Marlins fall/winter update, Nov. 26-Dec. 2

A regular Monday feature here at Fish Stripes over the next few months, we’ll do a roundup of storylines, stats and highlights from Marlins players who are staying active this offseason. Now that the Arizona Fall League has concluded, that means turning our attention internationally (the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, etc.).

All the weekly updates will be contained in this thread.

Stats updated through Sunday’s games.

An eventful weekend for old friend Justin Bour. The Phillies non-tendered him on Friday, officially making him a baseball free agent, but that phrase no longer applies to his personal life: JB is a married man!

Plenty of former teammates were in attendance on Saturday to witness Bour tie the knot with reporter Hayley Milon. You could easily confuse the wedding reception for a “I want the Marlins to trade me to a contender” support group.

Dominican Winter League

What a difference a year makes for Peter O’Brien, who couldn’t buy a hit in the obscure Mexican Pacific Winter League last offseason.

And now...

O’Brien mashed throughout his first week with Toros del Este, slashing .350/.519/.600 in the six games. Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and winter ball combined, he has 35 home runs during this calendar year.

Left-hander Jarlin García is easing into the Toros starting rotation. He went 2 ¹⁄₃ innings on Friday, surrendering two earned runs on six hits.

Gabriel Guerrero had been an everyday outfielder for Estrellas Orientales prior to this week. It’s unclear why, but Gaby hasn’t seen any game action since Thursday. He’s at .272/.279/.417 overall (26 games).

Venezuelan Winter League

Photo AVS Photo Report

The good news is that the Marlins signed Harold Ramírez to a minor league deal. He was among the most productive hitters in the Double-A Eastern League this past season. Still just 24 years old, the outfielder could have a legitimate impact for his new organization, as Michael Picardi explains.

Slight bummer: the Marlins are being overprotective and pulled the plug on Ramírez’s Venezuelan Winter League campaign. He would’ve been a leading candidate for the league’s MVP award if not for this decision. His final game for Leones de Caracas was Sunday evening, so this will be our final mention of him in this weekly update series.

I continue to worry about Jorgan Cavanerio pitching himself into another organization. He’s now at 18 ²⁄₃ innings of work this winter and still zero walks allowed. Cavanerio is a ground ball machine who spent the bulk of the regular season at High-A Jupiter. The Marlins did not make room for him on the 40-man roster, leaving him eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft next week.

Tiburones de La Guaira teammate Miguel Rojas has been performing to his usual standards. Primarily a shortstop in Venezuela, it was interesting to see him get a start at first base on Sunday. Rojas is slashing .262/.311/.310 through 11 games played.

José Quijada (Caribes de Anzoategui) also had a notable Sunday, recording multiple strikeouts in an outing for the first time since the summer. He owns a 5.40 earned run average thus far.

Puerto Rican Winter League

Gigantes de Carolina second baseman Isan Díaz is struggling against same-handed pitching—.143/.208/.143 vs. LHP compared to .290/.353/.419 vs. RHP. Something to monitor throughout the next month because the Marlins believe him to have everyday major league starter potential, not just a platoon player.

Yadiel Rivera has been rejuvenated by switching teams! A .464 OPS hitter for Indios de Mayagüez, he was traded to Criollos de Caguas last week and doubled up on that (.933 OPS), including launching his first home run in the league during Sunday’s doubleheader.