Will the Marlins make a splash in the international market again?

By David Levin |

MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 22: (L-R) Chief Executive Officer Derek Jeter of the Miami Marlins, Cuban baseball players and brothers Victor Victor Mesa, Victor Mesa Jr., and President of Baseball Operations Michael Hill meet with members of the media to announce the signing of the Mesa brothers at Marlins Park on October 22, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)

The Miami Marlins have a chance to once again win the international market this year.

The Miami Marlins were a big hit in the international market last season as the organization brought Victor Victor Mesa and Victor Mesa Jr. to South Florida to help stabilize a struggling franchise for the future.

After such a huge splash last season, the first for team CEO Derek Jeter, will the Marlins do it again and try to lure big-time talent to Miami to not only help build a more competitive team for years to come, but to connect to the baseball community in Miami, which is heavily saturated with Latino fans.

“Being more of a presence internationally is an organizational priority, and the Marlins are aggressively working towards infusing more prospects from Latin America into their system,” writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.

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“According to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez, Miami is considered the favorite to sign two touted shortstops — Venezuelan speedster Jose Salas and Junior Sanchez from the Dominican Republic.”

The organization has a solid beginning nucleus of talent in their minor league system already with Joe Dunand at the team’s Double-A affiliate in Jacksonville, Jose Devers at Jupiter (High Single-A) and Isan Diaz in New Orleans at the Triple-A level. Adding more talent gives the team more options – whether to add them to the Major League roster at some point or to use them as part of a package to acquire other veteran talent.

Miami has made obtaining players in the international market a focus of Jeter’s blueprint for the organization. It is something the former ownership group led by Jeffrey Loria shied away from for years. While the Mesas are a few years away from wearing a Marlins jersey, having them develop within the organization allows the front office to help develop homegrown talent as well as take advantage of trades that brought top prospects here the past year and a half.

” Victor Victor Mesa, who signed for $5.25 million, is playing regularly for the Class A Advanced Jupiter Hammerheads. Depending on how he progresses, Mesa could be promoted to Double-A Jacksonville later in the season,” Frisaro wrote. “Mesa Jr., who signed for $1 million, is a left-handed hitter currently playing in extended spring camp games. He’s expected to start off in the Gulf Coast League when that opens.”

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Victor Victor Mesa is regarded as the team’s No. 2 minor league prospect. Victor Mesa, Jr. is rated at the team’s No. 29th ranked prospect, currently.

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