The Texas Shark: Miami Marlins Harrison DiNicola

Throughout the 2018/2019 offseason, Marlin Maniac will devote one article each for every player who appeared in the Miami Marlins system for the 2018 season. Every. Single. Player. This is Part 107 of 286. For the first 100, click here.

Harrison Hager DiNicola is a 6′, 195 lb. left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing first baseman from Kemah, Texas. Born on April 25th, 1997, DiNicola played three seasons of division 1 baseball for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders.

DiNicola played three seasons for the Islanders. In 2018, he played in 56 games and slashed .321/.406/.527 with eight home runs and 38 RBI. These numbers were far and away in a different league than they had been in seasons past for DiNicola. The Miami Marlins took notice, and spent a 27th round choice on him in the MLB Amateur Entry Draft. Follow him on Twitter @HDinicola15.

Chosen with the 807th overall choice, DiNicola would be the sixth major leaguer to ascend after being picked at that spot if he makes it that far eventually. The small group is led by Chris Singleton (1990, Houston Astros, 9.7 career WAR), Joe Biagini (2011, San Francisco Giants, 0.5 WAR), and Andy Parrino (2007, San Diego Padres, 0.2 WAR).

After signing for a $20,000 bonus, DiNicola started his professional career in six games for the GCL Marlins, Miami’s rookie-level, Florida-based Gulf Coast League team. After going seven-for-24 with four walks and four stolen bases, he was quickly pushed up three levels, to the Jupiter Hammerheads in the high-A Florida State League.

That was short lived, though. After going 0-for-3 in one contest, he was moved down a level, to the Greensboro Grasshoppers in the single-A South Atlantic League.

Over the next five weeks, DiNicola played in 23 games for the Hoppers. He slashed .205/.306/.247, with 11 walks and six RBI. He struck out just under a quarter of the time at the level.

Sent back to GCL for another 10 games starting on August 9th, DiNicola went eight-for-34. On August 15th, he had his first career three-hit game when he batted sixth, played DH, and went three-for-four with a run scored in a 10-6 victory against the GCL Astros.

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Sent back to Jupiter for one more eight-game look at the close of the season, DiNicola responded by going nine-for-28. On August 26th, he had his best game of the season in a 3-2 victory over the Palm Beach Cardinals. DiNicola batted eighth, hit an RBI-double in the fourth, a two-out triple in the sixth, and knocked in what would prove to be the game winner with an RBI-single in the eighth.

DiNicola didn’t really get a whole lot of time to adjust to the myriad changes in his whirlwind of a campaign. Despite that, he racked up a .991 fielding percentage in 333 innings of work at first base. It’s impossible to tell where he will shake out and begin the 2019 campaign. Considering his short run of success with Jupiter to close the season, I think we’ll get a longer look at him at that level.

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