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Earning Their Stripes: Week 17, Part II

Here’s what happened in the Marlins organization on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

By Ely Sussman Updated
Lewin Diaz #68 of the Miami Marlins at bat against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images

Consider following our @FishProspects Twitter account for daily stats and highlights.

Congrats to Daniel Castano (Triple-A East), Kyle Nicolas (Double-A South) and Bryan Hoeing (High-A Central) for winning Pitcher of the Week honors from their respective leagues. Sending best wishes to breakout star Jake Eder, who’ll be undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing the rest of the 2021 season and all of 2022 as a result, as first reported by the Miami Herald.

Marlins minor league affiliates went a combined 8-4 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday:

  • Triple-A—Jacksonville 6, Norfolk 7 (F/10); Jacksonville 1, Norfolk 0; Jacksonville 4, Norfolk 3
  • Double-A—All games canceled (COVID-related contract tracing)
  • High-A—Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 1; Cedar Rapids 1, Beloit 6; Cedar Rapids 8, Beloit 9 (F/10)
  • Low-A—Jupiter 6, Palm Beach 5; Jupiter 11, Palm Beach 7; Jupiter 7, Palm Beach 2
  • U.S. Rookie—FCL Nationals 1, FCL Marlins 3
  • D.R. Rookie—DSL Athletics 11, DSL Marlins 9; DSL Marlins 3, DSL Mariners 6

Triple-A Jacksonville (58-44)

Friday’s starting pitcher RHP Nick Neidert: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR

Saturday’s starting pitcher LHP Daniel Castano: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Sunday’s starting pitcher LHP Braxton Garrett: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Lewin Díaz has nothing more to prove with his bat at Triple-A (.256/.337/.547, 20 HR, 131 wRC+, 18.6 K%). For reasons that still aren’t fully understood, the Marlins are giving Jorge Alfaro the lion’s share of their left field playing time—an unfamiliar position for him—rather than somebody like Díaz who actually has a future with the organization.

Finally on Saturday, Díaz debuted in LF, a strong hint that the Fish will recall him once rosters expand and use him there. In two games this weekend, the Dominican slugger made five putouts in five total chances.

It’s doubtful to happen, but I would like to see Castano called up in September too and given an audition in multi-inning middle-relief situations. The Marlins have a surplus of pitching on their 40-man roster and have tricky decisions to make during the offseason, with Castano in particular in jeopardy of being one of the odd men out.

Double-A Pensacola (50-47)

The missed games against Mississippi certainly throw a wrench into Griffin Conine’s minor league home run title pursuit. He’ll enter Pensacola’s next series with only a one-homer advantage over MJ Melendez (Royals).

We discussed Conine in depth on the latest episode of Fish Stripes Live.

High-A Beloit (48-54)

Friday’s starting pitcher RHP Bryan Hoeing: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 10 K

Saturday’s starting pitcher RHP Eury Pérez: 4.2 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

Sunday’s starting pitcher RHP George Soriano: 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 9 K

Hoeing’s August was far and away his best month of the 2021 campaign (1.00 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 23 K in 27.0 IP).

The Snappers are closely monitoring Pérez’s workload. He retired 14 of the 16 batters he faced, allowing one walk and one hit by pitch. The plunked batter came around to score against Cody Mincey in the fifth inning but the run was charged to Pérez. As a result his stellar earned run average actually ticked up from 1.48 from 1.51.

@BeloitSnappers/Twitter

Troy Johnston is thus far the only Marlins minor leaguer to play 100 games this season. On Sunday, he reached base safely five times to raise his 2021 on-base percentage to .399. He’s getting serious consideration to crack my Marlins Top 30 prospects list.

Low-A Jupiter (54-46)

Friday’s starting pitcher RHP Josh Roberson (rehab): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

Saturday’s starting pitcher RHP Chris Mokma: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

Sunday’s starting pitcher LHP Trevor Rogers (rehab): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K

Tanner Allen blasted his first professional home run on Friday and Dalvy Rosario had his first career grand slam the next day.

Three Hammerheads relievers combined to allow just one run over 8 1⁄3 innings in relief of Mokma.

Rogers’ fastball velocity was below his major league norms (92.2 mph on Sunday vs. 94.5 mph season average). Hopefully, that can be attributed to a lower effort/intensity level, rather than fatigue. The expectation is that he’ll return to the Marlins rotation this weekend.

Shoutout to infielders Bennett Hostetler and Marcus Chiu, both of whom have been big-time offensive performers in August. A Jupiter team that was once nine games below .500 now owns the best record in the Low-A Southeast’s east division.

FCL Marlins (18-21)

Saturday’s starting pitcher RHP Luis Vizcaino: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

The FCL Marlins haven’t lost in a week! Problematic morning/midday weather has prevented them from playing many of their scheduled games.

The latest on Kahlil Watson: .346/.469/.500, 166 wRC+, 10 R in 7 G.

DSL Marlins (12-17)

Friday’s starting pitcher RHP Yaqui Rivera: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Saturday’s starting pitcher RHP Kendry Montesino: 2.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 HR

2021 Marlins MiLB Leaders (entering August 30)

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