Nathaniel Klaff

One article produced earlier this year examined how the Marlins' minor league system was on pace to record the highest strikeout rate in franchise history. At the time, the development of swing-and-miss ability across all levels seemed like it would be the prevailing narrative of the 2026 season. However, as the season has progressed, a larger issue has overshadowed that. The depth that once appeared to be an organizational strength is quickly disappearing. Injuries, promotions, underperformance, and roster turnover have impacted nearly every MiLB roster. When the Marlins traded Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers last offseason, the belief was that the organization had enough pitching depth to absorb those losses. That depth is now being tested. Thomas White is likely out for the season with a shoulder sprain. Robby Snelling and Adam Mazur have both undergone elbow surgeries. Eury Pérez is sidelined with a gracilis sprain, while Janson Junk is dealing with shin inflammation. Chris Paddack has already been designated for assignment. Braxton Garrett has struggled with command during his return from Tommy John, and Ryan Gusto has posted a 10.80 ERA in his limited MLB exposure. The concern extends beyond the rotation. Andrew Nardi is expected to miss roughly three months, while Ronny Henriquez underwent Tommy John and will miss the remainder of the season. Josh Ekness is sidelined for six weeks, Calvin Faucher owns an 18% walk rate, and the club's biggest bullpen addition from the offseason, Pete Fairbanks, has struggled to find consistency. This has had a trickle-down effect to the Marlins farm. Over their last two series, Triple-A Jacksonville has posted a 4.72 ERA and 1.51 WHIP while issuing 64 walks. Bradley Blalock has cooled off after a strong start, Braxton Garrett is still working his way back, and Brandon White has struggled since being promoted. The one obvious bright spot has been introducing Karson Milbrandt to their rotation. Now being recognized as a Top 100 MLB prospect, Milbrandt tossed six innings of scoreless ball in his AAA debut. Double-A Pensacola has managed a respectable 4.23 ERA, but much of the credit goes to Eliazar Dishmey, who was nearly flawless in his outing on Thursday (6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K). High-A Beloit has arguably been hit the hardest. The Sky Carp own a staggering 7.74 ERA during that span. Compounding their inability to throw strikes, they've been surrendering nearly two home runs per game. The Beloit active roster includes Jaydenn Estanista and Jesús Rios, who were not even employed by the Marlins org when the season began. Unsurprisingly, they have a 2-10 record over their last 12 games. It looks like a typo at first glance, but no: Low-A Jupiter has issued more than a walk per inning (106 BB in 101.2 IP) over this two-week span, contributing to a 5.40 ERA. Walin Castillo, Dameivi Tineo, and Julio Mendez have all performed well in the rotation, but the bullpen has struggled. What about the offense? The offensive side of the organization presents a different challenge. While overall production throughout the system has been strong, much of it is concentrated among a relatively small group of players. Triple-A Jacksonville currently features Agustín Ramírez and Graham Pauley, both of whom struggled during their time with the major league club earlier this season. Jacob Berry appeared close to a call-up before cooling off over the last few weeks—he has not homered since April. Kemp Alderman is expected to miss at least another week with a right elbow sprain, while Deyvison De Los Santos has not produced at the level the organization hoped. Double-A Pensacola has become the center of the organization's offensive talent. Aiva Arquette, Cam Cannarella, Juan Matheus, and Connor Caskenette have all arrived from Beloit and continued their strong seasons. Dillon Lewis leads the organization with 12 home runs and Fenwick Trimble leads with 56 hits, while Brendan Jones has paired 22 stolen bases with six homers. Those aforementioned promotions have left Beloit's lineup much thinner than it was a few weeks ago. Brandon Compton has struggled, Dillon Head has yet to find consistency, and Emilio Barreras and Esmil Valencia have gotten off to slow starts at the High-A level. Adding to the talent drain, Starlyn Caba was recently placed on the injured list. Jupiter recently received reinforcements with the arrivals of Luis Arana and Luis Cova from the FCL, and both have started well. Abraham Ramírez opened the year as one of the hottest hitters in the organization before cooling off significantly. Carter Johnson has put together a solid bounce-back season, but there is still development ahead. The biggest concern remains 2024 first-round pick PJ Morlando, who is hitting under .200 with a strikeout rate above 34%. Andrew Salas was recently demoted to the FCL after hitting .170. For an organization that plans to build its next contender through player development, maintaining depth is just as important as developing stars. The Marlins have made progress since Peter Bendix took over in November 2023, but the first half of 2026 has shown how quickly injuries and underperformance can reshape not only a farm system but an entire organization. The good news is that many of the organization's top prospects are performing and earning promotions. The challenge now is ensuring there is enough depth behind them. As the trade deadline approaches, it would not be surprising to see the Marlins target younger pitching and position-player talent capable of strengthening the lower levels of the system while preserving the development timelines of their current prospects. View full article

