MIAMI — It must hurt to throw away $22 million.
In fact, it’s one of the more painful financial decisions for an MLB club in recent years.
But the Marlins reached the point where their future is more valuable.
And so Miami is about to part ways with beleaguered pitcher Wei-Yin Chen to make sure six of its most valuable prospects don’t get poached by other MLB clubs in next month’s Rule 5 draft.
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The Marlins added pitchers Sixto Sánchez, Edward Cabrera, Nick Neidert and Humberto Mejia as well as shortstop Jazz Chisholm and first baseman Lewin Díaz to their 40-man roster Wednesday.
All six will play at the Double-A level or higher this coming season with the bulk of the group having a strong chance to make their major-league debuts at some point in 2020.
With that in mind, and with multiple Marlins prospects performing well in both the Arizona Fall League and in winter leagues around the Caribbean, let’s take a look at where the Marlins prospects rank in their much-improved farm system:
1. RHP Sixto Sánchez
Age on opening day: 21. Major-league ETA: 2020.
Sánchez remains the prospect most likely to someday headline the Miami rotation thanks to his improving command and mix of three “plus” pitches including a consistent upper-90s fastball. Sánchez went 8-4 with a 2.53 ERA in a career-high 103 innings combined at Advanced A and Double A this past year and should be ready to make the leap to Triple-A Wichita to open next season. The Marlins will remain patient and mindful of Sánchez’s workload while he continues to develop.
“The Marlins worked a lot with my mechanics and trying to stay more forward in my delivery and lower my release a little bit and not leave my elbow behind,” Sánchez said. “I feel like I made a lot of progress on my sinker, changeup and slider.”
For now, Sánchez is working on keeping his arm strong as he gears toward a 2020 debut.
2. OF JJ Bleday
Age on opening day: 22. Major-league ETA: 2021
Bleday got his first taste of pro ball by playing two months at Advanced-A Jupiter where he hit .257 with a .690 OPS, three home runs and totaled 19 RBIs in 140 at-bats. That followed up a successful junior season at Vanderbilt in which he led the nation in home runs (27) and helped lead the Commodores to a national title. Bleday projects as a possible right fielder for the Marlins — as early as 2021 — who could be a dependable, middle-of-the-order run producer with power from the left side of the plate.
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Bleday is expected to open 2020 with Double-A Jacksonville.
“It’s been getting in a routine as fast as you can and sticking to it day in and day out regardless of what you did the night before,” Bleday said about the biggest adjustment to pro baseball. “Whether it’s going on the road, it’s keeping it simple, getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy and trying to stick to that routine during the game.”
3. OF Jesús Sánchez
Age on opening day: 22. Major-league ETA: 2020
A hamstring injury brought an early end to Sánchez’s first season in the Marlins organization. But in a few weeks in Triple A, Sánchez showed the tools that made him an elite prospect, like his raw power from the left side and powerful arm in right field. Sánchez will likely start at Triple A if the Marlins feel he needs more development time, but he’ll likely get a call early if he continues to progress.
4. RHP Edward Cabrera
Age on opening day: 21. Major-league ETA: 2020
Cabrera has started to earn comparisons to Sixto Sánchez as the two have similar profiles and with the development of Cabrera’s breaking ball and changeup to complement his high-90s fastball. Cabrera closed out the season at Double A where he posted a 2.56 ERA with 43 strikeouts and 13 walks in eight starts. The Marlins could start him there again initially before making a quick move to Triple A with a possible call-up late in the season.
5. SS Jazz Chisholm
Age on opening day: 22. Major-league ETA: 2021
The Marlins were encouraged by the fact that Chisholm, a left-handed hitter with power who has been prone to high swing-and-miss rates, dropped his strikeout percentage from 33.8 to 25.5 since joining the Marlins after the July 31 trade from Arizona. Chisholm is playing this winter in Puerto Rico with the club Criollos de Caguas and is off to a solid start going 4 for 14 with four RBIs over his first four games. If Chisholm’s hitting comes along and his power develops, the Marlins could be looking at a mainstay at the shortstop position. A full season combined between Double A and Triple A could have Chisholm ready to jump to the majors full time by 2021.
