Alex Carver

The Roundup returns this week, with an interesting balance of prospects. Two journey men, organizational arms put up great starts and pitched deep into games. On the other hand, two of the highest ceiling prospects in the system had big weeks and are deserving of a feature. Finally, MD Johnson puts up yet another start worthy of recognition. - LHP Josh Rogers, AAA This Week's Stats: 7.0 IP, 1 R, 6 H, 7/0 K/BB In a fairly under the radar move, the Marlins signed Josh Rogers to a minor league contract a few weeks ago. Miami has seen Rogers a bit recently, as he has thrown sixty-one innings over the past two seasons with the Washington Nationals. Rogers has struggled in the big leagues, but the Marlins pitching development system must have seen something in the left hander to make it worth taking a flier on him. The twenty-eight year old was drafted in 2015 by the New York Yankees, and had immediate success at the lower levels of the minor leagues. Rogers came out of Louisville, a program that the Marlins have drafted several players from. While pitching in High-A for the Yankees in 2016, he registered a 2.53 ERA over 113 innings pitched. Rogers continued to pitch well in the Yankees system, although he did not gain much traction as a prospect. Rogers has long posted low walk rates, but without the high strikeout rates to match it. Instead, New York used him as trade bait; Rogers was included in the deal that brought Zach Britton from Baltimore to New York. Rogers did not pitch well in the Orioles system though, with an elbow injury complicating the matter. He eventually caught on with the Nationals, and has now thrown his fair share of big league innings. Rogers has mainly pitched in a relief/swing role in the big leagues, but his background is as a starting pitcher. Rogers throws a bit of a kitchen sink at hitters, with a fastball, two-seamer, slider, and changeup. None of them get many swings and misses, but Rogers mixes it up well. He commands his fastball well, which makes it his most consistently effective pitch. In his dominant start against Nashville last week, he was locating it particularly well. However, Rogers also got his share of strikeouts, with his slider being particularly effective. Added pitching depth is never a bad thing, and Josh Rogers is showing that he could be a worthwhile addition. RHP MD Johnson, A+ This Week's Stats: 6.0 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 8/1 K/BB MD Johnson has definitively put up one of the best pitching performances in the entirety of the Marlins organization this season. He averages nearly six innings per start, a decent figure at any level of baseball nowadays. His 112 strikeouts far outpace the 71 hits and 23 walks surrendered over 97 innings. Since last season, when Johnson showed how effective he could be at Beloit, Johnson has only managed to increase his strikeout rate by over four percent and decrease his walk rate by five percent. His ERA even slipped below 3.00 this past week with a dominant performance at South Bend. Johnson has led a Beloit team that has crept up the standings after a slow start to the season. When looking at the entirety of the season, they are now a game below .500 (due to a five game losing streak this past week). Still, Johnson and a promising starting rotation have led Beloit back to respectability. They currently place second in the Midwest League’s Southern Division. When watching Johnson pitch, I continue to expect him to produce more groundballs. He has a high release point, and most right handers his size are naturally moving at a very downward angle. However, Johnson has a bit of a twitch in his delivery that results in a lower release than expected. The result is a high spin fastball that works well in the zone, and leads to a plethora of strikeouts. Johnson’s breaking pitches also get swings and misses, but the fastball seems to be the pitch he has the most comfort with. It remains a bit surprising that Johnson has not yet been promoted to Pensacola, but the Marlins seem to be content leaving him pitching dominantly at Beloit. A new challenge is probably needed soon. 3B Jacob Berry, A This Week's Stats: 6-21, 1 HR, 2 2B, 6/4 K/BB Marlins fans have seemed to be justifiably anxious about the progress of Jacob Berry. Taken in the first round of last month’s amateur draft, Berry faces high expectations immediately as a college bat playing in the lower levels of the minor leagues. The nature of this season, with the major league team struggling to live up to expectations, has only compounded the pressure on the young third baseman to perform immediately. Moreover, the relatively quiet trade deadline put additional pressure on Kim Ng’s front office to deliver immediately. All of this has put an unfair strain on Jacob Berry to be a positive in the ledger of Ng. Berry does not grade well as a defender, which furthers the need for his bat to play in a big way. There is a general belief that the Marlins could try the LSU product at multiple positions, including first base and the corner outfield, but so far Berry has just played at the hot corner for the Hammerheads. Clubs have their own internal information about minor league defensive performances and there is a lack of data available to the public right now. With the limited information that is available, it is known that Berry has three errors in eleven games, which seems to be less than promising. Berry got off to a particularly slow start at Jupiter; he was 7-39 (.179) until a 3-4 performance last Sunday. Since then, however, there have been some far more positive signs. Berry has shown a bit more patience at the plate, after displaying an overly aggressive approach in his first few professional weeks. This could probably be explained away by Berry simply pressing, although he did not post insanely high walk rates in college. Berry has continued his trend from last season at LSU of posting elite contact rates, striking out only 13% of the time at Jupiter. Scouts did express concerns about Berry’s lack of elite exit velocities in college, which did concern me when evaluating him as a draft prospect. Considering Berry’s advanced age, he needs to start displaying better contact quality consistently. This past week, Berry hit his first amateur home run and added a few extra base hits as well. That is a good sign and should be monitored going forward; Berry’s status as a potentially top-tier prospect depends on him showing an elite ability to hit at the lower levels quickly. SS Jordan Groshans, AAA This Week's Stats: 9-19, 1 HR, 1 2B, 2/4 K/BB We will use this week as an exciting opportunity to showcase the newest top prospect in the Marlins system. Most prospect rankings seem to have Groshans ranked around tenth in his new team’s organization. Drafted 12th overall in the 2018 draft, Groshans was regarded as one of the players with the highest potential in that draft. He came out of high school, in Texas, but scouts thought he had a potentially plus hit tool and glove. The results in the minor leagues have been a bit rocky, but keep in mind that Groshans is still just twenty-two years old. I was more fond of the trade made at the deadline that brought Groshans to Miami than most seemed to be. Anthony Bass was having an excellent season, while Zach Pop had pitched surprisingly well. However, relief pitching is notably volatile. Pop is under control for a long time, but does not get many swings and misses. Bass has a club option for next season, but also is nearly thirty-five years old. Ultimately, to get a prospect with the ceiling of Groshans is well worth that price. Since joining the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Groshans has walked more than he has struck out. His minor league strikeout rates have stayed fairly low, showing that he still should be projected for a plus hit tool. The question remains whether Groshans can hit for enough power to carry an average big league bat. Hitting his first home run in the Marlins organization last week, Groshans showed a quick bat that can get to balls up in the zone. He will need to try and lift the ball off the ground more, but a line drive approach should result in some homers. Groshans is slugging .500 in sixty two appearances since the trade; continuing that extra base power into the future will determine if Groshans is a future utility player or a high level starter. RHP AJ Ladwig, AA This Week's Stats: 7.0 IP, 1 R, 7 H, 4/0 K/BB AJ Ladwig has had the sort of chaotic year that everyone should sympathize with. He started the season in the Detroit Tigers