Marlins links, 9/28/18: MVPs, instructional league, Dan Greenlee interview

J.T. da MVP

The MLB.com beat writers named most valuable players for all 30 teams, and Joe Frisaro didn’t lose much sleep over his Marlins pick. It’s J.T. Realmuto.

Establishing himself as the No. 1 catcher in baseball, Realmuto is slashing .278/.342/.487 (128 wRC+) this season and leading the club in home runs (21 HR), runs batted in (73 RBI) and Wins Above Replacement (4.9 fWAR). The MLB commissioner’s office recognized his talents in adding him to the NL All-Star roster.

With Realmuto arriving at his peak and the Marlins still so far from contending, there will no doubt be rumblings about “selling high” on him this offseason. It’s a decision between swapping him for several pieces who can contribute long term or committing to the 27-year-old deep into his 30s with a contract extension.

Undermanned outfield

Speaking of trading stars at their peak:

A strength became a mess this past winter when the Marlins accelerated their rebuild by moving Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich for a total of 11 younger players. With the exception of Brian Anderson’s midseason apprenticeship, the new-look outfield has failed to produce.

Of course, it’s pointless to rush to judgement with so many intriguing prospects in the pipeline (and more to come as a result of Miami’s top-five draft position in 2019).

Laugh while you can, Jeff.

Instructional League highlights

Braxton Garrett is still regarded by many evaluators as the top left-handed pitcher in the Marlins farm system. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, it’s because he sat out the entire 2018 regular season while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Now 15 months removed from the procedure, Garrett is flashing the potential that made him a first-round draft pick (No. 7 overall). Adam McInturff of 2080 Baseball got a close look at him during instructional league, which continues through Tuesday.

My way-too-early projection is for Garrett to open the 2019 season in the starting rotation for Low-A Clinton.

Swings and Mishes with Dan Greenlee

A pair of conversations squeezed into this bonus podcast episode: Craig Mish with Director of Player Personnel Dan Greenlee and Jeremy Taché with Twitter buddy Michael “DutchBeek” Sonbeek.

Without divulging too many of the specifics, Greenlee explains that the Marlins are incorporating more data into their decision-making than ever before.

Games 159-161

Your weekend pitching matchups between the Marlins and Mets, courtesy of the Sun Sentinel’s Wells Dusenbury.

Corey Oswalt delivers the first pitch of Friday night’s series opener at 7:10 p.m. Shortly thereafter, José Ureña tries to solidify his case for NL Pitcher of the Month (1.13 ERA, .167 BAA in 24.0 IP so far).