Early Results from 2012 Marlins Draftees

While we patiently wait for the Marlins to sign their top two overall picks from the 2012 MLB Amatuer draft, some of the players who have already signed have gotten off to quick starts in the Marlins low minors. Let's look at those players, and what they've done in a short period of time.

Third Round Supplemental Pick: Kolby Copeland, OF, GCL, .306/.386/.431 in eighty-four plate appearances. Copeland's hot start has been very surprising and impressive. Only eighteen years old, Copeland is the youngest player on the Marlins GCL team. Copeland is a great athlete, so it's encouraging to hear him impressing as a hitter. He has yet to hit a home run, but he has three doubles and three triples.

Fourth Round Pick: Austin Dean, OF, GCL, .179/.299/.250 in sixty-nine plate appearances. As expected, Austin Dean has yet to tap into his power potential. He is a long ways away, and his early start hasn't done anything to change that.

Fifth Round Pick: Austin Nola, SS/2B, SAL, .304/.407/.478 in twenty-seven plate appearances. Austin Nola, the shortstop from LSU, is the first 2012 Marlins draft pick to reach Greensboro. He was expected to be a quick-riser, so this is no surprise.

Sixth Round Pick: Anthony Gomez, SS/2B, NY-Penn League, .230/.294/.262. Gomez, who some considered a better prospect than Nola, has yet to impress, albeit in a very small sample size. Look for Gomez to finish out the year with Jamestown in the New York-Penn League.

Seventh Round Pick: Ryan Newell, RHP, NY-Penn League, 5.94 FIP 0.75 K/BB 7.2 IP. Newell has only had two starts with Jamestown, and neither was very pretty. I have yet to hear an updated report on Newell's velocity, but heading into the draft he was touching 97 MPH at Shorter University in Georgia.

Eighth Round Pick: Drew Steckenrider, RHP, NY-Penn League, Statistics Not Available. Steckrider has yet to pitch this year, but he is with the Jamestown ballclub.

Ninth Round Pick: Nick Wittgren, RHP, NY-Penn League, 0.57 FIP 14.00 K/BB 10.2 IP. Wittgren has pitched out of the bullpen for Jamestown and he has been lights out so far, tallying five saves. Wittgren is also yet to walk a hitter.

Tenth Round Pick: Ron Miller, 3B, GCL, .231/.281/.481 in fifty-seven plate appearances. One of my favorite players from the Marlins draft, Miller has shown some serious power in the Gulf Coast League. Miller currently ranks third in the GCL among players with more than fifty PA's in ISO.

Note: I would be very surprised if the Marlins and first-round pick Andrew Heaney don't come to an agreement. However, third-round pick Avery Romero is a different story. Romero could very likely sprun the Marlins offer, and head to play college baseball at the University of Florida.

Additional Note: My midseason top 20 ranking of Marlins prospects will be coming out next week. I've been working on this for quite a while, and I think you guys will really enjoy it.