Earning Their Stripes: Week 14, Part II

For the rest of the 2021 Minor League Baseball season, I’ve settled on a new farm system report format. On Friday mornings, I’ll summarize what Marlins affiliates did during the first half of their week (Tuesday-Thursday), then follow up with the Friday-Sunday results on Monday mornings. Consider following our @FishProspects Twitter account for daily stats and highlights.

Marlins minor league affiliates went a combined 10-5 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday:

• Triple-A—Norfolk 2, Jacksonville 3; Norfolk 4, Jacksonville 2 (F/7); Norfolk 0, Jacksonville 5 (F/7)
• Double-A—Pensacola 0, Biloxi 4; Pensacola 4, Biloxi 0; Pensacola 2, Biloxi 5
• High-A—Wisconsin 0, Beloit 11; Wisconsin 1, Beloit 4; Wisconsin 15, Beloit 13
• Low-A—Tampa 7, Jupiter 9; Tampa 2, Jupiter 4
• U.S. Rookie—FCL Marlins 0, FCL Cardinals 1; FCL Cardinals 1, FCL Marlins 3
• D.R. Rookie—DSL Dodgers Bautista 0, DSL Marlins 3; DSL Angels 8, DSL Marlins 3

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Triple-A Jacksonville (48-36)

Friday’s starting pitcher LHP Daniel Castano (rehab): 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Saturday’s starting pitcher RHP Edward Cabrera: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 ER), 3 BB, 11 K

Sunday’s Game 1 starting pitcher RHP Nick Neidert: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 4 K

Sunday’s Game 2 starting pitcher RHP Bryan Mitchell: 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Castano’s next rehab start is scheduled for Wednesday. He’s now more than 60 days removed from originally being placed on the injured list with a left shoulder impingement, so the Marlins can reinstate him whenever they feel there’s a major league role for him.

I suspected that Nick Fortes’ Triple-A stint might only be temporary, but manager Al Pedrique has been finding playing time for him practically every day as the club’s catcher or designated hitter. And Fortes is taking advantage of it:

Fortes has nine runs batted in through his first 11 Triple-A appearances.

Lewin Díaz is up to 18 home runs this year—15 with the Shrimp, three with the Marlins—in 67 total games played.

Double-A Pensacola (37-38)

Friday’s starting pitcher LHP Jake Eder: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 3 K

Saturday’s starting pitcher LHP Will Stewart: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

Sunday’s starting pitcher RHP Jeff Lindgren: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 3 K

Eder pitched for first time since July 22. He’s gradually building up his workload following a brief shutdown period (only through 40 pitches in this outing). Ordinarily, you would see a player in his position go through a rehab assignment with lower-level affiliates, but the Marlins never officially placed him on the injured list.

Minor League Baseball’s leader in hit by pitches, Stewart has now gone back-to-back outings without allowing any. Progress!

Peyton Burdick won Double-A South Player of the Week once in May and played even better during this series. I think my 13th-ranked prospect has a legitimate shot of being called up to the majors in September.

After a deliberate rehab process, right-handed reliever C.J. Carter has finally been reinstated from the injured list.

High-A Beloit (39-45)

Friday’s starting pitcher RHP M.D. Johnson: 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 9 K

Saturday’s starting pitcher RHP George Soriano: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K

Sunday’s starting pitcher RHP Jake Walters: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 2 K

The Snappers christened ABC Supply Stadium with a series win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

M.D. Johnson now has eight(!) starts this season in which he has completed two full trips through an opposing lineup while allowing two hits or fewer. Also, let’s not overlook Soriano, who is performing very well as the youngest pitcher on the current Snappers roster.

Víctor Víctor Mesa has had almost as much playing time here as he did with Pensacola and the production continues to be night-and-day.

Beloit’s hard-fought loss in the series finale snapped a season-high-tying four-game winning streak. However, Connor Scott filled up the stat sheet with a single, a double, a stolen base, an outfield assist and no-doubt home run:

Low-A Jupiter (41-40)

Friday’s starting pitcher RHP Evan Fitterer: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 4 K

Saturday’s starting pitcher RHP Eury Pérez: 4.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 11 K

Fitterer had the least effective outing of his young minor league career, but at least he got stretched out to 77 pitches.

I have run out of superlatives for Pérez at this point. There hasn’t been a Marlins pitching prospect demonstrate so much potential at such a young age since the legendary José Fernández.

Fourth-round draft pick Tanner Allen is 0-for-17 since his promotion to Jupiter, though he has reached base safely on a hit by pitch and a pair of walks.

Two of the scheduled games between the Hammerheads and Tarpons were canceled and will not be made up, so the Hammerheads will play a maximum of 118 games this season (weather permitting).

FCL Marlins (9-15)

Friday’s Game 1 starting pitcher RHP Jesse Bergin: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

Friday’s Game 2 starting pitcher RHP Luis Vizcaino: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

New Marlins draft picks continue to perform well in the complex league. Bergin, Gabe Bierman, Patrick Monteverde, Hunter Perdue, Jake Schrand and Caleb Wurster have combined for 15 ²⁄₃ innings pitched, allowing only three earned runs while striking out 21.

Not to be confused with the former journeyman major league reliever of the same name, Vizcaino quietly leads the club in most pitching categories. Perhaps he’ll get a cup of coffee at full-season ball before the regular season ends.

DSL Marlins (10-8)

Friday’s starting pitcher RHP Yoelvis Burguillos: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K

Saturday’s starting pitcher RHP Kendry Montesino: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 1 K

@derekvegass44/Instagram

Montesino was sent down from the FCL after struggling with his control (walking or plunking more than one-third of all batters faced). His debut on the island was more of the same as he lasted only one time through the DSL Angels lineup on Saturday. Montensino formed a battery with 19-year-old Venezuelan catcher Gabriel Flores. Playing his first professional game, Flores allowed nine stolen bases to the Angels.

Multi-million-dollar shortstop Yiddi Cappe is in the midst of a 3-for-30 slump, plummeting his overall offensive stat line well below league average.

On a positive note, catcher/first baseman Derek Vegas keeps producing after winning the organization’s D.R. Player of the Month award for July. He leads all DSL Marlins qualifiers by a significant margin in batting average (.308) and OPS (.797).

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2021 Marlins MiLB Leaders (entering August 9)

• Hits: Troy Johnston, 92
• Home Runs: Griffin Conine, 29
• Stolen Bases: Nasim Nuñez, 33
• wRC+ (among qualifiers): José Salas, 178
• Innings Pitched: Bryan Hoeing and Jeff Lindgren, 83
• Strikeouts: Kyle Nicolas, 100
• ERA (among qualifiers): Jake Eder, 1.86
• FIP (among qualifiers): Jake Eder, 2.48