Alex Carver

The Major League Marlins have had a rocky first few months of the season. Their minor league affiliates have had similar ups and downs, but things are certainly looking more up at the moment. Three of their four affiliates are over .500, while Beloit is playing much better baseball after a slow start. The theme of this week was some excellent pitching performances resulting in wins. LHP Zach King, A+ This Week's Stats: 6.0 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 9/1 K/BB The Beloit Sky Carp have managed to rebound from what was an ugly start to the season, and are now near the .500 mark. The offense has heated up as the warmer has gotten warmer, while a few pitchers have also stood out. MD Johnson, featured on the Weekly Roundup a few weeks ago, has been one of those guys. King has nearly been as good, with far more walks but also more strikeouts. Ultimately, his ERA sits at an impressive 3.10 for the season. It is not surprising that King is difficult for batters to make contact against when examining his background. He was a relief pitcher at Vanderbilt for three seasons, and was drafted following their 2019 College World Series Championship. King has mostly been used as a starter since being drafted though, with three plus pitches being shown at times. The tall left hander does not get above the low-mid nineties with his fastball, but it has tailing action that results in a decent amount of groundball. The slider and changeup have been especially effective when it comes to getting strikeouts. Righties are batting just .208 against King this season, with fifty seven strikeouts in forty two innings. The changeup clearly seems to be succeeding against opposite-handed hitters. King does still have room for improvement when it comes to control. The 11% walk rate that he is currently working with is doable for a relief pitcher with filthy stuff, but not for a long-term starter who needs to be a little bit craftier to get outs. Still King has certainly taken a step in the right direction this season. Due to graduations, he was recently moved into the MLB Pipeline Marlins Top 30 Prospects list. OF Griffin Conine, AA This Week's Stats: 5-18, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 8/6 K/BB It would be fair to say that Griffin Conine has figured out how to hit in Double-A. His 2021 Pensacola debut featured plenty of power, but way too many strikeouts and an overly aggressive approach. Conine's success this season has largely stemmed from a change to that approach; he is swinging at pitches that can be barreled up far more easily. While the strikeout totals remain high, the Blue Wahoos are more than happy to live with it if it results in optimal contact so often. While narrowing in on pitches he can hammer, Conine has also managed to lay off more pitches out of the zone. This has helped him achieve far more success at the plate, with an impressive .269/.380/.497 batting line at the moment. MonthK%BB%April38.67.2May3213.3June33.823.9Griffin Conine's K-BB rates in 2022As you can see, that approach has been refined as the season has worn on. The strikeout rate remains high; anything above 30% at the minor league often is often deemed to be dangerous. After all, if a player swings and misses this much against minor league pitching, how can he possibly make more contact against big leaguers? While this point is certainly true to an extent, Conine must be rewarded for the changes he has made to cut down on the K's. As this season has gone on, he is walking far more and striking out less. This past week demonstrated everything that Conine can be; he hit a few homers, got on base, and had some swings and misses. Still, he was a productive hitter. At this point, Conine has had success at every level once he gets acclimated to it. It should not be long before Conine is brought up to Jacksonville, and while there may be growing pains, he is clearly not a guy to bet against. RHP Colton Hock, AA This Week's Stats: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 4/0 K/BB Colton Hock has once again been among the most reliable relievers in the Marlins system this season. In 2021, he settled into a role as the Wahoos closer. Hock tallied nineteen saves in thirty-six appearances, while striking out over a batter per inning. That performance was more than deserving of a late-season call up to Jacksonville. Hock seems to be well on his way to another promotion, as he has shown himself capable of getting Double-A hitters out. That was certainly true last week, where Hock faced the minimum of twelve batters in four perfect innings. His performance as a dominant reliever has been impressive to watch, and it is something that Hock has been for a while now. The Marlins briefly used him as a starter back in 2018, but he seems to have settled back into the reliever role that he dominated in at Stanford. The Marlins may have been hoping to transition Hock into a starter based on their college scouting report of him. The tall-right hander has a fastball that sits in the mid-nineties with elite spin. He is able to manipulate his breaking pitches to give hitters different looks. All of this may have contributed to Hock being a fourth round pick in 2017, which is usually when the top relievers are picked. The biggest difference in Hock's success this season is how he has been getting outs. His strikeout numbers are down from last season, with a K% hovering around an unimpressive 20%. However, Hock possesses exceptional control, and has a WHIP below 1.00 for the season. Finally, his groundball rate is way up at over 50%. Hock is clearly in command of his arsenal right now, and manipulating his pitches to get the kind of contact he wants. The Marlins should be satisfied with what Hock has given them, but at 26 years old, it may be about time to see what he can do at the highest level. LHP Luis Palacios, A This Week's Stats: 7.0 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 6/1 K/BB This is probably the third or fourth week in a row that Luis Palacios could have been included in the weekly roundup. It did not feel right to go another week without including him. Palacios has consistently gone deep into games, with all of his starts this season being over five innings long. Seven of his ten starts have been six innings or longer. That is impressive for a pitcher at any level, nevermind a twenty-one year old at the lower levels of the system. One of the reasons that Palacios has flown under the radar is he does not possess a big fastball or a nasty repertoire. Instead, he has succeeded with deception, quality off-speed stuff, and insane command. Palacios has walked just four batters in sixty two innings, resulting in a miniscule 1.6 BB%. This is not an aberration; Palacios has posted walk rates below 2% at three different minor league stops of over forty innings. His fastball may not top ninety miles per hour, but Palacios clearly has some level of deception that is working to keep getting batters out. With a strikeout rate just below 25%, Palacios is also clearly capable of getting swings and misses. His changeup is probably his best pitch, which can lend itself to soft contact as well. At this point, I am curious to see if Palacios can continue his success at the next level. Sometimes, there is no explaining it, but certain pitchers just get guys out without identifiable velocity or nasty stuff. Palacios feels like one of those guys. RHP Bryan Mitchell, AA This Week's Stats: 7.0 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 7/0 K/BB Bryan Mitchell got drafted all the way back in 2009, by a New York Yankees team that was on the way to the World Series. He underwent plenty of highs and lows with the Yankees, including some success in the bullpen and a series of unfortunate injuries. Since being a part of the Chase Headley trade, Mitchell has bounced around and appeared in a few organizations. He was DFA'd by the Marlins last August, only to be brought back in the minors for 2022. Mitchell got off to a rough start with the Wahoos, but pitched a gem against Tennessee last week that should cement his spot in the Wahoos rotation for the time being. Mitchell had his curveball working in that game, with the majority of his strikeouts coming on off-speed pitches that darted towards the dirt. He appears to be operating with three pitches at the moment, while appearing especially comfortable with that breaking ball. Mitchell also features a fastball that gets ground balls and a cutter that has a good amount of movement. The fastball played well up in the zone against Tennessee, but it has been more of a low-in-the zone, ground ball producing pitch in Mitchell's MLB experience. He has now made three straight starts for Pensacola, so Mitchell just needs to keep on showing that he still has what it takes to pitch at a higher level. Not walking any hitters in that start was the best thing Mitchell could have done for himself; he had walked eighteen batters in just twenty six innings going into that appearance. Up Next (6/21-6/27) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp vs DurhamAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos at BiloxiA+ Beloit Sky Carp at LansingA Jupiter Hammerheads at Daytona

Josh Simpson (Photo by Pensacola Blue Wahoos)With a 4.49 ERA including 6.91 in the month of June, the Miami Marlins' bullpen needs help. Viable assistance is thriving just nine and a half hours away from loanDepot park as Josh Simpson has continued turning in strings of lights-out innings for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Who is Simpson and how soon could we see him in a Marlins uniform?— Josh Simpson has been through a lot in his four-year career. As a 6’2” lefty out of a cold weather state, his name wasn’t spoken much leading into the 2019 MLB Draft. Because of those stigmas, the Marlins were able to pluck him off the board in the 32nd round. From there, Simpson’s timeline is very turbulent. Almost immediately, Miami converted Simpson from starter to reliever and he turned in solid numbers for the short season Batavia Muckdogs. Then 2020 happened, challenging all Minor League Baseball players, including Simpson. During that process though, Simpson not only stayed active, he went back to the lab, completely modifying everything related to his game. “That COVID year, to me… it gave you time to sit down and that was what was going to separate you from guys who really wanted to work and get their stuff done on their own or kind of take that time to relax,” Simpson said. “I reworked my whole repertoire, my mechanics, my pitches just trying to make everything as good as I possibly could.” The soon-to-be 25 year old faced his next test in 2021 when an injury kept him out of action for nearly two months. The Marlins attempted to make up for the lost time and build Simpson’s arm back up by re-inserting him into the rotation at A+, leading to some inflated numbers. He also participated in the hitter-friendly Arizona Fall League where more crooked figures were put up against him. Simpson describes 2021 as a learning curve season and this past offseason as his 'a-ha' moment. “I think last year was a little bit of getting adjusted and kind of understanding who I was as a pitcher. Going out there every time and not necessarily knowing what was going to happen," Simpson said. "This offseason, I think I just kind of found what worked for me best and the way I can go out there and be as consistent as I can every time." Despite his past trials and tribulations, the Marlins challenged Simpson to the AA level. There, he has put polish on his reworked craft quickly become one of the best relievers in the organization. In 31 innings, Simpson is holding down a 2.90 ERA via an even 1.00 WHIP. Amongst AA South pitchers with at least 30 IP, those figures rank ninth and sixth. Minus one rough outing in which he allowed five of his 10 earned runs, he would have a 1.45 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. If that weren’t impressive enough, Simpson is the best strikeout pitcher in his league with a 45.1% K rate. His latest gem was a 2 IP, 1 H, 5 K two out save. After that outing, veteran starter Bryan Mitchell spoke highly of his first impressions of Simpson. “I’ve only gotten to see him a few times now but his curveball is really, really good and he’s got velo to go with it,” Mitchell said. “I wasn’t worried at all about him coming in behind me.” An Ivy League student, Simpson knew very early in his playing career he would need a plus breaking pitch to succeed. A main reason for his dominance has been the polish he’s put on the aforementioned nasty sweeping curveball that sits in the mid-70s. Simpson describes the pitch as his bread and butter. “When I was younger, being a lefty and undersized and not necessarily going to dominate guys with the heater so I always relied on my offspeed stuff and I think that kind of stuck with me and it’s blossomed into the pitch it is now,” Simpson said. “It’s definitely been solid for me so far.” Coupled with a dancing fastball that sits around 93 but can touch 95, Simpson has shown impeccable command, a good mix of speeds and an overall incredible pitcher’s IQ capable of speeding up the game and stifling hard contact. Simpson would have been exposed to the Rule 5 draft last season if there were a Major League portion. That will now happen this coming offseason if he is not added to the big league roster. Starving for scoreless relief innings, Simpson is the best in-house option Miami has. He should keep a packed bag close by.

