As the 2019 MLB Draft reaches final day, meet the newest Miami Marlins draft class
The Miami Marlins’ 2019 MLB Draft is officially complete. After three days, they have 41 selections and took a college-heavy approach.
The final numbers: 31 four-year college players, two junior college players and eight high schoolers.
When broken down by position, the Marlins took 16 pitchers (11 right-handers, five lefties), eight outfielders, six shortstops, four catchers, six corner outfielders and one utility player.
With that said, here is the Marlins’ 2019 draft class:
Round 1 (4): Vanderbilt OF JJ Bleday
Of note: The Marlins got their crown jewel of the draft at No. 4, a power-hitting, left-handed hitter with a consistent swing and a strong sense of the strike zone.
Comp. Balance A (35): Missouri OF Kameron Misner
Of note: As his MLBPipeline scouting report put it, Miser has “huge raw power that he’s just beginning to tap into,” evidenced by his career-best 10 home runs in 2018. He has above-average speed and the ability to play either in the outfield or at first base.
Round 2 (46): Collins Hill (Ga.) SS Nasim Nunez
Of note: Nunez has the makings of a premier defender and could likely be an everyday shortstop if he can find a way to improve at the plate.
Round 3 (82): Wright State OF Peyton Burdick
Of note: Another power bat. Burdick belted out 13 home runs with a batting average hovering around .400 in 2018 .
Round 4 (111): North Carolina State 1B Evan Edwards
Of note: A power-hitting lefty who adds depth at first base, one of the Marlins’ weakest spots in the organization.
Round 5 (141): Aliso Niguel (Calif.) High RHP Evan Fitterer
Of note: Fitterer is a top-75 prospect the Marlins believe can be a middle-of-the-rotation starter if he reaches his potential. Their main battle: Getting him to sign instead of going to college at UCLA.
Round 6 (171): Dallas Baptist RHP MD Johnson
Of note: Johnson struck out 110 batters in 100 innings and had a sub-3.00 ERA as a senior. His fastball maxes out at about 95 mph.
Round 7 (201): Louisville RHP Bryan Hoeing
Of note: He was a spot starter at Louisville, but most of his work at the college level came out of the bullpen. Hoeing will likely continue as a reliever.
Round 8 (231): University of California Santa Barbara UTL Tevin Mitchell
Of note: Second base. Third base. Outfield. Mitchell played all three as a senior while hitting .277 with 37 RBI and 49 runs scored.
Round 9 (261): Liberty RHP Evan Brabrand
Of note: The Marlins will try Brabrand out as a starter, but he has a college track record that shows he has the tools to be a reliever. Brabrand served as Liberty’s closer in 2018, posting a 1.56 ERA with 13 saves.
Round 10 (291): Wright State OF J.D. Orr
Of note: Orr stole an NCAA-high 60 bases last season and is a career .307 hitter.
Round 11 (321): Bethune-Cookman RHP Anthony Maldonado
Of note: Maldonado, a junior from West Palm Beach, posted a career 3.22 ERA with a 19-11 record over 41 appearances (39 starts). He struck out 232 batters and walked just 79 over 231 2/3 innings.
Round 12 (351): Holland (Mich.) HS P Chris Mokma
Of note: A Michigan State signee, Mokma was ranked as Baseball America’s No. 477 overall prospect this draft cycle. Per Baseball America: “He sits 90-93 mph with solid control for his age and he’s shown some feel for spinning a breaking ball.”
Round 13 (381): Vanderbilt LHP Zach King
Of note: A 6-6, 210-pound junior, King posted a career 3.99 ERA, striking out 125 batters over 126 1/3 innings of work. His sophomore year. He primarily pitched as a reliever with the Commodores. He joins college teammate Bleday in the Marlins’ draft class.
Round 14 (411): Pepperdine LHP Easton Lucas
Of note: A 6-4 redshirt junior, Lucas went 5-4 with a 3.87 ERA this year in his first season as a full-time starter. He struck out 71 batters and walked just 16 over 13 appearances (12 starts). His scouting report from Baseball America: “A 6-foot-4, 180-pound lefthander, Lucas showed a solid four-pitch mix this season but didn’t have the results scouts expected given his stuff. Lucas throws an 88-92 mph fastball, an above-average slider and also has an average curveball and changeup, but batters still hit him consistently—he allowed 73 hits in 76.2 innings—despite solid strikeout and walk rates. A redshirt junior, Lucas missed most of his 2017 sophomore season with an injury. Last summer he had a solid stint in the Cape Cod League, posting a 2.28 ERA with 17 strikeouts and eight walks in 23.2 innings of work and earning a Cape Cod All-Star selection.“
Round 15 (441): Alvin CC (Texas) CF Javeon Cody
Of note: A sophomore, Cody hit .349 with nine home runs, 37 RBI and 52 runs scored last season.
