Miami Marlins 2014 Draft Update

As the calendar reaches a little more than a month past draft day, I thought it was a good time to check on a few of the Miami Marlins 2014 selections. In the 2014 draft Miami mostly went for raw talent with high upside. That is apparent from the statistics, as many of the recent draft picks have struggled to start their professional careers. Of course, not much should be taken from this small of a sample size. This point in their career is all about developing, and learning how to play baseball in a professional environment.

As expected, flame-throwing first round pick Tyler Kolek is being brought along very slowly. He only has four innings under his belt so far, and I'd expect the organization to monitor his innings very carefully for the rest of the season. Many were confused by the Marlins taking Blake Anderson so high in this year's draft. Anderson was billed as a defense first catcher, and the fear is that he would struggle to hit. So far that has been the case. Anderson has yet to record a hit in his professional career, and has only reached base twice. Anderson still has time to develop, and this early in his career I would not be worried about his stat line.

The most advanced draftee is the other Anderson. Brian Anderson out of Arkansas has started off nicely for Batavia, and he looks like he could be a quick mover through the system.

Brian Schales, Justin Twine, and Casey Soltis have been inconsistent so far, though they have shown the ability to hit at times. This up and down performance is to be expected from these raw high school athletes. Their strikeouts have been high, but Soltis has shown good plate discipline so far, which is apparent by his .395 OBP. Pitchers Michael Mader, and Chris Sadberry have performed well, but have not thrown many innings. Stone Garrett has gotten hits at a decent rate so far, but he is not yet walking or hitting for power.

Once again, these statistics should obviously be taken with a grain of salt, but I just thought I'd give an update of the first month from these players as they begin their professional careers. Many of them may have bright futures in the Marlins organization and it will be interesting to watch them develop as they move through the system.

First Round, Tyler Kolek SP, GCL Marlins, 4.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 2 SO, 3 BB, 1.75 WHIP

Compensation Round, Blake Anderson C, GCL Marlins, 21 AB, .000/.125/.000, 2 BB, 8 SO

Second Round, Justin Twine SS, GCL Marlins, 44 AB, .273/.319/.374, 5 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 SB,

Third Round, Brian Anderson 2B, Batavia Muckdogs, 55 AB, .291/.339/, 7 R, 10 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 1 SB

Supplemental Round, Michael Mader SP, Batavia Muckdogs, 7 IP, 1.29 ERA, 8 SO, 6 BB, 1.14 WHIP

Fourth Round, Brian Schales SS, GCL Marlins, 29 AB, .276/.323/ .310, 1 RBI, 1 2B,

Fifth Round, Casey Soltis OF, GCL Marlins, 31 AB, .258/.395/.390, 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 1 SB

Sixth Round, Chris Sadberry SP, Batavia Muckdogs, 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 SO, 0 BB

Eighth Round, Stone Garrett OF, GCL Marlins, 44 AB, .273/.273/.273 4 R, 1 SB