Marlins staying ‘open-minded’ about using starting pitcher prospects in the bullpen
Miami Marlins pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. is trying to prepare for the unknown as the 2020 season continues to creep closer.
That includes some preparing some pitching propsects who profile as starters to potentially be ready to play out of the bullpen when under normal circumstances they still might be a year or more away from contributing at the MLB level.
“We have to stay open-minded,” Stottlemyre said Friday. “We’re going to be able to expand our roster, and there are going to be some guys that are given an opportunity that maybe in a regular season wouldn’t have been given that opportunity.”
Two that Stottlemyre referred to by name: Jordan Holloway and Jorge Guzman. Both are on the 40-man roster, have fastballs that touch triple digits and took part in recent practices at Marlins Park this week after starting out at the team’s alternate training site in Jupiter. Other starting pitcher prospects part of the 60-man who could potentially fall into this boat are Sixto Sanchez, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett, Trevor Rogers and 2020 first-round pick Max Meyer.
Holloway, the Marlins’ No. 20 overall prospect according to MLBPipeline, appears to be the more likely to make the roster out of the two. He impressed in his inning of work on Thursday night, striking out two of his fellow top prospects in Monte Harrison and Lewin Diaz, and appears to have better control of his command as he gets back into a normal rhythm three years after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Holloway has a fastball that hits triple digits and an above-average curveball that could make him a prime candidate to contribute this year despite not playing above the Class A Advanced level in the minors. Stottlemyre referred to Holloway as “probably the nastiest guy we have in our bullpen.”
“What he’s done in a couple of outings here has been pleasantly surprising,” Stottlemyre said, “and has put him kind of in the mix.”
Added manager Don Mattingly: “His stuff is impressive, and in this type of season, you want guys to keep getting experience. He’s pushed himself to at least some sort of a picture.”
Guzman, the Marlins’ No. 19 overall prospect, still needs to work on his command. He walked three of six batters he faced Saturday and had five walks in 1 2/3 innings back in spring training.
“It’s important that we keep those guys ready,” Stottlemyre said, “and that we stay open to guys like that pitching in our bullpen.”
With that, however, comes an adjustment period. Transitioning from a starting role to pitching out of the bullpen requires the ability to get warmed up quicker and with less notice as well as the mental fortitude to pitch in higher-leverage situations.
But in a 60-game season, where each game has playoff implications, Stottlemyre is willing to take chances.
“They’re gonna find in a short spurt that their role changes,” Stottlemyre said. “They’re gonna have to not worry as much about scouting reports and lean on their two best pitches. There’s a little bit of a risk in taking those pitches away and knowing that long term some of these guys still have a chance to be starters. But our thinking has to change. ... We’re thinking about winning our division. We’re going to have to put some of the development aside and have conversations with these guys.”
Lefty Adam Conley knows how those conversations go. The Marlins moved him from the rotation to the bullpen full-time in 2018. He had to re-invent himself as a pitcher. He put more emphasis on throwing his fastball harder since he only had to worry about pitching one or two innings on a given night instead of going five or six as a starter. Pure stuff became the priority compared to methodical sequencing of pitches.
“The league was probably trying to figure me out again,” Conley said. “I wasn’t the same guy that I had been when I was facing so many hitters. ... My stuff was much different out of the bullpen.”
It worked well in Conley’s first season, holding opponents to a .207 batting average and inducing ground balls on 50 percent of the balls opponents put into play — both the best marks of his career.
Last season? The league re-adjusted, and Conley didn’t make the needed fixes. The result: a career-worst 6.53 ERA, opponents hitting .308 against him and by season’s end being mostly relegated to mop-up duties or early inning relief work.
Conley’s message to those who might be put in the same situation: Learn from his mistakes.
“It’s tricky, regardless of the results,” Conley said. “Because the results for me went really well at first and I think that to a degree, I wasn’t learning the way that I should have bee. I was getting away with stuff that I shouldn’t ultimately have been getting away with. Guys who have been around the game really for any length of time know that you don’t get away with stuff for very long in the big leagues. You must always be adjusting and improving and learning how to continually play the game well.”
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