FanSided

Miami Marlins: A Look at the Farm

By Hector Lozada |
MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 03: Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter speak with members of the media at Marlins Park on October 3, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 03: Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter speak with members of the media at Marlins Park on October 3, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
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While the Miami Marlins are coming off of a series win in St. Louis, there have been some standouts across all levels of the minor leagues. From New Orleans to Greensboro, these four young Fish have made quite the impression.

AAA New Orleans – OF, Austin Dean

Austin Dean started off the year swinging one of the hottest bats in the entire nation and in the Miami Marlins system. The former fourth-round draft pick started the year in Double-A hitting to the tune of .420/.466/.654 through 22 games.

So far through 33 contests at Triple-A Dean has kept his bat lively. He is currently hitting .308/.397/.467. While he is not keeping up the torrid pace that he was at Double-A, he is hitting at a very respectable clip that will warrant a call to the big leagues sometime this year.

While Dean is no longer one of MLB.com’s top-30 Marlins’ prospects, in 2016, he was ranked as the Marlins’ fifth-best prospect just behind Brian Anderson. At the time, his hit tool was the highest regarded part of his game. In the video above, Dean shows a very short, quick swing that he is able to get on plane quickly.

In 2018, Dean has improved upon an already solid hit tool. He has cut his strikeout rate down to 11% from his career average that was up near 20%. With these improvements to his game, Dean is making it tough on the Marlins to leave him in Triple-A. Depending on what happens down the stretch, expect Dean to be in Miami sometime this summer.

AA Jacksonville – OF, Monte Harrison

Monte Harrison is an insane athlete, end of story. The 22-year-old is the number one prospect in the Miami Marlins system and the no. 62  prospect in all of baseball. Harrison is an elite talent and after a slow start in Jacksonville, things are coming together.

Harrison has four well-developed tools (power, speed, field and arm) with the fifth (hit) continuing to progress.

In the box, Harrison displays legitimate 20-25 homerun power. Yet, his success at the major league level will be determined by the amount of contact he is able to make. Out of all hitters in the minors (min. 100 PA), his strikeout rate of 39.2% is 14th highest in all of Minor League Baseball. This is a similar issue to what has plagued Lewis Brinson at the major league level.

In the field, Harrison displays one of the best arms in all of baseball. Evaluators have put 70 to 80 grades on it. He also is a plus defender that gets good reads on the ball and has made multiple appearances on Sports Center. Although he is better suited for right, he has shown the ability to play an above average center field as well.

At the end of the day, if Harrison can improve upon his hit tool, he has the chance to be a star at the major league level for years. While he is not the type of player to hit .300 year in and year out, if he can keep his average around .250 and limit the strikeouts he has all the other tools that make him a real threat. Expect to see Harrison down in Miami sometime in 2019.

A+ Jupiter – RHP, Jorge Guzman

One of the most electric fastballs in all of baseball resides in the hands of Jorge Guzman. The 22-year-old native of the Dominican Republic has a fastball that sits from 97-103 MPH. So far through 8 starts in 2018, Guzman is pitching to a 2.21 ERA. With that being said, his underlying metrics point to a pitcher that is struggling to find consistency.

His xFIP (Expected Fielding Independent Pitching) sits at 5.40 which is signaling that his low ERA can be attributed to luck. Looking at his strikeout and walk numbers, there is some truth to his xFIP.

He is struggling to miss bats with only a 6.87 K/9 rate and is allowing too many free passes with a 6.36 BB/9 rate. These numbers are expected to level out throughout the season for Guzman. Last year, Guzman struck out 11.88 per nine and only walked 2.43 per nine in Low-A for the Yankees.

Guzman has the stuff and personality to be the next ace of this Miami Marlins staff. Guzman is continuing to get outs despite his lower-than-expected whiff rate. Once Guzman irons out his command issues, he will be able to show Fish fans everywhere what they are waiting for.

A Greensboro – RHP, Ryan Lillie

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/987472956866682880

More from Marlins Prospects

Ryan Lillie was last year’s fifth-round pick out of UC Riverside and ever since, he has done nothing but produce. Lillie, a converted catcher, relived for most of collegiate career where he recorded 17 saves and only started 10 games.

This year Lillie has been purely used for a starter for the first time in collegiate or pro career and the results have been wonderful. Lillie currently has a 2.26 ERA through 11 starts for Greensboro  and his K-BB rate of 22.1% has been equally impressive.

Lillie is able to get his fastball up into the mid-90s to go along with a wipeout slider. With the kind of performance, he has shown the Miami Marlins in a year since joining the system, Lillie has a real chance to be a fast riser through the minors. As an overlooked college arm, Lillie is exactly the type of player to get a look at the major league level during the rebuild.

For more on Miami Marlins prospects, check out our draft rehash, here.

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