organization. He had been with the team since being drafted in 2014 out of Wichita State. The twenty-nine year old was released shortly after the start of the season. The right hander served as useful organizational depth, but had struggled when pitching above the Double-A level. The Marlins signed Ladwig in May, and he has been brilliant at Pensacola since then. Ladwig has always had elite control, but he has been at another level with the Blue Wahoos this year. Over 72 innings pitched, Ladwig has walked just four batters; that has translated to a miniscule 1.3% walk rate. The Marlins saw that, and called him up to pitch as relief depth last week. Against Atlanta, he showed that nerves would not impact him in his big league debut. While Ladwig gave up four runs over 3.1 innings, he was consistently around the strike zone and did not walk anyone. Unfortunately, Ladwig was rewarded for eating innings by being designed for assignment. Back with Pensacola this week, Ladwig showed that he has not missed a beat. Over seven innings against Mississippi, Ladwig did not walk any hitters, struck out four, and allowed just one run. The right hander has a fastball that sits in the low-nineties, and has the classic groundball pitcher approach. He rotates between fastball-slider-changeup well, which is a repertoire straight out of the 90s. Ladwig has done a great job this season of limiting walks and getting ground balls. While that profile probably translates to just organizational depth, Ladwig can at least be depended on to eat innings because he does not beat himself. Next Up (8/23-8/28) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp vs NorfolkAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos vs MontgomeryA+ Beloit Sky Carp vs PeoriaA Jupiter Hammerheads vs Daytona

Eury Perez (Photo by Pensacola Blue Wahoos)The injury bug that has been sweeping through the Marlins big league clubhouse since early late in the first half, costing players such as Jazz Chisholm Jr, Brian Anderson, Jon Berti, Max Meyer, Trevor Rogers and others playing time has made its way to the minor leagues. The latest squad to get bitten badly: the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Over the course of the last week, the Wahoos have placed several of their players on the IL. Among them is the enigmatic Eury Perez. Perez, 19, joined the Marlins in 2019, signing out of the DR for $200,000. In under two seasons, he has risen to the rank of Marlins top prospect and according to many outlets including BaseballAmerica, the top pitching prospect in all of baseball. Playing against guys nearly six years older than him on average, Perez was holding down a 3.52 ERA, a 2.94 FIP, via a 29.1 K/BB%, 1.05 WHIP and semi-hard-luck .321 BABIP before he uncharacteristically struggled this past Monday night. Missing both his command and his velocity, Perez allowed six earned runs on two homers and four walks. It marked the first time in his young career that Perez had allowed more than five earned runs. Last season, Perez was placed on a strict 80 innings limit. He would wind up throwing 78. This season, that limit was boosted slightly up to 110. Usually, that would equate with around 75 pitches per start, but Perez isn’t the usual pitcher. Perez’s dominance has allowed the Marlins to push his pitch limit up near the 90 mark. He’s been as high as 87 this season. The latest on Perez is about as encouraging as it can be: he is experiencing simple arm fatigue and nothing further has been discovered in testing. So far, Eury has thrown 73 innings this year. While no specific timetable has been set, there is room for him to return and pitch again this season for the playoff-bound Wahoos, potentially after a few rehab outings with Jupiter. Perez remains on track to attend spring training with the Marlins in 2023 before assignment, likely to AAA, in the days surrounding his 20th birthday. IF Troy Johnston, who was placed on the IL on August 7th, is in concussion protocol as a precaution. Johnston is expected to return to Pensacola’s active roster when initially eligible early next week. Johnston has been one of Pensacola’s most consistent bats, hitting .292/.360/.450 over 85 games. C Paul McIntosh is dealing with a minor injury after his latest of many rough battles behind the plate this year. He is getting a week to breathe and recoup but is expected to rejoin the Wahoos when eligible this weekend. McIntosh, who signed as a UDFA, has been a diamond in the rough find for the Marlins. He’s hitting .252/.375/.453 this season in his first AA showing. IF Cody Morissette who broke bone in his foot suffered on July 3rd, the result of a foul ball, has shedded his crutches and walking boot. He has been at the Marlins’ facility in Jupiter since July 10th and will begin a rehab assignment with the FCL team today. IF Jorge Caballero is dealing with a groin issue. Caballero, who has had a very disjointed career due to his health, was hitting well with Jupiter before this most recent injury. He was a .297/.361/.397 hitter in July for the Hammerheads. OF Osiris Johnson is on the IL with a wrist injury he suffered on a hit by pitch. Per reports, Johnson was dealing with some general soreness before the HBP on July 23rd. Johnson, who learned how to play OF in the GCL in 2021, had played just five games with the Sky Carp before going down. His best tool, explosive bat speed, has been inhibited by recent events. He is at the Marlins’ facility in Jupiter.

In the first full week since the All-Star break, several Marlins pitching prospects showed continued development. For a few of these young players, that means progressing from injuries and working their way back to the big leagues. OF Victor Mesa Jr, A+ This Week's Stats: 8-23, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 3B, 3 SB Victor Mesa Jr. has quietly had a solid season this year at Beloit. Perhaps due to his brother's status as a likely prospect bust, Mesa Jr. has never gotten much praise in his own right. Undeniably, he does not have the talent to place too high on prospect lists. However, Mesa also does not have many holes in his game despite lacking any exceptional individual traits. For instance, Mesa has struck out in a reasonable 18% of his plate appearances this season, while walking in 10% of them. That is a solid, low strikeout rate, but not low enough for his hit tool to be considered elite. Go up and down Mesa's skillset and much of the same will be true. He has shown some raw power, but struggles to get to it in games and does not have a large frame. He is a decent athlete, but not likely to be a major base stealer or anything more than an average center fielder. Still, to have more of a glass half full approach, it is important to remember that average is valuable in the big leagues. If Mesa continues to do all of these things fairly well, he could develop into a useful player. Mesa Jr. is still just twenty years old, so there is time for the young outfielder. He has improved as the year has gone on, which is a good sign for his future. July was Mesa's highest month by slugging percentage this season. In-game power remains Mesa's most obvious crux, so continuing to grow on that will be vital. The lefty has a long, but smooth, swing that should result in line drives. The next month or so will be fascinating, and should determine whether Mesa starts next year in Pensacola. RHP Edward Cabrera, AAA This Week's Stats: 5.