Having lived in Gainesville, Florida, for the past eight years, I’ve watched a lot of Florida Gators baseball games. I’ve seen a ton of great players, both Gators and opponents, and I’ve been wrong about almost all of them. I marveled every time Georgia came into town and I got to watch Gordon Beckham. I was positive Matt LaPorta would hit 35 home runs a year as a designated hitter, and I was certain Bryan Augenstein had the stuff to stick in the majors as a reliever.

I’m hoping that my streak of being wrong is over, because for three years, I loved the heck out of a righty named Anthony DeSclafani. He was the type of player that I love – a grinder that just gets the job done. He wasn’t flashy, and his stat lines weren’t eye-popping. It seemed that every time he was in a big spot, DeSclafani delivered. In his final season at UF, I watched him come to the mound in the ninth inning with two runners on against the University of Miami and shut down the Hurricanes, nailing the Gators’ first ever sweep of UM in Gainesville – the day after he pitched two scoreless to clinch a 1-0 win against them. He shut down LSU in Baton Rouge. He came up big in the SEC Tournament against Georgia. And yet there wasn’t a whole lot of draft chatter about him, and I was selfishly hoping that no one had noticed this kid so he’d come back for his senior year.

The Blue Jays took DeSclafani in the sixth round of the draft, and he was gone. Gone from my life for a year and a half, until fate (and Jeffrey Loria’s stinginess) brought him back into my life. I was sitting in a coffee shop with my fiancee and a florist, discussing floral arrangements for our wedding. I got a Twitter message that the Marlins were trading Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, and Emilio Bonifacio to the Toronto Blue Jays. I was irate. Beside myself. There was no word on the return – some rumors had Travis d’Arnaud coming back, which was exciting. Eventually, it was reported that the haul was Henderson Alvarez, Jake Marisnick, Yunel Escobar, Adeiney Hechavarria, Justin Nicolino, Jeff Mathis, and a minor league pitcher. It took a while to get the info on who the minor league pitcher was. It was Anthony DeSclafani. My anger subsided a little.

But enough about my relationship with DeSclafani – this article is about him, after all, and not me. DeSclafani is a young 23 years old (his birthday is in April) and, as previously mentioned, was drafted out of UF. He throws a low-90s two-seam fastball and a changeup, and has a subpar curveball and slider in his repertoire. He pitched out of the bullpen plenty in college, but both the Blue Jays and Marlins have viewed him as a starter. He’s responded well thus far, though he probably profiles as a bullpen arm long-term.

2012 was DeSclafani’s first pro season, and he performed very well. In 28 games – 21 of which were starts – he threw 123 innings and went 11-3 with a 3.37 ERA, striking out 92 while walking 25. His FIP was just 2.70, and he allowed just 3 home runs all season. His BB/9 rate was shockingly low, but so was his strikeout rate.

Most people – myself included – viewed DeSclafani as a throw-in in the Blue Jays trade. So far, however, he has been lighting up hitters in Jupiter. On the season, DeSclafani is 4-1 with a 1.32 ERA in 41 innings, spanning 9 starts. He’s given up just 35 hits and 8 walks while striking out 40. His strikeout rate has gone way up, while his low walk rate has remained essentially the same (it has actually dropped from 1.83 to 1.8). Opponents, who hit .307 against him last year, are now hitting just .229.

His success thus far this season has been sustained, as he has had just one start in which he gave up more than one earned run – and in that start on May 16th, he gave up 2. He has, however, given up a large amount of unearned runs, giving up an additional two in the May 16th start and a whopping 5 unearned in a start that lasted just two-thirds of an inning on April 13th.

It remains to be seen if the Marlins will stick with DeSclafani as a starter or transition him back to the bullpen. He’s only pitched into the sixth inning twice this year, and he’s only finished the sixth inning once. If I had to guess, he will end this season at AA Jacksonville and eventually land in the Major League bullpen late next season or early in 2015. In any event, I hope that DeSclafani is the first Gators player I’m correct about.

