Miami Marlins MLB draft prospect: LHP Trevor Rogers

The MLB draft is inching ever closer. Only two days away, lets take another look at what the Miami Marlins might look to do with the 13th overall pick.

Make no mistake, the Miami Marlins desperately need to hit on their first round pick this year. They also hold a pick in the supplemental first round, and the 51st overall pick in the draft. That makes it three picks in the top 51.

If they are able to get MLB quality prospects with all three of those selections, it’ll go a long way towards changing the farm system. They can’t afford to screw the pooch this year.

With their top selection, they’ll go with a pitcher. The question is which, not if.

On Friday we looked at another potential selection. Left-hander David Peterson remains a great option for the Fish. Possessing excellent control, a wipeout slider, and four usable pitches, he’ll be MLB ready before too long.

Major League readiness is important to the Marlins this year. However, it hasn’t been a guiding factor historically for the club. In fact, they’ve often decided to roll the dice with a hard throwing prep school star. That’s what we’re looking at with todays spotlight, Trevor Rogers.

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Coming out of Carlsbad, New Mexico, Rogers might take some time to to get to the Major Leagues. Even for a prep school prospect, he’s considered raw. Many of his weaknesses stem from lack of experience and needing polish. Professional coaching will fix both of those.

His fastball already sits in the low to mid-90’s with an effortless delivery. He will need to develop his breaking ball further though. It has the potential to be a plus pitch in time, but he hasn’t needed to use it much against current competition. He has a change up as well, but it projects as being average at the Major League level.

His control is good. With time it will improve and could be elite.

Fitting the mold

Rogers is a big kid. Standing at 6 foot 6 inches tall, he throws downhill and whips the ball into the strike zone. Scouts believe he will be able to pick up several miles per hour of velocity on his fastball as he matures.

The Miami Marlins like drafting big, tall powerful pitchers with a lot of upside. Rogers fits that mold to the letter. Many feel he possess the most upside of any prep lefty in this draft, which is high praise.

His low-impact delivery helps project him as a pitcher who will be able to stay clear of injuries.

After initial whispers that he might sneak into the top-10, Rogers appears headed for a mid-first round selection. He’s currently committed to play ball at Texas Tech, but can be swayed if drafted high enough. He is very singable as a first round selection.

Next: Miami Marlins MLB draft prospect: RHP David Peterson

The Miami Marlins will add a pitcher to their farm system on Monday. Time will tell who that pitcher will be. With a number of options at their disposal, it’s almost impossible to say with any certainty who it will be.