The Marlins currently have an outfielder on their Class A team that deserves much more attention than he’s received. That player, outfielder Brent Keys, has put up unbelievable numbers this year, and finally, his tools have translated into results. He’s almost hitting .400, and he has played outstanding defense in 2012. Keys was never considered a prospect before this season, but talent evaluators have quickly changed their mind when it comes to this athletic twenty-one year old. Hopefully, Keys can continue to be successful for another couple of weeks in Greensboro, then get a promotion to High-A.

Brent Keys was born in July of 1990 in Simi Valley, California, which is in the San Fernando Valley right outside of Los Angeles. At Simi Valley High School, Keys never stood out as a dominating hitter. In 2008, as a Junior, Keys hit .377 with two homers in thirty-three games. While those might seem like impressive numbers for some people, the average batting average for a high school position player is usually much higher than one of an MLB position player. Keys wasn’t dominant in high school, but he did turn some heads due to his athleticism. In 2009, Keys was named to the California All-Region 2^nd team and was selected by the Miami Marlins in the seventeenth round.

Continue reading this post »

Greensboro continued to dominate the South Atlantic League, securing a six game lead over Hagerstown. Christian Yelich hit .341/.420/.795 and topped the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet, but it wasn't enough to carry the struggling the Hammerheads. Jacksonville was swept in a five game series with the Mobile BayBears and fell to second place. New Orleans remains in third place.

Continue reading this post »

The Dominican Republic has produced more major league baseball players than any other international country. With all of the academies popping up around the D.R., that doesn't look like it is going to change. Both Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes were born in the Dominican Republic, and a couple of the Marlins top prospects are from the D.R. as well. The international signing period begins July 2nd, and this year is sure to be interesting, because of baseball's new CBA. For the first time ever, teams will be limited to how much money they can spend on international prospects. The new cap ($2.9 million) shouldn't affect the Marlins as much as it will other organizations, but it will still limit some of the players they can go after. Here are a couple of prospects that I would love to see sign with the Marlins.

Before we get to the prospects, let's clear a couple of things up. First of all, my goal isn't to tell you who the top unsigned Dominican prospects are. The consensus #1 Latin American prospect, Gustavo Cabrera, probably will sign with another team just due to their presence in the Dominican Republic. However, the top-rated prospect doesn't always become the most valuable player out of the bunch. For example, the best power hitter in the Marlins' system, twenty-one year old Marcell Ozuna, signed with the Marlins for only $50,000 in 2007.

Continue reading this post »

Jose Fernandez was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week, headlining a strong week for the Greensboro Grasshoppers. New Orleans slipped from first place after a number of poor pitching performances, while Jupiter lost two series against Bradenton and St. Lucie. Jacksonville moved up to first place after a near perfect week.

Continue reading this post »

via cache.daylife.com

So far, I think the Marlins have to be pleased with the way their top prospects have been playing. In particular, the pitchers have been tremendous. However, there are a lot of talented Marlins' minor leaguers that are batting injuires. Here are a couple of notable injuries from each Marlins affiliate.

Greensboro Grashoppers, Record: 18-8. Players on the DL: Four.

Jared Rogers: Rogers was drafted by the Marlins in the 36th round in 2010 out of Rice University. He is 6'7'' and around two hundred pounds. He has been compared to Doug Fister before and he's gained a reputation for his outstanding work ethic. Last year, Rogers struck out fifty-four batters and walked sixteen in eighty innings with Greensboro. There's been no news as to what Roger's injury is but considering he hasn't pitched all year, it's probably serious.

Terrence Dayleg: Dayleg was selected by the Marlins in the 22nd round of the 2009 amateur draft. He hails from Canada but he went to college at Seminole State college and then Western Kentucky college. Dayleg went on the Disabled List after a productive nineteen games for the Hoppers. I don't think Dayleg's injury is as bad as Rogers', so he shouldn't miss too much time.

Continue reading this post »

The Marlins have lost seven of their last eight games, placing them dead last in the National League East. The front office decided to shake things up yesterday by sending down the struggling Chris Coghlan and Michael Dunn. Their replacements are outfielder Bryan Peterson and relief pitcher Dan Jennings. Fish Stripes writer Sam Evans profiled Bryan Peterson last night. But what can we expect from Jennings?

Continue reading this post »

After today's 8-4 loss, the Marlins made a pretty big decision regarding some of their young players. Chris Coghlan and Michael Dunn were sent to Triple-A and Dan Jennings and Bryan Petersen got called up. Bryan Petersen won't be a starter from day one, but he could see a fair amount of innings in the majors this year. Let's look at Petersen's career, and what some popular projection systems see Petersen doing in 2012.

Continue reading this post »

Whereas low Class A Greensboro and Triple-A New Orleans both lead their divisions, high Class A Jupiter has struggled to stay afloat, even with the return of Christian Yelich. At the same time, Kyle Skipworth's and Kyle Jensen's bats have come alive, helping propel Double-A Jacksonville to second place.

Continue reading this post »