Two reasons Anthony Bass chose the Miami Marlins and what he expects his role to be
The only constant in relief pitcher Anthony Bass’ baseball career the past half dozen years has been the annual rite of changing teams.
It started with his 2016 trek to Japan to play for the Nippon Professional Baseball League’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Since returning to Major League Baseball in 2017, he has played for the Texas Rangers (2017), Chicago Cubs (2018), Seattle Mariners (2019) and Toronto Blue Jays (2020).
The Miami Marlins are now his sixth team in as many years, but Bass now has some chance for stability. He signed a two-year deal with the club this offseason.
“I’ve been bouncing around,” Bass said Thursday after his first spring training workout in Jupiter with the Marlins. “It’s just nice to be somewhere to call home for a while.”
That was only one reason he signed with the Marlins.
The other?
“I wanted to go to a contender,” Bass said.
Miami made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2003. Bass faced the Marlins twice in 2020 as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The first time, on Aug. 11, he gave up a two-out, three-run home run to Francisco Cervelli in the ninth inning that sent the game into extra innings (Toronto ultimately won 5-4 in the 10th). The second time, on Sept. 2, he earned the save by retiring the side on nine pitches at Marlins Park.
“Facing this group last year, it was tough,” said Bass, who had a 3.51 ERA over 26 appearances and converted seven saves last season. “They never gave away at-bats against me. I felt like they worked me. When I was done, when I was walking off the mound against these guys, I felt mentally exhausted.”
Now, Bass part of the Marlins’ bullpen overhaul this offseason that Miami hopes will be a key point to continuing its run from a season ago. The Marlins also signed Ross Detwiler out of free agency, traded for John Curtiss, Dylan Floro and Adam Cimber, and acquired Rule 5 draftees Paul Campbell and Zach Pop to go along with returnees Yimi Garcia, Richard Bleier and James Hoyt.
“I hope that there is competition,” Bass said, “because when there’s competition, that’s usually a healthy thing for a group of arms in the bullpen.”
As for his role? Bass will be in a late-inning, high-leverage situations and appears to be a front-runner to be the Marlins’ closer for the 2021 season. Garcia also should get looks at that spot as well.
“I’m just going into camp really focusing on getting my body in shape, and prepared for whatever [manager Don Mattingly] needs me,” Bass said. “Whether it’s the sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth, that’s up to him, but I know my job when I go on the mound is put up a zero.”
Minor-league schedule
MLB on Thursday announced the 2021 Minor League Baseball schedule, with 20 Triple A clubs (including the Marlins’ affiliate, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp) slated to begin their 142-game seasons on April 6 and the other 10 starting two days later on April 8. All Double A and Class A teams are set to begin 120-game seasons about a month later on May 4.
The Marlins’ four full-season affiliates are the Jumbo Shrimp, Double A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Class A Advanced Beloit (Wisconsin) Snappers and Class A Jupiter Hammerheads.
Teams will play six-game series during the regular season that run Tuesday through Sunday with Monday as a league-wide off day for travel purposes.
“Under this new alignment and format, travel will be significantly reduced for players and coaches, with an increase in off days,” MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword said in a press release. “We hope that these new health and wellness improvements will help players in their path to the big leagues.”
Pitches and catchers by the numbers
The Marlins invited 46 pitchers and catchers to big-league spring training. Of that group:
▪ 24 are attending their first camp with the Marlins.
▪ 15 were drafted by the Marlins or signed as non-drafted free agents or international free agents.
▪ 13 were born outside the United States and six nationalities are represented (Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela).
▪ Only 14 ended last year with another organization.
▪ 13 appeared in the Marlins’ MLBPipeline Top 30 prospects at the end of the 2020 season.
▪ Five are age 21 or younger.
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 11:04 AM.
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