Selected to the Marlins 40-man roster: SS Jazz Chisholm pic.twitter.com/s5Uqgxpgo6
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) November 21, 2019
6. OF Monte Harrison
Age on opening day: 24. Major-league ETA: 2020
Harrison is teammates with Chisholm in Puerto Rico as he looks to make up for time lost late this season when he underwent wrist surgery. Harrison was recently mentioned by MLB.com as the best athlete in the Marlins farm system, an assessment that is backed up by his loud tools both at the plate and in the outfield. Harrison is another high-strikeout batter with tantalizing power that the Marlins hope can become a consistent run-producer in the middle of the lineup. Harrison will compete for a spot on the opening-day roster next season, possibly as the starting center fielder.
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7. 1B Lewin Díaz
Age on opening day: 23. Major-league ETA: 2020
Díaz went home last month to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic and has been one of the league’s most prolific hitters so far. Playing for Estrellas de Oriente, Díaz leads the league in RBIs (20) and has hit the fourth-most home runs (three) while hitting .276/.331/.422 in 116 at-bats.
Díaz is another left-handed power bat with a more consistent hit tool than the rest of the Marlins’ high-end hitting prospects. Díaz is regarded by scouts as having average-to-above-average fielding skills at first and a solid arm that’s major-league ready.
Díaz, who hit .270 with 27 home runs combined at Advanced A and Double A last year, will likely open 2020 at Triple-A Wichita.
Since the Marlins have concerns about Garrett Cooper’s durability at first base, they could go after a free agent first baseman like Justin Smoak to avoid rushing Díaz to the majors. But expect Díaz to be in contention for a call-up later in the season.
8. LHP Braxton Garrett
Age on opening day: 22. Major-league ETA: 2021
Garrett successfully pitched his first full season following Tommy John surgery in 2019 and showed off the arsenal that many think could propel him into the major-league rotation as early as 2021. Garrett’s curveball remains his best pitch, and it is complemented by a 92-94 mph fastball and changeup. According to FanGraphs, Garrett finished with an 18.5 K-BB percentage and induced ground balls at a 52.7 percent rate at Advanced-A Jupiter. With all the right-handed flamethrowers the Marlins have on their way in the next two years, Garrett could be the perfect deceptive lefty complement to them in a future rotation.
9. LHP Trevor Rogers
Age on opening day: 22. Major-league ETA: 2021.
While he heads into 2020 on a similar track to the majors as Garrett, Rogers is more of a power pitcher with his strong, 6-6 frame, a fastball ranging around 94-95 mph and a slider and changeup he throws with added velocity. After struggles at Low-A Greensboro in 2018, Rogers dropped his walk percentage from 8.3 to 5.3 at Advanced-A Jupiter and increased his strikeout-to-walk percentage form 17.7 to 21.5 while pitching more innings (110 1/3) than he did the previous season (72 2/3). If Rogers shows the same kind of progress at Double A and higher this season, there could be two lefties ready for the Marlins rotation in 2021.
10. RHP Nick Neidert
Age on opening day: 23. Major-league ETA: 2020
Neidert recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him for most of 2019 and is a strong candidate to land the final spot in the Marlins rotation going into the season (or be their first call when a starter is needed).
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Neidert opened eyes at the Arizona Fall League, allowing only three earned runs in 21 2/3 innings (five starts) including a stretch of one run allowed in 19 1/3 innings. Neidert’s 0.83 WHIP ranked fifth in the AFL, and he struck out 19 against two walks.
Neidert showed impressive command of his changeup and curveball at the AFL, and should he harness those going into spring training, he could end up in Miami very soon.
11. OF Kameron Misner
Age on opening day: 22. Major-league ETA: 2022.
