Alex Carver

Photo by Alex Carver/Fish on the FarmWe are only a few games into Marlins spring training schedule, but already, storylines are starting to form around young Marlins players, prospects, new positioning, new rules and more. Here a few things we have seen and heard so far. Skip Schumaker wants to win, wants to know everyone who can help In his entire baseball career both as a player and a manager, being a part of organizations who prioritize the W is all Skip Schumaker has ever known. In 2023, he’s bringing that culture to the Miami Marlins. In both his introductory press conference earlier this winter and his conversations with the media early in camp, the word “win” is spoken regularly. “You’re in the major leagues to win. I’ve never been on a development kind of style or mindset,” Schumaker said. “All I’ve known is, you come here, you try to win the game today.” As he gets acclimated with the Marlins’ organization, Skip wants to get familiar with who can help 2023 squad win and how. To do so, Schumaker spent part of his afternoons of early camp on the backfields getting a look at minor league scrimmage games. All of them. “I was never a top prospect. So it’s important to me to watch our so called prospects and watch the guys that are not on that top prospect list because if you think about the guys that are in that World Series team when I was on there was Daniel Descalso, myself. They weren’t top prospects,” Schumaker said. “It’s important not forget all the guys in camp and make those guys feel like they have a chance too. Once you’re in the system, it’s now can you help the big league team win. The prospect status is the prospect status. But to me it’s can that guy help us win in the next couple of years.” With respect to those who held the mantle in year’s past, the culture feels, looks and sounds different at Marlins camp this year. And Skip Schumaker is a big reason why. Eury Perez learning, impressing in big league camp This spring, the Marlins are getting their first look at their top pitching prospect and one of the top pitching prospects in baseball going up against big league bats. The early results: promising. Eury Perez took the mound against the Cardinals during the Marlins’ spring home opener this past Sunday. During the two inning outing, Perez showed his fastball up to 100 mph, his staple changeup, and worked on his newest pitch the slider which he threw 24% of the time. It flashed plus. Though he didn’t have his most dominant stuff, Perez allowed just one run on four hits while collecting a strikeout. Without his heat stuff, the Marlins’ prized arm who will not turn 20 until April 15th, Perez is a 6’8” righty who is working to expand his arsenal even further. He will throw again against big leaguers next week before a likely assignment to the upper minors. Perez, who has palled around with NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara all spring, is and will remain one of the Marlins’ most intriguing storylines as the season gets under way. Perez is scheduled to throw again this week. Developing defense It’s only been four games but the gambles the Marlins have made to shore up their offense while potentially sacrificing defense have been clear and present. The most profound and recognized difference has been the transition of Jazz Chisholm Jr to outfield work. On the early campaign, Chisholm has made a few questionable decisions at the eight spot. Last week, Chisholm was challenged with a hard hit fly ball into a cavernous Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium outfield. In direct sunlight, Jazz made an incorrect first read off the bat which led to him being late into his charge to the baseball which dropped as a single. Jazz’s explanation was that he was trying to deke the runner. In last nights game against the Red Sox, Chisholm charged a ground ball up the middle and rifled the ball over his cutoff man all the way to the plate. According to Schumaker, this is the time for those plays to occur. In fact, he encourages it. “I’m glad it happened. When you see stuff like that happen, you can’t replicate that stuff in batting practice,” Schumaker said. “You can’t replicate a guy with really good speed at second base who is gonna score on a 10 hopper through the infield. What are you supposed to do in that situation? That’s what you gotta think about and remind yourself before the play happens. This is all part of it.” While Jazz is the center point of attention, the Marlins have also been working developing Jordan Groshans at first and third base, continuing to work on the future of Troy Johnston at first base, Peyton Burdick in center field, and other scenarios. “There’s a lot of different guys I want to see and how they react,” Schumaker said. Relievers impressing With bullpen depth needed, there are opportunities abound for relievers at Marlins camp to impress the team. The club has arms, including many who performed well at the minor league level in 2022. throwing this spring. One of them is righty Sean Reynolds. Reynolds, the second tallest guy in camp next to Perez, has made an impression since the first time he threw a live bullpen session last week. At that time, Reynolds, a converted infielder, handled his teammates who have been hitting for much longer than he has been pitching pretty well. A 6’8” specimen who started pitching again for the first time since high school in 2021, Reynolds has flashed three plus pitches: a fastball which can approach triple digits that he can elevate, a slurvy slider down to the low 80s that he can bury, and a plus changeup which Reynolds described to us this winter as his best pitch. While he’s improving on the mound, Reynolds is also remembering where he came from. Speaking to us during the first week of camp, Reynolds was all smiles as he spoke about his experience in Marlins camp thus far. “A long way from Batavia and Clinton,” Reynolds said. “I’m just