Round 16 (471): Arizona LHP Andrew Nardi
Of note: A 6-2, 190 pound junior, Nardi served as a weekend starter in his first year at Arizona. His Baseball America scouting report: “Nardi is an athletic, 6-foot-3 lefthander with some physical projection and a three-pitch mix, although his pitch quality varies wildly. He sat 88-90 mph and touched 92 in the fall but dropped to 84-88 mph in the spring, scraping the occasional 90 mph fastball. He lands his mid-70s curveball for strikes as his primary secondary offering, with some evaluators projecting it to become an average pitch in the future. His changeup is below-average. Nardi’s crossfire delivery and high leg kick adds deception, but it hampers his control and command. Nardi shows ingredients to start, but his overall inconsistency has most evaluators projecting him to the bullpen.”
Round 17 (501): Gonzaga RF Troy Johnston
Of note: A 5-11, 205-pound junior, Johnston led the Zags with a .330 batting average and had 27 doubles, 10 home runs and 46 RBI in 55 games. The 2019 season was his first season as a full-time starter.
Round 18 (531): Mississippi State C Dustin Skelton
Of note: A 6-0, 200-pound junior, Skelton is hitting .308 with 10 home runs, 50 RBI and 36 runs scored so far this season with the Bulldogs getting ready to play in the super regional round of the NCAA tournament. He has caught 19 of 56 runners attempting to steal a base against him.
Round 19 (561): Legacy (Texas) HS C Nate Rombach
Of note: Back to back catchers for the Marlins. Rombach ranks as Baseball America’s No. 284 overall prospect and is a Texas Tech signee. Per Baseball America, the 6-4, 215-pound teenager “has plus power potential with a pull-heavy approach and generates plenty of contact. His bat is good enough that he could potentially slide to a corner-infield spot if he can’t stay behind the plate.“
Round 20 (591): UC Santa Barbara C Thomas Rowan
Of note: A 6-1, 200-pound senior, Rowan is the Marlins’ third consecutive catcher drafted and second player from UC Santa Barbara. He posted a .295 batting average over 133 career games. As a senior, he set career marks in average (.327), hits (70), home runs (13), RBI (46) and runs scored (43).
Round 21 (621): Western Oklahoma State SS Jhonny Felix
Of note: Felix hit .356 with nine home runs, 48 RBI, 51 runs and 26 stolen bases in 52 games at the JuCo level this year. He had 16 multi-hit games.
Round 22 (651): Loyola Marymount RHP Codie Paiva
Of note: A 6-5, 215-pound senior from Pearl City, Hawaii, Paiva compiled a 2.65 career ERA over 65 career appearances (30 starts). He moved from a bullpen role to the starting rotation ahead of his junior year. As a senior, Paiva went 8-5 in 15 starts with two complete games, a 1.67 ERA and 89 strikeouts over 102 2/3 innings.
Round 23 (681): Air Force 3B Nic Ready
Of note: Ready posted a career .327 batting average with 300 hits, 50 home runs, 76 doubles, 224 RBI and 190 runs scored. He had at least 50 RBI in all four years and double-digit home runs each of his final three seasons.
Round 24 (711): Illinois State RHP Jeff Lindgren
Of note: Lindgren spent his first three years with Illinois State as a reliever before starting 14 games as a senior. He posted a career 6.05 ERA and struck out 136 batters in 173 1/3 innings. Opposing batters hit .305 off of him.
Round 25 (741): Creighton SS Jack Strunc
Of note:A redshirt senior, Strunc hit .284 with 67 RBI, 31 doubles and 52 runs scored over two years with Creighton. His career started at Washington State.
Round 26 (771): California OF Brandon McIlwain
Of note: McIlwain, a redshirt junior, hit .254 with nine RBI and 16 runs scored in his first season playing for Cal. He played in 21 games with 18 starts. McIlwain also played football for the Bears in 2018, completing 80 of 129 passes for 763 yards with two touchdowns and eight interceptions while also rushing for 403 yards. His college career began at South Carolina.
