Tag Archive for: Miami Marlins

The Isan Diaz dilemma: when should he get the call-up?

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Isan Diaz is one of the four players that came to the Miami Marlins in the Christian Yelich trade.

The trade that most of the MLB annalysts call a win for the Brewers, even though we haven’t seen all the parts included to play in the majors.

Jordan Yamamoto was a great surprise for the world of baseball, and even for some Marlins fans, because he was supposed to be the least attractive of the four players that came from the Brewers.

He had to be called up because of the injuries some Marlins pitchers were dealing with, and performed setting new records for rookie starters in MLB.

Lewis Brinson missed his first shot in the majors, but should be back up with the time at some point this year, and Monte Harrison should make his MLB debut this season also.

However, Isan Diaz is the one putting us to think when he will get a call-up.

Starlin Castro is having his worst season as a professional baseball and will probably not be with the team next year, so for our Leandro Soto, it is the right time to bring Díaz to the majors.

Check Leandro’s heated exchange with Joe Frisaro, of MLB.com, about the subject:

And finally, what he and Ricardo Montes de Oca, of Cinco Razones Podcast, discussed during their radio show at 990 ESPN Deportes. 

For them,  Diaz’s call up should be coming soon, since Brian Anderson is injured, and will probably end up in the injury list.

For Leandro, he should come up and play second base, the position he has been playing in the minors this year, and move the Dominican to third base.

 

I feel like Castro should not stop the Marlins from giving Diaz a very deserved shot, especially since he is just a veteran performing under what is expected from him.

It’s the time to move Castro to third, or figure out a way to give Diaz a chance to play four or five days a week.

The Marlins have done it with their young pitchers. Why not do it with their position players too?

What do you think? Is it time now or should the Marlins wait until September?

 

Listen to Cinco Razones Podcast clicking here. We will be back talking about the second part of the season soon, so Tony and Dutch, if you guys are reading this, you better get ready!

Most Pleasant Surprise of Marlins’ First Half? Jordan Yamamoto.

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Through all the disappointments and hard times of the Marlins’ first half there were a few bright spots to be excited about. I’m only going to be talking about one exciting bright spot in Jordan Yamamoto.

Acquired in the Christian Yelich trade, Yamamoto was thought of as the least regarded prospect in the trade. Yet, he has outperformed his fellow trade pieces, who have performed very well at the minor league level. He has made his way onto the big league scene before Monte Harrison and Isan Diaz have. *Lewis Brinson is progressing very well.*

Both Harrison and Diaz have had great seasons thus far for Triple-A New Orleans but an immediate need in the rotation due to injury opened the door for Yamamoto to make the big league club out of Double-A Jacksonville.

In five starts for the Marlins, Yamamoto holds a 3-0 record with a 1.24 ERA, yes a 1.24 ERA… I don’t think that’s too bad for a “throw in” piece. In 29 innings pitched, he has allowed 11 hits and he hasn’t allowed more than THREE hits in any of his outings. That makes him only the THIRD pitcher since 1900 to have five straight starts without allowing more than three hits. He also hasn’t allowed a home run this season. (via @DuseReport)

His slider has been his best pitch and it’s un-hittable, literally. Batters are 0-31 with 19 strikeouts against his slider, yes 19 strikeouts. Hitters are having trouble hitting his other pitches also. Batters are only hitting for a .117 average and only have 11 hits against him.

An impressive stat for Jordan Yamamoto is that he holds the longest streak of allowing no more than three earned runs and three hits or less while pitching four innings or more to start a career with five straight starts that meet that criteria. (via @MaxSportsStudio)

He shut down a very hot Atlanta Brave’s lineup in probably his best outing of the season in my opinion, based on who he faced. Video below of his dominance against Atlanta. (via @Marlins)

I think he could be a possible NL Rookie of the Year candidate this year, he would have to beat Mets’ Pete Alonso to win it but he could definitely be a candidate if he keeps pitching the way he has been. 

Hey now, Sandy Alcantara is an All-Star

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The Miami Marlins called up Sandy Alcantara on June 28, 2018, for the first time since acquiring him along with Daniel Castano, Magneuris Sierra and Zac Gallen in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Marcel Ozuna.

One year later and he is heading to the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 9, in Cleveland.

“I feel great,” Alcantara said. “I feel really happy to get to the All-Star [Game] and represent my team and my family.”

The 23-year-old right-hander has posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 13 starts this season and is the fifth Marlins’ rookie to make it to the All-Star Game, joining Alex Gonzalez (1999), Dontrelle Willis (2003), Dan Uggla (2006) and the late Jose Fernandez (2013).

“I’m really happy for Sandy,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “He’s a kid that we feel is getting better through the course of the season, from last year to this year. We still feel like this is the tip of the iceberg for him. Hopefully, it’s one of many.”

