Tag Archive for: Miami Marlins

Jorge Alfaro’s production determines winner of JT Realmuto trade

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Philadelphia Phillies catcher JT Realmuto made his return to Miami on Friday for a three-game series with the Marlins. Like former members of the fightin’ fish last year, he came, said how much he loves the Marlins organization (despite asking for a trade in back-to-back offseasons) and how happy he is now.

What makes this year different is now he got to voice his approval of the new changes to Marlins Park. Like a former fling who leaves only to return and see how everything has changed since.

“It’s great — a lot better than the sculpture,” Realmuto said. “I wasn’t a huge fan of it.”

The Marlins traded Realmuto to Philadelphia for catcher Jorge Alfaro, pitching prospects Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart, and $250,000 in international bonus money. Even though MLB Pipeline named Sanchez Miami’s top prospect and Stewart flirted with a no-hitter in his most recent start at Single-A Jupiter, Alfaro’s production is what will determine whether or not the Realmuto trade is a winner. 

Both catchers were on display in the Phillies 9-1 victory. Realmuto went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a couple runs scored. Alfaro went 2-for-4 with a run scored as well, thanks to sac fly by right fielder Austin Dean.

Alfaro has been the lone bright spot in the Marlins’ lackluster lineup. The 25-year-old Colombian catcher leads the team with a .286 batting average, a .342 on-base percentage and .543 slugging percentage.

“If he will stay with the approach and the plan, he’s going to be dangerous,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Alfaro. “He will swing at way more strikes, and hit a lot more pitches. He just has to stick with it daily, and stay with his work. I think he understands what we’re trying to get to. I honestly think, if he sticks with it — and he’s not a kid who is afraid of anything at all. You can see it. He’s not afraid of the ball in any way, shape or form. He’s going to be dangerous, if he will stay with the plan and the approach on a daily basis.”

Realmuto made the All-Star Game last year by hitting .310 in the first half of the season and finishing with 21 home runs. Mattingly has said repeatedly since the trade that Alfaro’s power is off the charts. After hitting 10 home runs in 108 games as a rookie last year, clearing the 20 homer benchmark this season seems realistic.

That alone will make the trade a winner for the Marlins.

Tony Capobianco is the lead photographer for FiveReasonsSports.com 

Jeffrey Loria: Your worst person in Miami sports history

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We probably didn’t need to do this.

It was kind of a foregone conclusion, when we selected 52 of the least popular sports figures in South Florida history — split into Sports Figures and Athletes brackets — that the frugal, former owner of the Miami Marlins would eventually tear down the nets like he tore down baseball in this market.

Still, we went through it anyway, and Jeffrey Loria was the big winner… or loser.

(We won’t show his face because, well, why?)

He was never really challenged, not against another former Marlins owner (John Henry), not against former Dolphins GM Mike Tannenbaum, not against the destroyer of the University of Miami football program Nevin Shapiro, not in the Futile Four against former Dolphins coach Nick Saban — who upset Loria’s son-in-law David Samson in the Awful Eight — and certainly not in the Final against the person you oddly deemed the worst athlete (former Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin).

This was a rout.

And why not?

Loria did win a World Series as owner, but he also made decision after decision to destroy the Marlins franchise. (Oh, and he called me a “piece of crap columnist” once, so I’ll acknowledge some bias.

He’ll probably take this condemnation as a compliment.

What was strange was the other side of the bracket, where four former Dolphins (Martin, Dion Jordan, Mike Wallace, Jay Cutler) were the last four left, not exactly the quartet we expected. In fact, Dolphins kept beating Heat, Marlins, Panthers and Hurricanes players in terms of how much you disliked them.

But no one beats Loria, not at this game.

Broward native Jonathan India’s baseball career circles home

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On the winding road of the minor league journey, Jonathan India has found his way back home.

While Daytona Beach, the Florida State League affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, is about a four hour drive from where he played high school ball, the trips to Jupiter to play the Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals will have to do for now.

The Reds drafted India with the fifth overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft and MLB pipeline has him listed as their No. 4 prospect. In the midsts of the JT Realmuto trade sweepstakes, the Reds made India a key part of their proposed trade package before the Marlins decided to trade their star catcher to the Philadelphia Phillies.

India, who grew up a New York Met fan, was well aware of the trade rumors thanks the Twitter, but was told by the Reds’ management not to worry about it and so he did.

“You never know what can happen in this sport,” India said. “It’s a business. One day you can be Red, one day you can be a Marlin. It almost happened to me. I try to honestly not think about that stuff and just play the game. There’s no point in digging into that and worrying about it because it just puts more pressure on yourself. Why think about that when you have the game right in front of you?”

