How Miami Marlins’ roster battles stack up, and the very tough decisions that await
The Marlins’ ongoing battles for spots on the 26-man roster have left multiple contributors on last year’s team in tenuous positions, just a bit more than two weeks from the April 1 regular-season opener.
Where things stand:
PITCHING STAFF
The Marlins will allocate 13 or 14 spots to pitchers on the 26-man roster.
Even though the Marlins need only four starters during the first two weeks of the season because of multiple off days, manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday that the team’s current thinking is to use a five-man rotation from the outset.
Sixto Sanchez, who got off to a late start to spring training, might not be ready until a couple of weeks into the season. He’s healthy but has pitched only 1 2/3 innings this spring, and Mattingly said the Marlins want to make sure he’s fully ready to pitch (and not limited to 60 pitches in a game) before he’s used in a regular-season game.
If Sanchez isn’t deemed ready to start the season, that means Nick Neidert and Trevor Rogers likely would be the fourth and fifth starters, in our view, behind Sandy Alcantara, Pablo Lopez and Elieser Hernandez. Once Sanchez is ready, the fifth spot likely would go to Neidert or Rogers.
Daniel Castano is a long shot for the rotation and seems headed to Triple A to join Braxton Garrett, who was optioned there Monday.
Veteran left-hander Gio Gonzalez could emerge as a candidate for the fifth spot once he has pitched enough on the back fields of Jupiter — and in spring games and potentially extended spring training games — to sufficiently build up his arm strength.
So with five starters, Miami could keep eight relievers if it keeps 13 pitchers.
Seven are automatic: Anthony Bass, Yimi Garcia, Richard Bleier, Ross Detweiler, Adam Cimber, John Curtiss and Dylan Floro.
The final spot, in that scenario, would come down to right-handers James Hoyt, Anthony Bender or Rule 5 pickups Zac Pop or Paul Campbell.
Hoyt, 35, was 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA in 24 appearances for the Marlins last season but has been uneven this spring (6.23 ERA in 4 1/3 innings).
The Marlins have been thoroughly impressed with Bender, who has never pitched at the big-league level but has been very impressive this spring. He has struck out six and hasn’t allowed a run, hit or walk in 3 1/3 innings this spring.
“He has definitely been a surprise,” Mattingly said. “His stuff has been as good as anyone in camp. Power stuff. You’re like, ‘How does anyone let this get away?’ One good thing with Anthony is we know that he will be with us no matter what. If he doesn’t break [camp] with us, we’re going to see this guy. If he’s this good now, he will be this good during season, and we’re going to need him.”
Bender has never pitched above Double A but has a 3.30 ERA and 16 saves in 92 minor-league games, including 23 starts.
Bender was a very early target of the Marlins in minor-league free agency this past offseason. He wasn’t at Milwaukee’s alternate site last summer, meaning he had to keep sharp playing for the Milwaukee Milkmen in an independent league.
He’s throwing 97 mph, the highest velocity in his career, and has been helped by the development of a slider.
He’s not on the 40-man roster, meaning Miami would need to clear out a spot to keep him on the big-league team.
Also, the Marlins are giving strong consideration to keeping Rule 5 pickups Pop (no runs allowed in two innings) and Campbell, who has missed time for personal reasons but is now back in camp.
If the Marlins opt for 14 pitchers and a five-man starting staff initially, then there would be room for two among Hoyt, Bender, Pop and Campbell.
POSITION PLAYERS
If the Marlins keep 13 pitchers, they have room for 13 position players.
Eight are automatic: Jesus Aguilar, Garrett Cooper (barring a trade), Miguel Rojas, Brian Anderson, Jorge Alfaro, Starling Marte, Corey Dickerson and Adam Duvall.
Chad Wallach is very likely as the backup catcher. That’s nine.
Jack-of-all-trades Jon Berti will be another, but the question is whether he’s needed to start at second base, something the Marlins hope does not need to happen. That’s 10 position player jobs accounted for.
So that leaves five essentially competing for three spots: Jazz Chisholm and Isan Diaz (the Marlins hope one of those two wins the second base job) and outfielders Magneuris Sierra, Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison.
Harrison likely will be sent to Triple A to get regular at-bats.
Neither Chisholm (.4 for 20, .200) nor Diaz (2 for 16, .125) has made a convincing case for the second base job. If one does, that would be an 11th player.
That would leave the final two roster spots to Sierra and Brinson.
But if the Marlins decide to go with 14 pitchers and if Chisholm or Diaz is the starting second baseman, then there’s room for Sierra or Brinson but not both.
Sierra has value as a pinch-runner and late-inning defensive replacement. And unlike Brinson, he’s out of minor-league options.
The Marlins now view Brinson as a serviceable option against lefties.
So the hope would be to keep both. But doing so could mean parting with one or both of the Rule 5 pitchers.
Chisholm has an intoxicating skill set but still has a long upper-cut swing that must be refined somewhat. Defensively, he can make all the plays.
Diaz has had better, more patient at-bats recently — compared to stretches during his brief major-league career — but the average is still lagging.
COOPER CONUNDRUM
Here’s a situation the Marlins could confront in April or May: What if power-hitting right fielder Duvall is either injured or struggling to make contact? Remember, he’s a career .233 hitter and has had difficulties this spring (.087, 2 for 23).
Cooper, a career .281 hitter, might emerge as the better option as a pure hitter, though Duvall is the much better defender and has more power.
So if circumstances lead to this, would Mattingly feel comfortable playing Cooper every day in right field, considering Cooper is much better defensively at first?
“I see a combination of [right field] and first base,” Mattingly said of Cooper’s role. “If it’s seven days a week [in right field], I don’t think so. Three to four days is a possibility. We don’t see him out there seven days. “[But] I am comfortable with Coop [in right field]. He’s athletic as a big guy, and the biggest concern is injury. He seems more comfortable out there. Our biggest fear is can we run him out there and keep him on the field. I think Coop’s best position is first base.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ Mattingly historically has not been a fan of closer by committee, even though he points out that he has several back-end bullpen options and could go to different ones on different nights.
The likelihood is that Bass will begin the season as the closer (our words, not Mattingly’s). “He’s been great,” Mattingly said.
Garcia hasn’t looked good this spring.
▪ Neidert has impressed this spring, and the Marlins believe he’s good enough to be a No. 4 or No. 5 starter if he’s at his best. But the belief internally is Rogers has the higher ceiling. The concern with Rogers is that he’s prone to losing command. He also must avoid tipping pitches, which cost him in a game against Philadelphia last season.
▪ Outfield prospect Victor Victor Mesa, who hasn’t particularly impressed so far in his Marlins minor-league career, has worked on becoming more coachable.
“Victor has opened up his mind to what we want him to accomplish with his swing,” Mattingly said. “[He’s] improving.”
▪ Mattingly said outfielder Connor Scott has “looked good” this spring. The former first-round pick out of the Tampa prep ranks needs to become a more consistent and polished hitter to get a big-league chance in the next few years.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 2:41 PM.
