Marlins Top 10 Pipeline Prospects: What to Watch For
SS Jazz Chisholm, Nassau, Bahamas
The Marlins gained lefty-hitting, righty-fielding Jazz Chisholm from the Arizona Diamondbacks last season in return for potential future ace Zac Gallen, himself trade bounty from the Marcell Ozuna deal. A five-foot-11 shortstop, Chisholm is regarded as the number 54 prospect in all of baseball.
Over the past two minor league seasons, Chisholm has totaled 46 home runs between the Diamondbacks’ and the Marlins’ systems. Since joining the Jumbo Shrimp, he’s gone 23-for-81 with nine extra base hits, including three homers. He’s also a threat on the basepaths, with a 49-for-61 success rate in swiping a free bag.
Chisholm has a career .940 fielding percentage at the six, so clearly work is needed. Since joining the Marlins, however, he’s played 188 error-free innings at the position. He is projected to have major league impact sometime in 2021, likely out of Spring Training.
CF Monte Harrison, Lee’s Summit, MO
Monte Harrison was part of the trade bounty gained for then-future National League MVP Christian Yelich from the Milwaukee Brewers in the January, 2018 deal. He joined the organization along with Lewis Brinson, Jordan Yamamoto, and Isan Diaz.
A six-foot-three, 220 lb. three sport star out of Lee’s Summit West HS, Harrison has undeniable explosion off the bat. According to MLB Pipeline, 20 percent of balls in play at the double-A level were over 105 MPH, three times that of the MLB average.
Ranked 83rd on the overall MLB Prospect list, Harrison’s glaring weakness is a propensity to strike out. He led all of the minors in 2018 with 215 whiffs but has worked hard to address the shortcoming. He will compete for an Opening Day roster spot with the Marlins in 2020 Spring Training.
RHP Edward Cabrera, Santiago, DR
Edward Cabrera is a six-foot-four 21-year-old starter who has completed four seasons in the Marlins system. In 2019, between Jacksonville and Jupiter, he compiled a 9-4 record over 19 starts, with 116 K’s in only 96 2/3 innings. He did this while holding his walk-rate to 2.9/9, with 31 free passes issued.
The number 99 overall prospect in baseball, Cabrera has a fastball that lives from 93 to 97, although it has touched three digits on the gun. Sometimes at higher velocities, he sacrifices some accuracy. Better pitch location and a true curveball could help his development. Cabrera could make an appearance in Miami over the 2020 season, but it’s likelier he competes for a rotation spot in 2021.