Miami Marlins Prospect Watch: Spotlight on Brady Puckett

Brady Puckett is a 6’8″, 220 lb. right-handed pitcher out of Lipscomb. The Miami Marlins may have got a sleeper with the 15th round pick of 2017.

It wasn’t the first time that Brady Puckett was selected. Prior to attending college, the New York Mets spent a 33rd round pick on him, back in 2014. Although his draft stock increased over the three seasons, the Miami Marlins may have gotten a steal with Puckett.

Puckett is a native of Murfreesboro, TN. As a college starter for the Bisons, he put up a 24-11 record, with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He also struck out 216 in 287 1/3 innings. In 2016, he was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Conference Team and awarded the Conference Pitcher of the Year award.

Professional

After signing with the Miami Marlins organization, Puckett joined the GCL Marlins in July, then made 12 appearances for the rookie instructional team, including five starts. He went 4-1 with a 2.92 ERA and a. 1.29 WHIP, getting 32 to wave in 47 innings pitched. He played in one game for the Batavia Muckdogs late in the season, striking out three in two scoreless innings.

This season, Puckett started with the Greensboro Grasshoppers and showed a more advanced mastery of the strikezone. He held batters to a 1.11 WHIP and struck out 48 in 49 2/3 innings, going 1-2 with a 1.99 ERA over eight starts. Brady joined the Jupiter Hammerheads in June. After three starts (and two wins), he caught the injury bug and spent a month on the disabled list.

After a month spent rehabbing, Puckett spent two weeks back with GCL. On Friday, he rejoined the Hammerheads and earned his third win by pitching to contact. Despite only striking out two, he allowed just one run on three hits and zero walks for a GameScore of 75.

Puckett has never been a highly-rated prospect, although scouts believe his fastball will be effective due to the downhill angle he generates from his release point and great height. Some concerns include his lack of a secondary swing-and-miss pitch, although he’s working on it. H/T to baseballamerica.com.

Today and Tomorrow

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Currently, Puckett is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP with the high-A Hammerheads. As we all know, the future is wide open on the top of Miami’s depth chart. Puckett should continue to advance as long as he keeps these numbers up. Initially, I expected him to reach the Miami Marlins in 2022. I’m moving that projection to late 2020 due to his expedited advancement, but it’s possible we see him even sooner. It’s an understatement that promotion opportunities exist in the greater Miami Marlins organization. Hopefully, Puckett can put a stamp on that thought and ride it for three more promotions.

Next: Spotlight on Dalvy Rosario

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