riding the wave.” Schumaker has also been impressed with what he’s seen from Reynolds and likens his production to a former teammate. “I remember Jason Motte coming through the system really quick and contributed to a World Series the next year,” Schumaker said. “That’s the type of arm and power he has. He’s fun to watch. He’s not a finished product by any means but he is a very very exciting prospect. Another power arm.” Along with Reynolds, another arm who has done well thus far in early camp is Bryan Hoeing. A seventh round pick by Miami in 2019 (the third time he was drafted), Hoeing made it to the majors last year after holding down a 4.45 ERA via a 1.3 WHIP and 188/68 K/BB in 263 IP. After making his big league debut in August, Hoeing is back with the Marlins this spring as an NRI. In returning, Hoeing has some newfound velocity. Throwing in a spring game on Wednesday, Hoeing regularly hit 95 with his fastball and 85 with his slider while mixing in his sinker. In 2022, Hoeing’s four seamer averaged 93 while his slider averaged 82.2. “The two seam, slider, with a good changeup is really working for him,” Schumaker said. “I’ve watched it in his lives and same type of thing we saw just now was a lot of soft contact, early counts, efficient outs, and he has some strikeout stuff right now. It’s good to see.” Schumaker left the door open for a potential role for Hoeing on the 2023 squad and lauded his versatility. “Whether he builds up as a starter or a reliever, we’ll kind of monitor that,” Skip said. “He threw two innings today, so he’s the guy that can do both which is obviously exciting for us.” Hoeing stated he has been focusing on improving his overall size and strength which has attributed to his rise in velo. “This offseason I focused on putting on a little more weight and more muscle but also staying flexible,” Hoeing said. Regarding the strikeout stuff, Hoeing illustrated his improvement by eluding to a span in 2022 where he went 18 innings and collected just six strikeouts. “It’s nice to be on the other side of things, for sure,” Hoeing said laughhing. Full minor league squad reports Sunday Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium’s backfields are about to get a bit more crowded. While many guys are already in town for camp, this Sunday marks the official report day for Marlins’ minor leaguers to report. Minor league camp consists of workouts and intrasquad scrimmage games before players learn of their assignments to begin the regular season. The Marlins are also working on potentially bringing in outside competition for scrimmage games as they have done in years past.

When you’re one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, it can be easy to rest on the laurels that got you to that plateau thus far. But that isn’t Eury Perez. Since he was signed by the Marlins for $200K as part of the 2019 international signing class, the 6’8” righty has been committed to perfecting his craft. Although he is possibly on the verge of becoming the youngest starting pitcher to crack the Marlins’ big league rotation, he isn’t stopping. And to help him this spring, he has the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner at his constant disposal. Perez isn’t letting that opportunity go to waste. Walking around Marlins’ camp on the first official day of pitchers and catchers reporting this past Thursday, it is clear and evident: Perez and Sandy Alcantara are forming quite the relationship. In fact, the pair is nearly inseparable. The pair share lockers directly next to one another, they are part of the the same throwing group, and they are partners during their warmup sessions. The Alcantara/Perez connection runs so deep Perez will not jog back to the clubhouse without his teammate. During the offseason, after receiving his Cy Young award, Alcantara said in order to improve, minor leaguers “just need to watch.” Perez is doing that and then some. “That’s his bestie. He’s showing him the way,” said one Marlins player development executive. “That’s not a bad best friend to have.” Perez, who is about three inches taller, describes his relationship with Sandy as an ideal model of what he plans to become. “What can I say? Sandy is an unbelievable pitcher, a Cy Young winner; that’s the ultimate goal,” Perez said through a translator. “Working with Sandy has got me very strong; working on my delivery for the whole offseason with him was great and hopefully we can keep working at the Major League level as well.” “We’ve been working long toss, short toss, as well. He’s been telling me about my angle and how I throw, how I do my approach,” Perez continued. “Just little details we go over, that we’ve been practicing a lot, tossing a lot every day.” Eury is using Sandy as a vital resource while he works to improve his game. His two main focuses on the field: consistency in his changeup and improvement on his newest pitch, a slider, which he began throwing last year. “I’m working on my slider and also my changeup,” Perez said. “The team wants me to use these pitches more in games against batters. That’s part of the work we are doing right now; trying to make sure I can use those during the game.” After throwing a bullpen on Thursday, Perez threw his first live BP today. Facing off against major leaguers including the reigning AL batting champ Luis Arraez. Major League batters were mystified by his stuff. While it has yet to be determined exactly how much Perez will throw during game action this spring, according to one Marlins’ player development executive, “he will definitely get a good look”. Perez isn’t backing down from that opportunity. “He’s in a really good spot and it’s exciting,” the same team source said. A 19-year-old who will be pitching against guys six years older than him on average while not being far away from making his big league debut, Perez continues to write a movie script. The finished product is you won’t want to miss.

