Miami Marlins Minor League Progress Report: From the DSL to the USA

The Miami Marlins field seven levels of minor league baseball, as of now.

Included amongst those seven are two Rookie-level clubs, at the bottom of the minor league pyramid. We looked into the Gulf Coast League’s GCL Marlins earlier this month.

The other Rookie-league team isn’t in the United States at all, but in the Dominican Republic. The DSL Marlins, and the other 46 teams in the DSL are made up of the youngest professional ballplayers in the Western Hemisphere. Which of the Marlins showed enough to graduate stateside in 2020?

Breidy Encarnacion

19-year-old Breidy Encarnacion started seven games for the DSL Marlins, and came into the game in relief in another six. What can’t be disputed is what he did once he got on the hill. He was 4-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 47 innings of work, with 57 strikeouts and a 0.830 WHIP.

A six-foot-three, 185 lb. native of Tamayo, DR, Encarnacion should make a seamless transfer to either the Batavia Muckdogs in the Short-season-A New York-Penn League or the GCL Marlins.

Jandel Paulino

Jandel Paulino is a six-foot-one, 175 lb. left fielder from Nizao, DR. Like Encarnacion still 19-years-old, Paulino just completed his second season with DSL. He showed serious progress from his 2018 numbers.

2018: 53 games, .205/.332/.253
2019: 67 games, .316/.427/.433

With a year-over-year OPS growth of .275, Paulino is bursting at the seams to enter a more advanced pool of talent. Look for him with the Muckdogs.

Arquimedes Cumana

Catcher Arquimedes Cumana is a six-three, 175 lb. right-handed hitter and fielder from Puerto La Cruz, VZ. Like most of the team, Cumana is now 19-years-old. Although billed as a catcher, Cumana started 48 of his 60 appearances in 2019 at first base, starting 12 times behind the plate.

Cumana went one-for-14 in five games through the 2018 campaign. In 2019, he was a little better. He hit .300/.396/.391 with 36 RBI and a perfect fielding percentage as a catcher. At first, he turned in a .983 fPct. Cumana should be bound for GCL.

Yoilan Quinonez

Yoilan Quinonez is a six-foot-four, 20-year-old right-handed pitcher from San Felipe, VZ. Having just completed his third season with the DSL Marlins, he may have finally showed enough to get the promotion.

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Quinonez started in nine of his 15 appearances in 2019, going 6-4 with a 3.24 ERA and 57 K’s in 58 1/3 innings, holding the opposition to a .237 batting average. Quinonez seems ready for GCL, but his relatively advanced age may have him earmarked for a date in Batavia.

Angeudis Santos

18-year-old Angeudis Santos joined the organization from the Boston Red Sox system in the January 10th trade which cost us Austin Brice. A six-foot-one, 165 lb. shortstop from Santiago, DR, Santos led the DSL with 55 walks in 56 games, resulting in a crooked slashline of .184/.384/.218. He also stole 15 bases in 19 attempts, and turned in a good-for-his-age .926 fPct. at the six.

Others could join these five prospects in the move to the U.S.A., of course. Keep checking back here for more Miami Marlins news.

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Marlins Minors Watch: From DSL to the USA