Two top prospects begin year injured: A dozen Marlins nuggets heading into opener
A 12-pack of Marlins nuggets heading into Friday’s regular season 7:10 p.m. opener against Colorado at LoanDepot Park.
▪ Of the Marlins’ top five prospects per MLB.com, one already is beginning the season in the majors (outfielder/No. 3 prospect Owen Caissie). It will be interesting to see who reaches the majors next from that top group.
My guess: Left-hander Robby Snelling (No. 2) or catcher Joe Mack (No. 5). I would lean toward Mack, if he hits and if Agustin Ramirez’s defense doesn’t improve (or if there’s an injury to Ramirez or Liam Hicks). Manager Clayton McCullough last week praised Ramirez’s efforts to improve his defense, but it remains a huge question mark.
The Marlins’ two other top-five prospects begin the season injured but are expected back by mid-April: No. 1 overall prospect Thomas White (the left-hander is recovering from an oblique strain) and No. 4 prospect/third baseman (and 2025 first-round pick) Aiva Arquette, who had core muscle surgery in February.
Outfielder Dillon Lewis, the Marlins’ No. 11 prospect and the top player acquired from the Yankees in the Ryan Weathers trade, will not begin the season at Triple A, but the Marlins haven’t set their Double A or Single A rosters yet.
“He came as advertised,” McCullough said. “It jumped out to me the first time I saw him in person, like the physicality, like how big of a man he is [at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds], and the way he can run, and the defensive acumen that we’d heard about.
“It certainly shows that he can stay in center field and play at a high rate at a premium spot. As he got some at-bats and settled into camp, some of the exit velocities, the quality of contact that he’s capable of, we saw some. We’re really high on Dillon, someone who can impact on both sides of the ball.”
The Marlins’ Triple A pitching staff is loaded with White, Snelling, Dax Fulton, Braxton Garrett, Ryan Gusto, William Kempner and at least five big-league-caliber relievers (including Cabe Gibson and Jack Ralston).
The lineup is filled with prospects that the Marlins hope will become big-leaguers: Mack, first baseman Deyvison De Los Santos, outfielders Kemp Alderman and Andrew Pintar and infielder Jared Serna, among others.
Slater and righty/lefty issue
▪ Besides a history of hitting well against left-handers, new Marlins outfielder Austin Slater also is considered a solid defender in all three outfield spots.
He asked for his release from the Tigers last weekend when it became clear he wouldn’t make the team. But if Slater had been on the Marlins, he would have been one of their better hitters in the spring: He hit .267 with a .389 on base in 36 plate appearances this spring.
Slater will make $1 million (with incentives), bringing the Marlins’ total free agent allocations to $21.5 million.
▪ Whether the Marlins will be able to consistently hit left-handers is a concern.
Last season, right-handed hitting shortstop Otto Lopez inexplicably hit far better against right-handers (.270 and .333 on base) than against lefties (.197, .246).
Switch-hitting second baseman Xavier Edwards hit .306 (.368 on base) vs. right-handers, compared with .236, .289 against lefties.
McCullough indicated he’s not concerned about that with regard to Lopez and Edwards. “We are going to be very strong up the middle offensively,” he said.
Overall, the Marlins hit .232 against lefties (22nd in baseball), compared with .244 vs. right-handers. The on-base average was a bit higher vs. right-handers as well (.314 to .300).
It helps that left-handed-hitting center fielder Jakob Marsee hit .324 vs. lefties, compared to .274 vs. right-handers.
The Marlins value outfielder/designated hitter Heriberto Hernandez’s right-handed bat, and he was a revelation last season with 10 homers and 45 RBI in 87 games. But oddly, he hit better against right-handers (.270) than lefties (.259).
“We’re counting on him a lot,” McCullough said of Hernandez. “He can provide a lot of punch on the right side.”
The left-handed hitting Caissie “will get some opportunities against lefties,” McCullough said.
Personnel chatter
▪ The Marlins’ most difficult roster decision might have been keeping Andrew Nardi and Michael Peterson over Gibson, who had a 2.63 ERA in Miami’s bullpen last year.
Nardi missed last season with a back injury and the first three weeks of spring training with a finger injury. But has a 4.51 ERA and three saves in 135 career games for Miami.
