Reviewing Marlin Maniac’s Preseason Top 20 Prospect List (Part 4)

Aug 1, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Tom Koehler (34) throws during the fifth inning against the New York Mets at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Today we will conclude 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, and prospects #11-15, which included the interesting Adam Conley. 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.

16. Austin Barnes, C/2B: .262/.368/.346 with 51 walks and 58 strikeouts in 347 High-A at bats. Barnes has continued to hit well in 2013, but most of the power he showed last season has seemed to vanish. Of his 91 hits, 71 of those have gone for singles. Barnes has split his time in 2013 behind the plate and at second base. Barnes was recently promoted to Double-A Jacksonville and will have a shot to show off his skills in a higher level. If he can get some of his power back and progress behind the plate, he may overtake J.T. Realmuto and the recently demoted Rob Brantly as the teams future catcher.

17.  Kolby Copeland, OF: Suspended for refusing drug test, hasn’t played in 2013. Copeland was a first round talent that fell to the Marlins in the supplemental third round in the 2012 draft. He refused to take a drug test before the season and received a 50 game suspension, but still has not made his debut in 2013.

18. Tom Koehler, SP : 4.40 ERA/4.00 FIP with 67 in 92 major league innings. Koehler started the season in the Triple-A, got a call-up ealry in the season, and when Wade LeBlanc proved ineffective, the Marlins moved him into the rotation. He has proven to be a reliable #5 pitcher and could be well suited for a bullpen. Koehler, an 18th round pick, is a testiment to the Marlins recent ability to develop a strong pitching foundation in their minor league system.

19. Zack Cox, 3B: .291/.385/.402 with 35 walks and 55 strikeouts in 234 at bats in Double-A . Cox continues to see his star as a prospect fade, as he continues to falter with his power. He has shown decent plate discipline in his career, but does not seem to be more than a single hitting third baseman, which does not really bode well with the position. The Marlins may give him a look in September, but he is not on the 40-man roster as of now, so that is in question right now as well.

20. Mason Hope, SP: 5.16 ERA/ 5.05 FIP with 65 strikeouts in 89 Low-A innings. Hope has seen his command issues worsen for the past two seasons. He is striking out a professinal low of just 6.57 hitters per nine innings and walking nearly 5 per nine. He has also surrendered 94 hits in 89 innings of work, mainly due to the regression of his command and the failure to progress on his secondary pitches. He has made six of his last seven appearances out of the bullpen. As a reliever, Hope has pitched 13 2/3 innings, racking up 13 strikeouts and walking 6. His future may lie in the bullpen if he does not improve his command.

That completes our review of the top 20 preseason prospects for the Miami Marlins. We will have a mid-season one in the next week or so. Many of the players that are in the majors or plaed briefly in the majors this season will have graduated from our list, so we could have a completely new top 5 list.