In this week's roundup, a few players are deserving of repeat mentions after continued stellar performance. On the other side of things are a few unheralded prospects, worthy of your attention, who both put up noteworthy pitching performances at the lower levels. RHP Luarbert Arias, A This Week's Stats: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 8/0 K/BB Luarbert Arias is quietly emerging as an exciting find for the Marlins this year in Jupiter. The Venezuelan right hander was signed by the Padres in 2017 as an international free agent. He pitched well in his first few professional seasons, while typically starting games but not throwing more than a few innings at a time. However, missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic may have taken a tole on the development of Arias. In his 2021 preview of the Padres minor league system, Fangraphs' Eric Longenhagen noted that Arias, "throws a ton of strikes." While not a hard thrower with a wipeout breaking ball, Arias was known as a guy who could get outs quickly and a surprising amount of swings and misses. That went away in 2021, when Arias was working out of the bullpen and struggled towards a 15% walk rate. San Diego waved Arias in December, after that tumultuous season, and the Marlins quickly pounced. Arias is now twenty one years old, and has yet to pitch above the A level. His BB% this season remains in the double digits, a troubling trend for any pitcher at any level. However, slight improvements have been seen in recent weeks. Since the start of May, Arias has walked four batters over 15.1 innings. In that span, he has struck out twenty one opponents. After an April in which he struggled to find his control, Arias has become a reliable and trusted member of the Hammerheads bullpen. Against the St. Lucie Mets on Thursday, Arias was about as perfect as it gets. He faced six batters, and struck out all of them. Moreover, five of those K's were of the swinging variety. His fastball, sitting around 92-93 during the outing, was paired well with the slider, in the low 80's, that got many swings and misses. Arias' fastball-changeup combo had led to his success in the past, but he seems to be utilizing the slider more this year out of the bullpen. He posted two more scoreless innings on Sunday, with just one hit and no walks allowed. The Marlins pitching development pipeline seems to have worked wonders on Arias, who was available on waivers just six months ago. This is the sort of find that provides crucial depth in an organization, as Arias is a far more interesting arm than he seemed like a year ago at this time. OF JJ Bleday, AAA This Week's Stats: 4-16, 3 HR, 1 2B, 6/6 K/BB We have written about JJ Bleday a few times in these roundups so far this year, but it is hard to understate his importance to the Marlins organization. This offseason, there was no denying that Bleday's stock had dipped quite a bit since he was initially drafted in 2019 out of Vanderbilt. 2021 saw Bleday's power greatly diminished, which is a huge concern for a hitter with such extreme fly ball tendencies. Without elite power, there is little benefit to hitting the ball in the air so often. After an improved Arizona Fall League performance, and putting on some strength over the winter, Bleday is firmly back on the prospect radar. His inclination to hit the ball in the air has become even more extreme; Bleday's ground ball rate of 25.8% is comically low. Perhaps due to the added strength, however, Bleday is managing to maximize the potential of those fly balls more often. His thirteen home runs at Jacksonville this season already eclipse the twelve he hit last season, in almost exactly half the plate appearances. That is not to say Bleday becoming a more productive hitter has been without it's hiccups. His K% is hovering around that ever dangerous 30% mark, and has remained around there throughout the season. For a player lauded for his tool coming out of the draft, that is of some concern. Still, I think the benefit of the doubt should be given to Bleday; he made some mechanical change this winter, including lowering his hands, that could plausibly result in some transition time needed before the contact rate can stabilize. Bleday is such a natural hitter with a great feel at the plate when things are going right, that any worries about his K% may be premature due to the small sample size. More impressive is his high BB%, which is in line with some prime Carlos Santana seasons at the moment. Any hitter who can get on base that often has a high ceiling, which is how Bleday should start being viewed. He may not have the hit-power combo that fans dreamed on coming out of Vanderbilt, but he should be a productive hitter at any level due to his approach. Bleday currently is sitting with a 126 wRC+ and a .370 OBP for Jacksonville, and has been their most consistent hitter over the past month or two. The Marlins may give him some more time to get comfortable with the mechanical changes, but I think he will be a productive big league hitter whenever that time comes. C Paul McIntosh, AA This Week's Stats: 7-15, 1 HR, 3 2B, 7 RBI, 2/3 K/BB No hitter in the Marlins system improved his stock to begin the season more than Paul McIntosh did in April. McIntosh finished the month hitting .316/.435/.544, and threw in five stolen bases just for good measure. Every night seemed like a multi-hit game for the catcher, who was also walking and limiting his strikeouts. Naturally, every hitter (not named Mike Trout or Juan Soto) is going to come down from that sort of high after a while, and McIntosh's May was certainly more humble. Still, he hit three homeruns and produced a .754 OPS, which is far from anything to be ashamed of. The month of June has seen more of a return to those early season numbers, though. In just seven games this month, McIntosh is slashing .435/.594/.870, with nine walks against three strikeouts. While that has clearly come in a small sample size, anybody who is doubting that Paul McIntosh can hit at this point probably has not been paying attention. It remains hard to believe that McIntosh went undrafted as a college hitter. He was taken late in the 2018 draft by the Angels, coming out of high school, but chose to attend West Virginia University instead. McIntosh was a productive college player, but he has shown more offensive ability in his minor league appearances with the Marlins. While catching the majority of Pensacola's games this season, McIntosh has put up a cumulative 151 wRC+ with seven home runs and nine stolen bases. That amount of steals is not common for any catcher, and McIntosh does have a pretty big frame. Still, it shows just how exceptional of an athlete that he is, as he is able to impact the game offensively, defensively, and on the base paths. The Statcast data that is available from McIntosh's 2021 with Jupiter even indicates that he was consistently posting exit velocities over 110 mph. The Pensacola Blue Wahoos' Twitter account confirmed as much in the video you see above. Having that baseline ability to hit the ball hard indicates major league caliber bat speed, so it is no fluke that he is performing well at every level the Marlins have brought him through to this point. While this has been a bit of an up-and-down start for the Wahoos' catcher, there is a reason that McIntosh has quickly emerged as cult favorite amongst Marlins fans who are monitoring the Marlins minor league system: finding catchers who can hit like Paul McIntosh is just not that easy to do. LHP Pat Monteverde, A+ This Week's Stats: 6.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 6/3 K/BB Much like McIntosh, Pat Monteverde was a late find in the 2021 Draft process with the potential to reap rewards. While McIntosh went completely undrafted, Monteverde was selected in the eighth round out of Texas Tech. He transferred there for his final year of eligibility following three seasons with Seton Hall, and put up a complete performance after missing time in previous years. Monteverde posted an impressive 22% K-BB ratio, as he demonstrated impressive control with swing and miss ability in a major conference. Transitioning from a Northeastern school is no easy task, so Monteverde deserved a lot of credit for the job he did in boosting his stock. Making it all the way up to the eighth round, Monteverde entered the draft as an older prospect (he is almost 25 years old already) with a refined repertoire and plus command. Through almost a season's worth of games, it is fair to say that Monteverde is living up to that scouting report. I am continuously impressed at his ability to miss bats, despite lacking high velocity or filthy off-speed pitches. The fastball serves more as a sinker, but has not gotten as many ground balls as one might expect. Instead, it seems to fool hitters quite a bit, to the point of swinging and missing, when paired with his quality slider and changeup. The changeup helps Monteverde neutralize right handed batters very well; they have hit just .183 against him this season with 32 strikeouts in 29.2 innings pitched. Lefties have hit Monteverde considerably harder, but there is a certain amount of deception that is helping Monteverde succeed in unusual spots. The Marlins have utilized him as a starter all season at Beloit, but I wonder if these reserve splits could lead Monteverde into a relief role by the end of the year. That fastball-changeup combo could serve as an effective weapon to neutralize opposite handed hitters at any level, while an improvement in the slider would make it more difficult for lefties to hit him as well. He mowed down the Wisconsin lineup with ease last week in a 2-0 Beloit victory, and he has been the team's most reliable starter along with MD Johnson. Still, if a path for the big leagues exists for Monteverde, I would not be surprised if it comes in a swing-man role out of the bullpen as opposed to starting. SS Jose Salas, A This Week's Stats: 8-24, 3 2B,1 3B, 1 SB, 4/3 K/BB Salas turned nineteen years old just over a month ago, so patience is the key word when it comes to monitoring his development. Still, there have been gradual improvements in recent weeks that are encouraging for the long term development of one of the Marlins' best prospects. Salas has about as high of a ceiling as any position player in the system, other than his teammate Khalil Watson probably. This is due to plus raw power, foot speed, and an ability to be an adequate defender at several premium positions. Coming into the season, a few things that the experts at MLB Pipeline, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, hoped to see was a less pull happy approach, fewer groundballs, and a more patient approach at the plate. For the most part, Salas has made improvements in all three of those categories. Starting with the groundball rate, nobody should be too disappointed to see Salsas put the ball on the ground a decent amount. While he has plus raw power, with the potential to get to far more as he gets older and stronger, Salas has enough speed to the point where he can post a high BABIP even while hitting balls on the ground. While his GB% eclipsed 50% last year, it is down to a more reasonable 41% at the moment. More importantly, Salas is hitting far more line drives, which is the right path towards barreling up more balls. He has been pulling balls at about the same rate, but the increase in line drives makes this a bit less of an issue. Moreover, considering Salas' speed, it is hard to imagine huge shifts being used against him with the threat of the bunt existing. Finally, while we lack the data to see how often Salas is chasing pitches at Jupiter, he has posted a solid walk rate of 9% and is not striking out too often. His hit tool is not considered a major plus, so keeping that K-rate low and consistently making contact is vital. Perhaps most important to the value of Salas is his future as a switch hitter. Scouts had expressed concerns with his swing from the right handed side, but he has actually performed better from that side this season. Admittedly, we are not talking about huge sample sizes, but his .849 OPS from the right side far exceeds the .674 OPS from the left. Salas has hit one home run from both sides of the plate. So, while the lefty swing may be more dependable and mechanically sound, Salas is at least seeing results from the other side of the plate as well. With a 109 wRC+ and 11 SB added into the profile, Salas is trending towards a successful first full season at Jupiter. Up Next (6/14-6/19) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (32-28) at Charlotte (23-37)AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos (28-24) vs Tennessee (32-25)A+ Beloit Sky Carp (25-31) at Lake County (30-26)A Jupiter Hammerheads (29-26) vs Dunedin (25-32)

Due to some issues with COVID, and general business at this time of year, we are a bit behind on our weekly roundups. However, we are back this week with a general breakdown of how the last month went down, and prospects to continue watching as the season heads into the dog days of summer. - RHP Jeff Brigham, AAA The Last Month's Stats: 11.1 IP, 5 R, 7 H, 24/10 BB Marlins fans have been put through the ringer while watching the career of Jeff Brigham play out. Originally drafted by the Dodgers back in 2014, Brigham was part of the return that sent Mat Latos to Los Angeles at the 2015 trade deadline. Since then, the right hander has pitched in parts of three seasons in the big leagues, with mixed success. Brigham was removed from the 40-man roster this offseason after not pitching in 2021 due to injury. The Marlins were willing to give him another shot at AAA though, and he has looked beyond encouraging in a bullpen role in Jacksonville. In 26.1 innings this season, Brigham has struck out 43 batters. That 37.1 K% is the best amongst all Jumbo Shrimp pitchers, and it has made Brigham the premier reliver on the team. Brigham was a starter for much of his amateur career, and the benefits of that can be seen in the way he has pitched this year. Brigham has pitched multiple innings in eight of his sixteen appearances this year, and all but two of his appearances in May were at least two innings long. That kind of versatility could make him a valuable swing man in the Majors, if Brigham continues to pitch the way that he has. While he did turn thirty years old in February, Brigham still seems to be able to maintain a high velocity out of the bullpen. Like many pitchers, Brigham may have less trouble throwing harder in the bullpen because he is able to put more effort into each pitch, rather than pacing himself throughout a long start. His slider has been the out pitch this season, and has given hitters plenty of trouble. Brigham has been mostly a two-pitch guy for a while now, so there should be no concerns about his ability to pitch well over multiple innings. He seems to be comfortable with his repertoire, and the results are really starting to show up. Brigham did have a rough first week of June, with a couple of homers given up across two appearances. Still, the strikeouts