Miami Marlins Prospects Turn In Top Performances Saturday

The Miami Marlins are seeing the future before their eyes as minor leaguers continue to impress with top performances on Saturday night.

Nick Neidert of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and Isan Diaz of the New Orleans Baby Cakes – both ranked in the top 10 of the Miami Marlins minor league prospects, were highlighted by MLB.com for the effort they showed on Saturday night.

Per Mike Rosenbaum, “Neidert, Miami’s No. 3 prospect, set a career high by striking out 13 batters over eight innings while pitching the Jumbo Shrimp past Biloxi, 5-1. He allowed one earned run on five hits in the outing and retired 19 of the final 21 hitters he faced.”

Neidert has become the ace of the Marlins Double-A affiliate’s staff since the departure of Pablo Lopez. While the Jumbo Shrimp have had their share of a roller coaster season, Neidert continues to shine on the bump. He is currently Miami’s No. 3 prospect and should be promoted to the next level next season.

Diaz was just recently promoted to Triple-A after showing off his bat and his defensive skills in Jacksonville.

The organization’s No. 8 prospect, “Hit a two-run homer as well as a pair of triples to finish 3-for-5 with a season-high five RBIs in New Orleans’ 18-7 win over Albuquerque. He also reached once via a walk and scored three runs, according to Rosenbaum.”

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Both Neidert and Diaz are part of an overhaul of the Marlins minor league system that has been thin in recent years. Team owner Derek Jeter made it a point to build this organization through the minor leagues and has used that as a blueprint to create a winning franchise for the future.

Neidert came to Miami in the deal with Seattle that sent second baseman Dee Gordon to the Mariners. He figures to be part of the team’s rotation or have a shot at the pitching staff in 2020. There is a plethora of minor league pitching talent for manager Don Mattingly work with over the next few seasons.

Diaz, who came over in the package that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee, could be the team’s second baseman of the future. Starlin Castro may not be with the organization in 2019, creating an opening in the infield. Diaz could be on the Major League roster in 2019 or 2020 depending on his development.

As Rosenbaum added,  the 22-year-old Diaz has produced a .246/.364/.446 line with 12 homers, 22 doubles and 52 RBIs in 97 games between the Double- and Triple-A levels.

Diaz was named the Southern League Player of the Week for June 4-10.