climb through the minor leagues and continuing into his rookie season last year, Alcantara was often by his side. Pérez—also from the Dominican Republic—has always made clear how grateful he is of Alcantara’s help. But now, he said it’s time to reciprocate that appreciation. “He’s a huge support for all of us, because you know he's there, always helping us, pushing us to do better,” Pérez said. “But also, we want to do the same for him. We want to stay close to him, because he's going to go through a difficult situation…You know the relationship I have with him. He's been with me for a few years, helping me and guiding me. So it's amazing just to have him around.” Alcantara is still planning on traveling with the team this year, which isn’t terribly common among pitchers recovering from Tommy John surgery. About four-and-a-half months after the surgery, Alcantara said his right elbow feels good. While he sits out for 2024, he has confidence in a rotation that dragged a poor offensive team to their first playoff berth since 2003. Expected 2024 starters Jesús Luzardo, Edward Cabrera, Eury Pérez, and Braxton Garrett recorded a 3.65 ERA last season. They will also add back lefty Trevor Rogers who missed most last season with a strain in his non-throwing lat. Relief pitcher A.J. Puk, a starter in college, will also get some starts during Spring Training, and prospect Max Meyer will have the opportunity to fight for a rotation spot after missing all of 2023 and part of 2022 with the same injury as Alcantara. Alcantara won the NL Cy Young Award in 2022, recording a 2.28 ERA in 228 ⅔ innings pitched. In each of his last four years—excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season—he has recorded at least 180 innings. Even during his struggles last season in which he pitched to a 4.14 ERA, Alcantara still gave the Marlins 184 ⅔ innings. Asked if this group has what it takes to replace the innings and production Alcantara has provided the Marlins for the last six years, Sandy said: “yeah, why not?” “I believe in my teammates. I believe in Luzardo, Cabrera, Eury, Braxton. So I think everyone wants to do good.” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker likened Alcantara to his former St. Louis Cardinals teammate Adam Wainwright, who missed the 2011 season with a similar injury as Alcantara, then pitched 12 more MLB seasons before finally retiring this past year. “He was our biggest cheerleader and still helped us a ton in that clubhouse,” Schumaker said. “I anticipate Sandy being the same way. He was in the weight room early this morning. You saw him doing his agility work today. You ask him, he's gonna be ready for Opening Day probably. But I look forward to seeing him around as much as he wants to be around on the road and at home. I think he's going to still be a huge part of what we're trying to do and try to be.” View full article

Skip Schumaker is bringing back a lot of familiar faces for his second season in Miami. The Miami Marlins added two new coaches to their major league staff on Friday, officially rounding out the staff they’ll go with in 2024 under the direction of reigning NL Manager of the Year Skip Schumaker. Bill Mueller, formerly a quality assurance coordinator with the Washington Nationals in 2022 and 2023, is now the assistant hitting coach for Miami. Prior to Washington, Mueller was a hitting coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007 and Chicago Cubs in 2014, as well as an assistant hitting coach with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2017 and 2018. As a player, Mueller won the American League batting title and Silver Slugger with the Boston Red Sox in 2003. He also hit .455 against Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera in 12 plate appearances during his 11-year career. With former hitting coach Brant Brown leaving the Marlins after the 2023 season to join the Seattle Mariners as a bench coach and offensive coordinator, John Mabry was promoted to the vacant spot that Brown left behind, officially removing the “assistant” moniker and becoming the primary hitting coach. He's tasked with improving a lineup that scored the fewest runs in the National League a year ago (26th in MLB). The Marlins also hired Jose Ceballos as their bullpen catcher. A Venezuelan native, Ceballos was signed by the Marlins as an international free agent in 2006 and played in the organization until 2013, mostly playing at the High-A level. Ceballos has since coached in the Marlins minor league system for the last nine years. Jody Reed will remain as the infield coach, but will no longer be doing double-duty as third base coach. Griffin Benedict, who was a quality assurance coach last year, will take over at third base. Reed was injured on the job in July, suffering a broken leg when he was struck by a foul ball. Mel Stottlemyre Jr. (pitching coach), Luis Urueta (bench coach), Wellington “Beef” Cepeda (bullpen coach), Rod Barajas (field coordinator), Rob Flippo (bullpen coordinator), Jason Hart (assistant hitting coach), and Jon Jay (first base coach) are all returning to the staff with the same roles they had last year. 2024 Coaching Staff.pdf View full article

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