continue to come, making Brigham an enticing potential piece of the big league bullpen. He has walked far too many batters, especially recently, but the swing and miss stuff continues to show up. Brigham is giving up less than one hit per inning, so if he can harness his control then the WHIP and ERA will tumble down as a result. AAA is the place for these veteran pitchers to figure things out, and it certainly seems like Brigham is on the verge of doing just that. C Joe Mack, A The Last Month's Stats: 4-13, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 R, 3/3 K/BB For a nineteen year old hitter from the Northeast, expectations are typically not too high. Joe Mack was the thirty-first overall pick in last years amateur draft, and he has done nothing but raise expectations in his brief professional debut. The lefty swinging catcher has shown power and impressive plate discipline. While it has been a small sample of just 91 total plate appearances, Mack has a ridiculous 25.2% walk rate. Coming out of the draft, Mack was known as a guy who may struggle to make contact immediately due to his lack of experience and young background. However, he had a decent future projected hit tool, with plus raw power. That has proven to be the case in Mack's brief professional career, as the strikeouts have been a bit high. Mack has shown a much more professional approach at the plate than could have been expected. Having that solid baseline of performance should raise Mack's floor significantly, especially considering how depressed the catching position is offensively. Mack's value as a prospect would be significantly dampened if he was not also a superb defensive catcher. His athleticism contributes a lot to his success behind the plate, as he has a quick pop time and a strong arm. That should help Mack stay at the position long term. The one area of his game that could use improvement defensively is framing, but Mack is several years away from being ready to contribute to the big league team. By then, an automated strike zone may be the reality, so Mack's receiving improvements may not be as vital as it may have seemed if he was in this situation a few years ago. Ultimately, Mack's bat will determine his future. The home run he hit last week, in his 2022 debut, was hit at 100 mph with a forty degree launch angle. That is an encouraging sign from Mack, as he still has plenty of room to add strength to his frame. Having that baseline exit velocity in the triple digits makes Mack an exciting prospect, and another enticing hitter to watch in the Jupiter lineup. While Mack did get off to an impressive start, he unfortunately went back on the injured list following his first full week of action. Getting Mack back on the field in Jupiter, to showcase more of his power and improved contact, should be a top priority for the Marlins at the minor league level. Considering his age and background, Mack has one of the highest ceilings in the system as a catcher with the potential to be an above average hitter. Getting in-game reps should be the best way for him to realize that potential. 2B Cody Morissette, A+ The Last Month's Stats: 23-93 , 11 2B, 4 HR, 19 RBI For the second straight roundup, Cody Morissette is deserving of a shoutout. Like most Beloit hitters (including the next guy in this roundup), Morissette had gotten off to a slow start to the season. The cold weather undoubtedly contributes to the unfriendly hitting environment of the Midwest League, in April especially. That seems like it may have applied even more to Morissette than others, considering the shift in his batted ball profile. Morissette's fly ball rate is way up, as he seems to have made the adjustments necessary to try to utilize more of his raw power. Cold weather and windy conditions can knock down a lot of fly balls early in the season, as we see often. Morisette was primarily known as a contact hitter in college, with long hitting streaks at Boston College. Still, he has quality bat speed and certainly had some power that was not being tapped into in games. Seeing Morissette making that adjustment successfully in games has been vitally important, and now the hits are starting to come with warmer weather. Following Morissette's slow start, his wRC+ was still just 96 by about hte middle of May. He was beginning to heat up, but had still only been about a league average hitter in the Midwest League. The past couple week's success has brought that wRC+ up to an above average 119. Morissette's batting line for the season now stands at .243/.332/.446, with a reasonable strikeout rate and a high walk rate. That batting line may not be gaudy, but in the pitcher friendly Midwest League it is more than enough to be a prized hitter. His BABIP on the season still stands at just .281, which is not insanely low for a guy hitting the ball in the air so often. Still, it seems like there may be some room for improvement there, considering Morissette is frequently hitting the ball hard and he has the speed to beat out ground balls. His six home runs are five more than he had in all of last season, in just twelve more plate appearances. Morissette has one of the most fluid swings in the Marlins system, and he should rise up prospect rankings if he keeps translating that to on field success. 1B Troy Johnston, AA The Last Month's Stats: 33-75, 7 2B, 4 HR, 19 RBI Troy Johnston was one of the best hitters in the entirety of the Marlins minor league system a year ago. The Gonzaga product displayed power, batting average, and an ability to get on base. Johnston was universally lauded by those in the organization for his work ethic and makeup. He is one of those guys that everyone seems to be rooting for, but that did not translate into success early in this season. Once again at Pensacola, Johnston had just one home run this season and a 77 wRC+ two weeks ago. He had not been an above average hitter, in a Wahoos lineup that has been full of them. However, things finally seem to be turning around for the left handed first baseman, as Johnston has done nothing but rack up hits over the past few weeks. Nothing appears to be overly concerning in the batted ball data that is available for Johnston this season. He is hitting a similar amount of fly balls and line drives as last season, while not putting the ball on the ground more often. His walk rate has come down a bit, but Johnston has not struck out any more often. The most notable difference from this year's performance compared to last season's is what Johnston's fly balls are turning into. 14.0% of Johnston's fly balls turned into home runs last season, while just 2.3% of his fly balls this season had turned into long balls up until two weeks ago. Since then, Johnston has seen positive regression with three more home runs clearing the yard. That number can be a bit fluky, and Johnston has enough pop to hit balls out of the park more often. He is still pulling the ball at a similar rate, and has power to all fields. Instead of hitting homers this year, though, Johnston's in-field fly ball rate is way up. If he can continue to level off the pop ups, and start driving the ball a bit more regularly, than Johnston will be just fine. Johnston certainly seemed to simplify things at the plate over the past few weeks. While going through those early season struggles, he seemed to be experimenting with all sorts of ideas at the plate. Johnston was using a noticeable toe tap with his lead foot, and his stance was fairly narrow. Since then, he has opened up, put the bat further back on his shoulder, and limited the toe tap. These changes have seemed to serve as a way for Johnston to make things easier at the plate, and just concentrate on hitting the ball hard. Over the past month, that is all that he has been doing. RHP Edward Cabrera, AAA The Last Month's Stats (just AAA): 14.2 IP, 10 ER, 15 H, 24/7 K/BB With the way Max Meyer and Eury Perez have dominated the opposition this year, Edward Cabrera has managed to fly under the radar. Undoubtedly, his slow ramp up did not help, as Cabrera did not appear in a game until the end of Spring Training. He then started in Jupiter, before working making his way up to Jacksonville. This is now the second straight season where Cabrera has had to endure a biceps injury, so it is understandable that it took him some time to get right. After watching all of Cabrera's MLB starts from last year, it is clear that his stuff this year has gotten even nastier, which is incredibly impressive considering all of the injuries that he has gone through. Cabrera's velocity appears to be back to where it was last season. That was never much of a concern, but his fastball is consistently sitting in the high nineties again while frequently hitting triple digits. Despite the elite velocity, his fastball is not a dominant pitch and is instead geared towards producing weak groundball contact. The swing-and-miss stuff that makes Cabrera an elite prospect comes from the breaking ball and changeup. The changeup arguably became Cabrera's best pitch last season, but he struggled to locate it in his Major League cup of coffee which resulted in a lot of hard contact. This season, he seems to have much better command of the pitch and it still has some filthy movement. Again, it will all come down to how well Cabrera can locate the pitch when he is inevitably called up to the big leagues for the second time. Against Durham on May 20th, Cabrera continued to looked comfortable with all three off speed pitches than he did at any point last year in the majors. He is never afraid to throw his slowest pitch, a low-eighties curveball, in any count. It is often effective as a first pitch strike, as hitters continue to not really expect it. His slider has more bite to it, and almost looks more like a cutter, but did not seem to be used as frequently as the curve. The changeup seemed to be his out pitch in many two strike counts, which shows an increasing comfort level with a pitch that he has been inconsistent with in the past. Ultimately, Cabrera seemed very comfortable using his fastball against the Bulls, and was able to locate it well. Command was his biggest problem last season in the Majors, despite not being a major concern to that point in his career. Cabrera deserves a lot of credit for the way he seems to be fine tuning things right now, and working through any potential command or injury issues that arise. After seeing the way his stuff looked in his last few starts at Jacksonville, even while getting hit a bit, I am not surprised that he pitched so well in his season debut against the Rockies last week. There is plenty more in the tank for this thrilling, tall right hander. Next Up (6-6/6/11) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp vs Gwinnett AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos at Birmingham A+ Beloit Sky Carp vs Wisconsin A Jupiter Hammerheads vs St. Lucie

Jesus Sanchez (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)Last season, Jesus Sanchez overcame a lot of obstacles. Called up prematurely as a necessity due to the pandemic while battling some mental demons in 2020, the now 24-year-old went on to become one of the most talked-about prospects in the Miami Marlins’ system. After an impressive spring training, Sanchez, who admittedly had to learn how to have fun on the field again while improving physically, got off to a flying start with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. With a .348/.407/.653 slash line, Sanchez quickly became the best hitter in the Marlins’ organization and one of the top hitters on the minor league circuit as a whole to earn his full opportunity at the big league level. Sanchez went through some more battles in 2021 including one with COVID-19 that cost him a month, things went pretty swimmingly for the remodeled top five organizational prospect. In 64 games, Sanchez played to his strengths, hitting for a .250+ batting average with 24 extra base (14 homers) and a .489 slugging percentage. His ability to impact the baseball while maintaining a decent average and playing plus outfield defense allotted him a 1.3 WAR. Sanchez made up for lost time in the offseason by taking part in the Dominican Winter League where he hit .324/.429/.465 and came into spring training this year primed to put his full potential on display full time as an every day starter. The first impression from Sanchez in 2022 was very positive as he hit .340/.386/.623 in his first two weeks of play. But since then, things have quickly spiraled downward. From April 24th through the present, Sanchez has been an .095 hitter. He is 6 for 63 with one extra base hit, a double, and a 23/5 K/BB. So what happened? Why have things gone so wrong so fast for Sanchez and how should the Marlins address it? A power hitter who works best when he’s able to get his arms extended on hard pitches over the plate, opposing pitchers have taken the bat out of Sanchez’s hands by busting him up and in on his fists and commanding just off the low/outer half. Pitch locations vs Jesus Sanchez 5/15/2022 (0-4, 4 K)Sanchez has always struggled with plus breaking stuff and so far this season, he’s faced a much healthier diet of them. After seeing fastballs and pitcher’s highest velos 57% of the time last year, that figure is down to 53% in 2022. Against breaking pitches, Sanchez is hitting just .108 with a 40% whiff rate. Due to this plan of attack, opposing pitchers record first pitch strikes against him 66% of the time (40% swinging). All of this has led to Sanchez seeing far less pitches inside the strike zone — 34% vs 41% in 2021 — and an overall limited exit velocity under 89 mph. Sanchez’s expected slugging percentage is down to .388. Further compounding Sanchez’s struggles is the fact that his setup, swing and follow through are mechanically altered. Even when he’s gotten pitches in locations he has been able to handle well in the past, the good part of Sanchez’s bat has eluded the baseball. After exhibiting a higher front foot timing trigger, Sanchez’s lower half has been susceptible to leaking and collapsing on follow through. His head is also up off of the ball to his pull side, disallowing him to stay through it. As a result, he is sporting a hard hit rate of just 24%. Even though his defense in center field has been more than the Marlins could have asked for, if Sanchez does not show improvement for another week or two at the most, it will be hard to defend including him in the every day lineup and could spur a demotion to either the bench, AAA or both. In the event of a Sanchez demotion, Bryan De La Cruz, who is 13-39 (.333) with a much lower and more sustainable BABIP than last year, could slot in as the starter until either Sanchez rebounds, one of JJ Bleday or Peyton Burdick is deemed ready and able to hold down the job or until a move to someone outside of the organization is made. Major League Baseball has adjusted to Jesus Sanchez and now it is his turn to adjust back. Hope is that Sanchez can get that done at the big league level and avoid a trip to AAA but that may be easier said than done.

