Marlins Spring Training: Three players to watch in Jupiter

There are 15 days until pitchers and catchers report to the Miami Marlins Spring Training Complex im Jupiter, Florida. Which players are the ones to watch in camp?

For me, this time of year is one of my favorites. The NFL season is about to comes to an end and the Major League Baseball season is about to ramp up once more with the start of Spring Training. It’s the second year of the Miami Marlins rebuild and like most fans, I hope things will improve this coming season.

Hope is the magical word. Derek Jeter and the Marlins front office have improved the organization’s minor league system, and acquired young, solid pitchers to build the foundation for the future. Once the team finds a few bats with some power, this blueprint Jeter has talked about, might look a bit more concrete.

Manager Don Mattingly walks into Roger Dean Stadium in the next couple of weeks with no job security and plenty of questions to answer. How many wins and how much progress does this team need to make for the skipper to return in 2020?

Mattingly, the consumate team player, does his job, focusing on the here and now. All the while, he is still preaching the company line, the idea the changes made for the Marlins are for the better.

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Youth once again will be served this season in South Florida. There will be plenty of competition around the infield and in the outfield. Most all, the team must decide who will replace J.T. Realmuto once he is traded.

The Marlins have remained relevant this offseason by doing nothing in free agency and part of one of the biggest storylines about what happens to Realmuto and the future of the organization. There are other players who will make news in camp. Here are three players to follow once the whole team is in Jupiter on Feb. 18.

Austin Dean – Austin Dean was a phenom last season, running through Double-A pitching in Jacksonville before tearing up the PCL with New Orleans. Could he win a spot in the outfield in camp? Don’t bet against it.

There will be plenty of competition for the three starting outfield spots in Miami. Dean and Lewis Brinson should lock down two spots with a group fighting over the third.

Per Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, “At the end of 2018, Dean received most of the playing time in left field. In a small sample size, Dean experienced some struggles, hitting .221/.279/.363, but also showed some promise with four home runs and 14 RBIs in 34 big league games. As the roster is currently constructed, the 25-year-old might have the inside edge to start in left field.”

Nick Neidert – Nick Neidert has an outside shot at making the team and entering the starting rotation. Yes, there is a chance. The organization’s Minor Lague Pitcher of the Year will have to show the same control he displayed in Jacksonville last season.

There is a bit of a logjam with starting pitching prospects for the Marlins, which is never a bad thing. Injuries to both Caleb Smith and Pablo Lopez could open a doors slightly. If he has a solid spring, as one of 10 non-roster invites by the organization, it could mean he is the first pitcher called up from Triple-A New Orleans is injuries hit the rotation.

Victor Mesa – The Marlins front office liked what they saw when Victor Mesa was one of nine players who attended hitting camp at the team’s complex in Jupiter. They will slow play their top prospect’s rise through the minors with a chance Victor Mesa makes it to the Big Leagues at the end of the season as a Sept. 1 callup.

Mesa was the only Marlins player to make the Top 100 prospects list from MLB Pipeline at 99. Hopefully he will prove to be the player the team hoped for when signing the international star early in the offseason.