Alex Carver

During Marlins pre-spring development camp, right-hander Jacob Miller talks to Alex Carver about his new pitch and what he's hoping to accomplish in 2024. View full video

For Skip Schumaker and his staff, all players in camp—including non-roster invitees—are being given the same amount of attention and the same amount of opportunity to impress. JUPITER, FL—Every spring, in addition to 40-man roster players, MLB clubs bring some of their minor league players to spring training as non-roster invitees. In most cases, NRIs consist of players with the potential to make a big league impact shortly that the team wants to take a closer look at and younger minor league players the team would like to learn from exposure to a preseason big league experience. For Skip Schumaker and his staff, they are treating NRIs the same way they are treating everyone else in camp and the 26-man roster is not yet set. “Just because you aren’t on the 40-man roster doesn’t mean we’re not taking a real look,” Schumaker said. The Marlins manager corroborates this almost daily. Once big league workouts are done, NRIs are sent to get at-bats during minor league scrimmage games. On Thursday afternoon, Schumaker was present to watch Will Banfield, Bennett Hostetler, Jacob Berry and Javier Sanoja (the youngest NRI in camp) take some live at-bats. With the big league staff looking on, Banfield doubled and Hostetler recorded two hits. “There’s guys that are interesting, no doubt about it.” Schumaker said. Schumaker went into detail on a few of his NRIs that he is looking forward to getting a closer look at when spring training games commence. The first name mentioned was Trey Mancini. A seven-year MLB veteran, Mancini is a .263/.328/.448 career bat who plays both first base and corner outfield. He’s struggled offensively in recent years, but Schumaker believes the rest of his career speaks for itself. “He was a very good player for a lot of years,” Schumaker said. “Good right-handed bat, veteran player, great guy, great story. I’m looking forward to seeing him. He’s looked good so far out there.” Another name mentioned by Schumaker was that of the reigning Marlins Minor League Player of the Year, Troy Johnston. Despite a loud 2023, Johnston hasn't been rewarded with a promotion yet. Schumaker related Johnston’s experience this offseason to his own as he was developing as a player. “I remember when I was in AA and led the Southern League, went to Venezuela, led the league there, didn’t get protected,” Schumaker said. “I also wasn’t picked up by the other 29 teams and made my debut the following year.” “He had a great AA/AAA season. So we will see what happens there.” A third name mentioned by Schumaker was catcher Curt Casali. Another vet, Casali is a career .220/.314/.380 bat known well for his defense. In 40 games past season, Casali had a 0.5 dWAR, adding to his career total of 4.2 and a 32% caught stealing percentage. He also carries a 19 in the career defensive runs saved department. Schumaker didn’t forget about his NRI hurlers. There are seven in camp: Elvis Alvarado, Matt Andriese, Luarbert Arias, Yonny Chirinos, Jeff Lindgren, Patrick Monteverde, Devin Smeltzer and Kyle Tyler. In Skip’s experience, guys like this come ready to impress. “There’s always an NRI pitcher that surprises you,” Schumaker said. “I’m hoping and looking forward to one or two NRI arms that surprised us that make our decision really tough at the end of spring training.” The Marlins did not have an NRI crack the Opening Day roster in 2023. Shawn Armstrong was the last to do it when he made the Marlins’ bullpen out of spring training in 2022. The Marlins begin their spring training slate this Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals. With major league regulars being eased into game action, the club should start to get a good look at these names starting immediately. View full article