In the last two weeks, the Miami Marlins have lost Robby Snelling and Eury Pérez for extended periods, and Janson Junk until at least the middle of June. Their starting rotation now consists of Sandy Alcantara, who has struggled mightily since mid-April, Max Meyer, who has already surpassed his previous MLB career-high in innings pitched, and Tyler Phillips, who isn't even fully stretched out as a starter yet. While the organization is severely lacking pitching depth at the moment, the opposite is true in the outfield. Miami has accumulated so many promising players at the position that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find everyday playing time for prospects who deserve it, much like Ely Sussman anticipated back in January. Alex Carver of Fish On First reported Monday morning that Cam Cannarella (FOF #11 prospect) is being promoted to Double-A Pensacola. The Blue Wahoos' outfield currently features Brendan Jones (FOF #14), Dillon Lewis (FOF #5), and Fenwick Trimble (FOF #16), each of whom is comfortably meeting expectations, if not exceeding them. How will Cannarella find the necessary at-bats to continue his development? Trimble, in particular, looks more than ready for a promotion to Triple-A Jacksonville. The problem is that Jacksonville has its own outfield logjam. The Jumbo Shrimp currently have Kemp Alderman (FOF #8), who was knocking on the door of the major leagues before his recent elbow injury. Matthew Etzel is having a breakout season, and Rece Hinds, who was acquired less than two weeks ago, is hitting over .300 on the year. Andrew Pintar is the best defender of the bunch and posted a 1.017 OPS in May. Even the major league roster offers little flexibility. Miami's everyday outfield consists of Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee, and Owen Caissie. Off the bench, the club has Esteury Ruiz, Heriberto Hernández, and Javier Sanoja to primarily receive opportunities against left-handed pitching. So what could the Marlins do to capitalize on this uneven distribution of talent? DFA Christopher Morel and recall Rece Hinds This would merely be a baby step, but a helpful one, nonetheless. The Marlins would be parting ways with their least productive right-handed hitter—Morel has a 23 wRC+ this season—while also freeing up spot in Jacksonville. In adding even more outfield options to the active roster, Sanoja could focus fully on the infield moving forward. Trade minor league outfield depth for pitching The Marlins are desperate for innings at this point and will take them any way they can get them. Trading from a position of organizational strength could help address multiple issues at once. Moving one or two outfielders would create opportunities throughout the system while potentially bringing back a starter capable of eating innings until the rotation gets healthy. A 40-man roster crunch is coming after the 2026 season no matter what, with the likes of Alderman and Etzel due to become Rule 5 draft-eligible for the first time. Might as well get out in front of that predicament. Promote aggressively and let performance dictate decisions The Marlins entered 2026 with the goal of both developing young talent and remaining competitive at the major league level. If that mindset remains unchanged, the organization may eventually have to become more aggressive with its roster decisions. If major league players continue to struggle while prospects continue to perform, Miami could begin optioning underperforming players and rewarding those who have earned opportunities. For an organization suddenly lacking pitching depth while possessing a surplus of outfield talent, standing pat may not be an option for much longer. Whether that solution comes through a trade, a series of promotions, or roster changes at the major league level, the Marlins have reached a point where performance throughout the organization may force their hand. With several prospects knocking on the door and a rotation searching for answers, Miami could soon face one of its most important roster decisions of the season. View full article