Due to a rare six-game sweep of the Rocket City Trash Pandas, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos feature prominently in this week's roundup. However, a few Marlins middle infield prospects putting together their best weeks of the young season are also worthy of our attention.-- 2B Ian Lewis, A This Week's Stats: 10-17, 2 R, 1 SB, 1 2B Lewis made his 2022 debut this season after getting a late start this spring due to a personal issue at home in the Bahamas. After getting some work in at extended spring training, Lewis picked up right where he left off at the end of last year. The switch-hitting middle infielder showed surprising pop in his professional debut at rookie ball, while making consistent contact and showing off the athleticism that made him a prized international free agent signing. Lewis had nine steals last year in just 43 games in the Florida Complex League, while playing solid defense at second base. He is almost certainly athletic enough to play shortstop, with a strong arm to boot. However, with Jose Salas, Khalil Watson, and Nasim Nunez needing reps at short as well, the smart move was to give Lewis the chance to show his versatility at another infield spot. With the way he has hit, finding Lewis a position in the field is far less important than getting his bat in the lineup every day. The numbers speak for themselves from Lewis' debut week in 2022 at Jupiter. He smacked nine singles, and got on base in 61% of his plate appearances. Lewis also only struck out one time, showcasing a hit tool that scouts have always been confident in. While his contact did not result in an abundance of extra base hits this week, the limited Statcast data that we have from Jupiter showed why there should be plenty of optimism for Lewis showcasing more of the power that we saw last year. On Thursday, Lewis ripped a single with a 106.4 mph exit velocity off of a 93 mph fastball. For a nineteen year old who is still getting stronger to showcase an ability to hit the ball that hard is incredibly promising. For context, Billy Hamilton, who has put up over 11 fWAR in his career, has never hit a ball over 107 mph in the big leagues. Hamilton was years older than Lewis when he was hitting the ball even close to that hard, showing that some guys just do not have the bat speed and strength to hit the ball hard enough to be quality big league hitters. Lewis seems to already possess that tool, which combined with his elite speed, makes him one of the best prospects in the Marlins entire system. LHP Josh Simpson, AA This Week's Stats: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 5/1 K/BB Trying to find a more dominant relief pitcher than Josh Simpson, at any level of baseball, would be a waste of time. Simpson has thrown 17.2 innings this season; he has yet to allow a run. Simpson has gotten 53 outs; 32 of them have come via strikeout. He has only allowed five fly balls all season. Needless to say, none of them have turned into home runs. 62 batters have come to the plate against Simpson this season; the majority of them have struck out. These statistics of pure dominance could continue to be listed, but the point has been proven: nobody has been able to hit Josh Simpson with any success this year. This week was not even one of Simpson's most dominant. His five strikeouts in four innings actually brought his K% down for the season, which further shows how dominant he has been. With a low arm slot and a fastball that sits in the mid-nineties, Simpson has basically done whatever he desires against hitters. His breaking ball plays well off of the fastball low in the zone, and both pitches seem to generate a lot of weak contact on balls that are chopped right into the ground. From simply watching Simpson's delivery, it is evident just how uncomfortable left handed hitters must be against him. The ball seems to disappear behind his back before it is finally released, and then it gets on hitters quickly. Still, right handers have not had any more luck against Simpson than lefties. His third pitch, a changeup, seems to work well in these situations, but Simpson still leans on the fastball-curveball combo. With the way he has pitched, it is fair to say that Josh Simpson has done literally everything possible to be deserving of a promotion to Jacksonville. RHP Eli Villalobos, AA This Week's Stats: 3.0 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 8/1 K/BB Picking a dominant reliever in the Blue Wahoos Bullpen is an easy task, as so many of them are worthy of recognition. Simpson, Andrew Nardi, Colton Hock, Jeffry Yan, and Anthony Maldonado have combined to form a dominant unit. Eli Villalobos has been another valuable contributor to Pensacola, a team that is fresh off of a rare and impressive six game sweep of the Rocket City Trash Pandas. The Blue Wahoos are now in first place in the Southern League South Division, with an 18-15 record and +15 run differential. Not only is this team talented, but just from watching them one can see the way they seem to get along well and enjoy winning together. On Sunday, Villalobos contributed a scoreless seventh inning in a wild game that featured a rain delay and a four run comeback in the bottom of the ninth inning which culminated in a Pensacola victory. Villalobos, a 14th round pick in 2018 out of Long Beach State, had some hiccups to start his minor league career. The Marlins tried to stretch him out a bit as a starter in 2019, but that was met with limited success. Villalobos had been a reliever in college, and he has been dominant in that role this year. It was last year that Villalobos began to really put things together. With 72 strikeouts in 44 innings, Villalobos showcased the potential he had as a reliever and is now firmly on the radar as a future big league relief pitcher. Like Simpson, Villalobos is a three-pitch guy, with a fastball, slider, and changeup. He has had reverse platoon splits this season, as lefties have not touched him. That shows the effectiveness of the off speed pitches, which he is not afraid to throw in any count. In the seventh inning of Sunday's crazy game, Villalobos showed this ability to utilize his off speed pitches in an at bat against Rocket City's Torri Hunter Jr. He started him with two breaking balls down and away, with Hunter whiffing on both. Villalobos finished him off with a high fastball up in zone, producing another swing and miss. There have been many at bats just like that this season for Villalobos, who has a very clean delivery for a guy who was primarily a catcher only five years ago. If the Marlins are looking for a guy who has gotten better each year as a pitcher, than look no further than Eli Villalobos. OF/1B Jerar Encarnacion, AA This Week's Stats: 10-19, 2 HR, 5 R, 5 RBI Charles Leblanc and Jerar Encarnacion have had a great competition going when it comes to getting recognition in these weekly roundups. Both hitters have done nothing but rake at their respective levels, but this week belonged to Encarnacion. His OPS now stands at 1.010 for the season, with a 169 wRC+ that is just one point shy of Leblanc's for the lead amongst all Marlins minor league hitters. Encarnacion is just one home run shy of his own total from last season, in roughly half of the plate appearances. Going into this year, the book on Encarnacion was always that he was a freak athlete who could hit the ball as far as anybody in the organization. However, his lack of pitch recognition and an uncertain future defensively made Encarnacion more of a middle of the road prospect. In 2022, by quieting his doubters at the plate, Encarnacion is firmly back on the radar as a potential big leaguer. To be clear, the defensive question marks and limitations still exist. On Sunday, Encarnacion completely overran a foul ball pop up while playing first base, resulting in Eli Villalobos essentially needing to get an extra out in the seventh inning. Encarnacion does have a plus arm, which leads me to believe that if he is going to find a home in the field it will have to be in right field. With such a large frame, however, it is not easy to see Encarnacion having the necessary range to play the position in the big leagues. However, all the talk about defense is irrelevant if Encarnacion continues to progress like that at the plate. His K% of 25.7% is well below last year's 38.1%, as Encarnacion has made more contact with more experience at AA. He is posting a high line drive rate, and hitting the ball to all fields, leading to a remarkably high BABIP of .449. That will not be sustainable, but the process leading to that high BABIP is far more important. Encarnacion is squaring the ball up consistently and hitting it hard, while also getting lift more often to hit the ball out of the ball park. We always knew that he had big raw power, but seeing it in games was essential this year for Encarnacion. Right as this post was being finalized, the news came in that Encarnacion would reportedly be promoted to AAA Jacksonville later this week. Due to just how thoroughly Encarnacion has dominated pitching at AA this season, it is understandable that the Marlins front office would like to see him get more of a challenge. Considering the swing and miss risk inherent in Encarnacion's profile, it is fair to assume he will get a long look at Jacksonville before hopefully contributing to the big league club. 2B Cody Morissette, A+ This Week's Stats: 6-21, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 R, 1 SB With players that come from the Northeast, it is not uncommon to see a slow start to professional ball. The lack of reps that come from not being able to play year round puts many of these players at a disadvantage compared to their warm weather peers. Cody Morissette, a two-time All-American at Boston College and a New Hampshire native, would certainly not use that as an excuse for his limited success in the lower levels to this point. Still, as we now are in the midst of the second month of the season, Morissette's bat is coming alive at the right time. A second round pick in last year's draft, the hit tool was Morisette's calling card. He has an all fields approach that should result in high batting averages eventually, with a sweet swing from the left side of the plate. When analyzing Morissette's batted ball data this year compared to last year, the increase in his fly ball rate stands out. Morissette was known as a guy who hit a lot of grounders, in part because his lack of raw power makes him better equipped for that time of profile. However, the power is starting to come with his ability to lift the ball more. Morissette has four home runs so far this season, compared to only one last year in A ball. His strikeout and walk numbers both remain acceptable, so he has not had to sacrifice contact to hit for some power. This could be a good sign for Morissette's ceiling, if nothing else, as he is better utilizing the bit of loft in his swing. The load depth of his hands remains pretty high, so it is impressive that Morissette is figuring out ways to pull the ball with authority more often. Despite the slow start, he is now at about a league average hitter (96 wRC+) rate for High-A Beloit. All the signs are pointing up for Cody Morissette as he continues to figure out ways to get to more power. RHP George Soriano, AA This Week's Stats: 6.0 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 8/1 K/BB George Soriano's path to get to the point of being a prized Marlins prospect has not been an easy or linear one. The big Dominican righty made his professional debut in 2016, missed the entirety of 2017 due to injury, and then had to deal with the missed 2020 season due to the pandemic. Through it all, Soriano has pitched well at the lower levels of the minors and gotten better as he has gotten older and stronger. Still, Soriano turned twenty-three years old in March, so he is not necessarily behind in his development. At that age, it is impressive to be matching up well with AA hitters, as Soriano has to this point in the year. Soriano faced Rocket City on Tuesday, who came into the game having won five out of six games. This makes the Blue Wahoos sweep even more impressive, but Soriano got the week started the right way with a great start. His greatest weakness right now may be a lack of consistent command, but that was not the case on Tuesday. Soriano located the fastball well to both sides of the plate, and got a lot of weak contact off of the pitch. He also only walked one batter in the game, in part because his off speed pitches were getting plenty of chases. The slider generated several strikeouts, and Soriano's changeup has improved as well. His fastball is sitting in the mid-to-low nineties, but with his frame scouts expect that there could be more to come still. For a guy who was left unprotected by the Marlins over the offseason by not being placed on the 40 man roster, it seems like his stock should be on the rise and that the organization should be valuing his potential more going forward. If Soriano can continue to develop his changeup, there is certainly a chance that he could remain a starter going forward. Next Up (5/17-5/22) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp vs DurhamAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos at MontgomeryA+ Beloit Sky Carp vs PeoriaA Jupiter Hammerheads at LakelandMarlins Links Blue Wahoos' catcher Paul McIntosh spoke with Alex and Daniel on Swimming Upstream about his growth in the game, his ability to immediately produce at the pro level, the catching craft and moreAlex joined Peter Pratt on Locked On Marlins to talk about the Marlins' recent roster decisions and to highlight some standout minor league performersOn The Offishal Show, Ely Sussman points out how important it will be for Marlins' depth players to step upMLB.com's Christina De Nicola reports on how the Marlins' big bats are heating up in MayOn the Man On 2nd Baseball podcast, Joe Frisaro and David Fernandez when we might see JJ Bleday get his big league call