Hand was a late scratch from his start against the Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday night. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Down on the Farm Report for the Miami Marlins: May 19th

Triple-A:New Orleans Zephyrs (19-24) @ Sacramento River Cats  (25-20)

Win 4-3

Gil Velazquez, SS: 2-for-4, SO, BB, 3 RBI

Ben Lasater, 1B: 0-for-4, 4 SO

Brad Hand, SP: Scratched, Oblique injury.

Chris Hatcher, RP: 1.0 IP, 2 H, SO, SV (12)

Jordan Smith blew a 3-2 Zephyrs lead in the eight inning and caused the game to go extra innings. Luckily, recent signee Velazquez picked up the game winning single to drive in Gorkys Hernandez to put New Orleans up 4-3 for good. Chris Hatcher got the ball in the ninth and made things interesting by allowing two hits. He was able to bounce back and strike out Andy Parrino to end the game. Parrino struck out four times in this game.

Not to be outdone by Parrino, Lasater struck out four times in this one, he did his in four at bats though, compared to Parrino’s five.

Double-A:

Jacksonville Suns (25-17) @ Mississippi Braves (27-18)

Win 5-2

Kyle Jensen, RF: 0-for-4, 4 SO

Noah Perio, 2B: 2-for-3, R, RBI, BB

Adam Conley, SP: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, SO, HR

Michael Brady, RP: 1.0 IP, 1 H, SV (8)

Apparently Jensen did not want Lasater to be the only one to have the honor of  picking up a golden sombrero in this game, as he struck out each opportunity he had. It is a small sample size, but Jensen, a right handed hitter, is starting to develop an interesting platoon split. Against lefties, Jensen has a slash line of .323/.488/.613, but against righties, Jensen has struggled for a .218/.326/.409 slash line. Jensen turned 25 on Monday and is still in Double-A. There is a reason he has been seen as a non-prospect for a while.

Conley has had an up-and-down season in 2013 and it did not get much better this start. Conley is still struggling to rack up strikeouts this season, as he has just 34 in 43 innings. In 2012 he had 135 in 127 innings.

High Class A:

Jupiter Hammerheads (24-20) vs. Daytona Cubs (22-21)

Loss 7-2

Brent Keys, CF: 2-for-4, BB

Austin Barnes, C: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI, R, 2 BB

Anthony DeSclafani, SP: 6.0 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 6 SO

Ronald Barnes, RP: 0.0 IP, 5 H, 5 ER,

DeSclafani has been the best player in the Marlins-Blue Jays trade early on. He has a 1.32 ERA for the Hammerheads in nine starts. In 41 innings of work, DeSclafani has struck out 40 in 41 innings, while only walking eight. He did so against a talented squad that has prospects such as Jorge Soler and Javier Baez. The former Gator could receive a promotion to Double-A soon if he continues to pitch well.

The only thing that went against DeSclafani on Tuesday was Ronald Barnes. He came into the game in the 10th inning and allowed five runs on five hits without recording a single out. Barnes saw his ERA sky rockets from 2.16 to 4.86 in his rough outing.

Low Class A:

Greensboro Grasshoppers (17-26) vs. Hagerstown Suns (26-15)

Loss 5-4

Cameron Flynn, LF: 3-for-4, RBI, SO

Yordy Cabrera, 3B: 1-for-4, 2B (8), R, RBI, 3 SO

Scott Lyman, SP: 5.0 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Blake Logan, RP: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, SO, BS (4)

Flynn continues to hit well in 2013, with three more hits Tuesday, he raised his slash line to .371/.455/.505. He has also struck out just 15 times and walked 11 times 97 at bats. Flynn was the Marlins in the 2012 draft out of the University of Kentucky.

Logan had gone seven consecutive games without allowing a run, that came to an end on Tuesday night, as Logan blew his fourth save of the season, allowing three earned runs and a walk-off hit in his 1/3 of an inning of work.

