Miami Marlins Minor League Players of the Week: Demetrius Sims, Nick Neidert

Starting today, and every Sunday through the season, Marlin Maniac is going to take a moment to recognize the standout performers through the Miami Marlins minor league system.

I used the grading standards of FanDuel’s scoring system to check out who were the Miami Marlins standouts below the major league level. Each of the seven feeder-level teams has a pitcher and a hitter to recognize. First though, we’ll honor the overall best performers.

Player of the Week

Demetrius Sims

Demetrius Sims had a pretty good start to July. Before going 0-for-7 on Friday and Saturday, he had been riding a seven-game hit-streak. Sims was 10-for-25 overall through this week, with a double, two walks and three RBI. The performance raised his average from .163 up to .253. He also stole three bases as the starting shortstop for the Batavia Muckdogs. They finished the week with a 4-4 record, which unfortunately was tied for the best anywhere in the Miami Marlins system. Sims week included four multi-hit games in a row, in which he was nine-for-15 from July 1 through July 4.

Sims was Miami’s 14th round selection in 2017 out of Bethune-Cookman. Since joining the organization, he has slashed .246/.346/.276 in 58 minor league games between the Muckdogs and the GCL Marlins.

Pitcher of the Week

Nick Neidert

Nick Neidert, Miami’s eighth rated prospect, started two games for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp this week. The Shrimp had a bad week, losing their first seven games before defeating the Mobile Bay Bears yesterday. Neidert was the pitcher of record for that one.

On July 2nd, Neidert started and took a hard luck loss against the Montgomery Biscuits. He allowed four hits and one unearned run in eight innings of work, walking zero and striking out seven. In yesterday’s win, he allowed one earned run, along with four unearned. He struck out eight batters and walked two in eight innings of work, along with nine hits.

Neidert joined the organization from the Seattle Mariners system in December as part of the Dee Gordon trade yield. The Marlins also received Robert Dugger and Christopher Torres. Since joining the team, Neidert is 8-5 with a 2.66 ERA, a 1.139 WHIP, and 95 whiffs in 91 1/3 innings.

Honorable Mentions

Brayan Hernandez

Brayan Hernandez was off to an inauspicious start to his 2018 season. Through his first eight games with the Batavia Muckdogs, he was four-for-31 with two doubles and zero RBI. That changed this week.

Hernandez had three multi-hit games from July 1st through July 7th, along with his first home run. He was 10-for-30 with two doubles, a homer, two walks, six runs, and four RBI. He is now part of the Miami Marlins system after joining the organization in David Phelps trade. The Marlin also got Brandon Miller, Lukas Schiraldi, and Pablo Lopez in the deal.

Dustin Beggs

Dustin Beggs started on July 1st and surrendered three hits and zero walks in six innings. He struck out three for no-decision in a 1-0 win over the Palm Beach Cardinals. In yesterday’s game, he again allowed only three hits. He whiffed 10 in seven innings of work, and allowed two runs (one unearned) against the Daytona Tortugas. Unfortunately, he was the losing pitcher of record, as the Jupiter Hammerheads dropped the 3-1 decision.

Overall this season, Beggs is 3-2 with a 2.18 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP, and 66 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings. Beggs was drafted in the 16th round by the Marlins in 2016 out of the University of Kentucky.

Other Standouts

Jonathan Rodriguez: six-for-15, three RBI for New Orleans Baby Cakes.

More from Marlins Prospects

Odrisamer Despaigne: 0-1, nine innings, 11 hits, three runs, six strikeouts for Baby Cakes.

Peter O’Brien: six-for-24, two home runs, four RBI for Jumbo Shrimp.

Anfernee Seymour: five-for-20, three walks, five stolen bases for Hammerheads.

Garvis Lara: seven-for-20, one double, one triple, one home run, two RBI for Greensboro Grasshoppers.

Alberto Guerrero: 10 strikeouts in 9.2 innings pitched for the Muckdogs.

Walner Espinal: 4-for-15, five RBI for GCL.

Alex Vesia: Vesia’s first professional appearance, 3.1 innings, four strikeouts, two hits, zero walks, zero runs allowed with GCL.

Alvaro Montero: three-for-10, three RBI, five walks, two stolen bases for DSL.

Luis Palacios: nine innings pitched, three hits, six strikeouts, zero walks, zero runs for DSL.

Next: Harrison DiNicola

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