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Moves and pending deals
Monday treated us to a plethora of Marlins personnel activity, including several decisions pertaining to the 2020 Opening Day roster. According to Swings and Mishes host Craig Mish, outfielder Magneuris Sierra has secured a spot on the 30-man while Monte Harrison has not.
Our own Ethan Budowsky shares his thoughts about that:
“The problem is, if you’re constructing the roster to have the best players—if you want to win the most games possible by putting out the best lineup that you can with the best players possible—Monte Harrison has to be the center fielder every day for the Miami Marlins.”
This will be Sierra’s first opportunity to spend a full season in the majors—the 24-year-old has been called up during each of the previous three years (with very inconsistent production at the plate). Harrison’s absence is deflating for both the player and Marlins fans as a whole. He clearly showed his potential to impact the game in various ways in spring training and Summer Camp, and even manager Don Mattingly publicly lauded him for it.
Meanwhile, veteran right-hander Ryan Cook was released, the club officially announced. Miami’s 60-man player pool now has one vacancy.
Further down on the depth chart, the Marlins are “rounding third base” in the process of signing their 2020 MLB Draft picks. Left-hander Dax Fulton will get a $2.4 million bonus. Deals for both him and right-hander Kyle Nicolas could be finalized this week, Mish tweets.
Marlins vs. Braves preview
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Right-handers José Ureña and Mike Foltynewicz face off at Truist Park Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET in the first of two exhibitions between the Marlins and Braves.
These are the 43 Fish players who have made the trip up north. Safe to say that all 30 members of the Opening Day squad are somewhere in here. Encouraging to see Lewis Brinson and Matt Joyce included—both experienced health-related setbacks earlier this month, but figure to have significant roles on the roster eventually.
Unlike the intrasquad scrimmages, this contest is being televised! Paul Severino and Todd Hollandsworth are on the call (remotely) for FOX Sports Florida. Leading up to that, Jessica Blaylock hosts “Marlins All-Access: Season Preview” at 6:30 p.m.
Marlins Youth Academy Camp
With children being deprived of their usual summertime learning and entertainment options, the Marlins are experimenting with an at-home camp experience for campers ages 3-11. The first week-long session begins next Monday with Marlins alum Gaby Sánchez. Active players Jon Berti and Pablo López are set to participate next month. Originally penciled in for Week 2, Jordan Yamamoto has since been removed from the schedule—the Marlins optioned him recently and it’s unclear if he’ll have a spot on the active roster by then.
The camp costs $75 per week. More details at marlins.com/camp.
Walk-off links
- COVID-19 is changing how the Marlins travel this season, writes Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald.
- MLB.com’s Mike Petriello likes Jeff Brigham’s potential for a 2020 breakout thanks in large part to the movement and effectiveness of his slider.
- Kyle Horton of Pitcher List anticipates a substantial dip in Jonathan Villar’s fantasy baseball value after a stellar 2019.
- The Marlins enter the new season at 28th in The Athletic’s MLB power rankings, ahead of only the Tigers and Orioles.
- Jazz Chisholm talks with childhood friends and fellow Bahamian ballplayers Todd Isaacs and Lucius Fox on the Paradise Vibes Only podcast.