Marlins prospects acquired in Yelich trade showing steady improvement in minor leagues
In the moment, at the major-league level, the Christian Yelich trade still looks like an incredibly one-sided affair.
The Miami Marlins traded Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers in January 2018, and the 27-year-old subsequently went on to become the National League MVP last season. His success has continued into 2019, with Yelich leading the majors with 21 home runs.
So yes, Yelich has been wildly successful since leaving the Marlins, while Miami has yet to get any real production at the highest level from any of the four players they received for him in Lewis Brinson, Isan Diaz, Monte Harrison or Jordan Yamamoto.
But take a step away from the major leagues for a second and take a look at what the quartet is doing lately in Triple A New Orleans and Double A Jacksonville.
There’s progress, steps forward. And while that won’t translate to the record book this year as the 2019 Marlins attempt to avoid adding their name alongside some of the worst teams in MLB history, seeing positive steps from the players of the future is indeed a positive in the long run as the team continues its rebuild.
Diaz, the Marlins’ No. 6 overall prospect in its farm system and their projected second baseman of the future, has hit a home run in five consecutive games and has safely reached base in 14 of his past 15 games with six multi-hit games in that span.
Harrison, the Marlins’ No. 3 overall prospect, is staying steady with a .288 batting average and has stolen 19 bases this year to go along with his seven home runs and 35 runs scored. Harrison has also shown increased patience at the plate, drawing eight walks over the past 10 games after having just 15 in his the first 33 contests.
Brinson, the only player of the four to taste major-league action, looks like he is starting to turn his fortunes around since being demoted to Triple A on April 30. The 25-year-old outfielder and Coral Springs native is hitting .301 with five home runs and 23 RBI in 86 at-bats with the Baby Cakes. Brinson is riding a seven-game hitting streak, during which he has gone 11 for 29 (.379) with four home runs, 10 RBI, seven runs scored and eight strikeouts. With the Marlins experimenting defensively in center field — utility man Rosell Herrera and natural corner outfielder Harold Ramirez are splitting time there — Brinson could get his second chance sooner than later.
And in Double A, Yamamoto had strung together four consecutive quality starts before only going 4 2/3 innings on Sunday. This included two separate shutout performances of six and seven innings which helped lower his ERA from 5.04 to 3.46. For the year, Yamamoto has struck out 51 batters with just 21 walks over 54 2/3 innings.
Jupiter All Stars
The Jupiter Hammerheads, the Marlins’ Class A Advanced affiliate, will have three players representing the club on June 15 in the Florida State League All-Star Game, which will take place at Jupiter’s Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
The players: Pitcher Jordan Holloway, pitcher Edward Cabrera and shortstop Jose Devers.
Holloway, the Marlins’ No. 13 prospect pitching in his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2017 leads the Hammerheads with a 1.51 ERA and has struck out 43 batters over 35 2/3 innings this year.
Cabrera, the Marlins’ No. 8 prospect, has a 2.78 ERA over seven starts wit 46 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings of work. His season highlight: A 6 2/3 inning shutout in which he gave up just two hits while striking out 13 batters.
And Devers, the Marlins’ No. 12 prospect, is second in the Florida State League with a .325 batting average.
This story was originally published May 27, 2019 at 8:23 AM.
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