After a mentally challenging offseason, Troy Johnston is in Marlins camp as an NRI determined to succeed. JUPITER, FL—Troy Johnston was up early on Monday morning. All players in Marlins camp were scheduled to take their spring training physicals and Johnston had the earliest appointment. He arrived at Marlins camp at 5:30 AM. “They pulled a fast one on me,” he joked. “Someone had to be first.” Johnston hit .307/.399/.549 with 20+ home runs and steals in 2023, at the end of which he was honored as the Marlins’ Minor League Player of the Year. The award is now part of a growing collection of accolades he has been receiving in his pro career. “My parents are awesome and they have, I don’t want to call it a shrine, but they have a shelf that I have most of my awards on,” Johnston said. “It’s right next to/in front of my 2022 Blue Wahoos’ Player of the Year award.” Success aside—these past two seasons especially—Johnston was the first in line for physicals because later times conveniently go to members of the Marlins’ 40-man roster. Johnston is somehow not one of them. This past winter, Johnston was exposed to the Rule 5 Draft for a second consecutive season. Surprisingly, none of the other MLB teams called his name at the Winter Meetings. He is back in Marlins’ camp this year once again as a non-roster invitee. “It’s kind of heartbreaking,” Johnston said. “I had some mental things I had to work through. You’re kind of at a low point where it’s like, 'What else do I have to do? What more?' No one is giving you answers, that kind of stuff.” To help him through what was a very challenging winter—which included working multiple jobs to make ends meet—Johnston sought some professional help from a mental skills coach and described the assistance he got as invaluable. “He was talking about how we have to flip the script,” Johnston said. “You have another opportunity. You’ve set yourself up for a good opportunity. Take that opportunity and don’t squander it.” On the field, despite not having faced live pitching yet, Johnston has been satisfied with how he showed up to camp and his initial output so far. “I’m seeing the ball well, my timing is surprisingly better than I thought,” Johnston said when asked for his thoughts on camp so far. “I feel good, I feel healthy, and I feel happy.” In lieu of what was a frustrating winter for the 26-year-old infielder, Johnston’s mindset this spring is to remain levelheaded and cash in on his most recent chance at his dream to become a big leaguer. While he is determined and wants to convince the Marlins he is ready for the majors as much as possible, he’s also staying true to himself. “Yes, definitely both,” Johnston said. “I can only force their hand so much because parts of it are out of my control.” In the meantime, Johnston is enjoying his second spring training experience so far and has been impressed with the presence in the clubhouse early on. Although full squad report day is not until Tuesday, much of the spring training cavalcade has been present since pitchers and catchers have reported. “Vibes are high. Everybody is really excited to be here,” Johnston said. “Of course this was the first full team practice, but when we were here early a couple days, it pretty much seemed like a full team practice already. They haven’t started making cuts so nobody is really getting nervous. They’re just excited to be here.” Johnston is expected to see time at first base during spring training games, which begin this coming Saturday. View full article

Marlins prospect Kemp Alderman speaks on his experience so far at his first Spring Training as well as what he took away from his first year pro. View full video

The Marlins added pitching depth on Thursday night, signing free agent Kent Emanuel to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training. Days after announcing their first batch of Spring Training non-roster invitees, the Marlins made another small minor league signing on Thursday night. Lefty Kent Emanuel will come to Marlins camp this coming week, hoping to make the Opening Day bullpen. Craig Mish of SportsGrid was the first to report Emanuel's signing. Emanuel will be 32 this summer and has hade quite an eventful career for all the wrong reasons. He began his pro career as a third-round pick in 2010. Always lauded for his size, the 6’5” Emanuel held down a 2.52 ERA with a 287/78 K/BB at the University of North Carolina which earned him his draft capital. Emanuel had an effective first two seasons against younger competition and made it up to AA to start 2015. However, his season was very short-lived. After just four games, he went down with an elbow injury that ultimately required Tommy John surgery. He didn’t return to the mound until midway through 2016. In his first lengthy look in the upper minors, he had a 5.23 ERA over 82.2 IP. Emanuel’s most successful year in the upper minors came in 2017 when he was almost fully converted to a reliever. In 28 appearances (101.2 IP), Emanuel held down a 3.90 ERA and had an 81/23 K/BB. Also to his credit was his calling card, a 57% groundball rate. It would be a long time until Emanuel would be able to build off that season's success. After the missed COVID season, Emanuel was suspended 80 games for the use of the banned substance Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT). He returned from his second lengthy absence in April 2021 and was immediately called up to make his big league debut. Pitching for the first time in an affiliated game in 606 days, Emanuel impressed the Astros, tossing 8 ⅔ innings in relief allowing just two earned runs while striking out five. After his debut, Emanuel went on to perform well out of the Astros bullpen. In his first 17 ⅔ total innings, he had a 2.55 ERA and 13/4 K/BB with a 50% ground ball rate. But once again in the middle of solid performance, injury struck. After exiting his final appearance of 2021 with another apparent throwing arm injury, Emanuel underwent an internal bracing surgical procedure in early June. That offseason, he was waived by the Astros and claimed by the Phillies. Recovery from the aforementioned injury landed Emanuel on the 60-day IL to start his career with Philadelphia. He rehabbed in June of 2022 and got back to AAA that July before eventually being shut down again for the season with a shoulder issue. After missing more than a full year, he threw in just 13 total games with the Phillies. This past season, Emanuel returned and pitched for the Pirates organization. He remained healthy after his return in April, but he struggled to find results pitching to a 6.12 ERA—mostly as a starter—and was released in August. Since 2021, he’s thrown just 162 innings. At his core, Emanuel is a fairly soft-tossing lefty with three pitches: fastball, slider and changeup. He’s had a very turbulent career especially on the health front, but if he’s able to stay on the mound, he’s capable of recording quick outs mostly via soft contact when he’s commanding. He can serve as a swing man, but is best suited for shorter stints. With the Marlins, he will get another chance to make it back to the big leagues. As of Friday afternoon, the Marlins have a full 40-man roster and 21 NRIs. They could have up to 63 players in big league camp if both Jordan Groshans and Kaleb Ort clear waivers and are outrighted to the minors. View full article

