Miami Marlins 2024: Outfielder Prospect Jorge Caballero
Jorge Caballero hit .300 with the GCL Marlins in 2018.
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 212 of 286.
Jorge Rafael Caballero is a 6’1″, 170 lb. right-handed hitting and throwing outfielder from Caracas, Venezuela. 63 major league players have originated out of the city of 7.3 million, including Gleyber Torres, Gregor Blanco, and Omar Vizquel.
Caballero was born on this date in 2000, and signed with the Miami Marlins through free agency on July 2nd, 2016. He made his professional debut one calendar year later, with the rookie-level DSL Marlins in the Dominican Summer League. In a team-third 61 games played, he slashed .268/.382/.359 with 27 walks and 33 strikeouts in 240 plate appearances.
Caballero also got to first 12 times via HBP, leading the team with 32 RBI and a team-second 10 doubles. He had 16 multi-hit games, including June 28th, when he three-for-four with a double, two runs scored, and an RBI in an 11-2 win over the DSL Astros Blue. Defensively, Caballero played at least 78 innings at each of the three outfield positions, totaling a .975 fielding percentage with two errors in 481 2/3 innings.
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The strong showing would see Caballero promoted laterally to the rookie-level, Florida-based GCL Marlins, in the Gulf Coast League to start 2018. He took a step up defensively, fielding at a .986 clip with only one error in 338 2/3 innings. At the plate, he hit .300, with a .408 OBP courtesy of a solid 15 percent walk-rate.
On the flip side, he also struck out just over a quarter of the time, whiffing 49 times in 194 plate appearances. Caballero collected 21 RBI in 45 games in total, with 14 multi-hit affairs. On four occasions, he collected three hits, including in a July 29th, 6-3 loss to the GCL Mets. In that one, Caballero was three-for-three with a walk and a double.
Caballero is still rostered with the GCL Marlins, but should begin the 2019 campaign with the short-season-A Batavia Muckdogs, in the New York-Penn League. Continued progression through the system would see him with the Clinton LumberKings in 2020, the Jupiter Hammerheads in 2021, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in 2022, whoever the Marlins triple-A affiliate is in 2023, and the parent club in 2024, at the age of 24.
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