This past week may have been a frustrating one for the big league team, but the performance of several Marlins top prospects should make the outlook more sunny as we enter the second full week of May.-- OF JJ Bleday, AAA This Week's Stats: 9-21, 3 HR, 2 2B, 4/6 K/BB Bleday was featured in last week's roundup, as it was evident that his bat was starting to awaken following a relatively slow start to the season in Jacksonville. This week, Bleday went a step further by terrorizing the Memphis pitching staff all week. He got on base in over half of his plate appearances, while striking out less than he walked. This past week's performance was one that Marlins fans have been expecting for some time now; Bleday has such a natural feel at the plate and was a tremendous collegiate hitter at Vanderbilt. Still, he had yet to truly break out in his minor league appearances, in no small part due to the pandemic wiping away what would have been his first full season in 2020. Now, everything finally seem to be coming together for Bleday while in the Jumbo Shrimp lineup each day. Scouts had expressed some worry that the slight hitch in the swing of Bleday would prevent him from ever being a starting big leaguer. While those concerns may still exist, Bleday has quieted most of the criticism with his success to this point in 2022. After that slow start, his batting line is now up to .240/.382/.470 with a reasonable strikeout rate and a very high walk rate. That line is 33% better than the average at AAA, against pitchers who are right on the doorstep of the majors. Moreover, Bleday homered against two breaking balls and one fastball (which was up in the zone) last week. Being able to recognize the pitch and make quality contact is a testament to the hit tool of Bleday, which seems much more stable now than it did at this time last season. When Bleday had a quality performance in the Arizona Fall League last year, there was concern that it was due to the lack of pitching talent at the league. Once again, Bleday is showing that his added on muscle and patient approach at the plate is no fluke by hitting high quality pitching this year. Considering the frustration of watching Avisail Garcia chase so often, it may not be long before more Marlins fans are calling for the patient approach of Bleday to be utilized. OF Griffin Conine, AA This Week's Stats: 6-17, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB It may seem like an understatement, but when Griffin Conine consistently makes contact he can be a highly productive hitter. That is why his ceiling is so high as a prospect, but there is also a certain level of risk in depending on him in your lineup. This past week, Conine's strikeout rate was still a bit high, at 26%. On the other hand, that was a slight improvement from his mark from the beginning of the season, when it was hovering at 40%. In our weekly recap two weeks ago, we mentioned how an increased familiarity with the quality pitching at AA will only help Conine hit for more contact. A small sample size improvement may be nothing, but steps in the right direction should still be applauded. The high likelihood of extra bases when Conine makes contact make any improvements in his swinging strike rate notable. Conine had talked with our Alex Carver in that weekly recap two weeks ago about his finally being able to pull the ball and hit it hard. While becoming overly pull-side dependent can be dangerous for many hitters, maximizing your chances of extra bases often comes from hitting the ball hard to your pull side. Conine has done just that; over his last two weeks he is hitting a robust .395/.477/.658. He has easily been the most productive hitter in Pensacola's lineup during that time, with a strikeout rate of 23%. That is a bit larger of a sample size than the one previously noted, all while maintaining that slugging percentage. Continuing to walk at higher rate will also benefit Conine, as he becomes a bit more selective in hunting pitches that he knows he can pull and crush. Ultimately, there is no understating just how important it is that Conine is trending in the right direction with his contact rate and is becoming a highly productive hitter in the process. RHP Zach McCambley, AA This Week's Stats: 6.0 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 8 K Zach McCambley has been understandably overshadowed by Eury Perez in Pensacola this season, but too many people are sleeping on just how effective McCambley's stuff can be as well. A poor three start stretch has his numbers for the season looking ugly, with five homers given up over those three appearances. This past week, however, McCambley put up his best start of the season over six dominant innings in Mississippi. McCambley gave up back-to-back doubles to start the game, against the impressively productive bats of Michael Harris and Luke Waddell. Both balls were not hit particularly hard, and Conine took a poor route on the leadoff double by Harris. Following that bit of bad luck, McCambley was near perfect for the rest of the outing on his way to a 3-1 Wahoos victory. Facing the next nineteen batters, he walked just one and allowed no hits, while striking out eight. The first thing one notices when watching McCambley is the violence of his delivery. He rotates his body slightly back towards second base before delivering a pitch but does not struggle too much with control like many pitchers do with similar deliveries. The walk rate could stand to come down a bit, but hovering around 10% is not too dangerous for a minor league pitcher. With the quality of McCambley's high spin fastball and devastating curve, that walk rate should play. Against Mississippi, he commanded his breaking ball as well as he has at any point this season. He was able to throw it for a strike when needed, while his fastball was also commanded well both up and down in the zone. He sat 93-94 with the heater, which seems to be up a bit from the beginning of last year. McCambley's lack of a third pitch has been much discussed, and his changeup still needs to be better located and is not a plus pitch. McCambley did discuss, during the Wahoos Media Day prior to the start of the season, how he is able to manipulate his curveball depending on the movement of his wrist. This should mitigate the need for a third pitch somewhat and keep McCambley in a starters role moving forward. While many prospects experts have speculated that McCambley could end up in the bullpen, his outing on Saturday showed why it is too early to give up on his being a future back-end major league starter. RHP M.D. Johnson, A+ This Week's Stats: 7.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 K M.D. Johnson was not a pitcher getting discussed much going into this season, despite an impressive 2.58 ERA over nearly sixty innings last year in Beloit. While that success was backed up by a fluky low BABIP, Johnson pitched well enough to earn praise. Still pitching at Beloit, he has followed up last year's performance with a far better start to this season. His BB%, which was in the double digits last year, is at a miniscule 2.4% right now, while there have been far more swings and misses. A sixth round pick out of Dallas Baptist University in 2019, Johnson will turn twenty-five in July. He is at this point where he needs to start dominating the lower levels in order to get to the big leagues eventually, which is exactly what he has done. In a game that featured all of three hits total last Wednesday against Great Lakes, Johnson emerged as the victor in a quick 1-0 Beloit victory. The only two hits that Johnson gave up were plays that could have been made potentially, as seen in the video above from Fish Stripes, showing just how dominant Johnson was on the mound. The tall right hander has taken to the pitch clock well, as gets the ball and is ready to throw almost immediately. From simply watching his delivery, one would imagine that Johnson induces many ground balls due to his high release point. However, within his quick and twitchy delivery, he manages to get his hand lower than expected and deliver a high spin fastball. That is why the four-seamer has played so well up in the zone for Johnson, and resulted in more fly balls, with velocity sitting in the low nineties. It seems to be the pitch he relies on most, as there was little shaking off of catcher Bennett Hostetler on Wednesday. Continuing to develop his secondary pitches will be key for Johnson as he works towards a promotion to Pensacola that should be coming any day now. Many minor leaguers note how much better the hitters are once they reach AA, so Johnson facing that challenge should be telling of his future in the Marlins organization. OF Tanner Allen, A+ This Week's Stats: 7-16, 1 HR, 1 2B, 1 SB Scouts noted that Tanner Allen looked a bit fatigued in his professional debut last season, after being drafted in the fourth round of last summer's amateur draft. That should certainly be excused; Allen was coming off a remarkable collegiate season in which he was the SEC Player of the Year and led Mississippi State to a College World Series Championship. After being one of the best players in the country, Allen probably could have used some time to reset. This past offseason seemed to serve him well in that regard, as his .291/.325/.506 slash line is 34% better than league average in the notoriously pitcher friendly Midwest League early in the season. For a team that has struggled to hit, Allen has emerged as the bright spot in the Beloit lineup. As a result of the fatigue, or possibly just the pressures that come with being drafted, Allen struggled to make an impact in games last year. Playing in A ball, Allen's ground ball rate was over 50%, which contributed to a failure to maximize his solid raw power. An ugly .189/.258/.288 line was the result, but there was optimism for improvement due to his low strikeout rate and BABIP. After all, a hitter with Allen's speed and high effort should not be posting a BABIP of .211 with a high ground ball rate. This year, his swing has looked much more fluid, and the power has come as a result. The groundball rate has come down to below 40%, and Allen has hit the ball to the gaps well. He has seven doubles already this season, compared to just one at A ball in a larger sample last year. Allen has become faster over time, and that should help him become a better defender as well, even if he has settled into more of a corner outfield role. All in all, Allen has been very steady for Beloit this season, and with his strong college track record there is plenty to be excited about. Next Up (5/10-5/15) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp vs NashvilleAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos vs Rocket CityA+ Beloit Sky Carp at West MichiganA Jupiter Hammerheads vs BradentonMarlins Links Bryan Hoeing spoke with BaseballAmerica about refining the grip on his slider and how it has aided in his early success this seasonJordan McPherson of the Miami Herald recapped an impressive MLB debut for Joe DunandDaniel Hirsch of Fish Stripes provided his own thoughts on JJ Bleday's improvements at the plate recently and explains why he believes Bleday is starting to play to his full potentialCraig Mish joined Peter Pratt on the most recent episode of Locked On Marlins where the pair chatted all things Marlins pitchingThe Pensacola Blue Wahoos are giving away fungible tokens on their upcoming homestand. The team calls them "completely worthless"; we're sure a lot of fans will want one.

Bryan Hoeing (Photo by Pensacola Blue Wahoos)The route to success for Bryan Hoeing has been an interesting one thus far in his baseball career. Pitching nearly exclusively as a reliever in college and early in his professional tenure, the Marlins challenged Hoeing to a rotational role in 2021. He accepted and hasn’t looked back. On Tuesday afternoon, it was officially announced that after just four games at the AA level, Hoeing, a 25-year-old righty, would be promoted to the highest level of minor league baseball with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. The promotion for Hoeing comes after he showed some impressive stuff both physically and mentally early this season. With a 0.35 ERA, Hoeing ranked as the second best starting pitcher in all of Minor League Baseball among qualified starters. Hoeing has allowed just one run (an earned run) in 25.2 innings pitched. How did Hoeing get here and earn an early season call to AAA after he had a 4.83 ERA in 22 starts in A+ last season? Including his fellow starter and Marlins top 30 prospect Zach McCambley as well as new pitching coach Dave Eiland, Hoeing was called out by name as a guy who really impressed during spring training. Hoeing credits some of his success to an early start to his spring during the Marlins’ development camp. “It was good to get down to Jupiter in early January to start a throwing program. I was able to build up my pitch count during some live ABs and some intrasquad scrimmages,” Hoeing said. “That lead into spring training where I was built up to maybe 4-5 innings as far as my pitch count. I knew I was in a good spot heading to Pensacola as far as my arm and my pitch count. I felt even from week one, if I was pounding the zone and getting early ours I could go into the 5th or 6th inning.” A main catalyst that has allowed Hoeing to make it deep into his starts has been the development of his primary breaking pitch, a slider, which Hoeing says he put a lot of work into during his stay in Jupiter. The enhanced bender in the low-mid 80s has allotted Hoeing what has been his bread and butter, a high ground ball rate over 70% as well as a K rate of 25%. According to Hoeing, adjustments he made to the slider have made it a more affective offering which has allowed him to challenge hitters both in early and in deeper counts. That pitch on top of two other solid offerings allowed Hoeing to tough his way through 5.2 one run innings against Montgomery last week. “I tweaked with my grip a little bit and it’s been a great pitch for me so far,” Hoeing said. “I had to battle a bit more than usual. My sinker was still working in and out of the plate, I threw some good changeups today and mixed my slider in here and there. They did put up some good at bats against me. I had to find my way to battle through and get some outs.” Hoeing went on to have a seven inning, two hit, eight strikeout shutout performance in his final start for Pensacola. On top of improved stuff, Hoeing’s mental capacity and understanding of who he is as a pitcher is a big difference maker. His ability to adjust to the lineup he is facing and settle for recording outs any way possible whether it be by strikeout, groundout or by any other means speaks to his maturity as a competitor. Furthermore, Hoeing has been nearly untouchable in his second year as a full-time starter via his understanding and ability to differentiate what it takes to get it done in this role versus the one he served in prior. “It’s preparation throughout the week; being wary of how many throws you throw in catch play during the week,” Hoeing said. “Right now, we are in a six man rotation. When that day comes, I should feel like I’m fresh and ready to go.” Hoeing also pinned importance on challenging hitters, keeping the rest of the Blue Wahoos’ roster involved in what he’s doing on the mound and limiting his overall pitch count. “As a starter, I feel like it’s so important to pound the zone and keep the defense alive. I don’t want them to fall asleep behind me,” he said. “When you pound the zone early and guys put it in play, you’re able to go deep into the game.” Hoeing, who previously didn’t have certainty on how long he would be relied upon, has embraced his current role with an open mind and open arms. With continued success and satisfaction to get outs however possible — whether it be by double digit strikeouts or double digit ground balls — he is an innings eating arm that can serve a major league roster in a multitude of ways. With all the Marlins have both in front of and behind Hoeing, his future with the organization appears to be in a swing-man role but he has the experience and flexibility to be able to serve the team in a positive capacity pretty quickly. After his quick development, Hoeing has the capacity to produce results wherever he may be called upon in a game. His name is well on the radar for an MLB debut as early as this season.