On Tuesday evening, the Marlins swung a trade with the Athletics: infielder Jonah Bride for cash considerations. Before closing the book entirely on a slow offseason, the Marlins announced a minor trade on Tuesday night. Miami acquired infielder Jonah Bride from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for cash considerations. Daniel Alvarez of El Extrabase was the first to report. Bride is entering his age-28 season and has spent his entire career this far with Oakland. A 23rd-round pick from the 2018 MLB Draft, Bride enjoyed a .289/.395/.401 collegiate career mostly in the SEC at the University of South Carolina. A four-year collegiate player who also spent the 2020 COVID season idle, Bride was pushed hard by the A’s, playing at three MiLB levels in 2022 before making his big league debut that same season. He began 2023 back at AAA where he hit a loud .305/.432/.544 before being recalled to Oakland. In 40 games with the A’s this past year, Bride slashed an underwhelming .171/.286/.205. Bride’s standout tool has always been exceptional plate discipline. In his minor league career, he racked up 265 walks to just 207 strikeouts. Despite struggles at the big league level so far with contact, Bride has still kept his swings at pitches mostly inside the zone, allowing him a 54/30 K/BB over his 293 plate appearances. The 5’10”, 210-pounder also shows solid athleticism and has shown the ability to take the field wherever he’s been needed. Over the course of his career, he’s played all over the infield, even slotting in as a catcher. His solid righty arm makes him best fit to play third base. As he embarks on his career with Miami, Bride will need to find more barrels (only five of those through his first 201 batted balls vs. major league pitching). He was also hampered by a 50% ground ball rate with the A’s last year, wasting some of his hard-hit balls. Overall, Bride controls the strike zone extremely well. Given his success in the upper minors, there is still the potential for him to become an above-average on-base threat, a fine asset the Marlins could incorporate regularly off the bench at multiple positions. Acquiring him at the cost of just cash considerations is a good bet to make. He will come to Spring Training with a plus chance of making the Opening Day roster; if he doesn’t, he still has an option year remaining. To make room for Bride on the 40 man roster, Jordan Groshans was designated for assignment. Groshans was acquired by Miami at the 2022 trade deadline. He hit .244/.339/.330 with AAA Jacksonville this past season. The rest of the league will have seven days to inquire about Groshans’ services. View full article