The fans picked the starters and the players voted for the reserves. The Commissioner’s Office was tasked with filling out both the National League and American League rosters, making sure that every team had at least one representative. The Marlins are in the middle of a rebuild under new ownership that centers around starting pitching so it was only fitting that one of their best pitchers received the honor.

Alcantara’s next start is at Washington on Wednesday and would be on schedule to pitch during the All-Star Game.

Jon Berti

Jon Berti working his way back from injury but with no guarantees

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Jon Berti recently began his minor league rehab assignment in Triple-A New Orleans on Saturday and is expected to take it all the way into the MLB All-Star Break next week. He played centerfield and drove in a run his first game since injuring his quad. 

Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly said on Sunday that he read the report on Berti and received a text from New Orleans manager Keith Johnson first thing in the morning, saying that he played seven innings without setback.  

“He came out healthy and he looked pretty good,” Mattingly said. 

Just a few hours later, Berti hit two solo home runs to power New Orleans past Memphis 6-3. In 15 total games in the minors, Berti is hitting .302 with a 1.078 OPS. Those stats can be taken with a grain of salt, considering most of the players who had success in the Pacific Coast League received the call up to the big leagues and were unable to replicate that success.

Once Berti returns, his role is still a mystery. He was used as a utility infielder who has seen time at centerfield and slashed .268/.362/.463 in his last 15 games prior to his injury.

“Bert was good while he was here,” Mattingly said, “and it was unfortunate that he got hurt but now he’s got go get ready to play again and then we make decisions. So he’s going to have to be productive in what he’s doing. Obviously he’s on the IL but there’s no guarantee that he just starts here again. There’s different things you can do. I’m saying that in a bad way. It’s just that there’s no true plan. If Bert’s doing what he was doing before, he was having good at-bats for us, he was a spark in our lineup, a guy that could steal a bag. He knows how to play. There’s a lot of things to like but he’s got to get back to where he’s rolling again and then we can make a decision.”

JT Riddle was called back up to the Marlins on May 31. Through the month of June, he has batted .215 with a .647 OPS. All four of his home runs came in the final 10 days of the month, which counted for half of his hits. There isn’t a need for the Marlins to carry both Riddle and Berti so if he were to continue rolling through rehab a big decision will have to be made after the All-Star Game. 

Caleb Smith is ready to return

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Caleb Smith had his second minor league rehab start in Double-A Jacksonville on Sunday. He threw five innings, allowing four runs on four hits, including two home runs, and eight strikeouts in the Jumbo Shrimp’s 6-4 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts.

“He’s strong,” Jacksonville manager Kevin Randell said in his assessment of Smith. “Velocity’s good, location wasn’t as strong as the last outing, obviously. He gave up a couple home runs, no big deal. He’s out there just competing, getting his work in and he had good stuff tonight. He just left a couple pitches up.”

Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly said the team wanted Smith to throw 90 pitches to build up arm strength in time for when he is activated from the 10-Day Injured List. Smith is likely to rejoin the team this coming week during their road trip at Washington and Atlanta.

“I’m not sure the exact day but his next (start) will be here,” Mattingly said.

Smith was one of the Marlins top starting pitchers until inflammation in his left hip sidelined him for almost a month. Up until June 7, he had a 3.41 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, an opposing batting average of .198 and 82 strikeouts in 66 innings over 12 starts. He’d most like be an All-Star selection had it not been for the injury.

Elieser Hernandez has pitched in Smith’s place and has gone 1-2 with a 4.07 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 24.1 innings. Zack Gallen and Jordan Yamomoto have also been called up for the first time in their respective careers and pitched in place for Pablo Lopez and Jose Urena. Hernandez spent much of his rookie year in the Marlins bullpen so there’s a possibility that he has earned his place on the roster and is better served to return to the bullpen instead of going back to Triple-A New Orleans.

“It could be either way,” Mattingly said. “It’s been something that we talked about and it’s probably going to go back to what’s best for each guy and what’s best for the organization. Is it best for him to be in the bullpen not pitching very often or is it best for him to get the ball every five days and continue to grow? So that’s going to be the question that we talk about within the organization, development and what’s best for that individual’s development.”

One other factor is which of the young starters are under an innings limit. So far there have been no indication of such so if that’s not going to be used as a motivating factor to move towards the bullpen then a return to New Orleans for one of the three (likely Hernandez) is in order.

 

Is it Lewis Brinson Time Yet?

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Lewis Brinson was known as the prized acquisition in the five player trade between the Marlins and the Brewers that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee. Unfortunately, Brinson has not had the success the Marlins and their fans were hoping for when they acquired the former Top 100 prospect.