India played high school ball American Heritage-Delray. There’s a lot of players currently in the minor leagues or big leagues who were once high schoolers in South Florida. In fact, in the same draft where the Reds took India with the fifth overall pick, the Boston Red Sox drafted third baseman Triston Casas — who played third base at the American Heritage School in Plantation — with the 26th pick.

“There are plenty of kids who I played against and have played with who have a shot of making it,” India said.

While Casas was taken out of high school India was drafted out of the University of Florida. You may be able to spot as many Gators in a baseball field somewhere in America as you would on Alligator Alley. India’s teammate at Single-A Daytona, catcher Mark Kolozsvary, was also a teammate with him at UF.

“Going through there for three years taught me how to be not only a baseball player but also a professional on and off the field,” India said. “It helped me a lot going into minor league ball.”

The Gators have been in the College World Series in each of India’s three seasons. The ecstasy of championship triumph was sandwiched in-between the agony of defeat. India called winning the 2017 College World Series, “A dream come true for me and one of the best feelings I ever had.”

“I think it’s the best baseball experience a kid can dream of,” India said. “Like they say, It’s the greatest show on dirt. That’s their slogan.”

After the 2018 College World Series, India quickly went from the greatest show on dirt to just a show on dirt. His professional career began just as soon as his collegiate career ended, split among Tennessee, Montana and Ohio. While he was a Mustang for three days, he found the city of Billings, MT to be quite pleasant.

“It didn’t feel like we were at Montana,” India said. “I actually felt Montana was a beautiful state, with all the mountains and everything. Being from Florida, you don’t see mountains. I enjoyed it there. It was fun.”

Life as minor leaguer is like a traveling road show. Nevertheless, India considers this endeavor, “a fun experience.” The most grueling part of it is the long bus rides. While it may be a bit mitigated in the Single-A Advanced Florida State League, it was still a nearly three hour drive from Daytona to Jupiter. If they’re not catching up on sleep, the team is at least trying to have some fun on the bus.

“We’ve had some funny bus rides,” India said, “singing karaoke, just messing around as a team, hanging out but nothing too crazy.”

India may have not ended up as a Marlin but at least he will get to play in Florida and learn under a former Marlins in Daytona hitting coach and 2003 World Series champion Lenny Harris.

 

Tony Capobianco is the lead photographer for FiveReasonsSports.com 

The Marlins offense is worse than we thought

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No one expected the Miami Marlins to be an offensive juggernaut.

Not after dealing their five best offensive players in the past 18 months. Not with only a trio of major league qualified hitters in the lineup. Not when Starlin Castro is probably the best of them.

But this?

This is ridiculous.

Miami was shut out 5-0 by the Reds on Thursday, so at least it was early enough in the day for no one to pay attention. That dropped the Marlins to a 3-10 record on the season which, again, was expected.

But 34 total runs?

Just 2.6 per game?

Outscored 21-1 in three games by Cincy?

Jorge Alfaro leading with just six RBI?

Lewis Brinson is hitting .234, which is actually an improvement. But Brian Anderson, Curtis Granderson, Neil Walker and JT Riddle are under .200. And while Martin Prado is performing well, he’s likely gone by midseason. So this will get worse.

This would be a good time for the guy in the photo above, spreading his arms at a distance greater than any of his players can hit a baseball, to lace them up again.

You can’t tell me that Jeets, even at his age, wouldn’t hit third on this team.

With the manager, Don Mattingly, hitting fourth.

Marlins on the road? Check out prospects in Jupiter

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Since the ownership of the Miami Marlins exchanged hands, another rebuilding project was quickly sprung into action. Through the draft and controversial trades, the farm system has been restocked and now there’s depth.

According to MLB Pipeline, about a third of the Marlins top 30 prospects are only a 90 minute drive north on 1-95. The Jupiter Hammerheads play in the Single-A Advanced Florida State League in the Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals spring training complex. Here’s a look at the top prospects on the team.

Victor Victor Mesa (No. 2 prospect) was the Marlins big free agent splash this offseason and has the speed and defense to be a big-league outfielder right now. Scouts grade him as an above-average runner who would steal a bounty of bases and he chases down fly balls all over center field. If he can hit, he would be quickly called up and bat leadoff for the Marlins faster than you can say Victor Victor.

With the seventh pick of the 2016 MLB Draft, the Marlins made Braxton Garrett (No. 7) the highest-drafted Alabama high school player since Condredge Holloway went fourth overall in 1971. His minor league career consists of four starts in Greensboro before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2017 and missing all of the 2018 season. A healthy season in Jupiter can establish him as one of the best pitcher in the farm system. Garrett slings a 94 mph fastball and his curveball garners the highest scout grade of 65 on a 20-80 scale.