May 20, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Alex Sanabia (28) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

It would be an understatement to say starting pitcher Alex Sanabia has been a major disappointment in 2013. Going into Monday’s start, Sanabia owned a 5.00 ERA and a 5.89 FIP. He had just two more strikeouts than walks on the season.

He finally delivered a decent start for the Marlins against the Phillies on Monday night, but it was something else he did that caught the attention of the baseball world.

Alex Sanabia is in the middle of a spitball scandal after a video showed Alex spitting in the direction of the baseball after a Domonic Brown home run. While there is no proof that the spitball benefited Sanabia, he broke the rules and there is a chance that he could face discipline from the MLB.

Here are some reactions from around the internet:

Alex Sanabia Might Be In Trouble For Spitballing | Fangraphs

Let me preface all of this by saying that it’s always possible that a quick video replay could be missing necessary context and misrepresenting what actually happened. There is some uncertainty when viewing events from afar, especially in a narrow timespan. It is possible that what you’re about to see isn’t what it looks like.

Top 10 spitball-related nicknames for Alex Sanabia of Miami Marlins | Yahoo!

It remains to be seen what Major League Baseball will do, if anything, to right-hander Alex Sanabia of the Miami Marlins for spitting on the ball Monday night. Umpires didn’t seem to notice. The Philadelphia Phillies didn’t seem to notice. Broadcasters didn’t either. But fans did.

Get Excited About the Miami Marlins’ Young Prospects Before They Get Traded | Grantland

You know the story. Jeffrey Loria bought the Montreal Expos, ran them into the ground, then swapped them for the Florida Marlins. For the next 10 years, he ran, essentially, a skeleton operation, at one point so brazenly failing to compete that Major League Baseball started leaning on him to spend more on player salaries. He argued that, as a multimillionaire, he couldn’t make enough of a profit unless the taxpayers of Miami-Dade County (who have a median household income of $43,957, and 17.9 percent of whom live below the poverty line, according to the latest census figures) bought him a new stadium.

Alex Sanabia and the potential spitball incident | Fishstripes

Numerous sources spotted Alex Sanabia spitting on the baseball after giving up a Domonic Brown home run in last night’s 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Now the good news, it looks like the Sanabia spitball incident will die quietly without a suspension from the league. That could be good or bad news from a Marlins fan perspective, as seeing Sanabia pitch again could be as bad as the embarrassment involved in his alleged baseball crime.

Miami Marlins pitcher Alex Sanabia’s spitting issue ends quietly | Miami Herald

The newest controversy to attach itself to the Marlins doesn’t appear to have much of a shelf life. Video captured from Monday’s Philadelphia broadcast briefly showed Marlins starter Alex Sanabia spitting on a new baseball tossed to him moments after Domonic Brown deposited the previous one in the sparsely filled right-field seats.

Here at Marlin Maniac:

Philadelphia Phillies @ Miami Marlins Series Preview: Did The Marlins Break Roy Halladay?

Justin and I chatted about everything from if Charlie Manuel is on the hot seat due to the team’s struggles to if the Marlins are responsible for breaking Roy Halladay.

Series Preview: Philadelphia Phillies @ Miami Marlins May 20-22, Games 45-47

The Marlins will have a chance to salvage their homestand and improve their embarrassing 6-16 mark at home in a three game series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins have sustained some success against the Phillies this season, going 4-5 against them this season.

Miami Marlins News: Matt Diaz To DL, Jordan Brown Selected; David Aardsma Signs With Mets

More injury news to report, the Miami Marlins have placed outfielder Matt Diaz on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 19th, with a bone contusion, according to Clark Spencer on Twitter.

Philadelphia Phillies @ Miami Marlins Game Preview: Monday, May 19th 7:10 PM EST (Game 45)

The Phillies will send out Cole Hamels, hoping he can start turning things around for himself, and the team in 2013. The Marlins counter with Alex Sanabia and hope they are still within reach of the game when he comes out.

