Miami Marlins Rising: Scott Squier’s 2018 Season Review

LHP reliever Scott Squier is poised for a breakout season with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

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

Scott Kenneth Squier is a 6’5″, 185 lb. left-handed pitcher from Phoenix, Arizona, where he attended Greenway HS. The Detroit Tigers chose him in the 21st round of the 2011 draft, with the 647th overall choice.

Born on September 17th, 1992, Squier didn’t sign with Detroit, instead making the trek out west, way out west to the University of Hawaii. In three seasons with the Rainbows, Squier played mostly as a starter, with 35 starts and nine trips out of the bullpen. He was 8-15 with a 3.47 ERA and 182 strikeouts in 2017 innings in total, with a 1.33 WHIP. Following the 2014 season, the Miami Marlins spent their 16th round pick on him, 467th overall.

Three players chosen with the 467th overall pick have gone on to play in the major leagues, led by Doug Bird (1968, Cleveland Indians, 9.0 career WAR). After signing with the Miami Marlins, Squier was assigned to the Batavia Muckdogs, in the short-season-A New York-Penn League. He went 4-2 with a 3.17 ERA over 13 appearances, including six starts. While striking out 40 in 48 frames, he racked up a 1.26 WHIP.

2015 would see Squier split his year between the Muckdogs and the single-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in the South Atlantic League. In a larger sample size, Squier went 11-5 with a 5.08 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP, striking out 97 over 108 innings.

In 2016, Squier spent time with the Grasshoppers and the high-A Jupiter Hammerheads in the Florida State League. He dropped his WHIP down to 1.20 and went 6-2 with a 3.13 ERA overall, whiffing 69 in 88 1/3 innings. He would remain with the Hammerheads throughout the 2017 season, going 5-9 with a 3.82 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP in 132 innings, and 102 strikeouts.

Sidelined with a drug suspension to start the 2018 campaign, his second, Squier joined the Hammerheads on June 20th for his first game-action of the season. The suspension was for a “drug of abuse.”

The Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program defines the following as drugs of abuse: marijuana, hashish, THC, synthetic THC, cocaine, LSD, opiates (such as oxycodone and heroin), ecstasy, GHB and PCP. Ritalnic Acid is considered a banned stimulant. – Sam Dykstra, MILB.COM

He struck out eight over 7 1/3 innings of work, and held batters to a .192/.222/.231 slashline. Pushed up to the triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes for one game on July 8th, Squier went 2 1/3 hitless and scoreless innings of relief, although he did allow three walks in a 7-4 win over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Here’s Squier with the Hammmerheads, courtesy of Walt Hilsenbeck.

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After one game back with the Hammerheads, Squier was promoted to the double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in the Southern League, where he remained for the rest of the season. As a Shrimp, Squier allowed a .333/.390/.588 slashline over 13 innings of work. He struck out seven and tagged for a 1.77 WHIP.

The strangest part about the numbers on Squier in 2018 was his home/road splits across three different leagues. He was far better on the road, holding the opposition to a .208 batting average as opposed to .317 at home.

Squier is currently still rostered on the Jumbo Shrimp, and should start 2019 with them. With a few good months, he’ll probably join New Orleans. If Squier makes the majors with Miami, it’ll be either around the end of 2019 or sometime in 2020.

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