Marlins set another record for MLB debuts, and the latest on Miguel Rojas’ hand injury
As Johan Quezada and his 6-foot-9 frame strode out of the bullpen Saturday at Marlins Park to make his MLB debut for the Miami Marlins, the relief pitcher thought about all the other Miami Marlins who had done the same this season — more than a dozen — and then returned to the alternate training site in Jupiter to relay their experiences to everyone else waiting for the call.
They all told him to just treat it like it was a day at Roger Dean Stadium, so he uncorked nine fastballs and three changeups with confidence to set down Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins and Andrew Knapp.
The 12-pitch sequence alone was enough to make it an impressive debut, especially in the thick of a playoff race against the Philadelphia Phillies. Everything that has happened before in this bizarre 2020 season, however, made it historic. Quezada became the 17th Marlin to make his Major League debut this year — a new franchise record in just 42 games.
“It’s not a normal season,” Quezada said with a laugh.
There have been starting pitchers and relievers, everyday starters in the infield and players called on for just a game or two out of necessity. Top-ranked starters on the brink of the Majors have gotten their shots, but so have mostly unheralded prospects who had never even pitched at Double A.
The full list of 17: pitchers Alex Vesia, Sterling Sharp, Sixto Sanchez, Trevor Rogers, Nick Neidert, Humberto Mejia, Brandon Leibrandt, Jordan Holloway, Jorge Guzman, Dan Castano and Quezada, and position players Jesus Sanchez, Monte Harrison, Lewin Diaz, Jazz Chisholm and Eddy Alvarez.
No other team has had more than 13.
“Obviously, it’s showing great opportunities for a lot of these young guys that may not have had these opportunities in a regular season,” slugging third baseman Brian Anderson said. “They bring the energy and they help us out. ... They come in with a passion and energy, and we just try to stay with them and try to guide them the best we can.”
In Miami, they’ve actually been important to the Marlins’ surprising success. Chisholm, the organization’s No. 2 prospect, has become an everyday option at second base since speedy utility man Jon Berti went on the injured list with a hand contusion. Sixto Sanchez, Miami’s top-ranked prospect, has been the Marlins’ most impressive starting pitcher and he got the nod Sunday in the first game of a critical doubleheader against the Phillies.
Miami (21-21) was hit harder by COVID-19 than any other team with 18 players testing positive in July, less than a week into the season. After they missed a week of games, the Marlins returned, missing almost all of their starting rotation, forced to rely on pitchers like Mejia and Castano, who had never pitched above Double A and were not ranked among the team’s top 30 prospects.
Considering Miami didn’t slip below .500 until August, none of them seemed too overwhelmed by the rapid, often-forced ascension. They made the Marlins competitive in 2020, and their opportunities could pay dividend into next year and beyond.
“It’s experience and that’s the biggest thing. They’re getting experience and they do bring energy,” manager Don Mattingly. “Probably a good thing, in those terms, for the younger guys because no minor-league season. What would they have been doing if they weren’t getting anything here? They’d have been down in Jupiter the whole time and would’ve been kind of, in a sense, a lost year.”
Rojas still dealing with finger
Miguel Rojas was out of the lineup for Game 1 of Miami’s doubleheader against Philadelphia (23-20) on Sunday as he recovers from a jammed finger on his right hand.
The shortstop tripped as he jogged on the field before the Marlins’ 12-6 loss to the Phillies on Saturday and jammed his right middle finger on the ground trying to catch himself. He played through discomfort into the seventh before Mattingly finally lifted him. After the game, an X-ray on Rojas’ finger came back negative, but the discomfort was too much for him to suit up at 1:10 p.m.
“It’s going to be a matter of him trying to get that thing loose and seeing what he can do,” Mattingly said. “I expect him to be able to do something today, but, at this point, he’s getting treatment. And he’ll throw and hit, and just kind of be able to tell us exactly where he’s at and what he thinks he can do. And then we’ll make a decision on Game 2.”
The second game of the doubleheader will begin 30 minutes after the completion of the first, not before 4:10 p.m. Chisholm got the start at shortstop in Game 1.
While Rojas said Saturday it was painful to throw the ball with the jammed finger, hitting was even more of a problem.
“It wasn’t that much pain when I gripped the bat,” Rojas said, “but actually when I hit the ball and made contact, the vibration of the bat was pretty bad for me.”
Nick Neidert returns from COVID-19
Neidert is Miami’s latest reinforcement to join the team after recovering from the coronavirus.
The Marlins activated the starting pitcher Sunday ahead of their doubleheader with Philadelphia. Miami optioned Castano to the alternate site to make room for the rookie.
The Marlins also selected the contract of Braxton Garrett, who will be Miami’s 29th man for the doubleheader. If he pitches Sunday, the starting pitcher could become the 18th player to make his Major League debut for the Marlins.
Miami also transferred relief pitcher Brandon Leibrandt to the 60-day IL and designated utility infielder Eddy Alvarez for assignment to create room on the 40-man roster.
This story was originally published September 13, 2020 at 11:58 AM.
