A look at how top Marlins prospects are faring with two months left of minor-league season
Some quick hits on the Miami Marlins’ minor-league affiliates with about two months remaining in the minor-league season:
▪ Griffin Conine’s debut week with Double A Pensacola started as rough as it possibly could at the plate. The outfielder, ranked as the No. 16 prospect in the Marlins’ system according to MLB Pipeline, struck out in his first five at-bats before reaching base on a walk. He had nine strikeouts and was 0 for 12 overall before recording his first hit on Friday — an RBI double. He then hit his first home run with the Blue Wahoos (and minor-league leading 24th home run overall) on Saturday.
Conine’s final numbers for his first six Double A games: 2 for 23 (.087 batting average) with three RBI, one run scored, one walk and 12 strikeouts.
▪ Meanwhile, fellow Double A outfielders JJ Bleday (No. 2) and Peyton Burdick (No. 11) continue to hover around the Mendoza Line with eight weeks left in the minor-league season. Bleday is hitting .198 on the season through 71 games while Burdick is hitting .196 through 70 games played. Both have power potential (Burdick has 14 home runs and 11 doubles, while Bleday has eight homers and 12 doubles) and are drawing a lot of walks (Burdick has 53, Bleday 42) but more needs to be seen from them offensively.
▪ The latest numbers on Max Meyer and Jake Eder: Meyer has a 1.80 ERA over 13 starts in Double A, striking out 67 batters while walking 29 over 65 innings; Eder has a 1.95 ERA with 92 strikeouts against 25 walks in 64 2/3 innings.
▪ First baseman Lewin Diaz (No. 6), who missed time early this week with a mild lower back strain, returned to the lineup for Triple A Jacksonville on Saturday. He went 0 for 5 in his first game back and then 1 for 5 with a two-run double against the Nashville Sounds. Diaz has an .807 on-base-plus-slugging mark in Triple A with 14 home runs and 38 RBI over 181 at-bats this year. He is viewed as the club’s first baseman of the future and is a call-up candidate depending on how the big-league roster is shaken up at the trade deadline on Friday.
▪ Four Marlins prospects had batting averages above .300 in Triple A last week: outfielder Corey Bird (.500, eight hits on 16 at-bats with one triple, one home run and five runs scored), infielder Joe Dunand (.333, six hits on 18 at-bats with two doubles, one home run and five RBI), outfielder Brian Miller (.400, eight hits on 20 at-bats with three doubles) and infielder Bryson Brigman (.348, eight hits on 23 at-bats with one triple).
▪ Catcher Nick Fortes (No. 30), who has spent all season behind the plate in Double A and working with a starting pitching staff that currently has four of Miami’s top pitching prospects, was promoted to Triple A on Sunday. Fortes, the No. 30 overall prospect in the Marlins’ system according to MLB Pipeline, is batting .251 with three home runs, 23 RBI and 21 runs scored in 57 games this year. Behind the plate, he has caught 21 of 67 potential basestealers for a 31-percent efficiency.
▪ Victor Victor Mesa, recently demoted from Double A Pensacola, had a strong showing with the Class A Advanced Beloit Snappers this week. The Cuban outfielder had a .333 batting average (6 for 18) with three doubles and four walks over five games. His younger brother, Victor Mesa Jr. (No. 10), had an even better week in Class A Jupiter with a .429 batting average (9 for 21) with three doubles, four RBI and five runs scored. Mesa Jr. has at least one hit in 12 of his last 15 games.
▪ On the mound in Jupiter, Eury Perez (No. 22) continues to impress. The 18-year-old righty threw another five scoreless innings on Saturday, giving up just two hits and no walks while striking out nine. On the season, Perez, who stands at 6-8 and has a fastball that touches 97 mph, has a 2.09 ERA with 60 strikeouts against just 17 walks over 43 innings of work in 12 starts. Opponents are hitting just .182 against him.
▪ Some quick hits from the Florida Complex League (the rookie league formerly known as the Gulf Coast League): Shortstop Jose Salas (No. 17) entered Monday with a .389 batting average and .492 on-base percentage through the first 16 games of his professional baseball career. He has safely reached base in all 15 games he has started and has seven multi-hit games. ... Osiris Johnson (No. 27) is hitting .333 (19 for 57) with five home runs and 22 RBI at the rookie-level affiliate after struggling earlier in the year in Class A Jupiter (.146 average with 57 strikeouts over 159 plate appearances). ... Delvis Alegre has been the top performing pitching prospect at the FCL so far. Through four games (two starts), he has allowed just three runs (one earned) over 18 innings while striking out 13 batters.
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