An instant fan favorite, as demonstrated on the above photo, Jose Devers (No. 12) is the cousin of Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers and is on a similar path. The Marlins spared us all of the potential of both cousins being on opposite sides of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry by including him in the trade package in return for Giancarlo Stanton. He’s a classic shortstop with above average fielding and speed grades. He is also considered as one of the system’s top contact hitters at age 19, so look for him to slap some hits and steal some bases.

Jordan Holloway (No. 13) is in the same situation as Garrett. He’s got the potential to be one of the best arms in the system but after Tommy John surgery, needs stable health and establish consistency. His best asset is his fastball, which ranges from 95-99 mph. Unlike most of these prospects, Holloway was drafted in the 20th round. If he can turn in a full season, he’ll be a major draft steal.

Trevor Rogers (No. 15) was another high school arm taken by taken by the Fish in the first round of the draft. The cousin of former Marlins outfielder Cody Ross stands as one of the tallest prospects in the farm system at 6-foot-6 with a fastball that touched as high as 96 mph. Rogers posted an impressive 85/27 K/BB ratio in 72 2/3 innings in Single-A Greensboro, but he also had a 5.82 ERA. If this were to continue in Jupiter, there’s potential to pivot from the rotation to the bullpen and mold the 21-year-old as a future closer.

The Marlins top four picks in last year’s draft are among their top 30 prospects and outfielder Tristan Pompey (No. 16) is one of them. Pompey climbed up the ranks in his first minor league season, ending with 24 games in Jupiter, while slashing .299/.408/.397 in 52 games. Pompey is a switch-hitter who has played all over the outfield and could potentially be a first base in the future.

After ranking second in the Single-A South Atlantic League in ERA (2.06) and WHIP (0.98) in 2018, the Philadelphia Phillies were so impressed with Will Stewart (No. 21) that they packed him with top prospect Sixto Sanchez and catcher Jorge Alfaro in a trade with the Marlins for JT Realmuto just before Fan Fest. His fastball/slider combo receives his highest scout grades. His low-three-quarters delivery makes his 89-94 mph fastball look like a sinker and leads to a lot of weak contact. His 2.4 groundout/flyout ratio ranked fifth in the Minors last year.

Two other prospects (that I didn’t have photos of) are third baseman James Nelson (No. 20) and starting pitcher Edward Cabrera (No. 8). Nelson is the nephew of former Colorado Rockies infielder Chris Nelson earned Minor League Player of the Year honors in 2017, his first full season, after batting .309 in Greensboro. Cabrera has a fastball grade of 70 and while handled with care by the Marlins in his first two short seasons, recorded 93 strikeouts in 100.1 innings in his first full season last year.

The Hammerheads also has Alejandro Mateo, the team’s lone local product. The Hialeah native has 218 career strikeouts in 206.2 innings since 2016 and is on a fast start this season with five strikeouts in games.

This team is worth a watch this season and you might see some of them in Marlins Park in a few years.

Marlins rook Nick Anderson a sneaky shrewd addition

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Over the offseason, the Miami Marlins discarded relievers Kyle Barraclough and Nick Wittgren in head-scratching trades and retooled the bullpen with Sergio Romo and a bunch of anonymous arms. Among the nameless is 28-year-old rookie Nick Anderson.

Anderson was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Twins for minor league outfielder Brian Schales. He was added to the Opening Day roster after outpacing the pack in Spring Training and is off to a scorching start. In his first four appearances, Anderson has eight strikeouts in 3.1 innings pitched.

The Marlins have increased their emphasis on analytics since the Bruce Sherman/Derek Jeter ownership group took over in 2018. That played a role in acquiring Anderson.

“The reason why we picked him up, talk about analytics, this guy was one of the top strikeout guys in minor league baseball last year,” said Marlins manager Don Mattingly, referring to Anderson’s 13.20 K/9 at Triple-A Rochester. “I think he may have been the top. So, obviously the Twins got stuck in a roster crunch. They got all these guys. They can’t pick everybody. We were able to get a guy like Nick who’s older and maybe a late developer but he’s been trending this way too.”

Mattingly went into the season expecting to have Romo as the closer with Adam Conley and Drew Steckenrider setting him up. However, he can see the rookie taking the mound in late inning situations.

“I can see it just because there’s going to be days where you used your guys and are gonna be down that day,” Mattingly said, “you’re gonna close with somebody. Nick’s been throwing the ball good. He’s throwing strikes. I think he was a closer in the minor leagues. So everything’s possible.”

You’re a Marlins fan? Really? What kind?

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Sometimes, all the snark isn’t saved for this site.