Round 27 (801): East Texas Baptist C Casey Combs
Of note: The son of former MLB pitcher Pat Combs, Casey Combs had a stellar senior year, posting a .417 batting average with 68 hits, 48 RBI, 13 home runs and 19 stolen bases.
Round 28 (831): FIU RF Lorenzo Hampton
Of note: Hampton, a senior, hit .255 with five home runs, 21 RBI and 23 runs scored over 48 games in his final collegiate season. The Miami Lakes native and Monsignor Pace graduate started his career at Cal before transferring to FIU after two seasons. He closed out his career with a walk-off home run in front of his home crowd on senior day on May 18.
Round 29 (861): Ball State RHP John Baker
Of note: A 6-3 junior, Baker earned first-team All-MAC honors after going 7-2 with a 2.13 ERA over 13 starts. He held conference opponents to just a .190 batting average and threw seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts in a combined no hitter against Ohio on May 11.
Round 30 (891): University of San Francisco RHP Joey Steele
Of note:A 6-2 senior, Steele was purely a bullpen arm for the University of San Francisco. He struck out 110 batters over 99 career innings and recorded 11 saves as a senior.
Round 31 (921): Farragut (Tenn.) HS 3B Parker Noland
Of note: Noland is a Vanderbilt signee out of Knoxville, Tennessee, and closed out his senior year with a state title at Farragut. His scouting report from Baseball America: “A lefthanded hitter, Noland has an advanced bat for his age with a consistent approach and average bat speed. He has average power as well. He’s a fringe-average defender at third base with an average arm and he’s a below-average runner. If Noland makes it to Vanderbilt, he’ll likely be a very productive hitter for the Commodores.”
Round 32 (951): Columbia LHP Josh Simpson
Of note: A 6-2 senior, Simpson struck out 56 batters over 61 2/3 innings of work with a 3.06 ERA.
Round 33 (981): Eastern Michigan 3B Zachary Owings
Of note: Owings is a left-handed hitter who played both first and third base over three years at Eastern Michigan. He hit .345 as a junior with 34 RBI and 38 runs scored over 54 games. He stole 14 bases.
Round 34 (1,011): Alabama RHP Brock Love
Of note: A redshirt junior, Love went 5-5 with a 4.65 ERA in 15 apearances (13 starts) this season. He struck out 66 batters over 60 innings while walking 25. Opposing batters hit .252 off of him.
Round 35 (1,041): Lake Washington High INF Torin Montgomery
Of note: Montgomery, a corner infielder, hit .365 with 10 doubles, 27 RBI and 31 runs scored as part of the top high school baseball team in Washington state. He is a Boise State signee.
Round 36 (1,071): Vanderbilt 1B Julian Infante
Of note: That makes three Commodores in the Marlins’ draft class. A 6-3 senior and Westminster Christian alumnus, Infante is a career .261 hitter at Vanderbilt with 30 home runs, 140 RBI and 115 runs scored. He drove in a career-best 66 RBI as a sophomore.
Round 37 (1,101): Nation Ford (S.C.) SS Tyler Causey
Of note: Causey is 6-6, 185 pounds and hit .459 with 26 RBI, 15 extra-base hits (eight doubles, three triples, four home runs) and 19 runs scored over 79 plate appearances as a senior.
Round 38 (1,131): Gahr (Calif) HS SS Tyrese Turner
Of note: Turner is an Oregon signee and switch hitter who plays shortstop second base and outfield. His scouting report from Perfect Game: “Very slender athletic build, lots of room to get stronger. 6.44 runner, quick twitch athlete. Has very good range in the infield defensively, feet work will throwing the ball with a quick release from a compact arm stroke, lots of raw arm strength, plays with confidence and feel on defense. Switch-hitter, has quick hands from both sides with good feel for the barrel, creates bat speed, bit flatter swing from the right side but bat speed and barrel ability are pretty equal. Talented young player who will keep improving as he gets stronger.”
Round 39 (1,161): North Carolina State LHP Evan Justice
Of note: Justice is a draft-eligible sophomore who went 4-0 with a 4.66 ERA in 29 appearances out of the bullpen. He struck out 36 batters in 36 2/3 innings.
Round 40 (1,191): Grand Canyon RHP Kade Mechals
Of note:The 5-11 junior posted a 2.16 ERA over 16 appearances (15 starts), striking out 100 batters while walking just 35 in 91 2/3 innings of work.
This story was originally published June 5, 2019 at 10:59 AM.
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