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 7/0 K/BB Edward Cabrera has made starts at four different levels this season, in what has been a frustrating, up-and-down campaign. Battling through an injury to start the season was the initial delay, and that was followed up by a June trip to the IL with right elbow tendinitis. Cabrera has been unlucky on the injury front, but when on the mound he has continued to show why he has been so highly regarded as a prospect. In 38.2 minor league innings this year, Cabrera has struck out 36% of opposing hitters while allowing only two homeruns. After seeing Cabrera struggle with control issues in his major league cup of coffee last season, it felt like the tall righty was starting to turn the corner in his second stint with the Marlins. While his walk rate was still far too high for a starter, Cabrera had decent command of his changeup and fastball in his three starts in June. Against Colorado, specifically, Cabrera's repertoire was so filthy that it did not matter where he threw the ball as Rockies hitters would still be flailing after it. Nothing shows the potential of Cabrera more than that; when on, his changeup and slider are major swing and miss pitches, because hitters also have to keep the upper-nineties velocity in the back of their minds. Pitching against Gwinnett last Thursday, Cabrera showcased how he can look when everything is going right. He walked nobody over five shutout innings, while striking out seven batters. Seeing Cabrera develop that level of comfort with his arsenal is immensely important. Over eleven innings in the minors since returning from the injury, Cabrera has walked just one batter. Perhaps the elbow issues were preventing him from commanding the ball with ease, which would make sense considering it was an injury to his throwing arm. Either way, Edward Cabrera is showing how filthy he can be, and will be doing it soon again in Miami. RHP Gabe Bierman, A This Week's Stats: 7.0 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 8/1 K/BB Along with Luis Palacios, Gabe Bierman has been one of the most consistent and durable starting pitchers in the Jupiter rotation this season. The tall right hander has consistently put the Hammerheads in a good position to win, while also pitching fairly deep into ballgames (especially considering the level). For the first time this season, Bierman managed to throw seven complete innings when he pitched a gem against Daytona on Saturday. That superb outing capped off a more-than stellar month of July for Bierman. Opposing batters hit just .191/.273/.281 against him, while Bierman registered a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the month. As Bierman has developed, he continues to show a plus fastball that can be used up in the zone. The pitch has clocked in the mid-nineties this season, and he seems to be comfortable sitting with it in the low-nineties. Bierman also features a slider and a curveball, both of which can flash plus at times but need to be fine tuned going forward. His other plus offering is the changeup, which combines with the fastball to get a lot of groundballs. For now, Bierman has earned a spot in the Jupiter rotation, and should be well on the way to an appearance in Beloit. Selected last year in the 7th Round out of Indiana University, Bierman has shown enough signs that the Marlins should keep seeing him as a starter. While many expect him to eventually be moved into a relief role, Bierman has displayed the ability to get outs as a starter and pitch deeper into games. The key going forward will be harnessing his control a bit, as he has a walk rate above 10% at the moment. On the bright side, Bierman has showed excellent command in certain starts this season and does seem to have a good feel for his fastball/changeup combo. SS Jose Devers, AA This Week's Stats: 8-21, 4 2B, 4 RBI, 4/1 K/BB One of my favorite player archetypes is the slick fielding, light hitting middle infielder. Straight out of that 1980's, National League style game that featured so many of those sorts of players is Jose Devers. Following a lengthy struggle with injuries to start this season, Devers has struggled too much at the plate in Pensacola. While he made his major league debut last season, Devers will have to hit more if he wants to reach that level again anytime soon. Over the past few weeks, the middle infielder seems to be finding a bit more rhythm at the plate. Acquired via the Giancarlo Stanton trade with the Yankees prior to the 2018 season, Devers came with the reputation of a speedy, glove first player. His power has yet to develop in any substantial way; Devers has not hit a home run as a member of the Miami Marlins organization. It is with good reason that Fangraphs has a 20 FV on his in in-game power. While he has shown the ability to at least hit the ball hard, Devers is certainly limited to being more of a singles hitter. If he can play shortstop well, than that profile can be doable. Devers will need to cut his strikeout rate down a bit from it's current rate of 19%, and probably put the ball on the ground more. His .264 BABIP this season is likely somewhat due to bad luck, but he has also not hit enough grounders and line drives. Considering Devers' plus speed, beating out balls on the ground may be his best bet. Using all parts of the field more will also help. While this is atypical device for most young hitters nowadays, Devers' future will depend on him continuing to show a plus glove and hitting just enough. Over the past week, he did exactly that, while also showing some doubles power that could raise his ceiling eventually. RHP Eli Villalobos, AA This Week's Stats: 4.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 5/0 K/BB Another week, and another Pensacola Blue Wahoos relief pitcher worth highlighting. After a bit of a rough start to July, Eli Villalobos put together his best week of the month and thoroughly dominated opposing hitters. The former 14th round pick in 2018 out of Long Beach State has really settled into a relief role over the past few seasons after Miami initially tried to use him as a starter in 2019. Like most other relief pitchers in the system, the Marlins have been aggressive in their using Villalobos for more than one inning this season. Villalobos averages about four-five outs per appearance, while still maintaining a high strikeout rate. Villalobos has a fastball that sits in the mid-nineties, while featuring a wipeout curveball for swings and misses. This combination locks him into a relief role going forward, although Villalobos also features a changeup that can be useful against lefties. His relative lack of control would also seem to indicate that he is set as a reliever. However, Villalobos has improved upon his walk rate as the season has gone on. While it stands above 10% at the moment, since June 1st he has walked just 7% of batters after struggling at the start of the year. The most intriguing part of Villalobos' profile remains his revere splits. Lefties have hit just .153/.229/.245 against the lengthy right hander, which is considerably worse than same-sided batters have fared against him. The off speed pitches have clearly proven vital in these situations, as well as a little bit of deception in his delivery. Either way, this sort of unique trait could carry Villalobos far, as hitter will not be used to this sort of profile. Next Up (8/2-8/7) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp vs MemphisAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos at MontgomeryA+ Beloit Sky Carp at Cedar RapidsA Jupiter Hammerheads at Palm Beach

The big league Marlins limp into the break several games out of a playoff spot. However, there is exciting new talent about to enter the system following Sunday's amateur draft. Moreover, there are a few prospects worth highlighting this week, led by a few dominant relief pitchers and some talented hitters at the upper levels of the minors. LHP Luis Palacios, A This Week's Stats: 6.0 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 7/0 K/BB Luis Palacios has been one of the pitchers featured most on the weekly roundups this season, and for good reason. Every week, he seems to deliver a quality start that gives the Hammerheads a great chance to win the game. His success stems from one particularly noteworthy trait: exceptional command. In 88.2 innings pitched this season, Palacios has worked just five batters. That ridiculous statistic is augmented by the fact that he has thrown just two wild pitches, and has yet to hit a batter. Palacios knows where the ball is going, and is not afraid to challenge hitters. His 1.5 BB% is amongst the best figures for any pitcher at any level, which gives me hope that Palacios could eventually slot at the back end of a big league rotation. What gives me doubt that he ever reaches that level is the lack of big league velocity. Palacios is only twenty-two years old, but his fastball speed has gone up very little since signing with the Marlins back in 2016. If this is the highest velocity that his fastball will reach, than it is unlikely that Palacios will ever make it all the way to the Bigs. Sitting in the mid-to-high eighties, he is crafty enough to get hitters out at A-ball. Challenging hitters at the upper level will be another story, and it will be telling for the future of this lefty. Palacios still does get a relatively high amount of strikeouts due to a decent slider and a plus changeup. He has been a bit unlucky with a BABIP of .321, considering Palacios limits hard contact well as hitters struggle to barrel him up. Right handers have struggled against him even more than left handers, showing just how valuable that changeup can be. Palacios has pitched almost