As Marlins try to ‘build this the right way,’ look to minor-league improvement as Step 1
As the Miami Marlins make their way to the main field at Roger Dean Stadium midway through their spring training schedule, Gary Denbo stays behind near the clubhouse, waiting to greet 144 players who could comprise the franchise’s future.
“Let’s have a good day out there,” Denbo tells them as they trot out to the complex’s back fields for the first day of minor-league camp.
The majority of these players won’t taste the big leagues this year or next year. Some might not even make it to the majors at all.
But even with a lot of positives coming out of Marlins camp this year — an 11-game win streak, improvement from the team’s young starting pitching and a new-look Lewis Brinson among them — the biggest developments for this team very well might be what takes place on those back fields and how that development continues once minor-league seasons begin in Clinton, Iowa; Jupiter; Jacksonville and New Orleans.
The team’s hope: A short-term sacrifice at the major-league level to rebuild a barren farm system will result in stability and ultimately success down the road.
The results to this point: A minor-league system that ranks in the top half of MLB teams and provides an opportunity for optimism in the not-so-distant future if enough players pan out.
“We are in a much better position than we were last year at the same time,” said Denbo, the Marlins’ vice president of player development and scouting.
CEO Derek Jeter is hoping that’s the case. After all, all of the moves to upgrade the Marlins’ at the minor-league level have come since he and majority owner Bruce Sherman took over the franchise in October 2017.
▪ Dec. 7, 2017: Second baseman Dee Gordon traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for right-handed pitchers Nick Neidert and Robert Dugger as well as shortstop Christopher Torres.
▪ Dec. 11, 2017: Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton traded to the New York Yankees in exchange for second baseman Starlin Castro, right-handed pitcher Jorge Guzman and infielder Jose Devers.
▪ Dec. 13, 2017: Outfielder Marcell Ozuna traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitchers Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen and Daniel Castano as well as outfielder Magneuris Sierra.
▪ Jan. 25, 2018: Outfielder Christian Yelich traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for outfielders Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison, second baseman Isan Diaz and right-handed pitcher Jordan Yamamoto.
▪ June 4, 2018: Outfielder Connor Scott, shortstop Osiris Johnson and catcher Will Banfield highlighted the Marlins’ 2018 MLB Draft.
▪ July 31, 2018: Reliever Brad Ziegler and outfielder Cameron Maybin traded at the MLB trade deadline for pitchers Tommy Eveld and Bryson Brigman, respectively.
▪ Oct. 22, 2018: The Marlins announce they have signed top international free agent Victor Victor Mesa and his younger brother Victor Mesa Jr., both outfielders.
▪ Dec. 13, 2018: The Marlins acquire right-handed pitcher Riley Ferrell from the Houston Astros in the Rule 5 Draft.
▪ Feb. 7: Catcher J.T. Realmuto traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for catcher Jorge Alfaro and pitching prospects Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart.
The ultimate cost: The Marlins’ top five players during the past two seasons.
The return: 19 new names among the Marlins’ top 30 prospects, five players expected to be part of the team’s Opening Day roster and a farm system now ranked 13th by Baseball America — 11 spots higher than last year.
The focus is on youth, potential and versatility. Playing multiple positions and being a possible answer at multiple spots is a plus.
“We have to build this the right way,” Jeter said. “Some of these decisions are unpopular, but those decisions were necessary.”
Add in the offseason signings of veterans such as pitcher Sergio Romo, outfielder Curtis Granderson and infielder Neil Walker as well as the acquisition of utility player Rossell Herrera, power hitter Peter O’Brien and relief pitcher Tyler Kinley among others, and Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill estimates that the team has added close to three dozen “upper-level talent” players into the organization over the last 18 months.
Are all of them big-league quality at this point? No. Will they get there and did they add a new layer of depth to the organization? The Marlins are optimistic.
“We know where we were,” Hill said. “We know where we’re going.”
A look at the work on those back fields in Jupiter provides a glimpse of that.
Over at the warmup mounds near Field 2 next to the batting cages, top prospect Sanchez is displaying his 100 mph fastball during a bullpen session. The Marlins ease him along after an elbow injury limited the 20-year-old to 46 2/3 innings.
On one field one day, Victor Victor Mesa is making hard contact at the plate, including hitting a home run off Elieser Hernandez during an intrasquad game. A hamstring injury limited Mesa’s time in the big-league camp to a little more than a week and just two Grapefruit League games,
On another field, infielders Johnson, Devers, Joe Dunand and Torres are fielding ground balls up the middle of the infield.
Some had the opportunity to showcase their skills during the first half of big-league camp.
Harrison, the team’s No. 3 prospect, has noted power potential and impressed in the Arizona Fall League but still needs to lower his strikeout rate. If he can find a healthy balance between the two extremes, a corner outfield spot is likely his for the taking sooner rather than later.
Neidert, the Marlins’ No. 4 prospect and the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2018, pitched in two games. His fastball maxes out in the low 90s, but he commands five pitches that can go for strikes. A little time in Triple A New Orleans could be all the 22-year-old needs before proving he’s ready for a call-up. He will be part of a staff with the Baby Cakes that likely includes Yamamoto (No. 18 prospect), Gallen (No. 19 prospect), Jeff Brigham (No. 26) and Jose Quijada (No. 28). All five, in addition to Hernandez and Jarlin Garcia, could very well spend time on the big-league roster at some point this season.
“We continue to add pieces,” Jeter said. “I get from the fans’ point of view, it’s not really tangible yet. You can’t see it on the field. I think our fan base is now starting to pay attention to some of the players that we do have in the minor-league system so that when they come up they’re not so much of an unknown.”
And once they make it to the big leagues, the sky is theoretically the limit.
Maybe that will be the case next year. Some prospects might take off right away. Others might struggle before it all clicks.
Brian Anderson and Brinson, both former top-10 prospects, epitomize both sides.
Anderson started 153 games as a rookie in 2018, hitting .273 with 11 home runs and 65 RBI while splitting time at third base and right field. He finished fourth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.
Brinson struggled in his first full MLB season, hitting .199 while striking out 129 times in 406 late appearances but made an impact defensively in center field. Brinson has shown a better approach this spring, and the Marlins need him to make a noticeable jump in 2019.
In the six weeks of spring training, Anderson has seen the progress from players and can relate to where they are considering he was in their shoes just a year ago.
“We have guys that are going to help the big-league club at some point, whether it’s right away or later on in the season,” Anderson said. “I think our front office is seeing that. They’re wanting to give guys good, solid looks. They’re coming out and showing us what they can do.”
The growing pains will likely be apparent once again this year, but those can only last so long before the front office needs to start seeing results.
“We can sit and talk about minor-league systems all you want,” Jeter said, “but it gets to a point when you’re in Miami that you have to develop and you have to improve year-in and year-out. That’s how you become a great team.”
Until that time comes, the work will continue on the back field sand in the minor leagues.
“A lot of decisions are going to be made by the growth and the development of our young players,” Hill said. “When we’re ready to take that next step, we’ll see where everything lies in terms of getting those bigger pieces that you might think will put you over the top.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2019 at 1:24 PM.
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