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Offishial news, 3/16/23: Puerto Rico knocks out Dominican Republic; Garrett Hampson selected to roster

Today’s Marlins news roundup also includes the team’s strategy for converting WBC fans into Fish fans.

Jesus Luzardo #44 of Team Venezuela delivers a pitch against Team Israel during the first inning in a World Baseball Classic Pool D game at loanDepot park on March 15, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

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  • Venezuela’s Jesús Luzardo (4.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K) and Enmanuel De Jesús (3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) both pitched effectively in a World Baseball Classic victory over Israel and their impotent offense. The Dominican Republic rode Johnny Cueto (2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) only one time through Puerto Rico’s lineup in a losing effort. Cueto made terrific pitches in certain moments, but also got burned on mistakes over the heart of the plate. Cueto, Sandy Alcantara and Jean Segura will rejoin Marlins camp shortly after being eliminated from the WBC.

  • Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald spoke to Luzardo and his parents about the significance of representing their country in this tournament.
  • Nauseating to see star reliever Edwin Díaz suffer a fluky right knee injury while celebrating with his Puerto Rican teammates. The Mets will have to prepare to compete without him for an extended period.
  • Wednesday’s scheduled Grapefruit League game between the Marlins and Nationals was postponed due to the rain. The fact that it was “postponed” instead of “canceled” suggests that it’s possible they can make it up before Spring Training ends.
  • The Marlins selected Garrett Hampson to their 40-man roster, placing Anthony Bender (Tommy John surgery recovery) on the 60-day injured list to make room for him. Hampson had an opt-out clause in his contract, SportsGrid’s Craig Mish confirmed, allowing him to elect free agency if he wasn’t on Miami’s 40-man. However, Hampson still has a minor league option remaining. The most likely scenario is that the Marlins will send him down to Triple-A Jacksonville to begin the regular season.
  • On a special edition of Fish Stripes LIVE (7:00 p.m. ET on YouTube/Twitch/Twitter), our panel will go through over/under props for every possible member of the Marlins Opening Day roster. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here!

  • In his position-by-position Marlins season preview for Baseball Prospectus, Patrick Dubuque chuckled at the weirdness of their roster and came away feeling pessimistic about the club’s overall 2023 performance.
  • For The Palm Beach Post, Joe Frisaro spoke to president of business operations Caroline O’Connor about how the Marlins plan to convert WBC visitors into Marlins fans. Two-thirds of the fans attending LoanDepot Park over the past week were South Florida residents, the team estimated.
  • There’s a funny Jazz Chisholm Jr. anecdote within Stephanie Apstein’s Sports Illustrated story about in-flight Wi-Fi for MLB players:

Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm burst out laughing when he heard what the Yankees endure; when he boarded his first team flight, in 2020, he dutifully entered his credit card information in the Wi-Fi portal, then lamented aloud, “Bro, the Wi-Fi didn’t even fricking work and I paid 10 bucks!” His teammates laughed and explained that the Marlins provide players a code; in his next paycheck, he found that $10 reimbursed.