Fish n’ grits: Miami Marlins morning news

The Miami Marlins had one of their biggest evenings of the year at the MLB. Rested after a day off the Major League team takes the field again today.

The Miami Marlins selected three new faces to join the organization last night. Ending weeks of speculation, the selected a big, hard-throwing prep school lefty.

They followed that up with two more selections before their night was over. An impressive three total picks in the top 51 selections, the Marlins have helped reload their franchise. Most importantly, all the players are expected to sign.

A quick recap of last nights festivities, a look at it continuing later today, and look ahead to the beginning of the series with the Athletics. It’s your morning Fish n’ grits!

MLB Draft

You won’t have to read another mock draft for a while. Last night was the MLB Draft. Talented young ball players were flying off the board with lightning quick speed. The Miami Marlins hope they selected the right three players. If they did, it could set the future of the franchise.

Ahead of the Marlins there was a run on position players. Pitchers were expected to be a hot commodity in this draft, so this was kind of a surprise. After weeks of wondering which pitcher would slip to no. 13 in the draft, the Marlins ended up with their pick of the litter.

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They went with a big, hard-throwing lefty named Trevor Rogers. He’s coming out of high school and will need some development before he is Major League ready. But scouts love what this kid has the potential to become.

As with any draft pick selection, there are risks. The MLB Draft is about projection, so nothing can be known for certain. If Rogers lives up to his potential, the Marlins have a legit ace in their farm system now.

With their next two picks they selected an outfielder out of North Carolina named Brian Miller. He’s a speedster who projects as a leadoff man with the ability to wreak havoc on the bases. Then they went with third basemen Joe Dunand.

Dunand is a great pick here. He is a power bat who plays great defense. He’s also the nephew of Alex Roderiguez.

We’ll be taking a detailed look at the Marlins draft later today. Keep an eye out for it.

Second day of the draft and beyond

The second day of the draft kicks off today. Teams will be selecting rounds 3-10 and hoping to hit on an undiscovered gem. There is still a ton of value to be had at this point in the draft.

It’s difficult to predict what the Marlins might decide to do at this point. There are so many moving parts, it’s difficult to say what teams will be doing ahead of them. There are a number of quality outfielders still available, and the Marlins often prefer take the best player on the board.

Action kicks off at 12:30pm ET. The entire event is streaming free on MLB.com.

The Oakland A’s are coming to town

Getting lost in all the MLB Draft excitement is the actual Major League team. The Marlins open a short two-game series against the Athletics today. They split two games with the A’s a few weeks ago.

But that was a different Miami Marlins team. That Miami Marlins team was just coming out of a slump. This one has been hot lately. They lost two to the Pirates to split a four game series, but they’ve been playing good baseball as a whole.

It remains to be seen if Giancarlo will be playing in the tonights matchup. After taking a ball on the hand during his first at bat on Saturday, he hasn’t played since. They sat him out on Sunday as a precautionary measure. Last nights day off was likely a huge help as well.

X-rays came back negative and they aren’t expecting an extended stay on the DL. But given Stanton’s issues with injuries in the past, they’re being as safe as possible. The Fish need him back though, they’ve lost the last two games while he’s been out of the lineup.

For game one, the Marlins will trot out Jose Urena. After starting the season with a bang, Urena has struggled in his last few starts.

Last time he faced the A’s, things didn’t got well. He allowed six earned runs in five innings. He’ll need to improve.

The A’s counter with Jharel Cotton. In his first year of big league exposure, Cotton has struggled. He currently sits at 3-6 with a 5.20 ERA. He surrenders nearly two home runs per outing, so keep an eye out for the long ball tonight.

Notably, Cotton was selected by the Angels out of Miami-Dade College.

Next: Miami Marlins select Trevor Rogers in first round

The Miami Marlins made some moves in the draft that will bolster their farm system immediately. They’ll look to do the same in day two of the draft today. With the A’s rolling into town, it’s time to get back to business.