Marlins Minor League Report: July 15-21

Each week, Fish Stripes will be recapping the past week’s performances throughout the Marlins minor league system. We highlight the players who either had an outstanding week, or one they would like to put behind them.

All stats updated entering July 22.

Triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes (2-4, 53-47 overall)

Despite the poor performance by the New Orleans Baby Cakes, their offense continued to dominate this past week. The Baby Cakes’ offense recorded six runs or more in five of their six games.

However, the pitching staff once again let down the Baby Cakes, surrendering an average of 8.5 runs/game. While the majority of the Baby Cakes top pitchers have been promoted to the Marlins, there’s still no excuse for performing that terribly.

Disappointing Player: Robert Dugger

The No. 22 Marlins prospect per MLB Pipeline, Dugger struggled mightily once again in his start against the Omaha Storm Chasers this past week. He was chased after just 3 ²⁄₃ innings and gave up five runs, eight hits, three home runs along with a pair of walks. Over Dugger’s last four starts, he’s seen his ERA jump from 3.38 to a worrisome 8.54 (even by Pacific Coast League standards).

The promotion to Triple-A last month was a celebratory moment for the once-overlooked right-hander, but getting hammered to this extent could make the Marlins second-guess whether or not to continue developing him as a starter.

Double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (5-1, 47-51 overall)

A poor start from Jorge Guzman was the only thing that kept the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp from being undefeated this past week. Both the offense and pitching were outstanding in their five victories. The Jumbo Shrimp’s offense averaged an impressive nine runs/game through their five wins.

Meanwhile, the pitching staff was equally impressive for the Jumbo Shrimp. They gave up an average of just three runs/game during those wins.

Outstanding Player: Stone Garrett

The 23-year-old Garrett finally broke out of his season-long slump. The eighth-round pick by the Marlins back in 2014 hit 12-for-21 (.571 AVG) along with a double, two home runs and eight RBIs. Defensively, he made an incredible home run robbery that was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

It is no surprise that the all-around excellence earned in the Southern League’s Player of the Week award.

High-A Jupiter Hammerheads (4-2, 37-57 overall)

Thankfully, the Jupiter Hammerheads pitching staff rebounded very nicely from their terrible performance the previous week. The arms deserves the majority of the credit for the Hammerheads’ four wins—they surrendered an average of just 2.3 runs/game during their four victories.

Their offense recorded three runs or fewer in half of their games, though the addition of top draft pick JJ Bleday over the weekend suggests there could be more run-scoring down the stretch.

Outstanding Player: Will Stewart

Will Stewart came so close to pitching a full nine innings in his start against the Palm Beach Cardinals. The 22-year-old put it all together, as he went 8 ²⁄₃ innings and allowed just one run on a single hit. Stewart also picked up eight strikeouts in his start.

This was easily Stewart’s best start of the season. Hopefully, he’ll be able to build off of this success during the remainder of the season.

Low-A Clinton LumberKings (4-2, 48-43 overall)

For the second straight week, the offensive production carried the Clinton LumberKings. They produced an average of 6.2 runs/game through their six games this past week.

The LumberKings pitching staff provided average results once again, as they allowed four runs or more in five of their six games this past week. Right-hander Remey Reed, in particular, looks to be an intriguing weapon in their rotation after dominating in Batavia.

Outstanding Player: Evan Edwards

The fourth-round pick by the Marlins in this year’s draft was outstanding for the LumberKings this past week. While Evan Edwards did hit just 6-for-26 (.231 AVG), he did hit a pair of home runs for a total of five RBIs.

The 22-year-old did strike out nine different times, so there’s still room for improvement for Edwards. Still, his power numbers are certainly attractive at this young stage of his career.

Short Season A Batavia Muckdogs (4-3, 23-14 overall)

Run support wasn’t a problem for the Batavia Muckdogs—their offense recorded four runs or more through six of their seven games. Despite the single run recorded in the first game of the week, their offense recovered extremely well from there.

The Muckdogs would have had an even more successful performance this past week if they received better results from their pitching staff. Their staff surrendered a total of just six runs through their four victories, but they also gave up a total of 13 runs during their three loses as well.

Outstanding Player: Julio Frias

For the second consecutive week, Julio Frias pitched extremely well for the Muckdogs. In his start against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, he went 5 ²⁄₃ innings and held them to one hit and two unearned runs. Frias also tied his season-high with eight strikeouts in this start.

The 21-year-old is now tied for the second-most strikeouts among starters in the New York-Penn League. Moreover, by showing better control than he has in any of his previous four seasons, Frias is gradually establishing himself as a true prospect (rather than disposable minor league depth).