Jeter talks ‘frustrating’ Marlins season and what he expects out of the final month
Derek Jeter sees the progress the Miami Marlins organization has made as a whole over the past two seasons. He also sees the major-league team has all but secured a last-place finish in the National League and, with a 47-84 record and losses in 21 of their last 26 games, very well could find itself rivaling the franchise’s 108-loss mark set in 1998.
Accepting that duality is tough. Jeter, the Marlins’ CEO and part owner, knew the team needed to jumpstart its minor-league system that ranked near the bottom of Major League Baseball when the ownership group took over the organization in October 2017.
But he also acknowledges that seeing the losses pile up once again is hard to see — for him personally and for the franchise as a whole.
“Look, man, I get it. People judge teams by what you do at the major-league level. It can be frustrating,” Jeter said Wednesday at a community service event at Miami’s Lenora B. Smith Elementary school as part of the club’s Impact Week. “You ask all the players here. It’s been a frustrating year when you’re not winning as many games as you’d like.”
“I preach patience,” Jeter added, “but I have none.”
The patience comes with the minor-league growth. The Marlins have a consensus top-10 farm system. Six Marlins prospects are among the top 100 according to MLBPipeline: Right-handed pitcher Sixto Sanchez (No. 24), outfielder JJ Bleday (No. 30), outfielder Jesus Sanchez (No. 40), shortstop Jazz Chisholm (No. 56), second baseman Isan Diaz (No. 83) and outfielder Monte Harrison (No. 85). All six were acquired since the Bruce Sherman and Jeter ownership group took over.
“I’m excited about what we have coming through the organization but we don’t want to just have the best minor-league system in baseball,” Jeter said. “We need to win games up here as well. I’m looking forward to the future, but I’m also looking forward to seeing these guys getting better every day.”
Minimal September movement
Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said Wednesday he doesn’t anticipate the club adding too many prospects to the big-league team once rosters expand on Sunday.
The Marlins are expected to have a group of players on the injured list — namely shortstop Miguel Rojas (right hamstring strain), outfielder Cesar Puello (left hip flexor strain) and pitchers Jose Urena (herniated disc) and Tayron Guerrero (torn fingernail) — return.
Outside of that, a third catcher — either Wilkin Castillo or Tyler Heineman — and a few pitchers from Triple A New Orleans are the main moves to expect.
Among pitchers Hill noted could be possibilities: Jose Quijada (who was just optioned on Monday), Robert Dugger, Brian Moran and Mike Kickham.
“Given the inconsistency that we’ve had with our bullpen,” Hill said, “we might look at some guys who have had success.”
The only intriguing name that remains a possibility, even though Hill has been non-committal about him, is Jorge Guzman. The hard-throwing righty is the Marlins’ No. 17 overall prospect.
Hill sees Guzman as a “legitimate, legitimate major-league starter in the near future,” but his MLB debut might have to wait after already throwing a career-high 138 2/3 innings.
“I think the thing you battle with all these guys is that they’re at their career innings,” Hill said. “We’re not going to do anything counterproductive to their overall future success in the game.”
Arizona Fall League
The Marlins announced Wednesday that starting pitcher Nick Neidert, outfielder Victor Victor Mesa, outfielder Jerar Encarnacion, shortstop Jose Devers and relievers C.J. Carter, Alex Vesia and Vincenzo Aiello will be the team’s representatives in the Arizona Fall League this season.
The seven will play for the Salt River Rafters, which also includes players from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays, Colorado Rockies and Minnesota Twins.
Kevin Johnson, the manager for the Marlins’ Triple A affiliate in New Orleans, will serve as the club’s manager.
The Arizona Fall League begins Sept. 18.
This story was originally published August 28, 2019 at 4:44 PM.
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