Eury Perez continues to make Marlins fans feverish, several other prospects put up dominant pitching performances, and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp continue to hit as well as any team in the minors. Here is our weekly roundup as we head into May. -- RHP Eury Perez, AA This Week's Stats: 5.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 12 K Eury Perez had three promising outings in his AA debut to start this season. He had 18 strikeouts in just 12.0 innings prior to this past week's start, but had yet to really put everything together in a single start. The Blue Wahoos revealed to us, prior to the start of the season, that Perez would be kept around the 75 pitch maximum per start. So, he has also not pitched deep into any games because he's given up some hits. That all changed on Friday, when Perez went long enough to qualify for a win and absolutely dominated a Biloxi lineup that he was facing for the second time this season. Perez got fifteen outs on Friday, and twelve of them came via punch-out. Luis Urias, who had a breakout season last year with Milwaukee and is with Biloxi rehabbing, provided two of those K's. Garrett Mitchell, a first round pick two years ago and one of the Brewers' best prospects, was a victim of two strikeouts himself. The bottom line is that whoever Perez faces on this level does not stand much of a chance when he is locating his pitches. The quality of his repertoire is just too much, with strikeouts coming on the changeup and fastball frequently. Unfortunately, the camera angle in Biloxi does not provide easy analysis on how well Perez was throwing, but the numbers speak for themselves. Eury has been hindered by a .375 BABIP to this point, which has resulted in some hits and runs. Yet, he has 30 strikeouts in 17 innings through four starts, and is getting more swings and misses than any starter at any level has a right to. OF JJ Bleday, AAA This Week's Stats: 6-24, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp can really hit. Among all AAA teams, they rank fourth in homers, third in OPS, an fourth in runs scored. They have assembled an impressive collection of journeymen having breakout seasons, and then a few hyped prospects who are showing their talent this season. Bleday and Peyton Burdick fall into the ladder group, and have contributed to a solid 13-11 start for Jacksonville. Bleday took a few weeks to get going, but posted a .875 OPS last week that was backed by three extra base hits and three walks. Scouts were more down on Bleday entering this season than they ever have been. The fourth overall pick in 2019 has struggled to get to his power in games to this point in his professional career, and added on some muscle in the hopes of slugging more this season. Bleday also played much better in the Arizona Fall League last year after making some mechanical adjustments at the plate, in part lowering his hands to potentially get a bit more loft in the swing. Bleday also wanted to emphasize plate discipline, which he had gotten away from a bit in his early minor league appearances. This year, his BB% is at an impressive 15.6 %, leading to a respectable .333 OBP. His strikeouts are up a bit, but not yet to a concerning extent considering the sample size. Ultimately, it all comes down to Bleday unlocking whatever it is that helps him to tap into his raw power. We know he has more of it than he has shown in games, considering he has yet to post a .400 slugging percentage at any level. His .542 slugging percentage last week is a sign that Bleday is trending in the right direction, and why he is still one of the highest upside prospects in the Marlins system. He also had a few hard hit balls that were caught by the Charlotte defense last week, so that .235 BABIP should start trending upwards with greater luck. 3B/OF Charles Leblanc, AAA This Week's Stats: 10-23, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R The best hitter in that vaunted Jacksonville lineup has been Leblanc, who has now been featured multiple times in our 2022 Weekly Roundups. While we look to feature different players each week, Leblanc has made it impossible not to mention him because he rakes in every series. His 197 wRC+ leads all the Marlins hitters at any level, which takes into account park factors and the offensive environment of the league in general. In other words, Leblanc has been 97% better than the average International League hitter. Considering he was released from the Rangers system this offseason, this has been a truly remarkable season from Leblanc. Leblanc's .469 BABIP will undoubtedly come back to earth a bit at some point, but there has been nothing fluky about his success. The strikeouts have gone down, the walks have gone up, and Leblanc always had a good amount of raw power. He is getting to more of it in the games now, and is racking up the extra base hits as a result. Leblanc's defensive versatility is also important to note, and should help him eventually get a chance in the Majors. He has made starts at third base, second base, and left field this year, and made a few dazzling plays at the hot corner last week. Leblanc continues doing everything possible to make it hard for the Marlins to overlook him whenever they need to call someone up. RHP Bryan Hoeing, AA This Week's Stats: 7.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 8 K Eury Perez has been promising, and beyond dominant, at certain points this season. Yet, no pitcher has performed better for Pensacola than Bryan Hoeing. The tall right hander was more of the veteran of the staff, and set a good example for a young guy like Perez to follow. In 25.2 innings pitched this season, Hoeing has given up just four runs, with only one being earned. He also has over a strikeout per inning, to go along with exceptional control. This kind of performance unarguably earned Hoeing the promotion to Jacksonville that he received on Sunday, due to Braxton Garrett's injury. To get a bit deeper into the weeds, Hoeing reminds me more of your typical workhorse starter straight out of the 1990s. He is a tall righty with a ton of downward action on his fastball that results in a plethora of groundballs. Hoeing led the High-A Central League in innings pitched last season, while putting up a groundball rate of over 55%. That is the formula to keep you in the game for longer, and to get outs more quickly. Hoeing is getting more strikeouts this year with an improved slider, and a changeup that neutralizes lefties well. With command as good as his, then anything extra he can get out of his stuff will go a long way. With the sinker sitting in the low-nineties and consistently hitting the bottom of the zone, I expect Hoeing to continue pitching well in Jacksonville. Our own Alex Carver further suggested on Twitter that Hoeing could serve in a multi-inning role out of the Marlins bullpen eventually, which makes sense considering his improved swing and miss stuff and the high groundball rate. Ultimately, he is the type of pitcher that managers tend to trust and know what they can expect from. LHP Sandro Bargallo, A This Week's Stats: 5.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 5 K Speaking of miniscule ERA numbers this season, Bargallo is the owner of his own. Through just 18.2 innings for Jupiter, Bargallo has given up just one earned run and no unearned runs, putting his ERA at a petite 0.48. Walks were a major issue for the Cuban born lefty last season, with 31 free passes handed out in just 27.2 innings. Walking more than one guy per inning is never going to work at any level, but Bargallo seems to have made some of the necessary adjustments this year. Through those 18.2 innings, he has walked 9 batters, which is still a bit high but is not hindering his success to this point. For a just-turned twenty year old, as long as the control is improving than there is plenty to be excited about. This past Sunday, Bargallo shut down the Palm Beach Cardinals lineup over five innings to help the Hammerheads to a 1-0 victory. The organization has limited Bargallo to one start per week at this point, which is probably wise considering his age and the goal of gradually building up his innings. Bargallo has demonstrated swing and miss stuff throughout his brief minor league career; in 66 professional innings he has 92 strikeouts. That has come at the lower levels, but shows the quality of the fastball-curveball combo that Bargallo is capable of displaying. Against Palm Beach, the curveball was frequently his out pitch, and resulted in four of his strikeouts. The fastball sat in the low nineties, and should keep getting faster as Bargallo develops and gets stronger. The fastball has, like Hoeing's, resulted in many grounders, indicating tailing two-seam movement. Consistently throwing strikes is the clear way to improvement for Bargallo, and why I think he could skyrocket up prospect rankings by this time next year. OF Davis Bradshaw, A+ This Week's Stats: 4-12, 2 BB, 2 R, 1 SB The Beloit Sky Carp have struggled to start the season, with a 7-14 record placing them in the entirety of the Midwest League. Still, they have had a few bright spots to start the year, and Bradshaw has clearly been one of them. With a 165 wRC+, Bradshaw has emerged as Beloit's best hitter, along with JD Orr. This past week's performance was not actually one of his stronger ones, but we have yet to talk much about Bradshaw and he is clearly worthy of recognition. Besides, a .429 OBP, which Bradshaw posted last week, is certainly nothing to scoff at. Drafted in 2018 out of Meridian Community College in Mississippi, Bradshaw is an impressive athlete with raw talent that has not yet translated into success onto the field. To this point in the 2022 season, he has displayed more power than we have seen at any point in his professional career. Bradshaw has also managed to continue making a high level of contact, which is necessary for a twenty-four year old who is still playing at a lower level of the minor leagues. Beloit is not a hitter's paradise, especially in the cold month of April, but Bradshaw is still making the most of his athleticism and speed to get on base. Hopefully, the power will continue to come as the weather gets warmer. Next Up (5/3-5/8) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at MemphisAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos at MississippiA+ Beloit Sky Carp at Great LakesA Jupiter Hammerheads at DaytonaMarlins Links Craig Mish and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald provide updates on Max Meyer's potential timeline and updates on Braxton Garrett and Ian Lewis.Man On 2nd Baseball's Joe Frisaro and Eric Wiedeke what is next for the Marlins' rotation and bullpenFish Stripes' Ely Sussman delves into Kahlil Watson's heightened K rate thus far.The Herald's Jordan McPherson and Andre Fernandez discuss what is going right for the Marlins so far and what could be going better on their latest episode of Fish Bytes.

In a week that saw some hiccups for the Marlins top prospects after hot starts to the season, several Marlins hitters had breakout weeks while a few under the radar pitchers came up with impressive starts.-- SS Jose Salas, A This Week's Stats: 4-16, 2 SB, 3/2 K/BB While Kahlil Watson has, rightfully so, earned most of the headlines from Jupiter so far this season, Jose Salas is the other big middle infield prospect who is worthy of attention for the Hammerheads. Salas has bounced a round a bit, with starts at shortstop, second base, and designated hitter. This sort of versatility is a testament to Salas' talent, as well as his being a good teammate to accommodate Watson. More importantly, both players have seen some time at second base, but project to play shortstop in the future. Being able to play both positions will only bode well for their future success. Sticking to Salas, it is vital for a player with his speed to get on base. While being a bit too aggressive at the plate has been described as a weakness of his in the past, Salas has already walked seven times in forty nine plate appearances this season. The resulting BB% of 14.3% is well above average, and contributing to his overall batting line being above average for the A-level. Salas still has more power than he has shown to this point, but at just eighteen years old there should not be too much concern about that showing up in games just yet. Salas is also a switch hitter, and scouts are confident that he has the ability to remain one going forward. To this point, he has seen far more right handed pitching, but in a larger sample size in 2021 he hit about the same from both sides of the plate. More importantly, Salas' swing is quick from both sides and results in a lot of line drives. Continuing to show plate discipline will be vital to Salas' success, while he can work on unlocking a bit more of that raw power in games. RHP Gabe Bierman, A This Week's Stats: 5.1 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 9 K Several Marlins starting pitching prospects put together impressive outings this week, including Bierman, Braxton Garrett, Max Meyer, and MD Johnson. Bierman is a prospect who has yet to get much attention, however, so he is worth mentioning. A seventh round pick just last season out of the University of Indiana, Bierman possesses a plus changeup, a four seamer and two seamer that he can locate well in different parts of the zone, and a curveball. The refined repertoire certainly developed in his time pitching for Indiana, and has led to plenty of success so far in the lower minor levels. In 32.1 combined innings over the last two seasons with Jupiter, Bierman has 43/15 K/BB ratio. On Saturday against the St. Lucie Mets, Bierman showed how far along he is against a lineup of mostly young hitters. Coming into the game in relief of the rehabbing Dylan Floro, Bierman held the Mets bats fairly quiet through the sixth inning in an eventual 6-3 loss. His fastball topped out in the mid-nineties, which seems to be a slight improvement from his college days. The nine strikeouts are the most impressive stat, as Bierman's changeup and curveball were really working. Using the four seamer up in the zone, and the two seamer lower to get groundballs also seemed to be a solid approach. Ultimately, Bierman should continue to have success at the lower levels because his pitch arsenal is very far along for a pitcher at that level. OF/1B Jerar Encarnacion, AA This Week's Stats: 10-20, 3 HR, 2 2B, 6 RBI, 5 BB Encarnacion deserves the award for Best Marlins Hitter of the Week, with a Paul McIntosh-esque performance. It has his season batting line up to a gaudy .367/.441/.667, after struggling a bit in his AA debut in 2021. Encarnacion's strengths and weaknesses are well documented at this point, but it is not a surprise that he has been tearing up minor league pitching. A hitter with his strength and athleticism can really get going as long as he makes contact, and that has been the case so far this year. As is often repeated with high strikeout hitters in the Majors, such as Giancarlo Stanton, as long as they keep that K% below about 30% than they should optimize their contact enough to be a good hitter. To this point, that has been working in Encarnacion's favor; his K% currently sits at a high, but not unreasonable, 26.6%. On the other hand, when he has made contact Encarnacion has made the most of it. His .500 BABIP is laughably high, and unsustainable, but hitters who can hit the ball consistently over 100 mph are going to put together two-week stretches where they have that kind of batted ball luck. Encarnacion is not hitting tappers to third base that he is beating out with foot speed, but missiles to all parts of the outfield. That is clearly his path to the big leagues, so continuing to make contact and getting on base are essential to keeping his overall bating line balanced. Defensively, I was not overly impressed with Encarnacion at first base this spring. His footwork seemed like it needed work, but experience should take care of that for this level of athlete. He has mostly been in right field so far for Pensacola, which suits him well with his elite arm strength. He has already accumulated two assists from the outfield with that cannon of an arm. OF Griffin Conine, AA This Week’s Stats: 7-23, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB