Marlins official assesses where Bleday, Mesa, Burdick and all top outfield prospects stand
As we enter an offseason when the Marlins plan to be aggressive in the free agent and trade market, we’re taking inventory of where all of the team’s top prospects (at High A or above) stand, with thoughts from Geoff DeGroot, the Marlins’ director of minor-league operations.
We examined all of the Marlins’ top pitching prospects in Part 1 of the series here.
In Part 2, we explore the outfield prospects, with Jesus Sanchez and Bryan De La Cruz not included because they’re already at the big-league level.
Keep in mind that the Marlins plan to add two starting outfielders this winter, according to a source, with Sanchez the front-runner for the other starting spot and free agency set to begin on Monday in MLB:
▪ JJ Bleday: The former No. 4 overall pick hit only .212, but with a .323 on-base average, and was second in the Southern League in walks with 64, and had 12 homers and 54 RBI in 110 games at Pensacola.
“This was an educational year for JJ more than anything,” DeGroot said. “Even though he was drafted in 2019, it was his first full season in professional baseball. He’s another guy that didn’t get off to the start he would like, but he stuck with it and he learned a lot.”
DeGroot makes a good point that breaking into Double A as a hitter in a player’s first extended season of pro baseball (Bleday played just 38 games at Jupiter in 2019) isn’t easy:
“He’s trying to do it at the Double A level his first full season. That’s very difficult, especially for hitters regardless of where he comes from or what his amateur career was like. He finished strong and learned a lot and we’re really happy with where JJ is at right now.”
Even though the batting average was low, his plate discipline is considered very good — top five among minor-league hitters — according to one minor-league evaluation tracking system used by teams. The Marlins remain hopeful he can be what they envisioned.
▪ Peyton Burdick: He was the Marlins’ Double A Player of the Year after hitting .231, with a 376 on-base average, 23 homers and 52 RBI in 106 games at Pensacola:
“Hit 24 homers. Led the Southern League in walks [with 76], set a Pensacola record for home runs in a season,” DeGroot said. “People talk about the bat and power — it’s obviously there — but he’s a pretty dynamic player.
“He can defend, he can throw, he can run. The ultimate competitor, loves to play the game, great teammate. Has a really bright future ahead of him.”
▪ Kameron Misner: He hit .244 with 11 homers and 56 RBI — and 24 steals in 26 attempts — in 88 games at High A Beloit (Wisconsin), then was even better at Double A Pensacola, hitting .309 with three RBI in 14 games.
He’s now 37 for 41 on stolen base attempts in his minor-league career.
“He worked incredibly hard during the [2020] shutdown and this past offseason,” DeGroot said. “Got off to a good start, cut his hand, lost a couple weeks. It took him a little bit of time to get back from that. Finished very strong in Beloit. Earned a promotion to [Double A]. Once he got to Pensacola, he got even better.”
▪ Griffin Conine: He hit .247 with 23 homers and 59 RBI in 66 games at High A Beloit (Wisconsin), but with 103 strikeouts in 288 plate appearances.
The power remained — but the average dropped — when he was promoted to Pensacola, where he hit .176, with 13 homers and 25 RBI in 42 games with 82 strikeouts and 12 walks in 173 plate appearances.
The question is what can be done to reduce strikeouts.
“A lot can be done, and the great part is Griffin is committed to that,” DeGroot said. “He knows what he needs to do. He knows the areas he needs to improve. Griffin’s cutting down on the swing, but we’ve got a plan in place for how we’re going to do that. I have full confidence in our hitting department and I have no doubt they will help Griffin improve in areas he needs to improve.”
▪ Victor Victor Mesa: The once-ballyhooed prospect hit .093 (7 for 75 at Pensacola) but thrived after being dropped a level to Class A Beloit, where he hit .306, with four homers and 25 RBI and 11 steals in 12 attempts in 52 games. He’s 25, so the clock is ticking; there must be production at Double A next season.
“What a job he did at Beloit,” DeGroot said. “Incredible job. We’re very happy where he finished the year. He cleaned up some mechanical adjustments that we needed to make. He bought into that, worked incredibly hard. He hit some homers there, which was nice to see. Defense was as advertised. He’s a well above-average defender in center field.”
▪ Victor Mesa Jr.: Victor Victor’s younger brother, only 20, hit .266 (.316 on-base average) at low A Jupiter, with five homers, 71 RBI, 21 doubles, 11 triples and 12 steals in 111 games. He has everyone intrigued.
“First full season in A ball and he was Player of the Year in Jupiter,” DeGroot said. “He can hit, can hit with power, can run, good defender, good teammate. Both those [Mesa brothers], great years for them. Both guys finished in a much better place than they started.”
▪ J.D. Orr: The former 10th-round pick in 2019 hit .291 with a .375 on-base average and 23 steals in 31 attempts — with 14 doubles and three triples — at three levels (Jupiter, Beloit, Pensacola).
Most encouraging was how he thrived in 22 games (77 plate appearances) in Pensacola: a .347 average and a .390 on-base average.
“J.D. is an incredible talent,” DeGroot said. “Very fast. Strong for his size, competitive, fearless. Was he a highly touted prospect coming in? No. But all of our guys get the opportunity to compete. J.D. is a perfect example of that. He worked hard, performed when he got the opportunity and put himself on the map.”
▪ Connor Scott: The Marlins’ first-round pick in 2018 spent the full season at Beloit, hitting .276 with a .333 on-base average and 25 doubles, six triples, 10 homers and 46 RBI in 96 games.
“This year was a big step forward for Connor,” DeGroot said. “He is starting to mature and get into some more impact offensively. He’s really starting to learn who he is as a hitter and what allows him to have success.”
We’ll have Part 3 next week, and another different Marlins piece — on free agency — on Friday.
This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 4:02 PM.