two full seasons at Jupiter, so I would be surprised if he is not promoted to Beloit shortly. It is time to see whether his exceptional command and deceptive delivery can lead to success at a higher level. LHP Jefry Yan, AA This Week's Stats: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 9/1 K/BB The Pensacola Blue Wahoos have had some truly dominant relief pitchers come through their bullpen this season, yet Jefry Yan may have the nastiest stuff of all of them. His deceptive delivery makes a mid-nineties fastball look even faster, while his curveball has a sharp bite to it that often leaves hitters guessing. Yan's biggest problem remains that he often has just as little of a clue as to where the ball is going as the hitters do. In several minor league stops, Yan has yet to register a single digit walk rate at any point. That lack of control does not usually translate to a big league future, but Yan has the sort of stuff where it is hard not to dream. Initially signed by the Angels in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic, Yan was released after a few seasons in which he showed little ability to throw strikes. Yan also had issues with tipping pitches, resulting in few swings and misses. After getting hurt several times, Yan finally resurfaced with the Marlins last season a minor league deal. Since then, he has shown major improvements in harnessing his stuff to get swings and misses. Yet, the control problems remain. In brief stretches, such as this past week, Yan has shown an ability to put it all together. He walked just one hitter in thirteen plate appearances, while striking out nine. That ridiculous K-rate is a glimpse of what Yan could be if he can just throw strikes a little more often. Hitters have to fear that he can get the ball over the plate, otherwise they will not even try swinging against his nasty offerings. The first pitcher that comes to mind when watching Yan pitch out of the windup is Aroldis Chapman. The lengthy lefty has the same kind of presence on the mound, and it is almost impossible for left handed batters to see the pitch out of his hand. It is a worthwhile storyline for the rest of the season to see if Dave Eiland and the coaches at Pensacola can get Yan to limit the based on balls so we can see how dominant he truly can be. OF Jerar Encarnacion, AAA This Week's Stats: 9-24, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 5/3 K/BB Before the season, I noted that 2022 would be a pivotal season for Jerar Encarnacion. While he has all of the physical tools to be a plus hitter with bigtime power and a cannon in the outfield, Encarnacion had yet to put it all together in real games. He had shown some power, but his in-game power was still a distance apart from his raw power output. Moreover, a concerning amount of swings and misses emerged in his stint at Pensacola last season, making it essential that more power begin to show. Encarnacion also entered this season at twenty-four years old. While that is an age where there is still plenty of room for improvement and maturity, Encarnacion was getting to the point where he needed to start showing that he could truly hit. Within the first month or so of the season playing for the Blue Wahoos, it was clear that the switch had been flipped for Encarnacion. The big outfielder already has hit a career high seventeen homers between three levels, including the one in the majors in a huge victory over the first place Mets. While his performance in Jacksonville has not equaled the elite statistics in Pensacola, Encarnacion is starting to get comfortable at the Triple-A level as well. He smashed two homers this week, while also getting on base at a high rate. He has shown plus power at Jacksonville, which is the most important thing considering his ceiling as a big leaguer is as a corner outfielder with 30-40 home run pop. Through three months this season, I am far more confident that Encarnacion can reach that potential than I was a year ago. He has made more contact this season, gotten on base more, and maximized the quality of his contact far more often. RHP Tyler Mitzel, A+ This Week's Stats: 3.2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 5/1 K/BB The Marlins have truly had a bevy of elite relief pitchers in the minor leagues this season, and Mitzel is a guy who has been deserving of a shoutout at many points this season. Mitzel went undrafted out of Augustana University in South Dakota in 2018, despite a fairly dominant season working as a starter and out of the bullpen occasionally. The Marlins took a chance on Mitzel as a bullpen arm at the lower levels, and he has consistently improved since then. Now twenty six years old, Mitzel is having his best professional season while pitching in Beloit. He has maintained a WHIP below 1.00, which can be fluky but is usually a good sign of very effective relief work. Most importantly, Mitzel has made hitters earn their way on base. He has walked only six batters over 42.1 innings pitched, while striking out fifty eight. His 3.5% walk rate would easily be a career best, as would his 34.1% strikeout rate. As is the case with many Marlins relievers this year, Mitzel has also consistently thrown multiple innings. As a former starter, this has proven to be an effective way to get a high amount of innings while maintaining his best stuff out of the bullpen. Having a bunch of guys who can perform in that swing-man role should prove beneficial for the big league team within the next year or so. Mitzel's repertoire, which is fastball-changeup heavy, also makes him more unique because he serves as a reverse-platoon pitcher. Lefties have batted just .139/.162/.215 against him this season, while striking out in about a third of their plate appearances. With a fastball that sits in the mid-nineties, Mitzel is an exciting prospect with the potential to throw some effective bulk relief innings. 3B Charles Leblanc, AAA This Week's Stats: 10-25, 2 HR, 2 2B, 11/1 K/BB As the major league season heads into the All-Star break, the Marlins will be stuck on an eight game span without hitting a home run. That drought, the third longest in team history, played a large part in the Marlins wasted homestand against Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. While many fans were optimistic about an improved offense this season, the additions that the Marlins made have not moved the needle far enough. Miami currently ranks 24th in the majors in runs scored, after finishing 29th in 2021. While their team wRC+ is up over ten points, they still possess a below average offense by just about any standard. Considering how solid the Marlins pitching has been this year, it is a shame that they have not scored enough runs to give support to their starters. While improvements from outside of the organization will be needed to seriously turn the offense around, it remains a bit of a mystery as to why the team has been so hesitant to promote and play some of their best Triple-A hitters. Charles Leblanc is the first hitter who comes to mind who would be deserving of a chance at the next level. He has consistently hit the ball well all season long, and has been featured many times in these weekly roundups as a result. This past week was nothing new from Leblanc. He hit several extra base knocks while getting on base consistently. Leblanc is slugging over .500 for the season, and has arguably been Jacksonville's best hitter. One potential area of concern for Leblanc is the swing and miss in his game, and if I had to guess it is probably what's preventing his promotion (along with not being on the 40-man roster). Leblanc has struck out 28.7% of the time this season, which is high but not to an unplayable extent. His power has more than made up for it, and the strikeouts may just be a manifestation of Leblanc maximizing his contact. More importantly, Leblanc can play all over the infield and provides a much higher ceiling than Willians Astudillo or Erik Gonzalez. Next Up (7/22-7/24) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp vs CharlotteAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos at BiloxiA+ Beloit Sky Carp at WisconsinA Jupiter Hammerheads vs St. Lucie