Between the arm strength, speed, above-average fielding skills and power from the left side, Misner could have the most raw talent among the Marlins’ surplus of outfield prospects. But Misner, who struggled his final season at Missouri, must prove he can hit pro pitchers consistently. After some moderate success during Low-A Clinton’s run to the Midwest League finals where he hit .276 with two home runs and 20 RBIs, Misner will likely get a chance at Advanced-A Jupiter to start 2020, where he’ll begin working toward hopefully joining the Marlins outfield within the next two years.
12. OF Connor Scott
Age on opening day: 20. Major-league ETA: 2022.
Scott, the Marlins’ first pick in the 2018 draft, struggled early as one of the youngest players at Low-A Clinton. The Marlins saw improvement as the year progressed and moved him up to Jupiter where he posted a .633 OPS in 98 at-bats.
Scott, a 6-4 lefty, has yet to show he’s a power threat, but he has solid defensive skills and is a stolen-base threat that the Marlins hope can eventually make more consistent contact at the plate. Expect Scott to pick up where he left off at Jupiter to open 2020.
13. RHP Jorge Guzman
Age on opening day: 24. Major-league ETA: 2020.
It looks like something finally clicked down the stretch for one of the Marlins’ most exciting hard-throwing righties. Guzman made 24 starts at Double-A Jacksonville and saw noticeable progress with his slider and changeup as well as improved location and command of a fastball that sits near 96-98 and can touch triple digits. Guzman is in position to get a call-up to start in 2020 after a stint at Triple-A. Whether his future is as a starter or a high-leverage reliever depends on continued improvement of those secondary pitches.
14. OF Víctor Víctor Mesa
Age on opening day: 24. Major-league ETA: 2021.
Mesa’s time in the Arizona Fall League helped as the Marlins continue to expose their top international signee from 2018 to as much pro pitching as possible. Mesa has defensive tools that appear major-league ready as well as above-average speed that could make him a base-stealing threat. But his lack of power and a consistent hit tool still prompt scouts to see his ceiling as that of a fourth outfielder in the majors. Mesa likely opens 2020 at Double A, and perhaps after another full season in the minors, he could develop in those areas to the point where the Marlins give him a shot in 2021 to claim a full-time outfield spot.
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15. OF Jerar Encarnacion
Age on opening day: 22. Major-league ETA: 2021.
Encarnacion is one of the fastest-rising stars in the Marlins system.
He impressed in the Arizona Fall League hitting .269 (18 of 67) with two doubles, three home runs (including the game-winning grand slam in the league final), and 16 RBIs in 19 games.
With a surplus of power-hitting lefties in the system, Encarnacion has arguably the most power from the right side among the franchise’s prospects. Encarnacion is a solid defender as well who projects as a future right fielder with an above-average arm.
Encarnacion will likely open the season at Double-A Jacksonville and could use another full year of development on a potential path toward a debut the following season.
16. SS José Devers
Age on opening day: 20. Major-league ETA: 2021
The Marlins are building some strong potential depth at shortstop for the coming years with Chisholm, Devers, Nasim Nuñez, Osiris Johnson and recent international signees José Salas, Junior Sánchez and Ian Lewis.
Injuries hampered Devers’ development this past season, limiting him to only 33 games at Advanced-A Jupiter. The Marlins sent him to the AFL hoping to make up for some of the lost time, but Devers suffered another injury there. He still managed to hit .262 with three doubles and five stolen bases.
Devers is still listed at a wiry 155 pounds, and while he’ll always likely have a thin frame, he hopes to continue to bulk up this offseason before he opens 2020 at Jupiter.
17. SS José Salas
Age on opening day: 16. Major-league ETA: 2024.
Salas headlines the group of shortstops the Marlins spent $5.9 million combined to obtain this past July (they paid $2.8 million for him). Salas, a switch-hitter, has a great baseball pedigree in Venezuela with his father, grandfather and uncle all having played professionally. Despite his young age, Salas has already shown glimpses of advanced skill that could make him a mainstay at the position in 4-5 years.
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18. RHP Jordan Holloway
Age on opening day: 23. Major-league ETA: 2021.
