Five Marlins pitchers to keep your eyes on in 2024
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This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola¡¯s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
JUPITER, Fla. ¨C With one week to go in Spring Training, injuries continue to impact the Marlins¡¯ pitching staff. Left-hander Braxton Garrett and right-hander Edward Cabrera are behind in their throwing progressions because of shoulder trouble, while righty Eury P¨¦rez is in no-throw status because of elbow soreness.
¡°It is frustrating,¡± pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. said before hearing the news about P¨¦rez. ¡°Other clubs are going through a lot of the same things. You're talking about some really important rotation pieces, and that part hurts. Better now than later.¡±
Below are five pitchers to monitor as spring nears its end:
LHP Ryan Weathers
Miami¡¯s starting-pitching depth is being tested, so it¡¯s a good thing the club acquired the 24-year-old Weathers ahead of last year¡¯s Trade Deadline as a reclamation project. Until Friday night¡¯s outing against the Cardinals (4 1/3 IP, 4 ER), he had given up just two runs across 13 2/3 innings through his first four Grapefruit League outings (three starts).
¡°He's definitely on the right track and has opened up a lot of the organization's eyes,¡± Stottlemyre said. ¡°We're starting to put a lot of trust in him.¡±
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RHP George Soriano
Though manager Skip Schumaker envisions Soriano as a future starter, he will serve in a multi-inning relief role to help bridge the gap from the starters to late-inning arms. He did a good job of that in 2023 as a rookie, posting a 3.49 ERA as a reliever.
Soriano, who turns 25 next Sunday, has tossed 7 1/3 scoreless frames with a 0.41 WHIP this spring. He will be crucial to a bullpen dealing with injuries to righties Calvin Faucher (shoulder impingement) and JT Chargois (neck spasms). Plus, Huascar Brazoban hasn¡¯t arrived because of visa issues.
¡°Soriano has definitely opened eyes in this camp, the way he's come in, how hard he's worked,¡± Schumaker said. ¡°I think he has real swing and miss [stuff].¡±
RHP Sixto Sánchez
The Marlins didn¡¯t quite know what to expect from S¨¢nchez this spring, especially after the radar gun registered just 88.7 mph on his first pitch on March 2. But with two shoulder surgeries behind him, the 25-year-old has been impressive through four scoreless innings entering Sunday. In his most recent outing on Wednesday, S¨¢nchez maxed out at 98.8 mph and looked as close to vintage S¨¢nchez as we¡¯ve seen.
Miami won¡¯t extend S¨¢nchez more than a few innings out of the bullpen, but he also needs to shorten the time in between his outings.
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RHP Mychal Givens
Although Givens didn¡¯t sign a Minor League contract with a spring invitation until Monday, he already threw live batting practice on Friday and should appear in a Grapefruit League game soon.
In 2023, Givens, 33, dealt with left knee inflammation and right shoulder inflammation, which limited him to just six appearances. But the nine-year big league veteran has a 3.47 ERA and 31 saves in 425 career big league outings.
Miami¡¯s 40-man roster is full, so the organization would need to make a corresponding move for him. Givens would join Anthony Bender as another right-handed high-leverage option, and since Bender will not pitch on back-to-back days early on while coming back from Tommy John surgery, Givens could be key.
Another non-roster invitee to keep an eye on is righty Vladimir Gutierrez, who would be used in a multi-inning role (0.88 WHIP this spring).
RHP Bryan Hoeing
With three starters possibly sidelined come Opening Day, swingman Hoeing might need to add volume to give Miami 4-5 innings. As of now, he hasn¡¯t been stretched out past two frames in a Grapefruit League game. Should Hoeing be used in that capacity, the Marlins would require another bulk arm in the bullpen.
If the Marlins can find space on the 40-man roster, non-roster righty Yonny Chirinos has experience in this role and hit 94.6 mph last time out.
¡°Certainly didn't want to tap into that [depth] at the tail end of Spring Training, but it's where we're at right now, and we have to let the other guys get healthy,¡± Stottlemyre said.