Photo by Danis Sosa/Fish StripesIf you are a brand new fan of the Miami Marlins, you may be lacking in your knowledge of the history of baseball in South Florida. In recent years, save a throwback weekend during the 2018 season, it would have been very easy for someone to walk in and out of loanDepot park none the wiser to the club’s chronicles. In 2023, the 30th year of the organization’s existence, the team plans to change that. And at the forefront of the endeavor is one of the club’s most iconic names: Jeff Conine. The first domino fell last season when the Marlins welcomed back Conine as a special guest to loanDepot park in April. Replacing the two small teal flags that used to reside on the left field foul pole, the two-time champion ascended into the rafters to finally affix two massive World Series banners high above the stadium. Seven months later, Mr. Marlin went from being a distinguished guest to once again being an employee. On November 17th, 2022, it was announced that Conine would be rejoining the Marlins as a special advisor to majority owner Bruce Sherman, similar to the mantle he held from 2008 to 2017 when he served in a similar capacity for then CEO David Samson. Speaking Saturday alongside fellow inaugural year teammate Luis Aquino and fellow alumni Gaby Sanchez, Conine joked with fans about a return to the field — a feat which he stated would take “an act of God” to complete — before announcing measures the team plans to take in 2023 to honor the first 30 years of Marlins baseball. Headlining the plans is the return of the Marlins’ iconic teal pinstripe home uniforms and all teal caps. According to the Marlins, the uniforms will be worn during a minimum of five Friday home games and merchandise will be available to fans for purchase at a date to be announced. Conine stated it is a priority for the organization to improve how it honors the team’s history. “Moving forward, we are going to do a lot better glorifying this franchise and celebrate what it has done over 30 years,” he said. “Having the alumni come back, and wearing teal on select Fridays, and the special guests throughout the year that celebrate this franchise. There have been great players that played here that maybe went on to great things in other places, but they played in Florida. We have to make special note of that.” For fans visiting loanDepot park during the rest of the week, there will be plenty of opportunity for them to reminisce on days gone by. Currently being installed on the promenade level of the stadium in the shadow of the aforementioned banners is a team museum. Similar to the Florida Panthers’ Den of Honor, the museum will be accessible to ticketed fans and will house pieces of the past including jerseys, memorabilia, photography, and more. According to Conine, despite the club’s relatively young age, the Marlins will not be short on players, accomplishments, and moments to honor. “We’ve got no hitters, we’ve got All-Star Games, we’ve got milestones,” Conine said. “Being here for Ichiro’s 3000th (hit) and I played with Andre Dawson for his 400th home run. I could sit down and make a list and I’m sure during the season I’ll come up with some others that I’ll spring on and say, “Hey, we’ve gotta do that.””

