Marlins Call Up O’Brien and Kinley to the Big Show

The Miami Marlins added two south Florida natives to its expanded roster last week when Peter O’Brien and Tyler Kinley joined the ball club.

The Miami Marlins added Peter O’Brien and Tyler Kinley to their Major League roster last week. Both were part of the Marlins Triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes organization. Both figure to be part of the team’s open audition for the 2019 25-man roster.

Wells Dusenbury of sun-sentinel.com wrote, “The two players, who starred locally in high school and college, will now be playing in the big leagues for the team they grew up idolizing.“O’Brien (utility) and Kinley (RHP) were both called up from Triple-A New Orleans and added to Miami’s active roster prior to Tuesday’s game versus the Phillies.”

O’Brien, 28, has a chance to compete for the open first base job that was vacated when Miami traded Justin Bour to the Phillies after the MLB Trade Deadline.

He told Dusenbury playing for the Marlins has been a wish of his to remain in south Florida to extend his career as he started out at Bethune Cookman before transferring to the University of Miami.

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“I’ve always dreamed of playing with the Marlins ever since I started playing baseball,” O’Brien said. “So to finally be here and to have an opportunity to do something is a great feeling.”

O’Brien has some pop in his bat that fans and the organization had a chance to witness at both New Orleans in the Pacific Coast League and with the team’s Double-A affiliate, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

Playing in the Marlins organization is not his first stop on the path to the Majors.

“He played in 36 MLB games for the Diamondbacks in 2015-16, notching six home runs and 12 RBI. O’Brien spent the next few years in the minors before being acquired by Miami in May,” Dusenbury added. “The outfielder put together a strong 2018 season, crushing 30 home runs and 86 RBI for three different teams across Double-A and Triple-A.”

Kinley wants to make an impression on the coaching staff since the future of the pitching staff in Miami is unknown.

He was drafted in the 16th round of the 2013 MLB draft by the Marlins and then has spent five years in the minors before going to the Twins in the Rule 5 draft this offseason. Kinley did appear in four MLB games for Minnesota before coming back to Miami in May.

Miami has many young arms on display for manager Don Mattingly to assess and determine who is the right fit for the 2019 rotation and bullpen.

“I grew up watching the Marlins,” Kinley said. “Going to Joe Robbie, Pro Player — all the name changes — watching the team and now getting the opportunity to contribute up here is truly a dream come true.”

The move to bring both players up to the main roster was not the only Miami made in adding local talent. Centerfielder Lewis Brinson is a south Florida native who grew up watching the team as a youngster when he played high school baseball in Ft. Lauderdale.