“We’re very optimistic about Nardi,” McCullough said. “We saw the velo went up. His stuff will continue to trend as he gets to pitch more. Nardi has a track record of being a very successful major league reliever. He didn’t do anything this spring to have us think otherwise. Nardi is one of our best eight relievers.”
With the Marlins opting for Nardi and John King as their lefty relievers, there was no room for Gibson. McCullough said of Gibson: “He had a good spring. We know Cade will come up and help us out at some point.”
▪ The Marlins also really liked right-hander Tyler Zuber, who was sent to Triple A. “Tyler Zuber has had a fantastic spring,” McCullough said. “His stuff has ticked up. Tyler is going to come up and help us.”
▪ The Phillies returned Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley to the Marlins; Miami’s third-round pick in 2020 (out of Coastal Carolina) was drafted as a starter but moved to the bullpen in 2022. He will pitch in Jacksonville.
The right-hander was effective last season, closing with a 2.90 ERA in Double A and Triple A with 83 strikeouts in 62 innings. But in spring training for the Phillies, he walked (six) more hitters than he struck out (four) in his 7 1/3 innings. Philadelphia, concerned about his control issues, returned him to the Marlins, who could give him a chance at some point if he manages control issues at Triple A.
▪ Because of a forearm injury, last Sunday’s spring finale was Graham Pauley’s first game in the field in weeks. But the Marlins say he’s healthy and ready to resume playing third base.
▪ Sandy Alcantara, who starts Friday’s opener, worked on a sweeper all spring and “you can tell with his confidence level throwing the pitch and its execution, it’s gotten better,” McCullough said. “It opens up so much more for him. The two seam [fastball] and changeup will still be the main weapons.”
TV news
▪ As part of its planned Thursday announcement involving the Marlins and nine other teams that left FanDuel networks, MLB also will announce channel numbers where Marlins games will air on cable and satellite providers this season.
Comcast, DirecTV and Fubo are expected to carry the Marlins games, sources said. YouTube TV and Dish have been trending toward not carrying the games, but it’s fluid.
Breezeline (formerly Atlantic Broadband) has declined to say if it’s carrying the games. The Marlins are hopeful that Bluestream and Hotwire will carry games, but nothing is set.
Those who cannot (or choose not) to watch Marlins games on their cable or satellite provider can stream them on Marlins.TV for $19.99 per month or $99.99 for the season (or half that season price for Marlins season-ticket holders).
On the radio side, the Marlins continue to close in on a deal with WQAM-560 AM and 104.3 FM.
Most teams will need to generate new broadcast revenue in this post-Fan Duel Sports media era, and the Marlins struck a deal with Werner, Hoffman, Greig & Garcia — a South Florida law firm, to be the title sponsor of their telecasts.
According to a source, the deal with WHG is worth close to seven figures.
Teams that left FanDuel and partnered with MLB Media’s arm must find new ways to produce revenue because they will no longer be receiving a flat rights fee from FanDuel’s parent company, Main Street Sports. One way to create revenue is finding a title sponsor for the telecasts.
The Marlins found a willing partner in WHG; partner Michael Hoffman noted that “as a lifelong Marlins fan, some of my favorite childhood memories were attending games with my mother in the Fish Tank seats in a teal Marlins jersey. To now partner with the Marlins in such a meaningful way... is truly a dream come true.”
The 10 teams that left FanDuel will now operate under an “eat what you kill” approach; they will pocket revenue generated from subscriber fees to watch the games, and will keep a portion of the fees paid by cable and satellite providers to carry the games.
This and that
▪ McCullough, on his team’s outlook: “We have a solid starting rotation that will give us a chance each day to win. We will have to pitch very well. Playing sound defense will be a really important thing. We expect to be in a lot of really close games. We found last year when we played our best that was our formula for winning.”
▪ Former Nationals and Reds GM Jim Bowden, now a senior writer for The Athletic, ranks the Marlins’ rotation 19th in baseball, noting “Eury Pérez profiles as a future Cy Young candidate and he’s continuing to perfect his secondary pitches. Max Meyer has also shown flashes of his high upside when he’s been healthy....The Marlins’ farm system is loaded with promising pitchers.”
▪ Fangraphs, which brings analytics juice to its predictions, projects the Marlins will go 75-87.
▪ Bookies.com says the Marlins have the most affordable family-of-four experience in baseball, with an average overall cost of $159.14. That’s in part because of cheap weeknight parking.
This story was originally published March 25, 2026 at 12:27 PM.