Controversy continues to swirl around one of the most talented prospects in the Marlins system, Kahlil Watson, but other players have stepped up in the mean time. A few under the radar prospects who put together their best weeks of the season are featured in this edition of the roundup. - 1B Lewin Diaz, AAA This Week's Stats: 5-16, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3/3 K/BB With the lack of high quality play that the Marlins position players have demonstrated, it remains a bit of a mystery why the big league team has not turned to Jacksonville for reinforcements. The AAA team's two most productive hitters this season, Diaz and Charles Leblanc, have seen a combined ten major league plate appearances. Veteran ballplayers, like Willians Astudillo and Erik Gonzalez, have seen far more time in Miami despite possessing lower ceilings and not performing as well at Jacksonville. Diaz, now twenty-five years old, is just about at the point where the Marlins have to decide his future in the organization. For a while, it has seemed like the team has not valued Diaz in the same way as many prospect analysts have. Considering his elite glove and plus raw power, and the Marlins status as a below- .500 team over the past few seasons, the Marlins would be wise to see what they have in Diaz. Over the past two seasons in Jacksonville, the big lefty has hit thirty eight home runs in 148 games; he does not have much more to prove at this level. Diaz has done an impressive job over the past few seasons to maximize his power output. His swing is designed to do in-air damage, with a slight upper cut that is still quick through the zone. He sees breaking pitches through the zone well, and hammers pitches on the lower half of the zone. Keeping his contact rate as low as it is (hovering around 20% in AAA) will be key to his future as a big leaguer, considering his strong but not elite power. Diaz's glove remains his calling card though, and could be useful in Miami very soon. Garrett Cooper and Jesus Aguilar are both known as bat-first first basemen, and have combined for a -3 DRS at first this season. In an admittedly small sample size, Diaz has been an exceptional +12 DRS in just fifty seven MLB games. SS Nasim Nunez, A+ This Week's Stats: 11-22, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 5 SB, 3/6 K/BB The forward leaps that Nasim Nunez has made over the past month have been amongst the most exciting Marlins prospect developments going. As the season has gone on, Nunez has hit for more power, struck out less, and continued stealing bases at an astounding rate. It has culminated in Nunez being amongst the most productive hitters in the Marlins system. Ranked fourteenth in the recent Fangraphs Marlins Prospect List, it is fair to expect that Nunez will keep climbing up the rankings. During his slow start to the season at Beloit, the lack of contact that Nunez was making was probably the most concerning aspect of his game. Nunez was never projected for more than an average hit tool, but it is vital that he reaches that potential as a glove-first, low power middle infielder. Since April, when Nunez was striking out in nearly every other plate appearance, he has gradually brought that rate way down. From June 1st onward, Nunez is striking out in 18.7% of his plate appearances, which is an above average rate. Things have clearly clicked for Nunez, who augmented that contact with more power as well. The last time that Nunez was featured in the roundup he was fresh off of his first minor league home run. This week he hit his second long ball, while posting another week where he walked more than he struck out. Scouts would certainly say that they would like to see Nunez be a bit more aggressive at the plate, and he does seem to be hunting mistakes by the pitcher more. On the other hand, getting on base at a high rate provides Nunez with a decent floor even if his power never develops much. Continuing to make contact is the most important thing, as Nunez's speed is a constant threat on the base paths. RHP Huascar Brazoban, AAA This Week's Stats: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 5/1 K/BB Huascar Brazoban stood out in Spring Training, as he was consistently throwing fastballs in the high-nineties and generating swings and misses. Having spent the past few seasons playing in different countries and in independent leagues, Brazoban was given a chance on a minor league deal over the winter. With the way he pitched in the spring, Brazoban deserved a chance in full season ball. The thirty two year old right hander has backed up his opportunity with his best season yet in professional ball. One of the more intriguing aspects of Brazoban's season has been how the Jumbo Shrimp, and manager Daren Brown, have utilized him. He has been one of the team's best relief pitchers, but has also thrown the fourth most innings of anyone on the team. As the season has gone on, Brazoban has gone deeper into games on a per-outing basis. Since the start of June, every one of Brazonban's outings have generated at least five outs. Most of those appearances have between two-three innings, giving Brown a valuable swing man to use in the middle innings of close games. Not only has Brazoban given the Jumbo Shrimp that sort of length in his appearances, but he has also pitched very well. His 32% K-rate is well above average, while he has kept his walk rate in the single digits. Considering Brazoban's past minor league status, when he was consistently walking 12-16% of batters, that is an important improvement. His heavy fastball seems well geared to generating ground balls when hitters do make contact, while the slider will get swings and misses. The Marlins have gone through many relief pitchers this season, but Brazoban has pitched well enough to be knocking on the door. RHP Zach McCambley, AA This Week's Stats: 6.0 IP, 1 R, 0 H, 6/3 K/BB This has not been an easy year for the development of Zach McCambley. After entering the season as one of the Marlins more electric pitching prospects, McCambley has struggled with control and pitching with runners on base. However, there have still been moments like his start last week against Mississippi, where McCambley shows his potential as a guy who it is very difficult to make quality contact against. The key to McCambley's start against the Mississippi Braves was command of his curveball. It is by far his best pitch, and the one most likely to give hitters problems. McCambley consistently commands the pitch better than his other pitches, and can execute it well on the outside corner against lefties. The lack of a quality, high velocity fastball to match that breaking ball is what has slowed his development. His changeup has showed flashes of being a useful offering as well, but it is not as easy to set it up when the fastball is not particularly dangerous in the first place. Due to the strangeness of that repertoire, McCambley's future is most likely as a reliever who frequently pitches backwards. Setting guys up with the curveball for a strike, then throwing a fastball or changeup, before finishing with the curveball could be a recipe for success. That's what his plan seemed to be against the Braves, and he clearly had hitters out of rhythm. McCambley must also continue to clean up the issues with runners on base; his 57.2% left on base rate is concerning, but also likely too low to continue. Commanding his fastball is the first step towards McCambley cleaning that up and lowering his ERA. Last weeks start against the Braves was certainly a positive sign. 1B Zach Zubia, A This Week's Stats: 6-14, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 3 2B, 3/6 K/BB Most of the recent news surrounding the Jupiter Hammerheads has regarded two of the top Marlins prospects. Jose Salas was promoted to Beloit a few weeks ago, and has continued to hit. Back in Jupiter, Kahlil Watson has had a brutal last few months that have culminated in him not playing at all last week due to disciplinary issues stemming from a conflict with an umpire. Unfortunately, it is not the first controversy surrounding Watson this year, but last year's first round pick has plenty of time to mature. While the Marlins need to focus on that, Zach Zubia has kept on raking in the middle of the Hammerheads lineup. Zubia came out of the draft last year as a big bodied, athletic first baseman with some serious raw power. He hit over thirty homers in his college career at Texas, while posting impressive strikeout-to-walk ratios. A twentieth round pick in the draft, Zubia did not come with much hype as an older prospect without a clear defensive home. After some struggles last year in his professional debut, in which he failed to hit a home run in eighty five plate appearances, Zubia is looking much more confident at the plate this season and should be in line for a promotion. The most striking statistic when examining Zubia's profile remains his strikeouts compared to his walks. He has struck out sixty eight times this season, but walked fifty nine times. His walk rate is over 20%, demonstrating a particularly disciplined approach. However, if Zubia is going to reach his potential, he will have to start being a bit more aggressive and hunt pitches to do damage against. Despite all the walks, Zubia does still swing and miss quite a bit. He has also not hit the ball in the air frequently enough. This past week was a great sign, though, as he hit for extra base power. Zubia's slugging percentage now stands at exactly .400 for the season, and will need to keep climbing before he earns a promotion to Beloit. Next Up (7/12-7/17) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at Syracuse AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos vs ChattanoogaA+ Beloit Sky Carp vs Cedar RapidsA Jupiter Hammerheads at Bradenton

