The Marlins have traded a fair amount of minor-league talent for major-league pitching in the last year or so, including the January move that sent their No. 2 prospect at the time, Luis Castillo, to Cincinnati to acquire Dan Straily, along with two other prospects who would have been in their top 15. The deal leaves them with one of the weakest systems in baseball, as their recent drafts haven't been productive and their international scouting department has never been given the cash to sign any premium Latin talent. Even though the major-league roster is young, I don't see how this system keeps the Marlins competitive in the near- or long-term.
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1. Braxton Garrett, LHP (Ranked No. 42)
2. Jarlin Garcia, LHP
3. Brian Anderson, 3B
4. Tyler Kolek, RHP
5. J.T. Riddle, SS
6. Isael Soto, OF
7. Thomas Jones, OF
8. Sean Reynolds, OF
9. James Nelson, 3B
10. Drew Steckenrider, RHP
Non-top 100 guys
Jarlin Garcia might end up a starter, but the funk in his delivery could make him a solid reliever now, especially for left-on-left situational work. He has control over command, throwing 94-95 mph in relief in the Arizona Fall League last year, with some trouble keeping his front shoulder closed and finishing his hard slider.
Brian Anderson hasn't quite put it all together at the plate but shows flashes of everything you'd need to see in a potential average regular -- he makes contact with some power and a decent approach. He does have a plus arm and good enough hands to be an asset at third on defense.
Tyler Kolek had Tommy John surgery last spring and probably won't join a team until midyear, maybe June if everything goes well. He had a ways to go before the injury, as he spent 2015 working on fastball command, and would have probably done the same in 2016 had he been healthy.
J.T. Riddle could credibly play five or six positions in the majors, including shortstop. He has a good plan at the plate but a lack of game power, which might make him a super-utility guy but never a true regular, or Ben Zobrist type, because that's the hot new comparison for every future multiposition guy. (Riddle will probably also suit up for Team Slytherin in this year's World Baseball Classic.)
Isael Soto is a corner outfielder with plus raw power who can mash a fastball, but his breaking ball recognition isn't quite there yet for him to show performance commensurate with his tools. Thomas Jones is a toolsy center fielder with bat speed who showed some ability to recognize breaking stuff in the GCL, so he's a bit ahead of where he was thought to be coming out of the draft as a third-rounder. Sean Reynolds was the team's fourth-round pick in 2016 but struggled mightily in pro ball (64 K's in 173 PA); he's built a lot like a young Aaron Judge, with the long levers and enormous strike zone to match, but there's big power upside here, and he has the plus arm to stay in right.
James Nelson was the team's 15th-rounder out of Cisco College in Texas. He is an athletic kid with good pitch recognition and the arm for third base; while he lacks power, he showed an advanced feel to hit for an 18-year-old in the GCL. Drew Steckenrider was throwing 93-97 mph on my gun in the AFL and has hit 100 in the past. He's a strike-throwing reliever who really drives the ball down in the zone and gives up no power.
Dillon Peters (11) is a reverse-split lefty with good fastball command, an average to above-average changeup, and two fringy breaking balls, pitching with a lot of confidence around the zone but just lacking an out pitch, especially against left-handed batters. Right-hander Edward Cabrera (12) threw 91-96 mph in his first taste of pro ball, with a chance for a future-plus slider and average changeup, but he is probably five years away and I expect him to start this year in extended spring training. Jacob Esch (13) got a brief call-up late in 2016, five years after he was the Marlins' 11th-round pick out of Georgia Tech; the right-hander had been 92-94 mph in the minors but his fastball was just average in the big leagues, and he doesn't have an above-average second pitch.
Sam Perez (14) was the Marlins' fifth-rounder as a senior out of Missouri State who started a handful of pro games, but is more of a middle reliever type who should zip through the low minors. Stone Garrett (15) couldn't follow up on his solid 2015 performance in short-season ball, hitting .213/.265/.371 in 52 games in low-A and getting injured by former teammate Josh Naylor in a "prank" (or worse) gone wrong that left Garrett with a knife wound in his hand; he was even worse after he came back from 10 weeks on the DL and I think he has to repeat low-A now at age 21. Right-hander Cody Poteet (16) has fifth starter potential, but spent the whole year in low-A as a college product (UCLA), so his performance wasn't terribly meaningful.
2017 impact: Garcia could crack the Marlins' bullpen or rotation, as could Esch. Steckenrider should join their bullpen at some point. Riddle is a dark horse for a call-up, getting a boost because he can fill in at so many positions.
Sleeper: Nelson is the most intriguing of all of their prospects after Braxton Garrett, with really good instincts, an ability to pick up spin and youth all on his side. He played short in junior college but is at third full time now, and he could break spring training with low-A Greensboro at just 19 years old.
The fallen: The Marlins shocked the industry by taking prep catcher Blake Anderson with the 36th overall pick in 2014, and he was atrocious in two summers before missing all of 2016 because of a torn labrum he suffered in his first game of the year in June. He's 21, has yet to play in any full-season league and has a career line of .173/.274/.245 with 78 strikeouts in 226 pro at-bats.