The advice Johnny Cueto gave Edward Cabrera. And more Miami Marlins notes
Long before they became Miami Marlins teammates this season, Edward Cabrera admired Johnny Cueto. Cabrera, 12 years Cueto’s junior, used Cueto’s character in video games growing up and always appreciated his Cueto’s work ethic. They share a bond over their position and their country as right-handed pitchers from the Dominican Republic.
“Being able to be in the same clubhouse with him and share a locker is unbelievable,” Cabrera said. “It’s amazing.”
And it hasn’t taken long for Cueto to give Cabrera a piece of advice the youngster plans to carry throughout the rest of his career.
“He told me that it doesn’t matter if we’re here on the roster or in the rotation,” Cabrera said. “I need to come in like I need to work for my job, for that position. It doesn’t matter how secure you feel about that position. Every day, you’ve got to come in like you’re actually fighting for a spot on the team.”
That’s fitting advice, considering it’s the predicament Cabrera faces this spring. The 24-year-old righty is coming off a strong showing last season, pitching to a 3.01 ERA with 75 strikeouts against 33 walks and a .177 batting average against over 71 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old right showed flashes of his talent and saw his confidence grow with each outing.
But his spot in the Marlins’ rotation isn’t guaranteed. Miami has six starting pitchers capable of being in the Opening Day rotation in Sandy Alcantara, Jesus Luzardo, Trevor Rogers, Cueto, Cabrera and Braxton Garrett.
A six-man rotation is a possibility the team is mulling over, but whether the Marlins go that route likely won’t be decided until after the World Baseball Classic.
So Cabrera is simultaneously keeping his head down as he works to crack Miami’s 26-man roster and his head up high as he maintains his confidence throughout camp.
He had a good start on Thursday, throwing two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts in his Grapefruit League debut in Miami’s 5-5 tie with the Washington Nationals at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.
And there is one overarching area where Cabrera knows he needs to improve that goes beyond his performance on the mound.
“My biggest goal,” Cabrera said, “is to stay healthy. I know if I’m healthy, that’s all I need.”
Indeed, health has eluded the talented-but-inexperienced righty. He started the 2022 season on the minor-league injured list with right biceps fatigue, missed a month and a half two weeks after making his season debut with the Marlins due to right elbow tendonitis and finished the season with an ankle injury.
A year earlier, Cabrera dealt with an inflammed nerve in his right bicep during spring training which caused him to miss time at the start of the 2021 season as well.
If he can stay healthy, what exactly can Cabrera accomplish? The pitcher doesn’t want to make that type of judgment call — “Only God knows what I can fully achieve,” he said.
His new manager, however, has high expectations.
“He can be a front-line starter in the major leagues for a long time,” Skip Schumaker said, “and we’re gonna need him to be really, really good because we think he’s really, really good.”
And with that, enter Cueto. Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. purposely paired the two together for their early catch sessions in spring training with the intent of having Cueto mentor Cabrera.
“Johnny likes to work, and he’s serious about his work, and he knows how to work,” Stottlemyre said. “He’s done that in time and learned that. He can offer a lot of great advice to young guys that are still learning some of those things and trying to overcome some things. He’s going to be big for our staff.”
Cueto added: “I have a good relationship with all the Hispanic pitchers and the Americans as well. I’m a very humble person, so I’m trying to pay it forward. Sending all my talent, all my experience, give that to all the young pitchers, so they can use that 100 percent during the games.”
This and that
▪ Braxton Garrett threw 45 pitches over three innings on Thursday in his second outing of spring. He struggled in his first inning, giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits and a hit batsman. He settled in for his final two frames, holding the Nationals off the board.
▪ Jorge Soler hit his first home run of spring training, a no-doubter to left field on the first pitch he saw from Paolo Espino in the sixth inning. Soler also hit a single in the first inning. Schumaker said Thursday he likes having a player who can hit for power batting second in his lineup; Soler fits that billing.
▪ Outfielders Avisail Garcia and Jake Mangum also had multiple hits.
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