Despite a tough first full season following Tommy John surgery, Holloway possesses a near-elite, upper-90s fastball and an above-average curveball that with improved command could propel him into a high-leverage bullpen role in the majors. The Marlins will continue to develop him as a starter, possibly starting him at Double A in 2020, but Holloway would have to develop a reliable third pitch to become a solid future candidate for the rotation.
19. SS Nasim Nuñez
Age on opening day: 19. Major-league ETA: 2023.
Nuñez, a switch-hitter the Marlins drafted in the second round out of Suwanee, Ga., showed off his above-average fielding skills and speed (28 stolen bases) in rookie ball and at short-season Batavia. But he struggled at the plate, hitting a combined .200 in 185 at-bats. Nuñez said it took him some time to acclimate to the rigors of pro ball, so it will be interesting to see how much his bat develops in Low-A or even Advanced-A this coming season.
20. C Will Banfield
Age on opening day: 20. Major-league ETA: 2022.
Dubbed the Marlins’ “catcher of the future” after they managed to sign him away from a Vanderbilt scholarship offer in 2018, Banfield struggled at the plate in his first pro season (.199, 9 HRs, 55 RBIs). Banfield did, however, show off the tools that made him a high-end prospect with a fast pop time and solid arm strength and showed glimpses of what it takes to manage a pitching staff during a full season at Low-A Clinton.
The Marlins appear to be secure behind the plate for the immediate future with Jorge Alfaro but would love to see Banfield make significant progress over the next two years in the minors to add long-term depth at the position.
21. RHP Evan Fitterer
Age on opening day: 19. Major-league ETA: 2023.
Fitterer, the Marlins’ fifth-round pick last year, got his first taste of pro ball last summer by tossing 22 2/3 innings with their Gulf Coast League squad. The former UCLA signee has a solid four-pitch mix highlighted by a low-to-mid-90s fastball and curveball he can drop to the upper 70s with good movement. Fitterer is still several years away but could become a rotation piece if he develops at least three effective pitches.
22. SS Osiris Johnson
Age on opening day: 19. Major-league ETA: 2022/2023.
Just getting Johnson back on the field is a positive step after he missed all of last season following surgery to repair a tibial stress fracture. Johnson, a cousin of Jimmy Rollins and Tony Tarasco, showed above-average skills at shortstop and an ability to consistently drive the ball before his injury. There are some questions as to whether he will remain a shortstop if he continues to grow. With his arm strength and with the Marlins’ surplus at the position, some scouts think he could transition to the outfield or perhaps third base in time.
23. OF Víctor Mesa Jr.
Age on opening day: 18. Major-league ETA: 2022/2023.
While he’s not much of a power hitter either, Mesa Jr. has displayed a better hit tool than his older brother so far while possessing similarly slick skills in the outfield. Mesa Jr. will have the benefit of more experience, playing pro ball from a younger age than his brother, which will only help his development in the long term. If he remains on his current track, Mesa Jr. could emerge as a starting corner outfielder in 3-4 years.
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24. RHP Robert Dugger
Age on opening day: 24. Major-league ETA: N/A (Debuted in 2019).
Dugger’s big-league debut saw him make seven starts in which he went 0-4 with a 5.77 ERA with 25 strikeouts and 17 walks in 34 1/3 innings. The experience was valuable for the 24-year-old righty who opened the season at Double A and figures to be one of the contenders for an opening day spot this season. Dugger made only 10 starts at Triple A last year and could start there in 2020 if the Marlins feel he needs more work on commanding his slider and changeup, which were his more effective secondary pitches.
25. RHP Humberto Mejia
Age on opening day: 23. Major-league ETA: 2021.
The Marlins made a slightly surprising move this week to protect Mejia from the Rule 5 draft instead of lefty prospect Will Stewart. Mejia was one of the club’s most improved pitching prospects this past season, compiling a 2.09 ERA with 89 strikeouts and 24 walks in 90 1/3 combined innings at Low-A and Advanced-A Jupiter. The Marlins feel Mejia, who has shown an impressive mid-90s fastball/curveball/changeup mix, is closer to the majors than Stewart and might give him a chance to prove it this season after likely starting him at Double A.
(Top photo of Monte Harrison: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)