How do the Miami Marlins use their top prospects in 2020?

PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA - MARCH 03: Lewin Diaz #68 of the Miami Marlins in action during the spring training game against the New York Mets at Clover Park on March 03, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA - MARCH 03: Lewin Diaz #68 of the Miami Marlins in action during the spring training game against the New York Mets at Clover Park on March 03, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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How does the shortened season affect how the Miami Marlins use their top prospects for the 2020 season?

I’m quite interested to see how the Miami Marlins handle a 20-man taxi squad that is being proposed by MLB for this upcoming season.

Now that we have some idea of a 30-man roster that will allow manager Don Mattingly a little more leniency with how he develops his lineup, how will it affect top prospects in their development this coming season?

To take it a step further, how will it help pitchers Sixto Sanchez, Nick Neidert, and Edward Cabrera this season? Does it make sense to bring them along this year when part of their development may be stilted? Would another year below the major-league level, where they work on their mechanics and then bringing them back to spring training with the idea of adding them to the major-league roster next year make the most sense?

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I would think that everyday players have a leg up in making the Major Leagues this year. While timing is going to be an issue and development at the plate may take more time, we saw a small sample size of what Miami’s prospects can do with the bat during the first 20 games of Spring Training. If this is the future of this organization, then it looks very bright from many angles.

Monte Harrison, Lewin Diaz, and Jazz Chisholm all figure to be in Miami at some point this year. How they are used though will determine how long their stay will be. All of them figure to have a future in the Marlins’ lineup next season. Both Harrison and Chisholm could serve as designated hitters if Mattingly determines that he wants to see a younger lineup rather than a veteran one. This also has a lot to do whether or not the Miami Marlins are contenders the season.

The Marlins also figure to have a roster that looks a lot more different in 2021. It also means that players could be traded or released based on their performance.

Like it has been stated before, this is still a Major League team that is developing its talent and using it to the best of their advantage. The front office doesn’t want to rush players along and hurt their progress based on half a season rather than taking a longer look one year later.

If the Miami Marlins are not able to come out of the gate firing with the same kind of speed that they did in Spring Training, this may be a lost season. Therefore the original plan might be scrapped and fans may see more prospects playing games and fighting for roster spots than once with anticipated.