All-Time Marlins: January 17th Birthdays

On January 17th, 11 current and former Marlins and Marlins’ affiliates are celebrating their birthday. From 1996 Portland Sea Dog Ronnie Brown to current prospect Jeremy Ovalle, here’s a little bit about each of them.

Ronnie Brown (48)

Ronnie Brown was a 6’3”, 185 lb. outfielder from Tampa, Florida, chosen in the 24th round of the 1993 draft by the Marlins with the 687th overall selection out of Mississippi State.

Brown hit .284/.367/.463 for the Elmira Pioneers after his selection, playing 75 games in the outfield for the short-season-A outfit. He graduated to the mid-A Kane County Cougars in 1994, and hit .265/.312/.399 in 109 contests.

Brown slashed .260/.311/.347 in 1995 with the Brevard County Manatees, playing in 121 games. He went 1-for-10 in four games for the Portland Sea Dogs in 1996 before joining the independent Duluth-Superior Dukes in the Northern League. He later split the 1997 campaign between three Yankees affiliates, the Tampa Yankees, the Norwich Navigators, and the Columbus Clippers.

William Baber (39)

William Baber is a 6’5”, 235 lb. third baseman from Crozet, Virginia. The Marlins spent their 56th round pick on him, 1,496th overall.

Mike Rabelo (38)

Rabelo is a 6’1”, 200 lb. catcher from New Port Richey, Florida. He was chosen in the fourth round of the 2001 draft by the Detroit Tigers, with the 117th overall selection out of Tampa College.

Rabelo remained with the Tigers organization through 2007, making his way from the Oneonta Tigers, through the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Lakeland Tigers, the Erie SeaWolves, and the Toledo MudHens before making his major league debut with Detroit in 2006. In 52 games he slashed .254/.298/.355.

After the 2007 season, the Tigers traded Rabelo with Cameron Maybin, Andrew Miller, Burke Badenhop, Eulogio de la Cruz and Dallas Trahern to Florida for Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. He split the 2008 season between the Jupiter Hammerheads, the Albuquerque Isotopes and the Marlins. With Florida, he slashed .202/.256/.294 over 34 games.

After going 4-for-28 for the GCL Marlins on a rehab assignment in 2009, Rabelo only appeared in a professional capacity once more, going five-for-35 in 2010 with the Toledo Mud Hens.

Jai Miller (33)

Miller is a 6’4”, 195 lb. outfielder from Auburn, Alabama. The Marlins picked him in the fourth round of the 2003 draft with the 113rd overall selection out of Selma HS.

Miller had a brief stop in 2003 with the Jammers, going 10-for-43 in 11 game, then spent two seasons with the single-A Greensboro Grasshoppers, slashing .206/290/.348 over 228 contests. He played a season with the Hammerheads (111 games, .209/.308/.267) and the Mudcats (129 games, .261/.354/.438, 14 home runs) before spending most of the 2008 campaign with the Isotopes (117 games, .267/.349/.472, 19 home runs). He struck out in his only plate appearance for the Marlins, and spent the 2009 season entirely with the Zephyrs (102 games, .289/.360/.510, 16 homers). Later, he signed on with the Oakland Athletics, the Kansas City Royals, and the Baltimore Orioles.

Austin Armstrong (31)

Armstrong is a 6’3”, 210 lb. right-handed pitcher from Lake Worth, Florida. He was initially selected in the 34th round of the 2008 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, with the 1,029th overall choice. Armstrong made 19 of his 20 professional appearances with theBlue Jays, between the GCL Blue Jays and the Auburn Doubledays. He pitched five innings for the Jamestown Jammers in 2009, striking out four and allowing two hits and a walk.

Frank Garces (28)

Frank Garces was a 5’11”, 155 lb. left-handed pitcher from San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. Undrafted, he was later signed by the Texas Rangers in 2009.

Garces didn’t appear at any level for the Rangers, and actually made it through the Padres system starting in 2011 and eventually making his major league debut with San Diego in 2014. After going 6-8 with a 4.41 ERA, 98 K’s in 114 ¹⁄₃ frames, and a 1.47 WHIP for the El Paso Chihuahuas in 2016, The Marlins signed him to a minor league deal on November 14th.

Garces never appeared in Miami’s system, getting released five weeks after signing. He played last season with the Seibu Lions in the Japan Pacific League, racking up a 2-2 record and a 6.39 ERA.

Jose Arias (27)

Jose Arias is a 6’5”, 220 lb. righty pitcher from Santiago, Dominican Republic. After going undrafted, he signed on with the Chicago Cubs through free agency.

After four and a half years in the Cubs’ system, Arias was traded with Tyler Bremer to the Marlins for Jacob Turner on August 8th, 2014. Closing out that season with the Grasshoppers, Arias went 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 20 whiffs in 13 ¹⁄₃ innings. He struck out 11 in 11 innings in 2015 for Greensboro, pitching in seven games and finishing with a 1.18 WHIP. He wouldn’t again appear in organized baseball.

Jose Adames (25)

Jose Adames was a 6’2”, 165 lb. right-handed pitcher from La Romana, Dominican Republic. The Marlins signed him through free agency in 2011. Over three seasons between the DSL and the GCL rookie complexes, he went 9-6 over 44 appearances, striking out 81 batters in 104 ²⁄₃ innings. In 2015, he started 24 games between the Hoppers and the Hammerheads, totaling a 3-5 record and a 2.85 ERA with 90 whiffs in 117 innings.

Adames performed as a relief pitcher in 2016 for the Hammerheads, going 1-5 in 36 games with a 6.00 ERA and 43 K’s in 48 innings. The Reds picked him up from the Marlins in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft.

Felix Arosemena (21)

Felix Arosemena is a 5’9’, 150 lb. shortstop from Panama City, Panama. He joined the DSL Marlins in 2015, and went 8-for-27 in six games. He slashed .257/.336/.293 over 54 games in 2016, and did not play anywhere last season.

Jeremy Ovalle (21)

Jeremy Ovalle is a 6’3”, 185 lb. right hander from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He joined the DSL Marlins in 2014, then played two seasons with the GCL Marlins after that. 2017 would see him go 1-0 with a 4.44 ERA, 27 strikeouts in 24 ¹⁄₃ innings, and a 1.64 WHIP for the Batavia Muckdogs. He’s currently still rostered with the team.

Albert Guaimaro (19)

Albert Guaimaro is a 6’, 180 lb. outfielder from Barlovento, Venezuela. Originally signed by the Boston Red Sox, he was ranked as Miami’s #16 prospect after the Marlins acquired him in 2016. Last season for the GCL Marlins, Guaimaro slashed .234/.298/.370 in 41 contests.

Thanks for reading. Check back tomorrow for more in Marlins’ history.