Photo by Jupiter HammerheadsSince the incorporation of the Jeter regime up until the present day, the Miami Marlins began and have continued to draw from the wealth of talent of their island neighbors just to their southeast. The name most Marlins fans know the most is Jazz Chisholm Jr who was brought in as a prospect for highly heralded pitcher Zac Gallen. Since, the enigmatic, extremely talented, and extremely marketable Jazz has risen to stardom both on and off the field. The Marlins hope the same for many of their international signees that have come after Jazz. No exception is Ian Lewis. Lewis signed with the Marlins as a member of the 2019 international draft class and, along with Eury Perez, is one of the main reasons why that class remains highly heralded. The Marlins saw the potential in Lewis as he signed for a considerable amount: $950K. After the idle 2020 season, Lewis made his pro debut with the FCL Marlins as an 18 year old in late June of 2021 and immediately made an impression. In his debut game against the FCL Mets, Lewis hit his first career home run. In 43 games with the FCL squad, Lewis hit .302/.354/.497. A switch hitter, the Marlins worked Lewis out mostly as a lefty bat and he fared just fine. Lewis hit RHPs at a .279/.336/.481 clip. And that was as a 5’11, 160 pound specimen. In June of 2022, Lewis returned to the field in Jupiter built up to 177 pounds. This time though, rather than the backfields, Lewis would be playing in the main stadium as a member of the Jupiter Hammerheads. In 51 games (he missed nearly a month with a hand injury) in a pitcher friendly league and against competition over two years older than him on average, Lewis’ on base prowess permeated as he hit .265/.347/.368. He had a manageable 21% K rate and walked in 10% of his plate appearances. This time though, Lewis’ platoon splits were even more skewed. I’m 139 ABs against righties, he hit .309/.396/.446. In a limited 46 AB showing against lefties, he hit .130/.184/.130. Lewis exhibited a solid approach and the ability to turn anything into at least a double due to his 70 grade speed. Due to his bat speed and flashy hands and wrists, he also exhibited exit velocities over 95 mph on the regular, even after he returned from the hand injury that cost him nearly a month. Lewis’ biggest area for improvement is getting underneath the baseball. In 2022, his ground ball rate was an elevated 56%. In 2023, Lewis’ focus will be creating more launch and increasing his line drive rate. That said, as he proved in the Don’t Blink Home Run Derby, Lewis has the 60-grade raw power and he has the levers, athleticism, and youth on his side to allow his body to fully develop and to allow his game power to fully catch up. Defensively, Lewis is a plus defender at second base where the same plus plus speed, quick hands and wrists, and good off-the-bat instincts serve him well. Lewis, who pitched in high school and was clocked in the low 90s, also has the arm strength necessary to fill in at shortstop and third base. There are some uncertainties surrounding Lewis. Will he come by more launch? Will the game power catch up advantageously? Will he continue to switch hit? Will he continue to see older pitching well in pitcher friendly environments? And will the high-effort athlete remain healthy? While we have to wait and see, 2023 is off to a good start for Lewis. He has spent the offseason working out and training back home in the Bahamas with many of his countrymen including his good friend Jazz and looks ready to go. Projected to start 2023 in A+ Beloit, Lewis is a potential five tool player who should have a lot of eyes on him this coming season.

Photo by Pensacola Blue WahoosFor their 10th anniversary season, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos went big in a variety of ways. From being voted the best stadium for Minor League Baseball, to zany promotions, to fantastic rain delay entertainment, to fielding some of the top prospects in the Marlins’ organization, there were plenty of reasons to keep your eyes on the club and your backside in a seat at Blue Wahoos Stadium. It all culminated with an exciting successful playoff run that saw Pensacola solely hoist the Southern League championship trophy for the first time in franchise history. The Wahoos entered their second season as a Marlins affiliate after ending their first prematurely. They made up for that missed time by extending their 2022 season. Kevin Randel returned to Pensacola as manager and brought the Wahoos to a 33-34 first half record, allowing the team to qualify for the playoffs. While overall offensive stats weren’t the team’s strength (they were last in the Southern League in many offensive stats including batting average and OPS), the Wahoos relied on timely hitting and great pitching. Bolstered by top pitching prospects such as Eury Perez and Dax Fulton and backed up by an extremely strong bullpen consisting of Josh Simpson, Eli Villalobos, Sean Reynolds (all of whom are now on the Marlins’ 40 man Major League roster) and others, the Wahoos’ pitching staff held down a 4.49 collective ERA and were second in batting average against with a .246 marker and third in WHIP at 1.34. Their 2.83 K/BB ratio led the circuit. According to Reynolds, the group that rose to the top in Pensacola this year created a culture of winning they plan to permeate as they continue to build their careers together. “The group that we had in Beloit early in the season we talked about it. Yeah, we’re