Who might the Miami Marlins target in the draft?
After falling to pick 14 in the 2025 MLB Draft via the lottery system, the Marlins unfortunately miss out on the true blue-chip prospects available in a historically talented class. Franchise-altering phenoms such as Roch Cholowsky and Tyler Bell will likely be long gone by the time the Marlins make their first selection, though the sheer amount of high-end depth ensures that a premium talent will slip through the cracks.
Entering the third draft under Frankie Piliere, the Marlins have yet to establish a clear-cut preference in terms of age, with prep position players PJ Morlando and Carter Johnson headlining Piliere’s initial draft, followed by collegiate bats in Aiva Arquette and Cam Cannarella in 2025. With such an advanced organization-wide ability to develop pitching, prior drafts have made it abundantly clear that position players are the most prominent focus within the early rounds, and with the 2025 class featuring one of the best crops of position players in recent memory, there’s little reason to expect Piliere to alter the strategy. Although the draft is still six months away, these four names come to mind early in the process as potential targets fitting the mold
Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU
The carrying card of Strosnider’s profile has always been the athleticism, with scouts raving about his ability since his days as a prep phenom at Brock High School in Texas. Viewed as a potential day one pick in 2024, Strosnider slipped through the cracks and eventually fulfilled his commitment to TCU, demonstrating the skillset on a much more prominent stage.
Strosnider’s raw power (108.3 MPH 90th percentile exit velocity) and feel for loft (51% hard hit + launch angle 10-30°) establish a tantalizing combination, though the overly aggressive approach and slight struggles when facing velocity remain gaping flaws in an overall volatile offensive profile.
Although most of Strosnider’s defensive reps at TCU have come in the corner outfield (his teammate Chase Brunson is arguably the best defensive center fielder in the nation), many believe the combo of sheer speed and athleticism, as well as the comfortably above average arm should allow for a seamless transition to center field once drafted, giving him the positional value edge over fellow collegiate outfielders A.J. Gracia and Andrew Williamson, two other names often linked with Strosnider.
While the bat is far from well-rounded, the immense upside Strosnider brings to the table, especially when paired with the safety net of viable defense at a premium position, the reward remains well worth the risk. With each of Piliere’s first six picks last year fitting the college bat demographic, Strosnider will almost certainly remain in the conversation at 14 as the draft process continues.
Christopher Hacopian, INF, Texas A&M
After tearing apart the Big Ten en route to an all-conference second team nomination, Christopher Hacopian’s transfer into the SEC will answer a plethora of questions regarding his ability to sustain success against higher level competition.
Running an otherworldly 57% hard hit rate paired with his 93.2 MPH average exit velocity, Hacopian’s ability to do damage and hit for consistent power with feel for loft, while not expanding the zone to a detrimental extent unlike the aforementioned Strosnider, gives firm middle of the order upside.
Hacopian’s hit tool, at least on the surface, looks to be at least above average, running an 89.4% zone contact rate and 6.8% whiff against velo, though the level of competition in the Big Ten is significantly less telling than that of the SEC, adding to the intrigue of his transfer which could completely make or break the profile once draft day rolls around.
Defensively, Hacopian will likely take a vast majority of his reps at short next season, though 3B feels like the most feasible spot long term considering the below average athleticism. The glove remains a complete question mark, especially assuming he moves off short which is all but guaranteed.
In a broad sense, the profile is reminiscent of 2025 first round selection Aiva Arquette, a college bat with loud exit velocities and defensive volatility, albeit the flaws in Hacopian’s hit tool appear to be a lot less glaring. Hacopian fits Piliere’s ideal early round demographic flawlessly, and assuming the hit tool sustains against SEC competition, he feels like the safest bet to top the draft board in Miami.
Tyler Spangler, SS, De La Salle H.S. (CA)
In terms of prep athletes, Tyler Spangler headlines a premium crop of draft eligible middle infielders in 2026. Boasting a well-rounded profile on both sides of the ball, Spangler is bound to skyrocket up draft boards as the high-school season begins.
Lacking the loud raw tools first round preps generally possess, Spangler’s profile is far less of an upside play, with an average hit tool and ideally fringe above average usable power as he grows into his frame. Having such a refined profile (albeit at the expense of top-end upside) at such a young age is especially enticing for an organization struggling to develop more volatile and high-risk prep bats.
In terms of defense, Spangler likely sticks at short where he projects to be average, he’s fundamentally sound and instinctive with a high baseball IQ, though the lack of athleticism limits his range and ability to make difficult plays. Should he outgrow the position, Spangler’s plus arm and strong fundamentals would transition well to the hot corner.
Despite the Marlins straying away from prep talent for the entirety of the 2025 draft, adding a prep talent as polished as Spangler could prove too valuable to pass up on. Although selecting Spangler at 14 would likely require paying full slot value, landing one of the clear-cut best players in a generational draft class would cap off what projects to be an organization-changing first round.
Jackson Flora, RHP, U.C. Santa Barbara
In recent memory, the strength of the Marlins’ farm system has always been pitching. The recent regime has made it a focal point to bolster the offensive depth in the minor leagues, which makes the selection of a pitcher in round one feel somewhat unlikely, though with a talent like Jackson Flora, the need for bats is something that should be overlooked.
The clear-cut best collegiate starter in the class, Flora’s repertoire is well-rounded and refined with front of the rotation upside. A prototypical high-slot supinator, Flora’s profile from a release and orientation perspective is exactly what an advanced developmental organization desires.
Flora’s four-seam fastball, the most oft-utilized offering in his repertoire, featured 17” of IVB (induced vertical break) at 97 MPH, playing for whiffs and mitigating hard contact. The -4.4° VAA (vertical approach angle) creates a difficult angle for hitters to square up, and the pitch is comfortably above average.
In terms of secondaries, Flora throws two distinct sliders as his primary breakers. The lifty sweeper, as Marquee’s Lance Brozdowski coined it, features 7” of IVB and 10” of gloveside movement, which should play as a platoon neutral barrel misser, though his true sweeper from a shape perspective is one of the best individual pitches in the class, creating an astonishing 20” of gloveside movement. After speaking to Flora, he confirmed that molding the pitch into more of a slurve shape has been a point of emphasis this offseason, with the idea of making it a more viable option against lefties.
Though the sample is too small to determine how effective the pitch actually is, the changeup’s shape from a start late last season looked promising, giving him another potentially above average offering against left-handed batters. With an arsenal of three above average or better offerings, and the work-in-progress changeup, it’s a clear starter repertoire especially considering his feel for command.