Our friend Ryan Yousefi (who goes by @Rizzmiggiz on Twitter) has compiled a list of the five types of Marlins fans, which is a challenge when you consider that Wednesday night, there didn’t seem to be five total Marlins fans at the stadium — not with all the New Yawkers there.

(Mets fans are a special breed, entitled and yet defeatist and whiny all at once).

Rizz has divided the Marlins faithful into five types, which sounds a little like what we do here, not that we’re filing a legal claim this week. (Next, maybe.)

There’s the first-time longtime fan, the loyalist, the stalker ex-girlfriend, the “I’m just here for the love of baseball” fan, and The Instagram fan.

We’ll let you check it out, so we don’t get accused of just stealing other people’s stuff for clicks, kind of like what we’re expecting The Miami Herald to do to us.

Enjoy, here’s the link. 

And if you can identify the person in the featured photo, you get season tickets for the next five years, from Miami New Times. 

 

Los Marlins de Miami y el primer vistazo de lo que puede ser

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Los Marlins de Miami vencieron 3 a 0 a los Rockies de Colorado en el cuarto juego de la serie la tarde de este domingo en el Marlins Park gracias a una joya de pitcheo del dominicano Sandy Alcántara.

Alcántara cerró una corta primera semana de la temporada dando un golpe sobre la mesa para quienes dudan sobre el proceso de renovación que están viviendo los Marlins.

El lanzador derecho de 23 años, oriundo de Azua, en la República Dominicana, lanzó ocho innings impecables, permitiendo cuatro inatrapables y abanicando a seis contrarios.

Esto le sirvió a los Marlins para conseguir su segunda victoria consecutiva y dividir en la serie inicial, tras perder los dos primeros encuentros de la temporada.

La clave de estas victorias, y de esta temporada, es el pitcheo abridor. José Ureña fue emboscado el jueves en la jornada inaugural, tras recibir una línea de David Dahl directamente en su rodilla derecha. Ese día, la defensiva le falló al dominicano y la ofensiva tampoco apareció.

Los tres brazos del futuro

Trevor Richards tomó la lomita el viernes y siguió en la misma línea en la que terminó el Spring Training, aceptando solamente una rayita en seis innings, pero se fue sin decisión.

Germán Marquez le ganó el duelo de pitcheo.

Este tipo de derrotas van a llegar mucho esta temporada, pues la ofensiva de los Marlins no es una maquinaria de carreras, aunque el sábado hayan demostrado que ocasionalmente pueden ser un equipo peligroso.

Richards abanicó a cuatro contrarios, y solamente permitió cuatro hits, dando dos bases por bolas. El relevo no pudo contener a Colorado, y los bates no reaccionaron, pero la salida de Richards fue el primer paso sólido en la dirección que los Marlins escogieron ir tras dejar libre a Dan Straily antes del comienzo de la temporada.

Es el momento de los brazos del futuro.

Pablo López fue en encargado de buscar la primera victoria del equipo en la temporada. El venezolano solo tuvo un mal inning, en el que permitió dos carreras, pero sus siete ponches, y el movimiento de sus pitcheos, nos dejan ver que los Marlins están en la dirección correcta.

La alineación de los Marlins explotó tras dos jornadas de sequía y jonrones solitarios, con 16 hits y siete carreras, para celebrar su primer triunfo del año, y quizás pasó un poco por debajo de la mesa lo que hizo López en la lomita.

Un triunfo que se anotó Pablo López en el box score, pero que bien pudo haber sido para Trevor Richards.

El domingo llegó la guinda del pastel, con el show de Sandy Alcántara, quien tiene el repertorio como para ser un as en Grandes Ligas.

Por algo fue una de las piezas escogidas por los Marlins en cambio por Marcell Ozuna.

El principal problema del dominicano en el Spring Training, el descontrol, no fue invitado el domingo al Marlins Park.

Alcántara no concedió ni una base por bolas, y solo necesitó 92 pitcheos para lanzar ocho innings en blanco., para que los Marlins dividieran la serie inaugural ante un equipo que estuvo en la postemporada el año pasado.

Un leve vistazo a lo que puede ser en el futuro la rotación de los Marlins…

Marlins Drop Opening Day To The Rockies 6-3

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The new-look Miami Marlins went down to the Colorado Rockies 6-3 at new-look Marlins Park on Opening Day. Jose Ureña was chased out in the 5th inning after Trevor Story jacked a solo home run over the Clevelander.

The fans on the new standing room only porch where the home run sculpture used to be (RIP) still seemed to have a nice time.

Five Reasons photographer Tony Capobianco captured a great picture of Garrett Cooper’s outfield assist early in the game.