Miami Marlins Offensive Surge Too Much For Philadelphia Phillies, Fish Win 5-1

After dropping his last five decisions, right hander Alex Sanabia tossed 6.1 strong innings, allowing only one run off seven hits, picking up the win. The Marlins scored five runs on eleven hits, led by Justin Ruggiano’s 2 RBI night. Miami did not draw a walk all night against Philadelphia, including the starter Cole Hamels who apparently stormed out of the clubhouse after the game.

Down On The Farm Miami Marlins Daily Report: May 20th

The Marlins made a surprising call up in promoting Jordan Brown to replace Matt Diaz, as he heads to the disabled list. Bryan Petersen seems to have been the better offensive option for the Fish, as he owns a slash line of .280/.390/.472 coming into play today. He picked up another hit and drew two walks on Monday.

Philadelphia Phillies @ Miami Marlins Game Preview: Tuesday, May 20th 7:10 PM EST (Game 46)

The Miami Marlins have won two straight ballgames and will be seeking their third consecutive victory Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins have to feel comfortable about their chances, as they send out their best pitcher in 2013 and rookie phenom, Jose Fernandez. The Phillies will counter with Tyler Cloyd.

Look Out, Below! Bullpen Falters, Marlins Lose 7-3

The Marlins’ team winning streak against the Phillies was snapped at 3 games on Tuesday night as the Phillies beat the Fish 7-3. Miami had taken the first game of the series 5-1, and also won the last two games in which the teams squared off by a combined score of 16-2.

May 21, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Marlins’ team winning streak against the Phillies was snapped at 3 games on Tuesday night as the Phillies beat the Fish 7-3. Miami had taken the first game of the series 5-1, and also won the last two games in which the teams squared off by a combined score of 16-2.

Marlins starter Jose Fernandez was off his game, but still finished with a respectable line. The young righty gave up five hits, including a home run to Delmon Young, over his five innings of work. He walked one but struck out just two before being pulled after 79 pitches.

When Fernandez was taken out of the game, the Marlins were down 1-0 and had the tying run on third base with one out in the fifth. Pinch hitter Jordan Brown plated the run, but unfortunately it took just ten pitches for reliever Duane Below to cough up the lead. Below ultimately gave up three earned runs, as Ryan Webb allowed his two inherited runners to score. Webb then gave up two of his own runs, ending his scoreless inning steak at 17 1/3, the sixth-longest ever by a Marlins reliever.

Worth noting is that Fernandez had just three swing-and-miss strikes all game, which is one reason for his low strikeout total. Despite his stuff being off, he was able to work the Phillies hitters effectively. In 17 innings against the Phillies this season, Fernandez has struck out 16 and allowed just 1 run on 8 hits.

Up next: The Marlins will try to take the rubber game as Cliff Lee faces off against Kevin Slowey.

May 16, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) throws during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins have won two straight ballgames and will be seeking their third consecutive victory Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Marlins have to feel comfortable about their chances, as they send out their best pitcher in 2013 and rookie phenom, Jose Fernandez. The Phillies will counter with Tyler Cloyd.

Tyler Cloyd	V	Jose Fernandez
1	GS	8
6.1	IP	44
2.84	ERA	3.48
3.19	FIP	3.44
4	K	44
3	BB	17

Marlins Lineup

Juan Pierre returns to the Marlins lineup as the team finally faced a right handed starting pitcher. He has done well since manager Mike Redmond placed him in a platoon role. Chris Coghlan is back in the lineup to give Justin Ruggiano a breather and because he has hit the ball well of late.

Phillies Lineup

Ryan Howard returns to the Phillies lineup in this one. He missed the first game of the series due inflammation in his left knee. Although he is not playing at prior Ryan Howard levels, he is still a force to be reckoned with in the lineup.

Bold Prediction: Jose Fernandez repeats his success against the Phillies and throws 7 shutout innings. Marcell Ozuna hits is second career home run. Marlins win 4-1.