Nathaniel Klaff

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