How Marlins top pitching prospects are doing — including 2 key pickups - and team feedback
Third in a series
Eight Marlins trades during the past three months have infused the organization with sorely needed young talent. Over a few days, we’re examining the team’s top prospects at every position, including several acquired by trade.
In the latest installment, we examine the organization’s top pitching prospects, with feedback from Marlins executives:
▪ Left-hander Robby Snelling, who was acquired from San Diego with right-hander Adam Mazur and infielders Graham Pauley and Jay Beshears for closer Tanner Scott:
Rated as the Padres’ No. 2 prospect before the season, Snelling seemingly has regained his touch after the trade.
Selected 39th overall out of a Reno, Nevada, high school in 2022, Snelling had a 6.01 ERA in 16 starts in Double A San Antonio this season. But at Double A Pensacola, Snelling has a 2.51 ERA in three starts, with 15 baserunners and 23 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings.
MLB Pipeline said he touches 96 mph on his fastball and noted that his “strong 2023 success” — including a 1.82 ERA in 22 starts at three levels — “reinforced his high floor as a future Major League starter. His continued comfortability with all three of his pitches could push him into at least the middle of a rotation.”
Hector Crespo, the Marlins’ director of minor-league operations, said Snelling “kind of reminds us of Ryan Weathers. He has a four pitch mix, has a good feel for his changeup.”
One key since his acquisition is that his “first-pitch strike percentage” has improved markedly.
“That’s something we’ve emphasized,” Crespo said. “It’s cool to see his first-pitch strikes at a 75 percent clip. He has elite stuff and when [pitching prospects] have elite stuff, sometimes they want to hit the corners” as opposed to attacking. The emphasis has been “getting him more in the zone.”
▪ Right-hander Mazur: He has a 4.74 ERA in his first four Marlins starts in Triple A Jacksonville, with 15 strikeouts and just two walks in 19 innings. That’s better than his earlier Triple A experience this season (a 7.83 ERA in five starts in El Paso).
Mazur, drafted in the second round out of Iowa in 2022, made eight starts with the Padres between June 4 and July 26 and struggled, going 1-3 with a 7.49 ERA, with 61 baserunners allowed in 33 2/3 innings. After allowing just two hits in six innings in his big-league debut at the Angels, he failed to reach five innings in six of his next seven starts.
Some Marlins people believe he was rushed to the majors and want him to have the necessary time to develop in the minors.
During his first two professional seasons, he was very effective in Double A (3.07 in 18 games) and Single A (2.02 in 12 games). The question is whether he can replicate that performance at higher levels.
There’s no concerns about how he handles himself. “I just loved the way he conducted himself [in the spring], his work ethic and his professionalism,” Padres manager Mike Schildt said.
MLB Pipeline said of Mazur: “A lack of more than two above-average pitches dilutes his ceiling some, but so long as he can get through a lineup twice, he should still fit the modern mold of a starting pitcher.”
Crespo’s take: “We want to see him in Triple A. We don’t know timelines, but I can see him knocking on the [big league] door maybe at the end of the year.
“He has pitched well since he came to us. He’s a guy who is very talented. He has five real pitches: a slider, a slurve, a change up, a two-seam fastball and four-seam fastball. [Better] utilization of his pitches has been a big objective.”
▪ Right-hander Woo-Suk Go, who was among four players acquired in the Luis Arraez trade with San Diego:
After a short stint at Triple A Jacksonville — where he had a 4.29 ERA in 16 appearances out of the bullpen — he’s back at Double A Pensacola, where he has been awful (16.20 ERA in 11 games, with 30 base-runners in 10 innings).
“He has interesting qualities to his fastball,” Crespo said. “Learning how the domestic game works has been the biggest learning curve. He has really quality pitches.”
Go, who grew up in Korea, has a 7.06 ERA and two saves in 43 minor-league innings, after posting a 3.18 ERA and 139 saves in seven years pitching in Korea. He’s owed $2.25 million in 2025, with a $3 million mutual option in 2026.
▪ Right-hander Jun-Seok Shim, acquired from Pittsburgh in the Bryan De La Cruz trade:
Durability has been the big issue for a player who was ranked by mlb.com as the No. 10 international prospect when the Pirates signed him out of Korea in 2021.
Since signing a contract with Pittsburgh, he has pitched only eight innings through four games, all last season. He allowed three hits (including a home run) and three runs and walked three and struck out 13 during those appearances for Pittsburgh’s rookie league team.
He hasn’t pitched this season because of what the Pirates called a minor shoulder injury resulting from a previous pectoral injury.
But Crespo said he is facing hitters in Jupiter and has no structural issues with the shoulder.
“He pitched in a post FCL game and looked great,” Crespo said. “He feels healthy. The ball is coming out well, getting on hitters extremely fast. He has a natural ride in his fastball that elevates. He mixed in a slow, spinny curveball that keeps hitters off balance. Outstanding kid, big smile, 6-4, and has a mature body. We’re excited about him.”
▪ Right-hander Will Schomberg, who was acquired from Seattle for JT Chargois:
Schomberg had a 3.27 ERA in four starts at High A Everett (Washington) after beginning the season with a 2.69 ERA and 6-1 record in 15 starts at Class A Modesto (California). Since the trade, he has a 7.15 ERA in three games at High A Beloit (Wisconsin).
