Here are the Marlins' 2024 Top 30 prospects
Jim Callis
@JimCallisMLBThe Marlins enjoyed a successful but strange season in 2023. They made the playoffs for just the fourth time in their 31-year history, but they also had the lowest run differential (-57) of any postseason team ever and got swept in the Wild Card round by the Phillies.
Former Rays GM Peter Bendix took over as president of baseball operations in November and has his work cut out for him. The big league club overachieved last season and the Marlins run one of the smallest big league payrolls while having one of the game's weakest farm systems. They have had much more success developing pitchers than hitters, which led to aggressively dealing prospects for Josh Bell and Jake Burger last summer.
After graduating one of their best pitching prospects ever (Eury P¨Śrez) to the Majors last summer, Miami used its top two selections in the Draft and $8.6 million on the best high school arm (Noble Meyer) and the top left-hander (Thomas White) in the entire class.
Many of their biggest recent investments in position players have yet to pan out, with JJ Bleday and shortstop Kahlil Watson doing little before getting traded and corner infielder Jacob Berry, middle infielder Yiddi Cappe and catcher Joe Mack struggling much more than expected early in their careers.
Here's a look at the Marlins' top prospects:
1. Noble Meyer, RHP (MLB No. 57)
2. Thomas White, LHP
3. Max Meyer, RHP
4. Victor Mesa Jr., OF
5. Jacob Berry, 3B/1B
Complete Top 30 list ?
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2023 preseason list to the 2024 preseason list.
Jump: Fabian Lopez, SS (2023: NR | 2024: 12)
Signed for $650,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January 2023, he's a potential Gold Glover and a switch-hitter who's proficient from both sides of the plate.
Fall: Sixto S¨˘nchez, RHP (2023: 11 | 2024: NR)
He starred as a rookie during a playoff run in 2020 but had more shoulder surgeries (two) than innings pitched (one) in the next three years.
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 55 -- Javier Sanoja (Luis Cova, Troy Johnston, Brock Vradenburg)
Power: 60 -- Kemp Alderman
Run: 60 -- Mark Coley (Luis Cova, Dane Myers)
Arm: 70 -- Will Banfield
Defense: 60 -- Fabian Lopez (Mark Coley, Victor Mesa Jr.)
Fastball: 60 -- Karson Milbrandt (Max Meyer, Noble Meyer, Thomas White)
Curveball: 60 -- Thomas White (Dax Fulton, Jacob Miller, Josh Simpson)
Slider: 70 -- Max Meyer (Anthony Maldonado)
Changeup: 60 -- Patrick Monteverde
Control: 55 -- Noble Meyer
How they were built
Draft: 21 | International: 7 | Trade: 1 | Rule 5: 1
Breakdown by ETA
2024: 8 | 2025: 4 | 2026: 13 | 2027: 2 | 2028: 2 | 2029: 1
Breakdown by position
C: 2 | 1B: 3 | 2B: 1 | 3B: 1 | SS: 2 | OF: 7 | RHP: 8 | LHP: 6