Marlins Minor League Report: August 19-25

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 August 26.

Triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes (2-5, 69-61 overall)

Consistent production was a problem for the New Orleans Baby Cakes once again this past week. That will happen when the top prospect on the roster, Jesús Sánchez, barely played due to a nagging hamstring injury.

The pitching staff didn’t make things easy, either. They surrendered an average of 6.3 runs/game through four of their seven games, then found more success over their other three games (2.3 runs/game).

Outstanding Player: Austin Dean

Austin Dean finally got the call-up back to the Miami Marlins, partially as a result of Brian Anderson’s season-ending injury, but also as a reward for his Triple-A excellence. The Marlins 2012 draft pick homered in each of his last two minor league games.

Overall, Dean slashed .337/.400/.635 with 18 home runs in the farm system this season. At least at the plate, he’s got nothing left to prove.

Double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (4-4, 65-67 overall)

The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp weren’t far off from going undefeated this past week. During their victories, the Jumbo Shrimp’s offense averaged 5.5 runs/game, but lack of productivity on that side of the ball came back to bite them in close defeats.

While the pitchers surrendered a total of 21 runs through three games, they also held opponents to an average of just two runs/game during their other five games.

Outstanding Player: Stone Garrett

The 23-year-old from Sugar Land, Texas was outstanding for the Jumbo Shrimp this past week. Stone Garrett went 14-for-29 (.483 AVG) and recorded five multi-hit games. Garrett also hit a pair of home runs and added eight RBI’s to his team leading RBI total of 61.

Known primarily for his outfield defense, Garrett has really turned his season around during the second half. In his 55 games since the break, he has hit 13 doubles, nine home runs, 36 RBI’s and has slashed a line of .291/.332/.503/.834.

High-A Jupiter Hammerheads (3-4, 53-74 overall)

Similar to the Jumbo Shrimp, the Jupiter Hammerheads received very little support from their offense this past week. They manufactured two measly runs through their first four games before waking up and generating 17 runs during their final three games of the week.

However, the Hammerheads pitching staff was dominant yet again. Their staff held opposing lineups to an average of just 2.3 runs/game.

Disappointing Player: Jerar Encarnación

The No. 18 Marlins prospect per MLB Pipeline, Jerar Encarnación has been streaky for the Hammerheads. This past week was a dry spell for the outfielder, who hit just 6-for-28 (.214 AVG) and struck out nine different times as well.

Overall, Encarnación has seen his SLG drop by over 100 points since his time with the Clinton LumberKings earlier this season. Highly regarded for his power, the 21-year-old has been limited to three home runs since the start of July (after blasting three during his first 10 games with the Hammerheads).

Encarnación will very likely begin next season with the Hammerheads, so it’ll be interesting to see what adjustments he makes during the offseason.

Low-A Clinton LumberKings (5-2, 66-58 overall)

The Clinton LumberKings moved a step closer to making the Midwest League playoffs. They’re currently just one game behind the division-leading Kane County Cougars.

Collectively, both Clinton’s offense and pitching staff deserve equal amounts of credit for this impressive performance this past week. During their five victories, they scored an insane average of 7.8 runs/game. Meanwhile, they held their opponents scoreless twice and to an impressive average of just 1.8 runs/game in the wins.

Outstanding Player: Evan Edwards

The fourth-round selection by the Marlins in this year’s draft recorded one his best performances of his young career this past week. Evan Edwards hit 10-for-28 (.357 AVG) along with a double, two home runs and 12 RBI’s. Both homers and six of Edwards’ 12 RBI’s came during his final game.

The 22-year-old struggled during his first month with the LumberKings, but has since hit all seven of his home runs and is currently slashing a line of .277/.361/.448/.809 since the start of July.

Short Season A Batavia Muckdogs (3-2, 37-31 overall)

The Batavia Muckdogs were able to reclaim the lead in the Pinckney division following their performance this past week. The offense deserves the majority of the credit, recording a total of 24 runs through their first three games. But the Muckdogs pitching staff was ineffective once again—they allowed five runs or more in four of their five games.

Outstanding Player: Nic Ready

The 23rd-round pick has been one of the best hitters in the New York-Penn League ever since he arrived on June 14. This past week was no different for Ready, who hit 6-for-22 (.273 AVG) along with a double, two home runs and nine RBI’s.

At this point, it’s hard to say if Ready will ever become an impact player at the major league level. But he has certainly exceeded expectations and made himself a very interesting player to monitor heading into next season.