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Miami Marlins Add 5 Players to 40-Man Roster

By Ehsan Kassim |
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Feb 18, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins Justin Nicolino (79) in spring training action at Roger Dean Stadium Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

The deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man roster to protect them from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft, which takes place near the end of the Winter Meetings, is midnight EST.

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Here’s a great explanation of the entire process by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.

For many, that decision will be made on Thursday. A:ll 30 teams have to decide which players deserve to be added to their 40-man rosters by 11:59 p.m. ET on Thursday. Those eligible and left unprotected were thus left exposed to selection in December’s Rule 5 Draft. Players first signed at age 18 must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 years or older have to be protected within four seasons. Clubs pay $50,000 to select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, slated to take place on Thursday, Dec. 11. If that player doesn’t stay on the 25-man roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former team for $25,000. In other words, an international player or high school draftee signed in 2010, assuming he was 18 or younger as of June 5 of that year, must be protected. A college player taken in the 2011 Draft is in the same boat. There were 12 players on MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects list who needed to be protected or become exposed to the Rule 5, led by Twins third baseman Miguel Sano and Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard, both of whom are in the top 10.

The Marlins actually had a bunch of players that were eligible to be added to the 40-man roster this off-season or they’d be at risk to be lost to another franchise at the draft next month. The team was going to have to make a few tough decisions.

Here are the players Mayo projected the Marlins to protect.

Miami (6): No. 4 Justin Nicolino, LHP; No. 8 Adam Conley, LHP; No. 11 Domingo German, RHP; No. 12 Jarlin Garcia, LHP; No. 16 Austin Barnes, 2B/C; No. 17 Austin Brice, RHP

Here are the players that the Marlins did protect.

We’ll get into the names the Marlins did protect first before we look at who they did not.

Next: Players Marlins Protected

Jul 13, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; World pitcher Domingo German throws a pitch in the 2nd inning during the All Star Futures Game at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Players Protected:

All five of the names the Marlins protected are projected to be important for the ballclub moving forward.

Depending on your view of him, Nicolino is either the best prospect on the team, or the third best. I view Nicolino behind Andrew Heaney, Tyler Kolek, and Anthony DeSclafani, as the team’s fourth best prospect. Nicolino came to the Marlins in the much talked about “fire sale” trade with the Toronto Blue Jays after the 2012 season.

Nicolino posted an impressive 2.85 ERA in Double-A last season for the Jacksonville Suns, helping guide them to a Southern League Championship. While his ERA looked great, there has to be concerns about his strikeout rate, which fell to a career low of 4.28 K/9 IP last season. While he also doesn’t walk many hitters (1.06 BB), there has to be concern if he can retire hitters at the same rate in the majors without a decent strikeout total.

Adam Conley has been one of my favorite prospects in the Marlins system since being drafted him in the 2011 draft. He’s a left handed pitcher, like Nicolino, that has risen fast through the minor leagues. He probably could have pitched in the majors last season if it weren’t for an elbow injury that cost him most of the season. He threw just 60 innings at Triple-A last season and posted an ugly 7.20 ERA and a 4.20 FIP. I’d write that season off due to injuries and hope for a comeback season in 2015.

Domingo German drew a lot of hype this past season, being selected to pitch in the Minor League All-Star game, where he struck out top prospect Joey Gallo. In 2014, German pitched a career high of 123 innings in High-A Jupiter. He struck out 22.4% of the hitters he faced and walked just over 5%. As a result, his ERA/FIP was a sparkling 2.48/3.26.

The last pitcher added was Matt Ramsey, who was acquired by the Fish mid-season from the Rays for international bonus signing slots. In Double-A for the Suns, Ramsey struck out 31.2% of the hitters he faced and walked just 6.4% of the hitters he faced. He posted a 1.95 ERA and a 2.43 FIP for the season. If he performs well in the first half, he’ll have a chance to make the Marlins bullpen at some point.

Lastly, the only position player added to the Marlins 40-man roster is probably the most intriguing guy in their system. In Austin Barnes, the Marlins have a rare gem that can play both the middle infield and catch. He can flat out hit too, as he posted a .296/.406/.507 slash line with a 157 wRC+. He walked more (14.3%) than he struck out (10.3%) and hit for an .211 ISO for the season. He has a great chance to impact the Marlins major league roster sometime during the 2016 season.

Next: The Players Marlins Left Unprotected

Nov 19, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; The jumbotron shows a photo of Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton after a press conference at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Players Unprotected:

Jarlin Garcia: Garcia was a surprise for me to see the Marlins to not protect. He has a higher ceiling than Nicolino, but is way behind him in reaching the majors. He’s 21 and pitched in Low-A ball last year. Here’s what Mayo had to say about Garcia.

Like Ramos, it would be difficult for a team to select Garcia in the Rule 5 Draft and keep him in the Majors for an entire season. It’s easier to find innings for Rule 5 pitchers in the bullpen than it is to get at-bats for Rule 5 hitters, but Garcia hasn’t worked above low Class A. He has a more tantalizing ceiling than more highly touted Miami lefty prospect Justin Nicolino, though Miami is obviously hoping that Garcia’s inexperience will help him slide though the Draft. Signed out of the Dominican Republic in August 2010, Garcia spent his first three pro seasons in rookie or short-season leagues and was inconsistent in the early going at low Class A Greensboro this year. He finished strong however, permitting a total of just four earned runs over his final seven starts to finish at 10-5 with a 4.38 ERA. He led the South Atlantic League with a 5.2 K/BB ratio (111/21 in 133 2/3 innings), though he did surrender 152 hits for a .286 opponent average.

Austin Brice: Always being an intriguing talent for the Marlins, Brice finally put together a decent season in 2014, in High-A. In 127 innings, Brice posted a 3.60 ERA and a 3.79 FIP. His strikeout rate dipped to 19.8% but his walk rate dipped to a career best 10.0%. At 21 years old, he’s still an intriguing talent that could put it all together and become a middle of the rotation starter.

Garcia and Brice are both intriguing talents and it would not surprise me at all if the Marlins were to lose both. The Marlins faced a number crunch on space for players on their 40-man roster and had to make a tough decision on both.

Next: Marlins Interested in a Wade Miley-Nathan Eovaldi swap?

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