After a rough start to his season, Conine enjoyed a successful series against a powerhouse minor league system’s AA affiliate. This spring, Blue Wahoos hitting coach Scott Seabol said Conine had been working on integrating a few mechanical adjustments in order to improve his contact rates. Conine believes this series against Montgomery, beginning at one key moment, boosted both his confidence and comfort levels. “It was that second at bat against (Taj) Bradley on Thursday,” Conine said. “That’s a really good arm; he’s a special talent. To be able to square up one to the pull side like that, that felt really good. I felt a couple mechanical things during that at bat.” Conine rode the successful swing against Bradley, who can reach the high 90s, to a 5-24 finish to the series, including a three hit performance on Sunday. He also homered on Wednesday. “That was the first good swing to the pull side that I had in velo [all] year,” Conine said of the AB against Bradley following his multi-hit performance on Sunday. “I took a lot off that and kind of just tried to build off it. Hiccups here and there; not perfect, but today was a culmination of what I’ve been working on the last few days.” Another factor that has aided Conine recently is that he is enjoying himself on the baseball field, playing in competitive games as part of a stacked AA roster. So far this year, Conine, Encarnacion, Paul McIntosh, Troy Johnston and the rest of the Blue Wahoos’ lineup have hit a AA South leading 19 home runs. The club has been within two runs in all but one of their contests and they own a +2 run differential. They’re also housing some of the top pitching prospects in the Marlins’ organization. “It’s fun, man. It’s really fun. It’s a lot different,” Conine said. “Last year, I came up late, obviously. That’s tough in August. It’s a complete 180 for me with how the offense has started this year. We just got a lot of dudes, man. A lot of guys that can hit the ball hard and with authority. It’s fun to be a part of.” While strikeouts will always be a part of his game, it is refreshing to see Conine starting to speak highly of his mechanics and equally encouraging to see him begin to string together hits. If his barrel meets the ball, its going to go for at least extra bases. If Conine can build off his successes physically and mentally this week, the strikeout rate could begin to look a lot more manageable as he gets more familiar with AA pitching. 1B Lewin Diaz, AAA This Week's Stats: 4-19, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB Diaz is the type of player that I love, so I am excited to highlight him after a quality week with Jacksonville. The slick, lefty first baseman is an exceptional defender who has still been figuring things out offensively. Diaz seems to be putting things together, however, and with the struggles of Jesus Aguilar at the Major League level it may not be long before we see Lewin in Miami again. In his Major League cup of coffee in 2021, Diaz dealt with a problem that plagues plenty of young, exciting hitters: over-aggressiveness. He swung at nearly 50% of pitches outside of the strike zone, and posted a BB% lower than 5%. At AAA this year, Diaz has looked much more comfortable at the plate in the middle of a productive Jumbo Shrimp lineup. His BB% currently sits over 15%, in what is undoubtedly a small sample. Still, it is a good sign that Diaz is willing to take some walks, while also still getting to some power in games. Diaz was a thorn in the side of Gwinnett pitching all week, and continuing to put up professional at-bats will be the quickest way for Lewin to get back to the big leagues. 3B/OF Charles Leblanc, AAA This Week's Stats: 9-20, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R We really could have highlighted Leblanc each week so far this season, because he has done nothing but hit. The former Texas Rangers farmhand was picked up off waivers in December, and now seems like he may be a vital piece of the Marlins' organizational hitting depth. The big league hitters have been fairly fortunate this far with injuries (knock on wood), but Leblanc's success has made him a real option in the case of injury. Considering he is not even on the 40 man roster, that is a testament to Leblanc's work effort to have this level of success at the level nearest to the Majors. I remain impressed by Leblanc's ability to turn on balls on the inside of the plate. He has a high load depth, which typically results in a chopped down swing with a plethora of ground balls, but Leblanc has managed to avoid that. He has hit just as many fly balls as grounders this season, and that does not even take into account the high number of line drives that he has hit. In AAA last year with Texas, Leblanc struck out at a concerningly high 35%. This year, that rate is down to a more reasonable 25%, while his walks are up as well. The total product has resulted in one of the most productive hitters in the minor leagues to this point, with a batting line eerily similar to the one Encarnacion has put up at Pensacola. Further adding to the value of Leblanc is the defensive versatility he has shown this year. Leblanc has started games at third base, second base, and left field for Jacksonville. As if his hitting was not enough, that should put Leblanc in a great place when it comes to calling up a hitter. Whether it is an infielder or an outfielder that the Marlins prefer, Leblanc can serve in both roles. RHP Max Meyer, AAA This Week's Stats: 10.2 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 4 BB, 14 K While we initially were going to recap this past week without looking at the week that Meyer had, the way he held his own against MLB superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. in two starts made us reconsider. In two starts against Gwinnett, Meyer did what he has done throughout his brief career in the minor leagues: dominate. His command was not quite as sharp as we have seen in moment's past, but Meyer managed to get through it by locating his fastball well up in the zone and displaying his always nasty slider. The lineup that Meyer was facing was also representative of essentially a poor Major League team. Former MLB'ers Delino Deshields Jr., Ryan Goins, Pat Valaika, Chadwick Tromp, Preston Tucker, and William Contreras were all in the Gwinnett lineup. That does not even include Acuna, who Meyer managed to strike out on Sunday. If the Marlins do end up expanding to a six man rotation, or need a spot start, it is hard to see a better option than Meyer right now. With Edward Cabrera's season still being delayed, there is nobody with the quality of stuff this close to the big leagues. Against a quasi-MLB lineup this weekend, Meyer's justified the Marlins' fans excitement. Next Up (4/26-5/1) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at CharlotteAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos at BiloxiA+ Beloit Sky Carp vs Cedar RapidsA Jupiter Hammerheads vs Palm BeachMarlins Links The Miami Herald's Jordan McPherson and Andre Fernandez provide a minor league update and chat about other Marlins' topics on the latest episode of Fish BytesEly Sussman leads an extremely intuitive conversation with Bally Sports' commentator Rod Allen on The Offishal ShowFish Stripes' Nicole Cahill previews a big early season series for the Marlins against the NationalsMLB.com's Mark Feinsand interviews Marlins' GM Kim Ng, recapping her career until now and her career growth

Paul McIntosh (Photo by Pensacola Blue Wahoos) Some breakout bats maintaining their consistency and a standout pitching performance by an under-the-radar arm paved the way for a feel-good week around the Marlins’ system.C Paul McIntosh, AA This Week’s Stats: 9-20, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 1 SB McIntosh impressed in his first taste of pro action upon (somehow) being signed as an undrafted free agent last year. This year, the 24-year-old was challenged all the way up the ladder to the AA level and he has been even more unstoppable. In a smaller park but against much better stuff, has come by some incredible results. This week, McIntosh racked up nine hits including three more extra base hits. Hitting an even .500, McIntosh leads the Marlins’ minor league circuit in multiple stat categories including wRC+ at an insane 304. As ridiculous as that is, it has somehow shrunk significantly from the 400+ mark it was at earlier in the week. Despite the recent doubles, McIntosh’s OPS has also somehow fallen to .929. Thats the lowest it’s been all year, proving how unprecedented his start to the year has been. There’s no question: McIntosh is one of the strongest guys in the Marlins’ system. He also couples it with advanced pitch recognition and plate coverage skills. In his initial showing in 2021, McIntosh was more pull heavy. On the young season in Pensacola, he has gone to the opposite field 43% of the time, proving he has another facet within his extremely balanced approach. While McIntosh’s overall numbers will even out quite a bit as the full season wears on and while his style of hitting does favor the pull side, he’s beginning to prove he has the ability to be a complete threat. The 6’1”, 220 pound specimen has even stolen two bases. McIntosh, who caught many Marlins’ top prospects in camp, continues to do so this year in Pensacola. Preseason, Zach McCambley spoke very highly of P-Mac’s ability, calling him a big target who knows how to call and handle a staff. A complete athlete who can play multiple positions, McIntosh is a great story and a testament to the Marlins’ scouting team and the work they do before, during and in this case, after a draft. C/1B Lorenzo Quintana, AAA This Week’s Stats: 9-23, 2 HR, 4 2B, 8 RBI Quintana is another deep dive find by the Marlins who has performed everywhere he’s ever played. After a long and impressive career in the Cuban leagues (.310/.377/.438), Quintana was signed by the Astros in 2018. He came to the Marlins organization last season in exchange for cash considerations. In 92 games between the the Houston and Miami organizations, Quintana hit .300/.350/.463. With the backup catcher position up in the air this spring, the Marlins took a look at Quintana in camp and he stuck there all campaign long. This past Saturday, Quintana had a career day, homering twice and driving in five runs. Quintana is a stocky 5’10”, 205 with a quick short stroke and a bit of hidden power. The approach is made more for average and gaps than it is for over the fence power but the experienced 33-year-old has a veteran presence at the plate and good vision that should allow him to continue to produce decent numbers at the big league level. Quintana also has some positional flexibility. While he is serviceable at catcher, he can also slot in at first and third. At his age, it’s hard to imagine there will be a starter’s ceiling for him for an MLB team but he could provide value off the bench and in pretty short order. If he continues to produce and the Marlins need a bench bat this year, he could be a name they look at. OF Tanner Allen, A+ This Week’s Stats: 5-17, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 1 SB The Marlins’ fourth round pick from 2021 (the third time he was drafted), Allen, who spent four years at Mississippi State and is well within their program’s Hall of Fame, got off to a slow start in his break in to pro ball. He’s more than begun to rectify that. Allen is off to a really hot start and is arguably the best hitter on the Beloit Sky Carp roster. Seven for his first 24 in A+, Allen provided theatrics (something he is used to doing) this past week, contributing a standup triple and a walk-off knock. Four of Allen’s seven hits so far have gone for extra bases. Allen, who is lauded for an advanced 50+ grade hit tool with room to grow with seasoning at the pro level. He also owns 50+ grade raw power. The lefty plays all three outfield positions and will continue to be an everyday mainstay in Beloit’s lineup. According to DJ Svihlik, Allen’s level of development and positional flexibility could allow him to move quickly through the levels. A complete athlete who had a decorated collegiate career, Allen has a pretty high floor and we are starting to see it. Don’t rule out him getting a look at AA before the end of the year. RHP Bryan Hoeing This Week’s Stats: 7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K Hoeing has been through quite the journey in just three years. Drafted in the seventh round out of the University of Louisville in 2019, he had played in 70 career games between the NCAA and the wood bat summer leagues. Of those games, Hoeing started 21 times. In his first season pro, Hoeing appeared in nine low A games, all out of the bullpen. Enter 2021, coming out of the canceled COVID season. Hoeing appears in 22 games. He started all of them. It was a struggle for Hoeing in his stark and immediate transition to full time rotational work. For the Jupiter Hammerheads, he had a 5.36 ERA via a 1.273 WHIP. Hoeing did post good control numbers though with a 96/24 K/BB, proving that the 25-year-old was controlling, he just wasn’t commanding at his best. Enter 2022. Despite the struggles, Hoeing has gotten the big push up past A+ to AA baseball and he remains in the rotation. In his first two starts, Hoeing has looked spectacular, including this past Sunday where he went a career high 7.1 innings and allowed just four hits. The start comes on the heels of a 5.2 IP season debut where he set another career high with 10 strikeouts. Hoeing, who also played small forward in high school, looks much more in control of his huge levers and he is maintaining that control throughout his starts. He’s also added in a second offspeed pitch, a nasty diving changeup that can hit all four planes. He couples that with a low-mid 90s fastball and a slurvy slider in the low-mid 80 mph range. A good mix of size, shortened distance to the plate and now a solid three pitch mix which he commands well, Hoeing has back end rotational potential with a good floor as a multiple innings reliever if his success continues for the Wahoos. Next Up (4/19-4/24) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp vs GwinnettAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos vs MontgomeryA+ Beloit Sky Carp at South BendA Jupiter Hammerheads vs St. LucieMarlins Links As Isaac Azout reported, Tuesday’s series opener in Jacksonville will feature a marquee matchup with the rehabbing Ronald Acuna Jr facing off against Max MeyerThe Beloit Sky Carp are hiring for multiple positions, including bat boy and bat girlThe Pensacola Blue Wahoos have a ton of fun planned for their second homestand of the seasonFish Stripes’ Ely Sussman graced us with a Peyton Burdick on their YouTube pageMan On 2nd Baseball’s Joe Frisaro explained why he believes Jesus Sanchez is the answer in center field

