Reviewing Marlin Maniac’s Preseason Top 20 Prospect List (Part 3)

June 18, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Miami Marlins second baseman Derek Dietrich (51) hits an RBI triple during the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s continue reviewing the Marlin Maniac top 20 prospect list I made in the preseason. We have already gone over the top 5 prospects, which included Jose Fernandez and Christian Yelich and prospects #6-10, which included Marcell Ozuna. Today we will go outside the top 10, and look at MM’s preseason prospects #11-15. This list includes three players that have spent plenty of time in the majors already and two more promising young prospects.

11. Adam Conley, SP: 3.04 ERA/3.03 FIP with 104/31 K/BB in 112 1/3 innings in Double-A. Conley has had himself a strong 2013 campaign, solidifying himself as one of the more impressive pitching prospects in the Marlins organization. He is posting a strikeout rate of close to 9 per nine innings and has improved his walk rate to the best of his career. Conley has shown tremendous growth this season and should get a look in the Marlins rotation sometime in 2014, with an outside shot at a callup in September when the team shuts Jose Fernandez down.

12. Austin Brice, SP : 5.48 ERA/5.21 FIP with 91/69 K/BB in 92 innings in Low-A. Repeating Low-A, Brice has had major issues with command, leading to a disappointing 2013 campaign. He is still young at 21, but has to drastically improve his command, as he does have an intriguing fastball and curveball in his arsenal. It will be interesting to see what the Marlins will do with Brice in 2014, but I certainly over-ranked him this preseason.

13. Derek Dietrich, 2B : .214/.275/.405 with 11 walks and 56 strikeouts in 215 at bats in the majors. Dietrich flashed his power in his short stint in the majors, as he still has the third most home runs on the Marlins, despite being demoted a few weeks ago. Dietrich has not hit for average in Double-A, but has worked on getting on base, as he owns a .371 OBP with six additional home runs. The verdict is still out if Dietrich is the Marlins longterm solution at second, but he should be given another shot in September and in 2014.

14. Avery Romero, 2B: .341/.403/.479 with 14 walks and 25 strikeouts in 167 at bats in Class A short season Batavia. Romero is one of my favorite prospects in the Marlins organization, as he has the potential to be a big impact player down the road. He fills the need at a position that the Marlins don’t have a lot of depth in their organization. It’s a shock the Marlins haven’t moved Romero up to Jupiter yet. 

15. Alfredo Silverio, OF: Not much to say about Silverio, as he hasn’t played at all since 2011 after having a second Tommy John surgery, after he sustained major injuries suffered in car accident before the 2011 season. With Silverio out for the season, the Marlins may not have to return him to the Dodgers, as he was a Rule 5 pick.

We will conclude with part four of the series tomorrow, when we will go over MM’s prospects number 20-16. The mid-season rankings for MM’s prospect list will come out in the next week, or so.