Edward Cabrera is a rising Marlins prospect. He cites one game last year as a turning point.
Edward Cabrera’s breakout moment last season came on May 1. It was his fourth start of the minor-league season for the Miami Marlins’ Class A Advanced affiliate Jupiter Hammerheads.
The Bradenton Mauraders had no idea what was coming.
Cabrera dazzled with all three of his pitches — a fastball that sits between 96 and 98 mph, a 90-92 mph change-up and an 80-82 mph curveball.
The result: 13 strikeouts in 6 2/3 shutout innings.
“All of my pitches were right there that day,” Cabrera, the Marlins’ No. 6 overall prospect according to MLBPipeline, said through an interpreter. “Every pitch I was throwing was doing everything that I wanted it to do. After that game, everything started like improving. Things started coming together.”
That night at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium was just a microcosm of what Cabrera wants to continue doing as his profession baseball career unfolds. He is participating in his first major-league spring training with the Marlins after being added to the 40-man roster this offseason.
And with the way his career trajectory took off last year, a big-league call up very well could be in his future as early as this season.
“I know that all I have to do is keep working,” Cabrera said.
Cabrera finished 2019 with Double A Jacksonville, posting a combined 2.23 ERA with 116 strikeouts over 96 2/3 innings between Jupiter and Jacksonville. Opponents hit just .190 against him over his 19 starts.
He had five outings in which he threw at least six shutout innings.
It was his best overall season of professional baseball since joining the Marlins organization as an international free agent in July 2015.
“I started focusing more on the mound and with every pitch I was throwing,” Cabrera said. “I started seeing improvement and results.”
He has healthy competition as well, as he has built a close bond with fellow top pitching prospects Sixto Sanchez and Jorge Guzman over the past season. All three finished as part of the rotation in Jacksonville and very likely will be together in Triple A Wichita to begin 2020.
These six weeks in Jupiter allow the coaching staff to get a glimpse of what’s to come in both the short-term and the long-term.
“I think what you’re looking for is how they handle camp,” Miami manager Don Mattingly said. “What’s their work habits look like? What kind of shape are they in? Just what they look like and what their routines look like. Do they have an established routine? Or have they just kind of ‘talented’ their way here? You’re just kind of looking for all those little signs.”
Cabrera threw his first bullpen session on Friday and felt that he left a good first impression.
Steady improvement is the goal.
“They told me I threw a good bullpen, that my pitches were where they wanted them in the zone,” Cabrera said. “They saw I was throwing good pitches.”
Full-squad coming
The Marlins’ first full-squad spring training practice is on Monday and will give Miami’s coaching staff its first live glimpse this season at both its share of veteran signings and some of the club’s top prospects.
Versatile infielder Jonathan Villar, first baseman Jesus Aguilar, and outfielders Corey Dickerson, Matt Joyce and Matt Kemp highlight the new position players inside the organization.
Meanwhile, 2019 first-round pick JJ Bleday and fellow top prospects in shortstop Jazz Chisholm, first baseman Lewin Diaz, and outfielders Monte Harrison and Jesus Sanchez are in big-league camp as well.
The Marlins, heading into Year 3 of their latest rebuild, knew they needed to bring in some reinforcements this offseason to supplement their work improving their minor-league system. They also needed to add some pop to the middle of their lineup that was among the worst in baseball last season.
The Marlins finished last in slugging percentage (.375), on-base plus slugging (.673) and home runs (146) in 2019 while also finishing second-to-last in runs scored (615).
“I think as much as anything, we’re making sure we know who we are,” Mattingly said. “... If you don’t have a gameplan and you walk up there, you’re really at the mercy of the pitcher. You’re not going to see it and hit it. It’s too tough at this level. We want to make sure we can put pressure on teams in all different areas.”
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