Fulton’s strong pitching streak, Groshans keeps hitting and more Marlins minor-league notes
Dax Fulton’s first season of professional baseball was about adapting.
He was 19 years old and had gone nearly 20 months in between live games after undergoing Tommy John surgery before his senior year of high school and not having a minor league season to play in after the Miami Marlins selected him in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fulton’s primary goal in 2021, as a result, was getting back into his routine, staying healthy and adjusting with each start.
“It was definitely a work in progress,” Fulton said back in February.
Fast forward a year, and Fulton’s work in progress is starting to turn into results.
He hit another milestone on Saturday with the High A Beloit Sky Carp, pitching a career-long six innings while allowing just two earned runs for his first official quality start (defined as pitching at least six innings while allowing no more than three earned runs) since joining the Marlins organization.
But that outing was merely the latest in a dominant run as of late for the 20-year-old, 6-7 lefty who is now ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect in the Marlins’ system by MLB Pipeline. Over his past six starts, Fulton has pitched to a 1.72 ERA, giving up just six earned runs over 31 1/3 innings while also striking out 33 batters against 12 walks.
He has allowed no more than two earned runs in any of those outings and has pitched through at least five innings in all but one of those starts.
Fulton utilizes a three-pitch mix: A fastball that sits in the mid-90s, a low-80s curveball that induces swings and misses and a changeup that he is still developing.
The Marlins are still being somewhat cautious with Fulton, similar to the way they have been with many of their other high-end-yet-still-young pitching prospects. Fulton has yet to throw more than 89 pitches in a start this season — he only needed 69 pitches on Saturday to get through his career-high six innings — and has only pitched into the sixth inning six times in 20 starts this season.
Jordan Groshans’ progress
Infielder Jordan Groshans has thrived at the plate in his limited time since joining the Miami Marlins earlier this month.
On Sunday, he hit his first home run with the Triple A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, a three-run shot to left-center field.
The 22-year-old has safely reached base in 14 of first 15 games since being acquired by the Marlins in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for Anthony Bass, Zach Pop and a player to be named later.
Groshans has a .346 batting average, .452 on-base percentage and .500 slugging mark with five doubles, six RBI, six runs scored and 10 walks against just nine strikeouts in 62 plate appearances. He has multiple hits in six of the 15 games.
Defensively, Groshans has played seven games at shortstop, six at third base and two at second base.
This and that
▪ Among the additions to the Marlins’ top 30 prospects in MLB Pipeline’s updated rankings are a pair of outfielders with the organization’s Dominican Summer League affiliates in Antony Peguero (No. 19) and Jose Gerardo (No. 20).
Peguero and Gerardo were both part of the Marlins’ 2021-2022 international signing class, respectively signing for $575,000 and $180,000. In 48 games at the rookie-level affiliate in the Dominican Republic, Peguero is hitting .283 with nine doubles, one triple, 29 RBI and 22 runs scored. Gerardo has a .992 OPS in 48 games, with 24 of his 49 hits going for extra bases (11 home runs, 12 doubles, one triple). He also has 30 RBI, stolen 16 bases and scored 44 runs. Defensively, both have the potential to play center field.
▪ Four of the Marlins’ 2022 draft picks are also now among the club’s top-30 prospects. No. 6 overall pick Jacob Berry checks in as Miami’s third-ranked prospect (and No. 52 in all of baseball) and is behind only pitchers Eury Perez and Max Meyer in the Marlins’ system. Second-round pick right-handed pitcher Jacob Miller is the Marlins’ 11th-ranked prospect, third-round pick right-handed pitcher Karson Milbrandt is No. 18 and fourth-round pick right-handed pitcher Marcus Johnson is No. 29.
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