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Miami Marlins Prospects Struggling in First Week of the Arizona Fall League
Apr 24, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Miami Marlins hat and glove in the dugout before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Miami Marlins own one of the top farm systems in all of baseball. They have the top left-handed pitching prospect in Thomas White at the top, as well as top 10 lefty Robby Snelling and top 10 catcher Joe Mack. However, their seasons are over.

They did send eight of their other prospects to the Arizona Fall League to play for the Mesa Solar Sox. Among them are four of their top 30 players according to MLB Pipeline. There's already been a week of action in the AFL despite Saturday and Sunday's games being cancelled.

A week in, most of the prospects the Marlins have in Arizona are struggling against top competition while their team is 1-3.

Starlyn Caba Shining While the Pitching Struggles

Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Starlyn Caba is the Marlins' top prospect in Arizona. The 19-year-old is a top 100 prospect in all of baseball, despite not being a plus hitter. However, he only played 51 games due to a sprained thumb, so he was sent to get more playing time this season.

Caba is already off to a hot start in two games, going 3-for-7 with a double and stolen base. He is considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the minors, so any upside he shows with the bat will only move him further up prospect lists.

As for the other two bats, Fenwick Trimble and PJ Morlando have not gotten off to as great of a start. Trimble is 2-for-8, but has struck out twice while Morlando has just one hit and two strikeouts.

Miami also sent five pitchers, four of which have allowed runs in their outings. Their top pitching prospect with the team is Karson Milbrandt, who has allowed four runs, three earned, in 3.2 innings of work. Two of those runs came via the home run.

Milbrandt had a great season, throwing 90 innnings with a 3.00 ERA and 11.3 K/9. Milbrandt has the chance to be another one of the great Marlins pitching prospects.

Three of the other pitchers, Aiden May, Jack Sellinger and Darwin Rodriguez have also given up at least a run. Rodriguez struggled in his lone inning, allowing two hits and walking two batters while giving up a run.

In May's start, he allowed two runs on two hits while striking out four, but he allowed three free passes, walking one and hitter two batters. He is the only Marlins pitcher to start a game in Arizona.

Jack Sellinger has gotten the worst of it, throwing just two innings, but allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits while walking four batters.

The lone Marlins pitcher to go unscathed was Holt Jones, who has thrown two innings of work, allowing two hits while striking out two. Jones is getting the extra work in Arizona to keep fine tuning things. The 26-year-old has great stuff, he struck out 62 batters in 47.1 innings. The issue is he allows far too many walks, posting an 8 BB/9 mark this season.


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