More than a quarter of the way through the minor league season, Miami Marlins affiliates are on pace to make history. The organization's strikeout rate is not only up significantly from 2025, but it's higher than any other mark that any org has posted in a single season. This is the continuation of a trend. In 2023—the final year before Peter Bendix became Marlins president of baseball operations—the farm system struck out 22.2% of opposing batters. In 2024, that rose to 23.9%. In 2025, it reached 25.0%. Entering play on Friday, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Beloit Sky Carp, Jupiter Hammerheads and FCL Marlins are collectively at 28.2%. The organization’s emphasis on swing-and-miss stuff ("throw nasty strikes") is showing at every level. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Coming off a Triple-A title, expectations were still high with Robby Snelling and Thomas White leading the Jumbo Shrimp rotation. Even with Snelling now in the big leagues, Jacksonville still has a loaded rotation consisting of Thomas White, Ryan Gusto, Dax Fulton, and Bradley Blalock. White is currently ranked as the top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball. The bullpen has been just as dominant. Josh White is putting up Josh White numbers as usual, William Kempner owns a K/9 approaching 20, and Jack Ralston has been one of the more underrated signings made by Bendix. Even with constant pitching transactions between Jacksonville and Miami, the Jumbo Shrimp staff has arguably been even more dominant than last year’s championship team. The team K/9 has jumped from 9.28 last season to 10.90 this year, while opponents are hitting just .207 against them compared to .228 last season. Players with a K/9 Above 11 (min. 10 IP, Excluding Current MLB Roster Players) William Kempner — 17.26 Josh Ekness — 14.92 Tyler Zuber — 13.93 Thomas White — 12.77 Jack Ralston — 12.73 Zach McCambley — 11.03 Pensacola Blue Wahoos With quite a few pitchers getting promoted between last season and this offseason, the Blue Wahoos entered 2026 with a much different pitching staff. Headlined by Fish On First’s No. 10 prospect Karson Milbrandt, Pensacola has still managed to take another leap in the strikeout department. After leading the Southern League in 2025 with a 9.83 K/9, the Blue Wahoos were not satisfied. Through the first quarter of the 2026 season, they currently rank second in the Southern League with a 10.56 K/9. They also lead the league with a .224 batting average against. Milbrandt has continued to dominate, Brandon White has been one of the bigger surprises in the system so far, and Kade Bragg, who was acquired from the Twins during the offseason, has been productive as well. Even with roster turnover throughout the organization, Pensacola has continued to develop into one of the better swing-and-miss staffs in Double-A baseball. Players with a K/9 Above 11 (min. 10 IP) Justin King — 16.20 Gabe Bierman — 15.30 Colby Martin — 12.66 Livan Reinoso — 12.00 Kade Bragg — 11.90 Karson Milbrandt — 11.87 Alex Williams — 11.81 Logan Whitaker — 11.15 Beloit Sky Carp When it comes to pure pitching talent, Beloit stands out within the organization. The rotation consists of Fish On First’s No. 15 prospect Eliazer Dishmey, No. 30 prospect Nate Payne, 2024 CB-B pick Aiden May, 14th-round pick Carson Laws, and 2025 Florida State League All-Star Liomar Martinez. Beloit finished last season with a 9.21 K/9, which was good enough for second in the Midwest League. So far this year, that number has jumped all the way to 11.18. While walks have been an issue, as the Sky Carp also lead the Midwest League in BB/9 at 6.45, the raw talent is clearly there. Beloit should see multiple arms promoted to Pensacola later this season. Players with a K/9 Above 11 (min. 10 IP) Luis Ramirez — 15.68 Liomar Martinez — 14.10 Cannon Pickell — 12.60 Eliazar Dishmey — 12.54 Justin Storm — 11.64 Carson Laws — 11.52 Peyton Fosher — 11.41 Nate Payne — 11.32 Juan Reynoso — 11.21 Jupiter Hammerheads The Hammerheads have done a complete 180 with their pitching staff from last season to this year. They finished with the second-worst ERA in the Florida State League in 2025, but through 36 games this season they own the best ERA in the league at 3.39. The staff has been led by Julio Mendez, Walin Castillo and Keyner Benitez (who is now injured, unfortunately). With newly converted reliever Juan De La Cruz moving up to High-A, the bullpen is anchored by Elier Morillo and Jake Faherty, who is capable of touching 100+ mph. Walks and injuries have slowed the start of Faherty’s professional career, but the raw stuff has never been in question. Out of all Marlins affiliates, Jupiter has made the biggest leap in the strikeout department. They're on track to join 2025 Double-A Binghamton (Mets) as the only full-season MiLB teams to ever retire at least 30% of batters faced via K. Players with a K/9 Above 11 (min. 10 IP) Elier Morillo — 17.72 Michael Perez — 15.88 Julio Mendez — 13.09 Luis De La Cruz — 11.69 Samuel Carpio — 11.30 Keyner Benitez — 11.17 From Jacksonville all the way down to the rookie ball, there is legitimate talent throughout the system, and the numbers back it up. Each affiliate currently boasts a K/9 of 10 or higher, featuring multiple pitchers who should be on everyone’s radar moving forward. There is a logjam of arms at every level, including the major league roster, and that is the type of problem an organization loves to have. View full article