In 505 career major league at bats, Brinson is batting for a .190 average with 13 home runs, 49 RBIs, 26 walks, and a horrendous 165 strikeouts. His poor discipline at the plate early on in the 2019 season was enough for the Marlins to decide it was time for Brinson to reinvent himself in the minors. After 27 games, he was demoted to Triple-A New Orleans.

Since his demotion, Brinson is on a tear. In 51 games since going to New Orleans, he is batting .294 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs and with a much better strikeout to walk ratio at 64 to 23. He has a much better approach at the plate as well as a new stance to help him make more contact against the breaking ball. (Picture of new stance via @PastyA_)

This demotion has definitely been good for Brinson. Helps build up his confidence and work on his mental approach as well as his plate approach in a stress reduced environment. He has made huge strides and it is in fact time for Brinson to get another shot in the bigs.

Why wouldn’t the Marlins call up Brinson when they have no true center fielder? Currently holding down center is JT Riddle who has been a shortstop his entire career. While he has been able to hold it down, it would still be better to have a true center fielder instead of a platoon between JT Riddle, Curtis Granderson, and Harold Ramirez. 

Granderson shouldn’t be on the field in my opinion, he is better served as strictly a bench bat. Harold Ramirez should strictly be a  corner outfielder. It’s time for Sweet Lew to hold down center field. He is faster and has a better glove than any of the three players mentioned above. Not to mention he just went deep again today for New Orleans, and it was a bomb. (via @DuseReport)

 

Hey now, who’s a Marlins All-Star?

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The starting lineups have already been decided by the voting public but the rest of the All-Star rosters for the American League and National League will be announced on Sunday on ESPN.

The fans picked the starters. The players vote for the reserves. There are 24 remaining roster spots for the NL and 23 for the AL due to the designated hitter. The player ballot will fill 16/17 available spots and the Commissioner’s Office will fill the remainder, mainly to make sure each team has a representative.

The Marlins didn’t have a player voted among the finalist in any position. It’s likely that none of the Miami bats will be selected as an All-Star but it would be fitting if one of their remaining healthy starting pitchers were to get the nod.

Sandy Alcantara has a 3.86 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP and is the most likely candidate to be selected. His next start is at Washington on Wednesday and would be on schedule to pitch during the All-Star Game, should he be one. With a minimum of 80 innings pitched, there are 17 starting pitchers in the National League with a lower ERA than Alcantara. There are 40 starting pitchers with a lower WHIP including fellow Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Richards. 

Relievers have been chosen before and sometimes used as the one-team rep, even when they weren’t closers. Austin Brice has a 2.25 ERA and would be the dark horse candidate. Same goes for rookie Nick Anderson, who is tied for third among National League rookies in strikeouts. 

But if you were to ask Miami manager Don Mattingly who should the representing the Marlins in the All-Star Game, it would be shortstop Miguel Rojas.

“If you ask me to say who I’d say our guy is, if you are to say we have to take one, without dismissing anyone else, I think Miggy is a great representative for us,” Mattingly said.

His reasoning is that Rojas would fit the mold to represent the organization at the Midsummer Classic on July 9 at Cleveland.

“I think Miggy best represents our club,” Mattingly said. “He’s a guy who plays every day, battles every day. He can play all over the field. He really knows how to play.”

Rojas’ statistics doesn’t necessarily jump out. He’s slashing .287/.350/.706 with 23 RBIs but no home runs. He’s been one of the best shortstops in the month of June, hitting .348 with a .885 OPS.

He’s got the intangibles and can provide a quality at-bat no matter where he is slated in the lineup. Mattingly said he sees Rojas as an All-Star utility pick, since he could come in and play anywhere on the infield.

The rest of the Marlins hitters haven’t been on the field long enough to warrant All-Star consideration compared to rest of the league, which makes the announcement all the more suspenseful.

Miguel Rojas: “Tenemos que jugar mejor en Marlins Park”

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Miguel Rojas está muy contento por estar recibiendo la oportunidad que siempre soñó: ser el campocorto titular de un equipo de Grandes Ligas.

Este año, con los Marlins, el venezolano finalmente está cumpliendo su sueño por completo, al ser el titular indiscutible de la posición en una temporada de reconstrucción.

De hecho, Rojas se ha convertido en uno de los mejores campocortos de las Grandes Ligas. Antes, su gran defensiva pasaba por debajo de la mesa, pues se le veía en todas las posiciones del cuadro, gracias a su versatilidad.

Además, Rojas ha destacado en el plato este año. A pesar de no tener cuadrangulares, el campocorto de los Marlins es uno de los peloteros mas sobresalientes de la alineación, y se ha ganado a punta de batazos y buenos turnos el ser el primer bate del equipo.

