Marlins add former local prep standout and first-round pick Almora and several others
Looking to add competition in the outfield, the Marlins added veteran center fielder Albert Almora Jr. to their spring training roster on Monday.
Almora is among 24 players who aren’t on the 40-man roster but will attend spring training, with pitchers and catchers due to report to Jupiter on Feb. 12.
Of the 24, only Almora and pitcher Feddy Tarnok have big-league experience. Tarnok has appeared in six big-league games, including a start for Oakland in 2023, and has a 4.70 ERA.
Almora has appeared in 600 big-league games and has hit .259 (.300 on base) with 33 homers and 163 RBI, for the Cubs, Mets and Cincinnati.
A right-handed hitter, he last appeared in the big leagues for the Reds in 2022, hitting .223 (.282 on-base) with five homers and 29 RBI in 64 games, while playing all three outfield positions.
He spent last season playing in Triple A Reno in Arizona’s farm system, hitting .292 with nine homers and 69 RBI in 127 games.
Almora, who attended Mater Academy Charter High in Hialeah, in 2011 was named USA Baseball’s athlete of the year after leading the 18-and-under team to a 9–0 record and being named the tournament MVP. He played on six national teams while in high school, equaling a record, and won the USA Baseball Richard W. “Dick” Case Player of the Year Award in 2011.
He committed to play at the University of Miami but instead signed with the Cubs for $3.9 million after being drafted sixth overall in 2012. He was rated MLB’s 39th best prospect at the time and made his big-league debut in 2016.
He had one highly unfortunate incident in his career, which was no fault of his own.
While playing for the Cubs in a game in Houston in 2019, a 2-year-old toddler was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Almora. She suffered a fractured skull and has a permanent brain injury, the family’s lawyer, Richard Mithoff, told ABC News.
Almora was seen crying on the field after the ball went into the stands.
Less than a year after that incident, MLB announced that every team would be required to extended netting to protect fans from foul balls.
The girl’s parents reached a financial settlement with the Astros in 2021.
At age 30, Almora will try to revive his career and compete with Derek Hill, Griffin Conine and Victor Mesa Jr., among others, for third, fourth and fifth outfield jobs.
Jesus Sanchez and Dane Myers are projected to be two of the Marlins’ starting outfielders, and Kyle Stowers will get a chance to win the third job. The Marlins still might add a veteran starting outfielder who slips through the cracks in free agency.
Except for Almora and Tarnok, all of the other 22 non-roster invitees are prospects, many of whom were already in the Marlins’ system. That group includes catchers Bennett Hostetler, Ryan Ignoffo and Joe Mack; infielders Jacob Berry (a former Marlins first-round pick), Ronny Simon and Nathan Martorella and outfielders Heriberto Hernandez, Troy Johnson, Jakob Marsee and Andrew Pintar.
Besides Tarnok, the other non-roster right-handed pitchers who were extended, and accepted, spring training invitations includes Josh Ekness, Woo-Suk Go, Robinson Pina, Matthew Pushard, Christian Roa and Austin Roberts.
The non-roster left-handed pitchers who received invites include Justin King, Patrick Monteverde, John Rooney, Josh Simpson, Robby Snelling and Dale Stanavich.
Two Marlins pitching prospects worth keeping an eye on this spring: Roberts, who had a 2.28 ERA and 17 saves, while allowing only 34 hits and striking out 85 in 50 games at Double A and Triple A last season; and Ekness, who had a 2.32 ERA and five saves for three Marlins minor league teams last season, with 38 hits allowed and 83 strikeouts in 66 innings.
This story was originally published January 27, 2025 at 11:59 AM.