The first weekend of the season is in the books, and there is plenty to be optimistic about. The big league team had a tough series out in San Francisco, with one win in three one-run games. The rest of the system saw many close games as well, highlighted by some impressive performances.— Kahlil Watson, SS, Jupiter This Week's Stats: 4-10, 2 HR, 5 RBI, .400/.455/1.200 Watson is the best position player prospect in the Marlins system, and has done nothing but provide evidence for that statement since his professional debut last season. After hitting .394/.524/.606 in forty two plate appearances in 2021, Watson has followed that up with a great weekend to begin 2022 with Jupiter. Watson's athleticism was constantly emphasized when coming out of last year's amateur draft. While many thought that Watson had the talent of a top five pick, he fell to the Marlins at fifteen due to signability concerns. The Marlins saw how talented Watson was, and were able to secure him by handing out their largest draft bonus ever to a high school player. Watson turns nineteen this Saturday, but he has looked exceptionally comfortable so far in game action for a player of his age. Given the label of a "five-tool" player, there really is no aspect of the game where Watson is weak. He simply possesses that exciting combination of athleticism and baseball tools. Two home runs, while getting on base in nearly half of his plate appearances, made up the perfect Opening Weekend for Watson. His swing is well built to tap into plus raw power, with impressive bat speed to boot. There is not too much upper cut in his swing, as making contact is still a priority. Watson struck out five times this weekend, but making contact has not been a concern in the past and will probably just be a developmental hiccup. He uses his legs exceptionally well to appear balanced and comfortable at the plate. Everything about Watson at the plate right now just strikes me as well-developed and advanced for his age. With the advantage of Statcast data available for Jupiter home games, due to the Hammerheads using the big league spring training field at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, we were also able to see Watson post some impressive exit velocities. Both of his home runs came off the bat at over 100 mph. That figure should continue to improve as Watson gets bigger and stronger during this development stage. Charles Leblanc, 3B, Jacksonville This Week's Stats: 7-13, 2 HR, 3 RBI, .538/.625/1.154 Claimed off of waivers by the Marlins back in December, Leblanc had a promising career stalled a bit in the Texas Rangers system. A high school draft back by Texas back in 2016, Leblanc features plus raw power with a decent ability to make contact. Unfortunately, he has not consistently got on base enough to be a productive in-game hitter to this point. Leblanc's seventeen home runs and .455 slugging percentage last season seem strong on the surface, but in the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League this comprised a well-below average line. Still, as a former fourth round pick, and just 25 years old, the Marlins saw some use in Leblanc as upper minor league depth. This weekend, Leblanc showed signs of rewarding that faith from Miami by crushing Worcester pitching. In a high scoring slate of weekend games, Leblanc was easily the best hitter in the Jumbo Shrimp lineup. Leblanc stands fairly upright at the plate, with a high load depth. Many hitters who place their hands higher tend to chop down in the ball, resulting in an abundance of ground balls, but that has not been the case in Leblanc's professional career. He also has a short swing, so has some natural strength to be getting to that power. Four extra base hits this weekend were a result of several line drives, which is the best way for a hitter to consistently hit the ball hard and get on base. The Jumbo Shrimp may have dropped five of six to Worcester, but it was a fairly competitive series an the losses were no fault of the productive Leblanc. He may not be not on the 40-man roster, Leblanc should still be monitored as potential depth later this season if he can be productive at the plate. Sandro Bargallo, SP, Jupiter This Week's Stats: 5.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 8 K, 1 BB Bargallo, signed out of Cuba in 2019 as a seventeen year old, is a guy worth following this season. After being used primarily as a relief pitcher in his first two professional seasons with Miami, Bargallo is transitioning to a starter role with the Hammerheads. While not a highly touted prospect, Bargallo has shown impressive swing and miss ability out of the bullpen with a fastball that was getting up to 96 mph. For a pitcher so young, there is still room for development, so Bargallo at least had an intriguing arm. On Sunday, starting against the Cardinals Single-A affiliate, Bargallo was dominant. Featuring three pitches (a fastball and curveball to go along with the fastball), he paced himself well and seemed comfortable in the starter's role. The velocity was down a bit, as Bargallo sat in the low nineties. That is perfectly acceptable, though, as he has to pace himself now while throwing multiple innings. Most importantly, the lefty showed none of the control issues that have thus far plagued his in game performance. Bargallo walked over a batter an inning last season, which is not atypical for such a young pitcher but needs to be sorted out quickly. Not only did Bargallo show plus control on Sunday, he also showed good feel for both breaking pitches and was able to execute many backdoor pitches. At 6'1, and just 180 lbs., Bargallo could still put more on his frame and potentially improve his velocity. His development will be worth watching this season. Paul McIntosh, C, Pensacola This Week's Stats: 5-8, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB, .625/.667/1.500 It is impossible to not root for Paul McIntosh, who is a rising star in the Marlins system. Originally drafted by the Angles back in 2018, McIntosh chose not to sign and instead attended the University of West Virginia. While hitting well in college, McIntosh did not garner enough attention to be drafted in last summer's amateur draft. The Marlins pounced on him as an undrafted free agent, and McIntosh has done nothing but rake since then. Since signing with the Marlins last summer, he has already moved through three levels and is now hitting in the middle of the Blue Wahoo's lineup. Batting cleanup on Sunday, McIntosh hit his second homer of the young season in a narrow defeat to Biloxi. Pensacola manager Kevin "Smoke" Randel said that McIntosh would be behind the plate for most of the games at AA, due to his status as a rising prospect, but few could have seen him emerging as an impact bat in this lineup so quickly. McIntosh has a wide stance, with the hands held high and a pretty long swing. That can work against some hitters, but so far McIntosh has made an adequate amount of contact while getting a lot of balls into the air. Ultimately, whatever he is doing right now is working and resulting in a ton of hard hit balls. McIntosh's strength and athleticism are both standout tools, and seem to be helping him both in the batters box and behind it. As a catcher, he features a strong arm and rates well defensively overall. McIntosh works well with pitchers, as evidenced by his catching many of the Marlins top pitching prospects this spring. That should give Randel plenty of confidence in writing his name into the lineup everyday. At this rate, he may not be able to do that for much longer, however, as McIntosh continues to hit and move quickly through the minor league levels. Grant Dayton, RP, Jacksonville This Week's Stats: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 7 K, 1 BB If Grant Dayton's name sounds familiar, that is probably because you have watched the lefty reliever pitch several times in the big leagues. Over five major league seasons with the Dodgers and Braves, Dayton proved to be an exceptional lefty specialist. He put up a 3.43 ERA in over one hundred MLB innings, while lefties hit just .169/.256/.331 against him in that time period. The Marlins signed Dayton after the Braves released him following the World Series, and he stuck with Jacksonville following Spring Training with the hopes of eventually getting a callup. Miami has several lefty relievers already on the Major League squad, but it will be hard to keep Dayton off the team if he keeps pitching as well as he did this weekend. In Jacksonville's lone win last week, on Thursday against Worcester, Dayton threw two perfect innings to help get the job done. Throwing from his typical slightly low release angle, Dayton has an effortless fastball that seems to explode on hitters a bit and is used well at the top of the zone. Dayton does not throw particularly hard, with the fastball still sitting in the low nineties, but that level of deception makes it his primary pitch. Dayton's other pitch, a curveball, is used about a third of the time and also generates some swings and misses. His fastball command appeared to farther along this weekend than that of his curveball. Dayton hung a curveball to Worcester's dangerous Triston Casas, one of the top prospects in baseball. A leaping grab at the wall by JJ Bleday in right field prevented extra bases, and other than that hitters struggled to make any contact against Dayton. Up Next (4/12-4/17) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp @ DurhamAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos @ Rocket CityA+ Beloit Sky Carp vs WisconsinA Jupiter Hammerheads @ Ft. MyersMarlins Links The Beloit Sky Carp, who celebrate their 2022 home opener (the first at the new ABC Supply Stadium) tomorrow night, are taking fan submissions for their new mascot's name.Just Baseball's Ethan Budowsky recapped the first series of the season for Miami and highlighted why the club still has things to address.Baseball America confirmed Eury Perez is just the second 18-year-old to make a AA Opening Day roster since 2010.Fish Stripes' Nicole Cahill previews the big league club's two-game series in Los Angeles against the Angels, beginning tonight.The Marlins' Twitter account posted a video depicting two-time World Series Champion Jeff Conine hanging a banner honoring both 1997 and 2003 that will over loanDepot park beginning this season.

Roster decisions are being finalized, last-minute trades are being made, and the Marlins are ready to head west for Opening Day in San Francisco. However, it was an eventful last week of Spring Training, with some impressive performances from a cadre of young Marlins. Here are a few of the highlights, in advance of the Minor Leagues and Major League getting underway this week. Edward Cabrera, RHP This Week's Stats: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 3 K, 1 BB Cabrera's Spring 2022 debut was almost on par with Max Meyer's when it comes to generating excitement amongst Marlins fans. Everything that I had mentioned previously this offseason about wanting to see Cabrera work on seemed to be focuses for him as well. While a three inning outing is a tiny sample size, the command of the fastball was apparent. Cabrera's fastball control was a clear problem in his MLB cup of coffee last season, and contributed to his surprisingly high walk rate. This was not a guy who struggled much with control coming up through the minors, despite his age and stature. However, all pitchers have their hiccups as they advance to the highest level, so it was good to see that Cabrera may be a bit more settled in. Furthermore, the command of the off-speed pitches also appeared to be improved. Cabrera's changeup, which some scouts are now calling his best pitch due to it's spin and movement, looked great. Last year, Cabrera gave up several home runs on the pitch because it was hung over the middle of the plate. His changeup command against the Nationals last week was not perfect, but when Cabrera missed it tended to be down in the zone. This is the recipe for avoiding mistakes to hitters, and hopefully drawing some ugly swings instead. The pitch that is also in the conversation for Cabrera's best offering is the slider, which also was located well. His strikeout on Nelson Cruz was a near-perfect slider, in terms of location and movement. Lastly, the curveball, which Cabrera looked confident in last year, was still a pitch that he seemed to like. Cabrera started multiple at-bats by throwing it, and got two strikeouts with the pitch against the Nats. With the quality of Cabrera's stuff, having four plus pitches could be unhittable going forward. He showed some positive signs in his spring debut that having four quality offerings could soon be a reality. Aneurys Zabala, RHP This Week's Stats: 2.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 K, 3 BB It is hard to watch Aneurys Zabala pitch and not be intrigued. The 6'3, 259 lbs. right hander throws hard and is not afraid to challenge hitters. Zabala has bounced around the minors a bit, but if he can improve his command and do a better job of pitching out of the stretch then he has a chance to reach the next level. Last year with the Phillies in Double-A, Zabala got his walk rate below 10% for the first time in his minor league career. This is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, but his overall numbers were not up to par due to struggles with runners on base. This seems to me to indicate some discomfort with pitching out of the stretch, because Zabala's stuff and strikeout ability is just too good to struggle so much. Zabala struck out 36% of AA hitters last season, which is an elite rate at any level. After walking three in an outing last week against the Nationals, Zabala did not walk any hitters against St. Louis on Thursday. Hopefully, he made the necessary adjustments and is prepared to continue improving at Jacksonville. The Marlins do not feature much velocity in the bullpen compared to most teams, even with the acquisition of Tanner Scott. Zabala is the kind of guy who could take the leap this year, since he is still only 25. Brian Miller, OF This Week's Stats: 1-3, 1 single Miller is a feel good-story after reaching the big leagues last season. He has never quite lived up to his billing as a hitter in the minors, after being drafted 36th overall in the 2017 draft. Still, he plays the outfield well, makes contact, and steals a lot of bases. The Marlins obviously still valued that skillset, and gave him a chance last year. I was impressed with what we saw from Miller this Spring, as he finished the Grapefruit League session 4-10 with a walk and two stolen bases. At this point, it is unfair to expect Miller to show much more power, but the speed and contact abilities are essential to him eventually finding a place as a bench player in the Majors. Miller was worth highlighting because he has been a bit lost in the shuffle on the Marlins Depth Chart, with the additions to the Major League team and the need for a center fielder. Miller may not fill that need as an everyday player, but he has experience playing center field well and should not be forgotten as the Marlins look for depth options when the inevitable injuries come. Cody Morissette, 2B This Week's Stats: 1-1, 1 single Morissette is a guy that I will be watching closely this season. He struggled a bit in his A-ball debut in Jupiter, with little power and a lot of ground balls. After being a second round pick out of Boston College, some adjustment time was expected. After all, transitioning from a cold-weather school to a warm environment down in Jupiter is a large adjustment. So, I would not put much stock in his minor league showing last season, because Morissette has a sweet lefty swing that translates into a lot of contact and line drives. He is never going to be a big power hitter, but spraying the ball all over the field, getting on base, and playing exceptional defense is Morissette's ticket to the big leagues. In his lone Grapefruit League appearance, coming after several high level players had been sent down to AA and AAA, Morissette managed to get a hit against Houston. Unfortunatley, the Astros spring ballpark does not yet have Statcast data available, so we cannot gain much information from that one hit. Still, it should be a good little confidence boost for Morissette to start the season with. Osiris Johnson, OF This Week's Stats: 1-2, 1 single Like Morissette, Johnson is a guy who I was excited to see a sneak peak of this Spring, despite not playing above the lower levels yet. His profile is one that is not typical, but we have seen some Major League players have success with. Johnson is short and hits the ball hard, so it should not be surprising that he is the younger cousin of Phillies legend Jimmy Rollins. Even throughout some of his growing pains last year in A-ball, Johnson showed the power needed to remind fans of what he is capable of. He hit eleven homers across two levels, while not hitting many groundballs. Johnson is still just twenty-one, so there is plenty of time for growth, but this is the year that the Marlins will probably be looking for some of that raw potential to turn into in-game production. We do have Statcast information from Johnson's one Grapefruit League appearance in Port St. Lucie against the Mets. There is reason to be impressed, as Johnson hit two balls over 95 mph, one for a single and the other a flyout. Posting those kinds of exit velocities is a good sign that Johnson has the bat speed and pop to eventually become a big leaguer. Seeing him have some success in the lower levels of the minors comes first, however. Cutting his strikeout rate, which sat near 30% last year, and getting on base more is the first step towards accomplishing that.