Fresh off a sweep of the Washington Nationals, things are beginning to look up again for the Marlins. Some quality pitching performances from top prospects at the lower levels should extend that optimism for Miami fans, as the second half of the season continues in the minors. - RHP Max Meyer, AAA This Week's Stats: 9.2 IP (2 GS), 1 R, 4 H, 9/1 K/BB Prior to being sidelined with right ulnar nerve irritation, Max Meyer had been experiencing his first difficulties of the 2022 season. This forearm injury may have contributed to Meyer's struggles, as he gave up fourteen runs in his two starts before landing on the injured list. Meyer had exactly a month off between outings, and he has looked much better since his return to action. Since coming back from the injury, Meyer has a 14/1 K/BB ratio through three starts and has given up just two runs. He has been the electric pitcher that fans were getting excited about in April, and is again knocking on the door of the big leagues. Perhaps the best sign that Meyer has shown over the past few starts has been improved command. After walking close to 10% of the batters he faced last year in Pensacola, Meyer has lowered that walk rate a few ticks this season. He seems to be a bit more consistent with his delivery, which has helped him throw pitches exactly where he wants them. Meyer's changeup continues to need work to avoid leaving it in dangerous spots, but it is clearly becoming more of a weapon against left handed hitters because of the way it tunnels with his fastball. The changeup is not the out pitch that his slider is, but Meyer can still get some uncomfortable looking swings on it when the pitch is well executed. Meyer got a few strikeouts on the changeup in his win versus Memphis on Sunday, and was featuring it frequently against lefties. Meyer's fastball continues to be an effective, ground ball generating pitch, although his velocity has not yet returned to the upper nineties consistently. His velocity was down right before he went on the injured list, so the forearm injury could have led to a slight decrease in miles per hour. Still, it is worth monitoring as Meyer continues to pitch his way closer to the Major Leagues with each successful start. OF Osiris Johnson, A This Week's Stats: 8-20, 1 HR, 2 2B, 1 SB Osiris Johnson has developed a bit slower than many may have hoped. However, it is important to keep in mind that the former second round pick is still only twenty one years old. If he had decided to play college baseball instead of signing with the Marlins, Johnson could be eligible for the upcoming draft. So, while Johnson is still trying to find his footing in Jupiter, it is important just to see his tools starting to translate to on-field success. That was the case this past week, as the quick Johnson showed some extra base power against St. Lucie. Johnson's development was further hindered by a tibia injury; he had fewer than 200 career professional plate appearances prior to missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic. Finally back seeing live pitching last year, Johnson struggled with an overly aggressive approach. While his right handed swing is smooth through the zone, Johnson tended to make poor swing choices that limited how often he was maximizing his contact. Johnson drew the unenviable task of batting leadoff against the Mets' Jacob DeGrom in his rehab start on Sunday afternoon. Johnson struck out against the Cy Young Award winning right hander, but that did not sour his performance for the rest of the week. He has shown plus bat speed throughout his minor league career; this spring Johnson hit a home run with a 103 mph exit velocity. That is a trait that can continue progressing as Johnson matures and gets stronger, but it is vitally important that he already possesses such a talent. Johnson still needs to work on his approach and get on base more, but he is also making more contact than he was a year ago. I would be surprised if Miami moves him up to Beloit anytime soon, but Osiris Johnson is showing some encouraging signs in recent weeks. C Ryan Lavarnway, AAA This Week's Stats: 4-16, 2 HR, 1 2B, 4 RBI I will admit that I was a bit excited when the Marlins acquired Ryan Lavarnway a few weeks ago from the Tigers, in exchange for cash considerations. With Payton Henry still on the minor league injured list, Jacksonville needed another catcher for depth, so the move made sense. Lavarnway has been around for a long time, and I can remember his days as a top prospect in the Boston Red Sox system. Lavarnway came up to the Majors in 2011 to some fanfare, and almost saved the Red Sox from a late season collapse with a few timely homers. Lavarnway never panned out for Boston, or in the big leagues in general unfortunately. His career line of .217/.272/.345 is not out of place for a backup catcher, but his defense behind the plate has never been of a high enough quality to latch on to a team. Lavarnway is the perfect example of the "Quadruple A" hitter as a guy who can hit AAA pitching consistently well, but struggles against major leaguers. With a .274/.366/.457 career minor league batting line, Lavarnway has never struggled to produce at the lower levels. He has also belted 141 minor league homers and 213 doubles. Lavarnway put a few of those homers onto his career line this week against Memphis. With a swing generated to do pull side damage through elevation, Lavarnway crushed a 443 foot homer on Friday night. He does not hit for the same kind of power that he did as a younger top prospect. Lavarnway hit 32 homers in 2011 between two levels (not including the two he hit in Boston), but has not come close to matching that total since then. Still, it was great to see this kind of power this week, to show that Lavarnway is still capable of adding to his résumé as one of the best minor league players of the past decade. The leadership he can provide for some of the Marlins young hitters should go a long way. RHP Eury Perez, AA This Week's Stats: 5.0 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 8/3 K/BB Eury Perez belongs to the Zach King and MD Johnson Club of guys who could be included in these roundups pretty much every week. Perez has been similarly dominant as those two Beloit pitchers, but he has done it a bit differently. As a guy who just turned nineteen years old to pitch this well at an upper level of the minor leagues, a spot in this list really could be guaranteed. The Marlins have been careful about Perez pitching too many innings at such a young age, but that has not limited his value to the Blue Wahoos this year. Manager Kevin "Smoke" Randel told us in April that Perez would be limited to about seventy five pitches per start, and that has largely proven to be the case. Perez has not thrown more than eighty four pitches in any given start, and has also yet to give up more than three earned runs in a start this year. With a 77/14 K/BB ratio through fifty six innings now, Perez has been everything Marlins fans could have possibly hoped for before entering the year. The numbers do not do Eury Perez justice though, as his composure and Major League quality stuff have been more of the story. Fangraphs, who now rates Perez among the top pitching prospects in the game, gave Eury a 70 future grade on his command. They already have a 50 on his current command, meaning that they think he already has big league average command. That is an incredible accomplishment for a nineteen year old, an age where most guys are just being drafted or are beginning their college careers. While he did walk three batters in his start last week, Perez still has a 6.3% BB rate on the season. That figure is solid for a starter at any level, and is a testament to how comfortable he