Miami Marlins: Prospects shine in first week back on the diamond

Miami Marlins prospects are giving the front office a reason to be excited about the shortened season and the future of this organization.

Miami Marlins prospect Monte Harrison has been the talk of the organization during the first week of the return of baseball, but that doesn’t mean other players aren’t catching the eye of manager Don Mattingly and the front office.

Jesus Sanchez and Lewin Diaz have been showing off a bit as well, which could make a few decisions for the Opening Day roster a bit more difficult. Another way to look at that is the Marlins blueprint is still doing exactly what it was supposed to do prior to the halt of play in March.

It seems so long ago. The Marlins are in the process of finalizing their roster and determining which prospects they will count on at some point in this shortened 60-game season. Harrison is almost a lock to make his MLB debut in Miami. Diaz and Sanchez are giving Mattingly something to seriously think about.

More from Marlins Prospects

• Miami Marlins: Checking in on prospects from the 2022 Arizona Fall League
• Miami Marlins: How top 2022 MLB Draft picks performed this season
• What’s wrong with Kahlil Watson?
• Miami Marlins: Farm System rankings part 2
• Miami Marlins: Farm System rankings part 1

“They wouldn’t be in this camp if we didn’t think at some point that they didn’t have a chance to help in the immediate future,” Mattingly said of the two players via MLB.com.

While Diaz is the team’s first baseman of the future, Sanchez can fill multiple outfield roles and could be a candidate to play DH, should the position become a fixture with the National League past next season.

If you have read my comments in past stories, you know how adamant I am that this does not become the case.

Harrison, Sanchez, and Diaz were all acquired in trades with different organizations. All three figure to be part of the franchise’s new look in 2020 and beyond. Harrison, the team’s No. 9 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, is the most MLB-ready. But don’t count either Diaz (ranked seventh, who was in the Minnesota Twins organization, or Sanchez (ranked fourth), who spent time up the road in Tampa, out from seeing time in Miami this season.

More Marlins News:

While the Miami Marlins coaching staff has had a chance to see how the future might look around the diamond, the front office announced the signing of undrafted free-agent left-hander Antonio Velez.

Velez starred at FSU and was the first player who was not drafted to be offered a deal with the team.

Per Matt Kelly of MLB.com, “Velez, whose signing is retroactive to Thursday, came out of Florida State University, where he allowed just one earned run across 17 1/3 innings (0.52 ERA) to begin the 2020 collegiate season before it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.”