Five Miami Marlins questions as spring training gets underway
Baseball is officially back.
The Miami Marlins open spring training Wednesday with their first pitchers and catchers practice at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex in Jupiter. They begin the season just more than six weeks later on March 27 against the Colorado Rockies.
Here are five key questions for the Marlins as they begin to sort out their roster for the season.
1). How will they get all their key bats in the lineup?
A few spots appear to be set already assuming full health (which is always a big assumption).
Agustin Ramirez will be catching. Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez will form the middle infield at second base and shortstop, respectively. Jakob Marsee will be in center field. Kyle Stowers will be in a corner outfield spot, most likely left field. Javier Sanoja will continue in his do-it-all utility role.
From there? Things get interesting.
Is Graham Pauley or Connor Norby the primary third baseman or is there a platoon?
Who plays first base? There are a handful of options, none of whom have primarily played the position. Among the possibilities: Newly signed Christopher Morel, backup catcher Liam Hicks, outfielders Griffin Conine and Heriberto Hernandez and Norby. Prospect Deyvison De Los Santos could be a possibility down the road, but he’s likely starting in the minor leagues.
Does Owen Caissie win the final starting outfield spot or will that go to Conine or Hernandez pending how things work out at first base?
Obviously the designated hitter spot will help rotate players in and out of the field, but there are still a lot of moving parts nevertheless. Fortunately for the Marlins, there is time to sort it all out.
2). Can Agustin Ramirez improve enough defensively to stay a full-time catcher?
Ramirez was among the leading rookies last season at the plate with 21 home runs, 67 RBI, 72 runs scored 16 stolen bases and a .700 on-base-plus-slugging mark through 136 games — 71 of which he started at catcher.
His defensive metrics left a lot to be desired. His minus-14 defensive runs saved were the second worst among 31 catchers with at least 600 innings caught. He allowed 83 stolen bases on 91 attempts (just an 8.8% caught stealing rate). He had 19 passed balls. Those numbers will have to improve if Ramirez wants to remain the starting catcher long-term.
3). Who are the breakout candidates?
Stowers and Marsee held this distinction last season. Stowers, who hit 25 home runs and had a .912 OPS in 117 games, was Miami’s All-Star and was trending toward getting down-ballot MVP votes in the National League before a left oblique strain in mid-August ended his season prematurely. Marsee hit .292 with an .841 OPS and 14 stolen bases in 55 games last season to turn heads in an extended opportunity at the end of 2025.
This year, perhaps it’s Lopez, the shortstop, with a chance to put together a season that turns heads. The 27-year-old quietly led the Marlins with 77 RBI in 2025 and had 15 home runs — the most by a Marlins shortstop since Hanley Ramirez had at least 17 (and up to 33) each year from 2006 to 2010. Lopez was also tied for fourth among shortstops with seven defensive runs saved and 12th with four outs above average, according to FanGraphs.
Beyond Lopez, Caissie and Conine both have the potential for breakout seasons assuming they can get steady playing time.
4). How do the Marlins sort out their pitching?
When it comes to the rotation, Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez are locks. Chris Paddack, who is joining the team on a one-year deal, would appear to be a guarantee, as well. Braxton Garrett and Max Meyer would likely round out the rotation assuming they’re healthy. That leaves the likes of Janson Junk, Ryan Gusto and Adam Mazur on the outside looking in. One of them — Junk, presumably — would be the frontrunner to be a bulk reliever out of the bullpen.
Speaking of the bullpen, Pete Fairbanks, Anthony Bender, Tyler Phillips and Calvin Faucher will presumably hold down four high-leverage roles. If Miami carries a long reliever, that leaves three more spots for an assortment of relievers. Righty Lake Bachar and lefty Cade Gibson each held steady roles for Miami in 2025. The rest of the Marlins’ relievers on the 40-man roster include righties Garrett Acton, William Kempner, Michael Peterson and Josh White plus lefties Andrew Nardi and Josh Simpson.
5). Which prospects could make a push for playing time on the Opening Day roster or later in the season?
Caissie is the easiest one to deduce here, since he seems like a lock for an Opening Day roster spot barring major struggles in spring training.
Beyond him, left-handed pitchers Thomas White and Robby Snelling both enter spring training competing to make the back end of the Marlins’ rotation. White pitched to a 2.31 ERA with 145 strikeouts in 89 2/3 innings through 21 starts in 2025. Snelling had a 2.51 ERA and 166 strikeouts through 136 innings in 25 starts. Both finished the season with Triple A Jacksonville, with Snelling slightly ahead of White in terms of his overall development.
Joe Mack is poised to be Miami’s catcher of the future. How soon he becomes that is dependent on how much of a run the team gives Ramirez and how confident they are in Mack’s bat, as his defense is stellar.
A fast riser in the organization: Outfielder Kemp Alderman, who posted a .285 batting average and .820 OPS in the upper minors last season, finishing the year in Triple A.
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