Despite being one of the most recognizable and feared hitters in baseball for decades, Sheffield did not make it to Cooperstown after 10 years on the ballot. Gary Sheffield’s time on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot has come and gone. As the voting results were revealed on Tuesday tonight, it was confirmed that he was again denied election to Cooperstown. Sheffield recevied the most support he ever has, but in heartbreaking fashion, he missed election by a narrow 11.1%, garnering 63.9% of the necessary 75% of the electorate's vote. What was the case for voting against Gary Sheffield over these last 10 straight years? Let's explore one final time. Let’s get it out of the way first: yes, Gary Sheffield used a BALCO product. Famously at the spike of the steroid era in 2002, Sheffield trained with Barry Bonds. After being mentioned in the Mitchell Report, he admitted to applying a topical cream produced by BALCO to his knees during that tenure. This undoubtedly is one of the main reasons why Sheffield was not elected. But let’s talk about something else that Bonds and Sheffield also have in common: they were both on a Hall of Fame track before they started using. Sheffield (14th season) and Bonds (13th season) were at similar points in their career when their first use cases happened. Comparing the two players pre-first use, we see very similar slash lines that made both players two of the best hitters in the game. In Sheffield’s case, he had already racked up over300 home runs, he had been a main contributor to a World Series winning team, and he won a batting title for having one of the best seasons in Marlins’ history. On top of that, he won two Silver Sluggers and six All Star Game selections. During that stretch, he was one of 14 players in baseball to play in over 1000 games and OPS at least .900. Whether Sheffield did it knowingly or not, using this as an excuse to keep him off of your ballot would be acceptable if (big if) steroids helped his performance greatly improve. Did they? Statistics say no. Before 2002, Sheffield slashed .295/.399/.521 and averaged 22 home runs a season. Afterwards, in a smaller sample, he slashed .287/.384/.503 with an average of 24 home runs a season. The proof is on the page: whatever Sheffield used did not greatly help his performance and did not make him a Hall of Famer. He did that on his own. And oh, by the way, he never got caught or suspended for steroid use. This should not be have been treated nearly as simply as it seemingly was by some voters. Let’s talk about the other knock of Sheffield’s candidacy: defense. Yes, it is true that Sheffield was objectively not good with his glove. In fact, he was one of the worst gloves in baseball during his tenure. After not being able to make it work at either shortstop or third base early on in his career, Sheff moved to the outfield where he more often than not struggled. For his career, he posted a -27.7 dWAR. This severely impacted Sheffield’s overall WAR. However, what he did with the bat to become one of the most memorable and recognizable hitters arguably of his generation more than made up for those shortcomings. By posting a career 80.7 oWAR, something only 36 other players have ever done in their careers, Sheff ended his 22-year run with a 60.5 marker for overall WAR. Currently, there are 37 post-dead ball era outfielders in the Hall of Fame with a 60.5 WAR or less. His defense should nearly be a non-factor. The only other question mark around Sheffield during his playing tenure that has been pointed to as a caveat to his great play was his relationship with media members. Some didn’t like Sheffield’s brash and very honest nature and have since used this as fuel to leave his name unchecked. However, the Hall of Fame is about telling the story of baseball, not about telling us who was better in front of a microphone. Let's take a quick look at the National Baseball Hall of Fame's voting guidelines: 5. Voting: Voting shall be based upon the player's record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played. No matter what team you rooted for during Sheffield’s incredible playing career, it didn’t matter. You knew his iconic bat waggle and tried to replicate it in your little league games and games of backyard baseball. You knew his beautifully violent swing. You saw him finish top three in MVP voting three times. You saw his name was all over print media for far more right reasons than for wrong reasons. You still know him today as the only player in MLB history to hit 500+ home runs having never struck out more than 83 times in a season. The story of the history of baseball will remain incomplete without Gary Sheffield in Cooperstown. Although this was a very disappointing day for both Sheffield and the baseball world as a whole, this wrong can still be righted. The 16-person Contemporary Baseball Era Committee will meet again in December 2025. At that time, Sheffield should have the opportunity to join his fellow Tampa, Florida native Fred McGriff as players who were snubbed by the BBWAA, but ultimately got the induction they deserved. View full article

Alex and Kevin summarize the international signings and Fish Fest interviews that took place last week. Alex Carver and Kevin Barral guide you through a very busy week of Miami Marlins prospect news that included 2024 International Signing Day, reports of Andrew Salas agreeing to a multi-million dollar deal for 2025 and takeaways from Double-A Pensacola's annual Fish Fest event. Enjoy Episode 58 of Swimming Upstream. Subscribe to the Fish On First YouTube channel to watch video versions of every Swimming Upstream episode. Read up on the 21 international players who signed last Monday and the talented Salas, who's expected to receive a bonus of nearly $4 million to headline next year's class. Follow Alex (@marlinsminors), Kevin (@kevin_barral) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. Our Fish On First podcast programming includes The Offishial Show, Fish Unfiltered, Swimming Upstream, Big Fish Small Pod and What a Relief. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, Megaphone or wherever you normally get your pods from. View full article

