Years Ahead: Jose Devers Miami Marlins 2018 Season Review

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 109 of 286. For the first 100, click here.

Jose Rodolfo Devers is a 6′, 155 lb. middle-infielder from Samana, Dominican Republic. Samana has produced seven major leaguers, including Yordano Ventura and Hanley Ramirez.

Devers was born on December 7th, 1999, and signed to a minor league deal with the New York Yankees on July 2nd, 2016. After going 11-for-46 with seven RBI in 11 games for the DSL Yankees, Devers was quickly promoted to the GCL Yankees East in the Gulf Coast League before his first month of pro baseball was over.

Jose responded to the promotion by slashing .246/.359/.348 for GCL in 42 games, with seven triples and a team-leading 15 stolen bases. While drawing 18 walks in 169 plate appearances, he struck out only 21 times, an extraordinary improvement after striking out 16 times in 47 plate appearances at the DSL level.

Devers, Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers brother (or cousin, depending on which baseball stat site you trust), was part of the Giancarlo Stanton deal. He came over to the Miami Marlins with Starlin Castro and Jorge Guzman on December 11th.

The Marlins were criticized by many at the time for not getting enough in return for the 2017 National League MVP. The numbers tell a different story.

Going by one of the better known “advanced statistics” WAR. Going by that, Stanton was only slightly better than trade partner Castro, 4.0 to 3.3 for the 2018 campaign. Guzman was the Marlins fourth ranked prospect, and Devers was Miami’s 25th.

After Devers joined the Miami Marlins system, he was sent to the single-A Greensboro Grasshoppers, in the South Atlantic League. Aside from two games for the high-A Jupiter Hammerheads (Florida State League) in August, Devers would remain a Grasshopper through the entire season.

Though he stands out more for his glove than bat, Devers is no slouch at the plate, showing good feel to hit and some power potential from the left-handed box. His discerning eye at the plate and patient approach translate to strong on-base skills, and he knows how to use his above-average speed once on base. – MLB Pipeline

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• Miami Marlins: Farm System rankings part 1

As a shortstop for the Grasshoppers, Devers fielded at a .970 clip, with only seven errors in 486 1/3 innings. In 85 games for Greensboro, Devers slashed .273/.313/.332 from the plate. He was 92-for-337 with 12 doubles and four triples, 24 RBI, and 13 stolen bases in 19 attempts. Devers scored 46 runs, drew 15 walks, and struck out 49 times, or 13.5 percent of the time. For a prospect who is only 18-years-old, Devers proved himself years ahead of the competition. He was selected to the 2018 SAL All-Star team for their version of the mid-summer classic. On July 8th, Devers collected three hits, including two triples in a 7-2 Grasshoppers win over the Lakewood BlueClaws.

Devers did join the Hammerheads for two games in early August before going on the DL for the remainder of the season. Although his time with Jupiter was short, he was nearly 4.5 years younger than the average player in the FSL, and was the second youngest to play in that league in 2018.

Now considered the Marlins’ 13th-ranked prospect, Devers looks to open the season with the Jupiter Hammerheads. With normal progression to his game, he should join the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the double-A Southern League in 2020, with a chance to jump to the majors at some point late in that season or after 2021 Spring Training.

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