is with a four pitch arsenal. As long as he keeps pitching like this, Eury Perez will be on the top of many prospects list going into 2023. RHP Evan Fitterer, A+ This Week's Stats: 6.0 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 5/2 K/BB It has been a rocky year to this point for Evan Fitterer, a prospect who I was hoping to see more out of this year. His strikeout rate sits at a below average 17.2%, while a double digit walk rate has contributed to a high ERA. Fitterer intrigues me as a prospect due to two plus off speed pitches that contribute to a plethora of ground balls. Pitchers with that background have had success out of the bullpen for big league teams in swing roles, as they tend to effectively give hitters a different look compared to a fastball heavy starter. Fitterer has not had the necessary command to utilize that sort of repertoire this year though. Fitterer continues to sit in the low nineties with his fastball, which also has a lot of movement. The pitch seems to cut more than anything else, and can be deceptive at times against hitters. Unfortunately, his delivery has not been consistent enough to deliver the pitch where he always wants to. Against South Bend last week, Fitterer did seem to clean things up a bit and put together one of his better performances of the season as a result. With only two walks, he now has five walks total over his last eighteen innings. That is nothing special, but is a step in the right direction. Over that same stretch, however, Fitterer has only eleven strikeouts. He needs to put the two together to locate pitches within the zone, but where it will be more difficult for batters to make contact against it. Giving me optimism going forward is Fitterer's ground ball rate, which is just below 60% right now. If he can just keep pitches near the zone, Fitterer can get outs on the ground and limit serious damage through the air. This past week's start was a step in the right direction. Up Next (7/4-7/10) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp vs NorfolkAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos at MississippiA+ Beloit Sky Carp at PeoriaA Jupiter Hammerheads vs Palm Beach

Gary Denbo (AP Photo)Following Derek Jeter’s departure from the Marlins organization this offseason, one of his original and appointees has been relieved. On Wednesday afternoon, Craig Mish of SportsGrid broke the news that the team has parted ways with Vice President of Player Development and Scouting Gary Denbo. Denbo was a Jeter guy even before the start. One of the new regime’s first hires, Denbo joined the Marlins’ organization in 2017, replacing Mark DelPiano. In a controversial move, Jeter had asked then outgoing team president David Samson to inform DelPiano and three others of their releases before Jeter officially took over the team. Denbo and Jeter were well acquainted friends and colleagues as a result of spending seven seasons together in the organization. With the Yankees, Denbo first served as a hitting coach in 2001 before returning to the organization in 2009 as a player development executive. In 2011, Jeter attributed improvements in his swing made while he was on the IL to Denbo’s teachings. But that was far from Denbo’s only qualification. Beginning in 2015, Denbo completely overhauled the Yankees’ farm system. He remodeled the organization’s image from the perennial mortgagers of young talent to a club that can effectively build from within. In Denbo’s years, the Yankees developed positional prospects such as Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres and others to become a much more prominent minor league system. In his tenure with the Marlins, the organization experienced a similar rise up farm system rankings. In 2016, Miami ranked as the second worst farm system in baseball. Today, most major outlets concur that the system is amongst the top five. While pitching development flourished, Denbo’s major crux with the Marlins was getting the most out of his positional talent. Though Denbo has used similar tactics he used with the Yankees such as bringing his preseason tutelage and education program for top prospects Captain’s Camp to Miami and while pitching development has flourished, heavily invested in prospects such as JJ Bleday, Victor Victor Mesa, Connor Scott, Jordan McCants, Kahlil Watson and others have so far struggled to live up to their believed potential. Denbo also drew ire for not advocating for pay for minor league players in extended spring training and providing players with their own bedrooms at every MiLB affiliate. The Marlins are one of just three organizations in baseball who do not provide at least one of those accommodations. Furthermore, Denbo was at times unpopular for other HR related decisions and treatment of employees he managed. With Denbo moving on, the Marlins have several in house options who could fill his position. Highly-heralded for his work in the last few MLB Drafts, Senior Director of Amateur Scouting DJ Svihlik is an obvious option. It would seem Svihlik will take on increased responsibility in the meanwhile as the MLB Draft approaches. Director of Pro Scouting Hadi Raad, Director of Player Development Geoff DeGroot and Director of Minor League Operations Hector Crespo are other qualified candidates. While all of those names are deserving, like Denbo, they all have ties to the Yankees. It will be very interesting to see the direction the organization goes as they continue to operate sans Jeter.

Most of the Marlins' minor league affiliates were finishing up the first halves of their seasons last week. Congratulations are in order for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, who won their division and have secured a spot in the playoffs in a few months. Moreover, all four minor league teams are now at .500 or better on the season, which underlies the development we have seen from many players this season. - LHP Andrew Nardi, AAA This Week's Stats: 3.0 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 5/1 K/BB The Marlins may rank 21st in the Major Leagues in bullpen ERA, but they have a host of exciting relievers in the system that should be valuable reinforcements within the next year or so. Nardi is one of the guys closest to contributing at the highest level of professional baseball. Since his promotion to Jacksonville about a month ago, Nardi has continued to display a repertoire that can gets swings and misses and limit base runners. He has posted a WHIP below 1.00 at both Pensacola and Jacksonville this year, while posting a strikeout rate of 38% between the two levels. This has been Nardi's most promising season since being drafted in 2019, and the twenty-three year old is still young enough that more development can be expected. Nardi worked primarily as a starting pitcher in college, albeit with limited success. He posted a 6.75 ERA in seventeen games (fourteen starts) while at Arizona in 2018. Still, the Marlins saw enough promise to take the big lefty in the sixteenth round of the 2019 draft. Nardi has worked only as a reliever since joining Miami's pipeline, but has shown an ability to pitch multiple innings. These types of hybrid roles can be incredibly valuable for a manager, as we have seen progressive teams utilize pitchers like Nardi one to two times a week for multiple innings. Nardi has made twenty five appearances, between the two levels, this season; in over half of them he has gotten four outs or more. Nardi's three pitch arsenal makes this sort of multi-inning role plausible in the Major Leagues. