Marlins’ minor-league system gets high praise from MLB Pipeline. A look at where they stand
The Miami Marlins’ goal for the first stage of their rebuild under the Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter-led ownership group was to bolster the organization’s minor-league depth. Doing so would create a stable backbone for the team’s future.
That group is now among one of baseball’s best, as it has been for the past couple years.
MLB Pipeline on Wednesday ranked the Marlins’ farm system as the third best in baseball, behind only the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners.
Miami has six of baseball’s top 100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline: shortstop Kahlil Watson (No. 28), right-handed pitcher Edward Cabrera (No. 30), right-handed pitcher Max Meyer (No. 31), right-handed pitcher Sixto Sanchez (No. 45), outfielder JJ Bleday (No. 77) and left-handed pitcher Jake Eder (No. 82). With the exception of Cabrera, who is making his MLB debut on Wednesday and has been in the Marlins’ organization since 2015, all of their top-100 prospects were added to the organization over the last three seasons.
“The Marlins went from one of baseball’s worst farm systems at the end of 2017 to one of its best by mid-2019, and they’ve kept adding to it ever since,” reads MLB Pipeline’s report on the Marlins’ farm system, also noting that “several of their best farmhands should arrive in the big leagues over the next couple of years.”
Right-handed pitcher Eury Perez, catcher Joe Mack, left-handed pitcher Dax Fulton and shortstop Jose Salas round out the top-10 prospects in Miami’s system. Perez and Fulton, 18 and 19 years old respectively, were promoted to Class A Advanced Beloit last week. Salas made his debut with Class A Jupiter on Aug. 18 and is hitting .238 (5 for 21) with one double, one RBI and two runs scored.
More minor-league highlights
▪ Outfielder Kameron Misner (No. 23) was promoted to Double A Pensacola on Wednesday. Misner, the Marlins’ Competitive Balance pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, reached base in each of his final 24 games with Class A Advanced Beloit, putting up a .316 batting average with seven doubles, one triple, five home runs 27 RBI and 15 runs scored.
▪ Seven of the Marlins’ 20 signees from the 2021 MLB Draft are on the Jupiter Hammerheads’ roster: Second-round pick Cody Morissette, fourth-round pick Tanner Allen, sixth-round pick Sam Praytor, seventh-round pick Gabe Bierman, 10th-round pick Hunter Perdue, 13th-round pick Chandler Jozwiak and 18th-round pick Bennett Hostetler.
Hostetler, an infielder out of North Dakota State, has made the biggest early impression out of the group. He has a .359 batting average with 17 RBI and has at least one hit in 13 of 17 starts. He produced a .435 batting average (10 for 23) with two doubles, five RBI and four runs scored last week.
Meanwhile, down at the rookie-level Florida Complex League, first-round pick Watson produced a .346 batting average and .969 on-base plus slugging mark in his first week-plus of pro ball. He went 9 for 26 at the plate with two doubles, one triple drew six walks, scored 10 runs and struck out just five in five games. He also had two stolen bases.
Off day for Rojas
Shortstop Miguel Rojas was given a rest day on Wednesday after starting seven consecutive games and 17 of the last 18. Jazz Chisholm Jr. took over as the leadoff hitter and starting shortstop. Isan Diaz started at second base.
“We’ve been running him pretty good,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “He pushed through that Cincinnati series. We knew were were going to give him a day this series. Today seemed like the right day.”
.JPG)