all here to develop and get better and get out playing time, but if we’re gonna be here, we might as well win a few games,” Reynolds said. “Once you start to get most of the room if not all 25-26 guys on that same page, that we are showing up to win, that takes the stress off everyone asking what am I doing or what is going on with my swing or my defense. If all your focus is to just win the game, we’re showing up every day like it’s a brand new day and we’re gonna win tonight.” Memorable MomentsDax Fulton strikes out career high 13 in season saving game With the Wahoos facing elimination in the Southern League playoffs, Dax Fulton took the ball for the fifth time in his AA career and for the first time in the postseason. He absolutely dazzled. In six innings, Fulton struck out 13, a new career high. He retired 12 straight to end his night. After a hard-luck start to the season with the Sky Carp in which he had an ERA nearly a run higher than his FIP (4.07 vs 3.08), Fulton’s stats matched his potential against older competition and in a more hitter friendly environment in Pensacola. Living off a tight hammer curveball and a fastball that sits in the 94-96 mph range with spin rates upward of 2,600 as well as a changeup that took the next step this season all coming at hitters from a downhill plane and high arm slot, this 6’7” lefty could contribute to a major league roster as early as 2023. While he is still a bit under the radar, Dax is proving why he is one of the pitching prospects in a Marlins’ system rich in quality arms. Wahoos score three in 9th, walk off despite not recording a hitThere are a lot of ways that baseball games can end. The Blue Wahoos and Biloxi Shuckers exhibited of the more unique ones on this date in early June. Down two runs going into the bottom of the 9th, Pensacola scored three runs without the benefit of a hit. After a throwing error from the Biloxi shortstop allowed Troy Johnston to reach, Griffin Conine walked. From there, Biloxi’s closer plunked four straight batters. Luis Aviles Jr’s plunking loaded the bases. Ray Patrick Didder and Cobie Fletcher-Vance were then hit on back to back pitches. In one of the more exciting series at Blue Wahoos Stadium all season, it marked the third straight time and fourth time in the six game set that Pensacola won via walk off. The main culprit for why Biloxi closer Harold Chirino hit four straight batters and walked another may have been due to the rock he was throwing. Early in the year, the Southern League had been experimenting with pre-tacked baseballs. This series was one of the first in which the league reverted back to its regular model after the experiment was halted “for reasons unclear”. That weekend, the Wahoos averaged more than five total hit batters per game. Reasons aside, fans who attended a Wahoos game that week were treated to quite the show. And players needed ice. Blue Wahoos win Southern League championshipAfter the aforementioned Fulton game, the Wahoos entered the the Southern League championship series against Tennessee with the big mo on their side. It didn’t let them down. In the final game of the series, the Wahoos ran out the Marlins’ top prospect Eury Perez, fresh back from rehab. He struck out nine in three innings of work. Cobie Fletcher-Vance starred on the offensive side of the ball. He went 2-5 and produced the biggest hit of the game, a grand slam. He matched a career high with 5 RBIs. The rule 5 pick produced for the bulk of the postseason for Pensacola, hitting .316 in six games. Following Perez, the Wahoos’ pen consisting of Robinson Martinez, Chandler Jozwiak, Jorge Mercedes and Sean Reynolds dealt six innings of scoreless ball while striking out 10. The 19 total strikeouts by the Wahoos’ staff were a season high and a postseason record. It was also one shy of an all-time team record. In 2017, Pensacola won its first title after they swept Marlins AA prospects with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the division series. Afterwards, the championship series was canceled due to Hurricane Irma and the Wahoos along with the Chattanooga Lookouts were named co-champions. Thus this 2022 title win was the second in Wahoos’ franchise history but the first time in franchise history the team has stood alone atop the Southern League. Top PerformersOF/1B Troy Johnston 85 G, .292/.360/.450, 10 HR, 31 XBH, 49 RBI, 71/32 K/BB The Marlins’ 17th rounder from 2019 just keeps proving himself. After a breakout year in Jupiter and Beloit in 2021, Johnston’s prowess and ability to get on base at an above average level permeated in the upper minors this season. With Pensacola, Johnston slashed .292/.360/.450, marks that ranked first, second and second amongst those who played more than 30 games in Wahoos garb. Coming into 2021, the only thing missing from Johnston’s offensive profile was the ability to hit for consistent power. He responded by hitting 15 home runs in the lower minors. That same power potential permeated with Pensacola this year as he hit another 10. After a late season call to AAA Jacksonville, he hit another four homers. Johnston’s walk rate (8.5%) shrunk amidst his call to AA, but so did his K rate (18.9%). Long story short, Johnston saw better quality stuff but was still able to select advantageously. The scientific hitter at one point in the season had a 12 game hit streak. With that streak included, he reached via a hit in 24 of 26 games. Getting his first taste of AAA, Johnston’s hat to ball fizzled a bit as he