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid nineties, while his slider misses bats. Nardi's third pitch, a changeup, neutralizes opposite handed batters well when he is able to locate the pitch. Lefties have not been able to touch Nardi this season, with a .105/.191/.105 line against him, while righties have had greater success. Developing the changeup will be crucial to Nardi's big league future, as just being a lefty specialist would provide value but would also limit Nardi's ceiling. Still, as that .000 ISO against lefties indicates, Nardi has not even given up an XBH against them this season. Based on the way he has pitched, even if Nardi does not get a call up before the end of the season, he will have earned a spot on the 40 man roster this winter instead of being exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. OF Victor Mesa Jr., A+ This Week's Stats: 8-23, 4 2B, 6 R, 2/7 K/BB It is hard to believe Victor Mesa Jr. is only twenty years old still (he turns twenty-one in September). After signing with the Marlins as the second wheel to his brother in a much publicized pursuit of the Cuban outfielders, the younger Mesa brother has slowly developed into the more intriguing prospect. While neither of the Mesa brothers is a sure thing to ever even reach the big leagues, Victor Jr. has shown enough this season to retain some hope that he could end up contributing at the highest level. Much like the rest of the Beloit lineup, Mesa's performance has gotten better as the season has gone on. His OPS has trended upwards on a monthly basis, while he is walking more and striking out less. With a .253/.343/.380 line, Mesa has performed 3% better than league average. Interestingly, the lefty swinging Mesa has performed far better against left handed pitchers than righties. His .855 OPS versus lefties, as opposed to a .676 OPS against righties, may just be a case of a small sample size. Still, two of his three home runs this season came against lefties, and his strikeout rate is also lower against southpaws. Mesa struggled mightily against lefties last year, so he has made some important adjustments to counteract that with his approach. Scouts still raise concerns, and justifiably so, about the lack of a standout tool from Mesa. An argument could be made that his hit tool could end up being that trait. Looking at his last week, Mesa was on base fifteen times while striking out only twice. His K% for the season sits at an impressive, if not necessarily elite, 18%. For the month of June, that strikeout rate is at an exceptional 11.9%. Hope needs to remain that Mesa can come into some more power considering his age and athletic frame. Unfortunately, not much power has emerged in games, with an ISO of .122 this season. The doubles we saw this week are a good sign, and Mesa's future path to the big leagues may be as a contact hitter who can pick up some steals, doubles, and get on base enough to be a fringe starter/fourth outfielder type. SS Nasim Nunez, A+ This Week's Stats: 9-19, 1 HR, 2 2B, 2 3B, 1/6 K/BB The defense that Nasim Nunez consistently plays is not usually discernible in the minor league box scores, but provides a value that is hard to quantify at the lower levels. The major scouting publications all seem to agree that Nunez's calling card is his glove though, and it has the potential to be a ticket to the majors eventually. Unfortunately, up until the last few weeks, the glove and speed were about all there was to be excited about when it came to Nunez. To say he had not hit in professional ball would be an understatement; Nunez had never hit a home run in the minors and most of his hits were a result of great speed. Nunez snapped that homerless drought this past week with not just a homer, but a no doubt bomb to center field. Nothing demonstrates how toolsy Nunez is better than that long ball. The switch hitting shortstop is still growing into his frame and tacking on muscle that will help him reach more power. Nunez has also definitely made some adjustments this year with his swing to try and get to some more of that raw power. His ground ball rate of 52% is still high, but certainly not unreasonable for a speedy, glove-first player. The glove will provide so much value that all Nunez needs to do is be a somewhat productive hitter to be a useful player at the upper levels. One concern that remains with Nunez is his ability to hit from the right side of the plate. He is striking out more, walking less, and hitting for less power as a right handed hitter. The swing from the left side, which you see on his home run cut, also looks more fluid and geared toward maximizing his contact. On the whole, Nunez is making more contact as the season progresses though. In June, he has eighteen strikeouts to seventeen walks, an impressive ratio at any level. While Nunez will probably need to be more aggressive eventually, that approach is working to make him a league average hitter at High-A and restoring some belief amongst Marlins fans that he could be an eventual contributor. LHP Zach King, A+ This Week's Stats: 7.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 11/1 K/BB I try to avoid including the same player in the Roundup in consecutive weeks, but Zach King followed a great performance up with an even better one. His eleven strikeouts cement King's status as the strikeout leader in the organization, which is quite the accomplishment considering King's initial sting in High-A last year. He labored towards an ERA a few ticks below 6.00, while giving up fourteen home runs in seventy-eight innings. This season, on the other hand, King has avoided the long ball and gotten more strikeouts. After this most recent outing, his ERA sits at 2.77 and has helped spur a Beloit revival to the .500 mark for the season (34-34). Unlike some of his peers on this list, King has not needed to get continuously better this season to earn a spot in the Roundup. He has pitched well throughout the year, as him and MD Johnson managed to keep the Sky Carp in many games earlier this season when the offense was as cold as the weather. King has done it by consistently pitching deep into games; only two of his twelve starts have been shorter than five innings long. He has done it with a fastball-cutter combo that can get groundballs, a slider that misses plenty of bats, and a changeup that neutralizes righties well. Considering King was a reliever at Vanderbilt, his transition into a starter has been an impressive bit of development from both the player and the Marlins pitching development program. Fangraphs recently speculated King could be used as a "bulk reliever" in their Marlins Prospects List, but I am optimistic that he could end up being a back end starter. The four pitch mix that has emerged this season is promising, as is King's improved control. He has walked just 5.6% of opposing hitters this month, after posting walk rates over 12% in both April and May. Keeping that walk rate low will be the best way for King to remain a starter, as his more fluid delivery and deep repertoire indicate that he can stay in a starting role going forward. SS Jose Salas, A This Week's Stats: 6-23, 2 HR, 2 2B, 6 R In that aforementioned Fangraphs prospects list, Fangraphs' Eric Longenhagen stirred up a fair bit of discussion amongst Marlins fans by ranking Jose Salas the third best prospect in the Miami system. Most other rankings have had the shortstop on the back half of the top ten in the system, but Longenhagen even had Salas ranked above his teammate in Jupiter, Khalil Watson. While I have tended to regard Watson as the higher ceiling prospect with the potential for more power, the two are probably closer than people imagine. Salas, being a well-known international free agent signing in 2019, has certainly shown more at Jupiter this season than Watson, who was also a well regarded amateur taken in the first round last season. Nasim Nunez is more known for his speed than Salas, and has doubled his stolen base output compared to the younger Salas this season. However, Salas has been caught only once this season, while he has successfully stolen fifteen bags. Nunez has thirty steals, but has been caught ten times. I mention this, along with Salas' plus power, to demonstrate that he may be the most complete shortstop prospect in the system. While it remains to be seen if Salas stays at short, his athleticism and arm should make him adequate at second or third base as well. Ultimately, there is not any one glaring weakness in Salas' game right now. As with Nunez, Salas and the Marlins will have to decide if they want him to remain a switch hitter going forward. There is plenty of time to decide, as Salas is still just nineteen years old. Moreover, he has had success from both sides of the plate this year. The sample size from the right handed side is small (46 plate appearances), but he has just five strikeouts from that side and has hit a homer. It was not long ago that the right side was not even mentioned as a concern, but Salas has made so much progress from the left side that it naturally leads people to wonder. For now, the Marlins will sit back and watch him continue to develop. Salas' two homers this week both came from the left side, and contributed to an impressive 126 wRC+ for the season. The Marlins will take it slowly with the youngster, but his star level potential remains. Up Next (6/28-7/3) AAA Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp at MemphisAA Pensacola Blue Wahoos vs MontgomeryA+ Beloit Sky Carp vs South BendA Jupiter Hammerheads at St. Lucie

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