Quick hits on the Miami Marlins’ pitching prospects and coaching staff ‘coordinators’
Some quick hits and observations from the first four days of Miami Marlins spring training:
▪ The Marlins have a host of their top prospects in big-league spring training this year — 12 of their top 13 and 19 of their top 30. More than half of that group, 10 of the 19, are pitchers who have now gone through at least one bullpen session apiece and has given the coaching staff at least a glimpse of what they can offer the team.
The headliners of the group are Dominican righties Sixto Sanchez and Edward Cabrera. Sanchez, acquired as part of the J.T. Realmuto trade in February 2019, is the club’s top prospect and the No. 22 overall prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. Cabrera, who the Marlins signed as an international free agent in July 2015, is the club’s No. 6 overall prospect and is coming off a breakout season.
The others: left-hander Braxton Garrett (No. 7 in Miami’s system), left-hander Trevor Rogers (No. 8), right-hander Nick Neidert (No. 11), right-hander Jorge Guzman (No. 16), right-hander Jordan Holloway (No. 18), right-hander Sterling Sharp (No. 22), right-hander Robert Dugger (No. 24) and right-hander Humberto Mejia (No. 29).
“There’s a number of guys that you’re excited about seeing,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
How quickly they reach the big leagues is another story.
Sharp, a Rule 5 selection in December, is the only one who feels close to a lock barring injury or an overall poor performance in spring. If he doesn’t make the Marlins’ 26-man roster, he will be sent back to the Washington Nationals.
Otherwise, it’s unlikely that a Marlins pitching prospect will be on the MLB team when Miami hosts the Philadelphia Phillies on March 26 to begin the 2020 season. Neidert, Sanchez and Cabrera are the primary three who could make their MLB debuts this season.
These next six weeks, rather, are focused on giving the coaching staff a glimpse of what’s to come in both the short-term and the long-term.
“What you’re looking for is how they handle camp,” Mattingly said. “What are 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.”
▪ The titles aren’t official, but the Marlins’ coaching staff will have a football-esque feel to it this season with a pair of “coordinators” in their midst.
Bench coach James Rowson will also serve as the Marlins’ “offensive coordinator,” while third base/infield coach Trey Hillman will double as Miami’s “defensive coordinator.”
Mattingly’s quick explanation for how it works: “We just wanted to have someone who it all runs through and it all falls under this umbrella. So when we talk about defense, where does the buck stop? Obviously, it stops at me at the end of the day, but on the defensive side it’s going to be Trey and on the offensive side it’s going to be James.”
▪ Outfielder Matt Kemp, a non-roster invite on a minor-league deal, will get reps at first base this spring although Mattingly sees him more suited to stay in left field should he make the roster.
“I think the 26th man is really a big spot for guys like Matt,” Mattingly said. “And I’d say a limited role would be the easiest way to put it if he can show us he still has juice left in the tank. He’s a guy that has always hit. ... This is an athletic guy when he’s healthy.”
▪ A majority of the Marlins’ position players have already arrived in Jupiter ahead of the first full-squad practice on Monday.
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