fell into an 0-19 slump to start September with the Jumbo Shrimp. However, his patience and selectiveness persisted. With the Shrimp, Johnston had a 24/15 K/BB which proved he can still work counts to his favor at the highest level of MiLB. Johnston was rule 5 eligible at the winter meetings, but wound up going unselected. He will come back to Miami in 2023 likely with an invite to spring training and with an outside chance to make the big league roster. If not, Johnston should report back to AAA Jacksonville. With eligibility at a very thin position for Miami, first base, the avid and persistent worker who has a healthy mindset to steadily challenge himself and improve is a very real candidate to contribute to the Marlins this coming season. C Paul McIntosh 90 G, .258/.379/.465, 13 HR, 39 XBH, 51 RBI, 75/55 K/BB There’s just something about undrafted free agents breaking out that makes us smile. Since spring training, it was clear and evident that Paul McIntosh had the plate presence and raw strength to become a considerable name in the Marlins’ system. After catching most of the system’s top pitching prospects and some major league pitchers during camp, the West Virginia product was assigned to AA Pensacola to begin the year. McIntosh joined the Wahoos and made an instant impact. In his first 16 games, he hit .316/.435/.544 with five homers. While his batting average normalized over the course of the rest of the season as he went through some cold stretches, his patience and power potential permeated all year long. Overall, McIntosh’s 125 wRC+ ranked third in the Marlins organization amongst full season players, earning him organizational All-Star honors. McIntosh’s weakness lies on his ability to produce consistent quality bat-to-ball contact. That said, he is one of the stronger players in the Marlins’ system. McIntosh can suffice at catcher, but his durability behind the plate (he missed the playoffs due to injury and also spent time on the IL in 2021) makes him most likely a long term first baseman. He can also slot in in the outfield. We anticipate him starting 2023 with the AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Given the Marlins’ MLB ready depth at both catcher and first base, he could be in line for a big league call this coming season. RHP Eury Perez 75 IP, 4.08 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.16 WHIP, 106/25 K/BB Perez is the Marlins’ enigmatic consensus top prospect. He has risen to such a level after being signed as part of the 2019 international class ($200K). From the moment he was signed, Perez had fiery velo. He also had more than a blueprint of three pitches, including an advanced changeup and a curveball. In his first season pro, Perez flashed all three pitches but he also exhibited the need to repeat a bit better and learn his levers to avoid tipping. Fast forward to 2022. After a dominant season in A Jupiter, with his levers well under control, Perez was challenged to the AA level to begin the year. There, he struggled in his first few starts but quickly acclimated to the league and to much older competitors. From May 6th through July 7th, Perez held down a 2.20 ERA while striking out 59 and walking just 9. Once again on a stringent innings limit of 110 entering the season, Perez’s arm showed signs of fatigue during his first August start and he was pulled from it after just 1.1 IP. While tests were negative and only revealed simple arm fatigue, Perez underwent a minor surgery and missed the rest of August. He returned to Pensacola on September 16th after one rehab outing in Jupiter. During Pensacola’s playoff run, he tossed 6 IP and allowed seven runs while striking out 12 and walking three. While the end to his season isn’t exactly what he or the Marlins wanted, in Perez, the Marlins have something very special: a 6’8” righty with three plus plus pitches, good control, the ability to sit at 97, hit triple digits, shrink to the low 80s, hold his cell through his outings, command consistently, and mask his delivery well. As long as Perez can remain healthy with his innings limit removed, he has a very real future as part of the Marlins rotation and very soon. We foresee him being invited to spring training with the Marlins and starting 2023 in AAA. LHP Josh Simpson 55.2 IP, 3.88 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 1.08 WHIP, 89/29 K/BB Simpson is one of many quality arms that contributed to an extremely solid Pensacola bullpen in 2022 and one of a few that the Marlins have since selected to the 40 man roster. He made an immediate impression in his AA debut to begin 2022 as he tossed 18.2 scoreless innings and allowed just three total hits. Over that span, he had a 35/7 K/BB. One rough five run outing aside, Simpson recorded more than respectable numbers in a Wahoos’ uniform before his late season call to AAA. Simpson is an averaged size lefty (6’2” 190 lb), who lives off his ability to deceive hitters via his quick pace and motion and his four plus pitches and three plus pitches. Simpson reaches up to 97 mph with his fastball (sitting 94). His cut fastball sits in the 88-90 mph range and tunnels well of the heat. Simpson’s best pitch is a tight curveball with late downward action that lies in the 80 mph range. In addition, he can also throw a usable changeup. With good stuff, Simpson is a more than competitive southpaw whose control got better as 2022 went on. He will enter spring training with a very real chance of making the Marlins’ Opening Day roster.