Este año, Rojas promedia .276, con un promedio de embasado de .342, y 16 dobles, ya igualando el tope personal en su carrera, y va rumbo a su temporada mas sólida con el bate, si logra mantener el ritmo en lo que queda de campaña.

Su defensa siempre ha sido su mejor carta de presentación, y este año está metido entre los campocortos élite.

Miguel Rojas y su posible primer All Star

El campocorto de los Marlins podría ser el representante de Miami en el Juego de las Estrellas que se va a llevar a cabo en Cleveland.

Hace un mes, parecía claro que sería Caleb Smith el representante del equipo, pero con su lesión se ha abierto la posibilidad para peloteros como Rojas, Harold Ramírez, Garrett Cooper o el propio Sandy Alcántara.

¿Será Rojas el escogido?

Vea lo que dijo Don Mattingly sobre él esta misma semana.

Te invitamos a que escuches el EP 42 de Cinco Razones Podcast, en inglés, junto a Tony Capobianco y Michael Sonbeek (DutchBeek, el Pico Holandés), desde el propio Marlins Park

Zac Gallen gets first career hit in Marlins loss

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Rookie pitcher Zac Gallen made his Marlins Park debut on Wednesday and threw five innings, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts in a 7-5 loss to the Washington Nationals.

“I kind of settled in after the second inning,” Gallen said. “I would have liked to have gotten through six with less pitches, but other than that, I think I did OK.”

Gallen started his outing with a strikeout but ended up with two runners on base before Matt Adams lined out to second base to end the inning. He knocked in his first career hit in the third inning and scored on a RBI single by Harold Ramirez.

Gallen cruised all the way to the sixth inning until three straight hits ended his night. Wei-Yin Chen came in relief and a three-run home run by Adams broke open the game for Washington.

“I think ultimately when you get through the lineup a third time, guys have seen enough pitches and they don’t want to get to two strikes or deep into counts,” Gallen said. “They just ambushed a few pitches.”

Marlins manager Don Mattingly believed Gallen deserved to make through the sixth inning after throwing 76 pitches through the first five. However his hand was forced after the Nationals jumped on Gallen.

“Overall, you have to make a call with a young guy like that,” Mattingly said. “Do you let him go five innings and get him out of there and leave it positive, or do you let him keep growing? Obviously, it didn’t go good today but I’m sure he’s going to learn from it.”

One other interesting tidbit about Gallen is that he wears glasses on the mound but takes them off while at the plate. He has a good reason for that.

“The glasses are only because, at nighttime, I can’t see the signs,” Gallen said. “My astigmatism and the shadows. … I probably could use them for hitting, but I don’t wear them every day. It throws me off even more.”

Caleb Smith is one rehab start away from returning from his month long stay from the injured list. One of the trio of young starters (Gallen, Jordan Yamamoto and Elieser Hernandez) will have to return to Triple-A New Orleans in order to make room. What might be the best direction to go is to move Hernandez to the bullpen as a way to fortify an area of need.

Adam Conley shakes off the funk with seven strikeouts

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There was only one bright spot for the Miami Marlins during their 6-1 loss to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, which snapped their four-game winning streak. The bright spot was embattled reliever Adam Conley.

Conley entered the game in the sixth inning tasked with preventing the deficit from being any more disastrous. He threw three shutout innings with only one hit allowed and seven strikeouts.

The left-hander started the season as one of the high leverage options in the bullpen but has struggled this year. He has entered the game with a 1-7 record and 8.00 ERA but after those three innings, he has 30 strikeouts in 30 innings this season.

Conley said in an interview during spring training that his primary focus is to throw the perfect pitch. With a bevy of breaking balls and a fastball that topped out at 97.4 mph, 11 of the 37 pitches he threw were swinging strikes.

Conley’s role has changed in recent weeks after he fell off the top of the bullpen. He entered the season as the primary left-handed option in high-leverage situations and split the setup role with Drew Steckenrider, who was the primary right-handed option before his season ending injury.

Marlins manager Don Mattingly said during the previous homestand that he “has been out of sync” and by adding length to his role would allow him to use more pitches. Conley started his career as a starting pitcher but was moved to the bullpen in 2018 after a 6.14 ERA in 2017. Relievers typically shrink their pitching arsenal in an effort to be more efficient in a single inning sample size. The three inning performance was his highest since being moved to the bullpen.

“Hopefully that is something that is a positive for him and is something that gets him on the right track and in the right direction for us,” Mattingly said. “Most of the stuff with Adam has been balls in bad spots and really not getting the ball where he needs to in the strike zone. We see 97 and 98 [mph] at times. But guys hit that if he’s just throwing in the zone.”

After that performance, it would not be surprising if Conley wasn’t available for the rest of the series.