Schomberg, who wasn’t rated among Seattle’s top 30 prospects entering this season, went undrafted in 2021 out of Davidson, where he finished 12-4 with a 4.55 ERA.
“We’re excited about the guy,” Crespo said. “He has really good qualities to his slider; throws it 55 to 60 percent [for strikes]. We had good feedback from our guys who saw him” in the Mariners organization.
TOP PROSPECTS WHO WERE ALREADY WITH THE MARLINS HEADING INTO THIS SEASON
▪ Right-hander Noble Meyer, who is rated the team’s top overall prospect by mlb.com, after being drafted 10th overall in 2023 out of an Oregon high school:
He has a 5.68 ERA and an 0-5 record in nine games since his promotion to High A Beloit, with too many walks (25) and 31 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings. He had a 2.65 ERA in eight starts with Jupiter earlier this year.
“Noble had an excellent start this season with Jupiter, doing a lot of the things we asked — trusting his stuff, emphasizing the changeup,” Crespo said. “He has a 95 plus [mph] fastball and elite slider and is trusting his changeup. He struggled his last couple outings in Beloit, but a 19-year old in high level [A] ball” is going to have ups and downs.
▪ Left-hander Thomas White, who is rated the Marlins No. 3 overall prospect by mlb.com:
The 6-5 left-hander, drafted 35th overall out of a Massachusetts high school in 2023, has been very good, with 2.49 ERA in 10 starts at High A Beloit, with 57 strikeouts in 47 innings.
“I cannot say enough good things about him,” Crespo said. “As soon as I saw his first pitch, it was different. As soon as he walked in the door, he was a top guy. During the offseason, he put his body in position to do what he’s doing; he was dominating Jupiter and now dominating in Beloit.”
And then Crespo said something especially noteworthy: “He’s the clear-cut No. 1 prospect in our system [among all players]. As a left-hander, 19 years old, throwing 95 to 98 with two plus secondary pitches. That’s a rare breed.”
▪ Right-hander Karson Milbrandt, who is rated the Marlins’ No. 14 prospect after being drafted in the third round out of a Missouri high school in 2022:
He has a 4.03 ERA (better than his 1-7 record) in 20 starts at High A Beloit, with 85 strikeouts in 89 innings.
“He has the same frame as Noble,” Crespo said. “The objective has been changeup development. Has one of the better fastballs in our system. The separator for him is having a third pitch, a changeup. Developing that will help him; he’s striking out 25 percent of the batters he’s facing. He has electric weapons.”
▪ Left-hander Dax Fulton, coming off his second Tommy John surgery:
The former 2020 second-round pick, who is rated the Marlins’ 19th overall prospect, has a 4.27 career ERA in 51 games and 38 starts the minors, with 273 strikeouts in 229 ⅔ innings.
Before the elbow injury last season, he had a 5.18 ERA in seven games at Pensacola.
Crespo said he should be ready to pitch next season. “He’s in really good spirits,” Crespo said. “This guy is still laying in the weeds as one of our better guys. Hoping he’s ready for spring.”
▪ Right-hander Jacob Miller, rated the Marlins’ No. 27 prospect:
The 2022 second-round pick, out of an Ohio high school, had a 4.02 ERA in 16 starts at Beloit this season and has pitched well in his first three starts at Double A Pensacola (2.57 ERA, 14 base runners in 14 innings).
“Really happy where Jacob is at,” Crespo said. “He’s coming off couple injury mishaps. Similar to Thomas White, he had a really good offseason.
“He had a very warranted promotion to Double A. He has been able to home in on his fastball development and change grips and have action on his fastball; that’s helped him so he can have a three-pitch mix. The slider is his best pitch. The new grip has helped him throw more strikes.”
▪ What other pitchers have raised their stock?
Crespo mentioned three right-handed relievers: Nigel Belgrave (10 saves, 2.93 ERA on three teams in Single A and Double A), Xavier Meachem (2.01 ERA, nine saves at Jupiter and Beloit) and Josh Ekness (1.67 ERA, five saves at Beloit and Jupiter).
“Nigel has really intriguing qualities with his slider,” Crespo said. “Meachem, at Beloit, is dominating the league. Josh Ekness possesses power stuff. In a couple years, we could see [them] as contributors” with the Marlins.
Pitching remains at the centerpiece of the Marlins future. Miami already has one elite starter in Sandy Alcantara, a potentially elite one in Eury Perez, two good ones in Braxton Garrett and Jesus Luzardo, a developing former first-rounder in Max Meyer and decent starters in Weathers and Edward Cabrera. (Alcantara and Perez are coming off Tommy John surgery; Luzardo is likely out for the season with a lumbar stress reaction.)
If even half of their top arms pan out, that will put the organization in a very good position with pitching, with Luzardo, Cabrera and perhaps Garrett potential trade chips down the road.
Here’s Part 1 of the series on the Marlins’ infield prospects.
Here’s Part 2 of the series on the Marlins’ outfield prospects.
This story was originally published August 23, 2024 at 11:40 AM.