During his first full affiliated season in 2023, Jordan McCants learned some valuable lessons that he hopes to carry forward as he continues to develop. 2023 was a year full of education for infielder Jordan McCants. A third-round draft pick by the Marlins out of his northwest Florida high school in 2021, McCants came out of the short-season leagues and embarked upon his first full season in affiliated ball when he was assigned to the Low-A Jupiter Hammerheads. From very early on through the bulk of the season, the first lesson McCants learned was the importance of adjusting to your surroundings. Not only was McCants tasked with learning how to see and contact pitching at a more advanced level and for a longer period of time, he also faced some unique circumstances related to where his team called home. After spending much of the first half of the season at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, the Hammerheads were required to move to the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches ahead of planed construction in Jupiter. “We just had to make it work,” McCants told Erik Bremer during the Pensacola Blue Wahoos' annual Fish Fest on Thursday. “Our manager said, 'It’s minor league ball. You have to make it work.' We’re still gonna show up every day, we’re still going to play hard. We’re still gonna get our work in. We may not have as many resources as we had, but it all turned out great.” The "great" McCants speaks of is how the season ended for the nomadic Jupiter Hammerheads. Despite the turbulent nature of their ballpark situation and their limited access to resources, the club rode a second-half division title through to a championship. The second lesson McCants learned: the importance of contributing to winning culture. “Our team chemistry was incredible. We all just came together as one to be brothers and really play for each other,” McCants said. “Our manager and faculty engrained that into us early. We all just embraced it.” Leading to the Hammerheads winning it all, McCants was front and center for some standout moments, most notably his walk-off sacrifice bunt in extra innings during the first playoff game against Palm Beach. “It was a day I’ll never forget. My mom passed in 2022 on that day. That same day, I had to wake up and play a playoff game,” McCants recalled. “I went out and got a walk off. It was a blessing and a great feeling.” Strength through adversity this past year allowed McCants to learn another very important lesson: the importance of mental fortuity. “Baseball is a game of failure. You gotta be tough mentally,” McCants said. “Trying to build that over a full affiliated year and actually seeing how a full season works was great.” Tangibly, on the baseball field, McCants learned a new position in 2023. Accustomed to being a shortstop and second baseman until that point in his career, McCants played 55 games at third base. According to McCants, the learning curve was immediate and stark. “It has its moments. That’s the hot corner. I remember Opening Day, Paul DeJong was rehabbing for the Cardinals and he hit one right at me at 105 [miles per hour],” McCants said. “It’s just reaction time. It was fun playing over there. I played a lot more than I thought I was going to play over there.” Off the field, McCants is always cognizant of where he started and where he came from. Last year, he once again won the Marlins’ organizational award as Service Member of the Year. “Being from a small place, we don’t have a lot of resources,” McCants said this past September in Miami after the awards ceremony. “For the youth to see a professional baseball player come back and just to one of their little league games or something, just being there and being that face. It means everything. It’s bigger than baseball; it always has been.” Already this winter, McCants attended his third straight Fish Fest in Pensacola. For the remainder of 2024, McCants hopes to further embrace and continue to instill what he learned and took away from 2023. Asked what his goals are, he had one simple answer: “Another championship. I don’t care what level I’m on.” In the current state, all signs point to McCants beginning the year with the High-A Beloit Sky Carp. In being proactive, McCants stated he’s planning ahead (“I’m going to bring at least five jackets”). McCants, still 21, exhibits 70-grade speed that allowed him to steal 36 bases this past year, solid defensive flexibility, a still-growing frame that he has already added 25+ pounds to since being drafted, and a growing knowledge of who he is as a baseball player. If he can come by more bat speed and put the ball in play more consistently, he is a strong candidate to turn heads this coming season. View full article

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