Drafted in the seventh round in 2019 out of UCLA, Jack Ralston has spent his entire professional career as a reliever. After signing with the Miami Marlins as a minor league free agent this offseason, he is quickly becoming the latest example of the organization finding value in overlooked arms. Through 13 appearances this season with Triple-A Jacksonville, he owns a 1.27 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP and 31 strikeouts in just 21 ⅓ innings. The walks are still a little high at 4.64 BB/9, but compared to last season’s 6.75 BB/9, that's a significant improvement. The Marlins bullpen has been pretty effective overall in 2026, but Ralston can help them reach even greater heights. One adjustment has changed everything With the AAA data we have from last season, it is easy to see what has changed for Ralston this year. In 2025, he threw all three of his pitches over 29% of the time (fastball 37.8%, splitter 32.3%, slider 29.8%). In 2026, everything has changed tremendously. His splitter usage has jumped all the way to 52.1% while his fastball usage has dropped to just 21.5%. His slider usage has stayed relatively similar at 26.3%. Everything has followed with this adjustment. Ralston has done a tremendous job limiting damage this season, allowing just 0.42 home runs per nine while opponents are averaging only 4.22 hits per nine compared to 8.16 last year. The swing-and-miss has taken a huge step forward as well as he is now striking hitters out at a 13.08 K/9 clip, up from last season's 11.30. Additionally, the quality of contact against him has dropped as opponents are slugging just .173 after posting a .376 SLG last season. While Ralston's walk rate is still a little high, hitters still have not been able to consistently reach base against him as opponents own just a .244 OBP against Ralston this season compared to a .371 OBP last year. Overall, hitters own just a .417 OPS against him this year. Compared to a .747 OPS last season, it's clear just how effective the adjustments to his pitch mix have been. When could we see him? It is always tougher to determine sustainability with relievers as their results can fluctuate heavily from year to year, but through a 13-game sample, it is clear the adjustments Ralston and the Marlins made over the offseason have paid off. The 28-year-old doesn't need to be waiting by his phone quite yet. The Marlins 40-man roster is currently full and Ralston isn't on it. However, this team has shown a willingness to demote struggling players and cycle through fresh arms when needed. During this current stretch of 26 games in 27 days, pitching depth will inevitably be leaned on. Ralston could be next in line to debut. View full article

When the Miami Marlins acquired Bradley Blalock over the offseason, expectations for him were modest. After all, this a pitcher who had been designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies. He ranked last among MLB pitchers in 2025 with -1.0 fWAR and had not found success at the minor league level, either. However, the Marlins saw something in him and the right-hander is turning heads during his first year in a new organization. Blalock's 62° arm angle would rank third in the majors right now, behind Toronto’s Trey Yesavage and the Mets’ Tobias Myers. His arsenal is led by a fastball that sits around 94 mph and plays well up in the strike zone. He mixes in a cutter that gives him a different look and can keep hitters off balance. His slider is a solid secondary pitch that he can go to for swings-and-misses, while his curveball adds another layer with more depth and helps change eye levels. He also throws a splitter, which works as his main offspeed pitch and can get hitters to chase when it’s working. Through six starts this year with Triple-A Jacksonville, Blalock has thrown 32 innings, allowing 11 earned runs, six walks, and 31 strikeouts. The long ball has hurt him, as he has allowed seven home runs on the year, but hitters are batting just .190 against him overall. The Marlins' decision to part ways with Chris Paddack shakes up their starting rotation for the first time since Opening Day. Robby Snelling will step into Paddack's spot for now, but Blalock has moved up the depth chart. With a couple more injuries and/or trades, Blalock could find himself back on a major league pitching staff. What has changed? Blalock has made a clear adjustment from 2025 to 2026, lowering his four-seam usage from 52.3% to 41.0% while increasing his cutter usage from 7.5% to 22.1%. His slider has dipped from 16.6% to 13.8% and his splitter from 14.4% to 13.1%, while his curveball has seen a slight increase from 9.2% to 10.0%. Becoming more unpredictable is not the only key to his success so far. Blalock's BB/9 this season is 1.69 compared to 5.19 last year. He is averaging three fewer pitches per inning compared to last year, and his K/BB ratio has more than tripled, rising to 5.17 this year from 1.49 last year. Not only is he throwing more strikes, but he is limiting damage across the board. The ability to get ahead in counts has played a big role in that. In 2025, opponents posted a .400 OBP and .559 SLG (.959 OPS) against him. That has dropped significantly in 2026, with hitters putting up just a .228 OBP and .397 SLG (.625 OPS). Similar to what we have seen with Janson Junk, filling up the zone leads to results. Blalock’s BABIP this season is .190, which suggests some regression may be coming, but if he continues throwing strikes and limiting walks, he will remain effective. View full article