Organizational Talent Rankings via Baseball America
2013 (5) | 2012 (28) | 2011 (29) | 2010 (8) | 2009 (2)
2013 Affiliate Records
MLB: [62-100] NL East
AAA: [72-72] Pacific Coast League — New Orleans
AA: [73-63] Southern League — Jacksonville
A+: [68-69] Florida State League — Jupiter
A: [65-72] South Atlantic League — Greensboro
A(ss): [39-36] New York-Penn League — Batavia
Graduated Prospects
Ed Lucas (INF); Marcell Ozuna (OF); Christian Yelich (OF); Derek Dietrich (2B); Jose Fernandez (RHP); Tom Koehler (RHP); A.J. Ramos (RHP); Dan Jennings (LHP)
The Run Down
The Marlins graduated a slew of high-impact prospects in 2013, including Jose Fernandez, Christian Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna. That sort of talent exodus will drag any system down the organizational ranks, but fortunately for Miami, this farm still features exciting fantasy potential in the form of Andrew Heaney, Colin Moran, and Jake Marisnick. It’s probably safe to say that this system experienced the biggest drop-off from 2013 to 2014, but there’s still plenty of intrigue here, so take note.
Top Ten Fantasy Prospects
1. Andrew Heaney, LHP: An excellent fastball-slider combo and plus command helped Heaney to an impressive 2013 line: 1.60/1.07/89 in 95 IP between High-A and Double-A. That performance has lifted him into the 2014 fantasy spotlight and earned him the #23 spot on my top 25 for 2014. Here’s what I had to say about him in that post: “The Marlins have shown a willingness to promote prospects as soon as they’re ready for the highest level, and Heaney will be ready in 2014. He’s unlikely to bring the sort of impact that Jose Fernandez brought in 2013, but that’s an unreasonable expectation of anyone on this list. Heaney posted a sub-2 ERA through 19 outings in 2013, and I suspect he’ll get a shot in Miami before long.” ETA: 2014
2. Colin Moran, 3B: Moran was the 6th overall pick last June, and he was widely considered the most advanced bat in the 2013 draft class. The 21-year-old out of UNC brings a superb hit tool, and with it, he has the ability to bat north of .300 at every level up to and including the bigs. The power, in the end, might only be of the 15 HR variety, but there’s no denying the fantasy value in a pure hitter of this caliber. Consider Moran in the same light as Red Sox prospect, Garin Cecchini. ETA: 2015
3. Jake Marisnick, OF: From my top 50 for 2014 post, where Marisnick came in at #35: “Marisnick struggled in his big league debut last season, but he still brings an intriguing skill set that includes speed and pop. The Marlins are set in the outfield for the time being, but things can change on that end quickly in Miami, and Marisnick will be the next man in once an opportunity arises.” ETA: 2014
4. Justin Nicolino, RHP: Nicolino offers a nicely polished SP profile, with clean mechanics and plus command. The stuff isn’t spectacular, but he spots it well, and that’s spelled success at just about every stop so far. He won’t be the sexy young arm that everyone’s racing to scoop once he surfaces, but there’s a strong likelihood that Nicolino develops into a useful starter for the fantasy game. ETA: 2015
5. Jesus Solorzano, OF: Solorzano offers an exciting combination of power and speed, as evidenced by the 15/33 season he posted in 2013, his first year at the full-season level. There are legitimate approach concerns with the 23-year-old (111/24 K/BB last season), which can limit his impact as he climbs the ladder, but the raw tools alone make this one an interesting prospect to keep tabs on. ETA: 2016
6. Avery Romero, 2B: Romero will bring his promising skill set to the full-season level in 2014. The 20-year-old projects as a stick-first 2B with impact potential in AVG, and power that should play above average once he reaches maturity. The fantasy upside is clear, but we’ll have a much better gauge on Romero once 2014 is in the books. ETA: 2017
7. Jose Urena, RHP: Urena posted a 3.73/1.18/107 line through 149 IP at High-A Jupiter in 2013. The 22-year-old brings high-end stuff, but iffy command has held him back thus far, leading me to wonder whether his future role is in the rotation or the ‘pen. For now, Miami will continue to bring him along as a starter, so keep him on your radar as he steps up to the upper levels in 2014. ETA: 2015
8. Adam Conley, RHP: Conley had a very nice year in 2013, posting a 3.25 ERA, a 1.17 ERA, and a K/9 at 8.4 through 25 Double-A outings. He’s a fastball-changeup guy, and the command is strong, but his third pitch — a slider — might not register as a usable offering at the big league level, and that has evaluators projecting Conley as a relief arm. ETA: 2014
9. Trevor Williams, RHP: This is where this list takes a turn for the mundane. Williams is a nice real life prospect, with great size and a true innings-eater profile, but he’s a pitch-to-contact type hurler, and he doesn’t figure to offer much excitement in the fantasy game. Still, he’s a safe bet to carve out a career as a big league starter, and there’s plenty of value inherent with that projection. ETA: 2015
10. Anthony DeSclafani, RHP: Same as Williams, I like DeSclafani’s chances of developing into a big league starter, but aside from some modest help in ERA and WHIP, I don’t see much impact for the fantasy game. The 23-year-old will step up to Triple-A in 2014, and he should be ready for a look in Miami before the year is through. ETA: 2014
2013 Miami Marlins MiLB Preview
