Evaluating the Miami Marlins 2015 Draft Class

RHP Obed Diaz

Six-foot-two Rio Grande, PR native Obed Diaz spent parts of three seasons in the Marlins system, between the GCL Marlins and the Batavia Muckdogs. He was 2-6 with a 5.40 ERA in 32 games, with 33 K’s in 50 innings. He was released in June, 2018.

IF Taylor Munden

Lewisville, TX native Taylor Munden was drafted by Miami out of the University of West Virginia. In three seasons with the Mountaineers, Munden hit ..246/.312/.379.

Following the draft, Munden split his time between the Muckdogs and the Grasshoppers over the next two seasons. In 88 games, he hit just .201/.287/.299 with four home runs. They let him go in June, 2016.

LHP Jeff Kinley

Saginaw, MI native Jeff Kinley played five seasons for the Michigan State Spartans, starting in only five of his 93 appearances. He was 12-10 with a 3.19 ERA and 137 whiffs in 161 innings of work.

After the draft, Kinley started with GCL and over the next five seasons appeared at every level of the Marlins system, excepting the DSL Marlins. He’s gone 13-7 with a 3.67 ERA in 167 contests, striking out 234 in 250 innings of work. Solid primary metrics of 1.29 WHIP, 8.03 H/9, and 2.34 K/BB have kept him employed in the system, where he’s still listed with the Jumbo Shrimp.

Although not listed on the Marlins 40-man roster, Kinley remains an option to fill a spot at some point in the 2020 campaign.

RHP Ben Meyer

Six-foot-five right-handed starter Ben Meyer was chosen by Miami out of the University of Minnesota. Four seasons with the Golden Gophers would yield a 13-17 record and a 3.06 ERA in 59 games, including 39 starts.

Meyer worked his way up through the Marlins system over the next few seasons, making his debut with the major league parent club in 2018. In 13 relief appearances, Meyer landed with a 10.42 ERA, by allowing 14 walks and 26 hits in 19 innings. He struck out nine and finished with a 2.11 WHIP.

Meyer was released from the New Orleans Baby Cakes in June, 2019, and he soon after was signed by the Colorado Rockies and assigned to the Hartford Yard Goats. He also appeared with the Albuquerque Isotopes last season, and remains on their roster.

2B Joe Chavez

Infielder Joe Chavez played four seasons with UC-Riverside, and hit .299/.393/.436 in 172 Big West Conference contests. After the draft, he split his next two seasons between GCL, Batavia, Greensboro, and Jupiter, working out a .243/.345/.312 line in 55 games. He announced his retirement halfway through July, 2016.

RF Griffin Conine

Griffin Conine

Jeff Conine‘s son, Griffin, went unsigned out of the draft and played three seasons for Duke. He’s since been chosen out of the second round in 2018 by the Toronto Blue Jays.

3B Kris Goodman

Kris Goodman was a four-year letterman with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, where he slashed .262/.354/.356 in 194 games.

Post-draft, Goodman played in 30 games for the GCL Marlins, and went 17-for-72. In 72 games in total, between GCL, Batavia, and Greensboro, he hit .223/.329/.257 before getting released in August, 2016. He later played for the Gary Southshore RailCats in the American Association, and in 2018 resurfaced as a pitcher for the Traverse City Beach Bums, in the Frontier League.

RHP Ryley MacEachern

Ryley MacEachern played two seasons with the Stony Brook Seawolves, a Division 1 team in the American East Conference. He was 5-3 with a 4.76 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 83 innings.

MacEachern played three seasons in the Marlins system, from GCL to Batavia to Greensboro. In 55 games, he was 6-3 with a 3.58 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP, and 76 K’s in 83 innings. He’s been a free agent since mid-2017.

OF Brandon Rawe

In three seasons at Morehead State, righty outfielder Brandon Rawe hit .351/.405/.548 over 163 contests, with 26 home runs and 126 RBI. After getting selected by the Marlins, Rawe appeared in 40 games between GCL and Batavia, going 25-for-118 with 12 RBI. He was released after 2016 Spring Training.

OF Cameron Newell

Left-handed batting, righty throwing Cameron Newell was a six-one outfielder from Roseburg, OR. He lasted 35 games in the Marlins system between GCL and Batavia, going 22-for-102 at the plate. He was last seen with the Lake Erie Crushers in 2018, in the Frontier League, where he was 29-for-111 in 34 games.

LHP Gunnar Kines

As part of the Division 2 Mount Olive Trojans for two seasons, left-handed starter Gunnar Kines was 16-3 with a 3.39 ERA over 29 appearances, including 26 starts. He struck out 172 in 159 1/3 innings, enough anyway for the Marlins to take a flyer on him.

Kines only finished the 2015 season as part of Miami’s organization, splitting it between GCL and the Grasshoppers. In 23 games, including five starts, he was 5-5 with five saves, a 2.38 ERA, and a 1.06 WHIP.

Later on, Kines spent four seasons as part of the Schaumburg Boomers in the Frontier League, going 22-17 with a 2.96 ERA.

OF Ruben Cardenas

Ruben Cardenas didn’t sign, and instead went to Cal State Fullerton. He was later drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 16th round of the 2018 draft.

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• Miami Marlins: Farm System rankings part 1

OF C.J. Newsome

C.J. Newsome remained unsigned, and hit .340./.426/.494 in 43 games for the Jackson State Tigers, in Division 1, 2017.

3B Bucket Goldby

Bucket Goldby was drafted out of Yuba City HS in his hometown, but never signed, and didn’t appear anywhere after that either.

C Matt Foley

Matt Foley spent parts of two seasons in Miami’s system, hitting 12-for-58 between GCL and Batavia. He later spent time in the systems of the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets. In 2019, he caught 20 games in the Canadian American League for the Ottawa Champions, going 12-for-52.