Miami Marlins Pitching: Depth, Depth and More Depth

The depth of the Miami Marlins pitching staff on the MLB and MiLB levels is enough to carry this organization for many years to come.

I have made the statement before that I believed the Miami Marlins had enough pitching prospects that it could rival the early 1990s Atlanta Braves staff.

Looking at the current roster of talent and the players who are top prospects, the battle to become part of this year‘s rotation proves the front office has done a very good job of procuring talented pitchers over the last couple of years.

I don’t know if there is a Greg Maddux or Tom Glavine or even a John Smoltz in this group, but what I do know is that there is enough depth within the minor-league system for the Marlins front office to smile from ear to ear over the next five years.

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Yes, it’s that good. Yes, Michael Hill, the team’s president baseball operations, has done a fantastic job along with team CEO Derek Jeter of finding the right combination of young arms that will keep the franchise well-stocked both in the rotation and part of the team is bullpen and relief corps.

The best part of the return of baseball for the Marlins so far since the team has been practice at both Marlins Park and in Jupiter at the teams spring training facility is these young arms haven’t missed a beat. That’s a tribute to the way they conditioned and kept themselves in shape during the time away from the game because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And when manager Don Mattingly must choose his fifth starter for the rotation, it’s a decision that may keep him up at night.

Did I mention their performances have been that good? Jordan Yamamoto, Robert Dugger, Elieser Hernandez, and Nick Neidert are all competing for one position. The trade-off, which really is not that bad a situation, is the ability to appear in relief as part of a revamped bullpen.

To make matters even more complicated, the arms in the minor-league system who may not get an opportunity to pitch this year, or knocking on the door begging to be let into the party.

Jeter made it a point to begin the process of building this organization from the ground up by acquiring young, talented, and durable arms through trades and playing his cards close to the vest. It wasn’t popular at first, it still may not be popular with some of the Miami Marlins faithful fans. But looking at the landscape of this organization, it now appears to be the right thing for the future.

And these young arms could be the reason why this team makes the playoffs this season for the first time since 2003.

I’ve also mentioned this before, that a season like this where they’re only 60 games in a sprint to the finish, changes to the MLB rosters, and how the game is played with new rules, sets up nicely for the Marlins to make a run at a title. Their first two World Series titles were done in seasons where they were able to defy odds and bring home a championship.

Don’t think that’s lost on the mind of the fans, and the front office which is trying to prove that their blueprint is the right way to build an MLB franchise.

While the Miami Marlins hitting coach Eric Duncan raved about the team’s acquisition of veteran players to help balance the batting order this season, Mel Stottlemyre, Jr. is going to play an intricate role as pitching coach and how these arms develop. This is his second season with Marlins, so he has had time to work with Sandy Alcantara, Caleb Smith, Pablo Lopez, and Jose Urena.

If the pitching staff is the reason why the Marlins are able to make the playoffs this year, and then Stottlemyre may have been the team’s MVP from the get-go.

From a fan’s standpoint, I’m excited to see how this all plays out because I’ve been talking about the fact that this organization is overflowing with pitching talent. How the front office decides to keep everybody happy may become the best story to follow this season and well into 2021. There’s no way possible that every arm will be a part of this organization over the next two or three seasons.

This could be very profitable for the Miami Marlins because it should lead to potential trades that will bring back either bullpen help, or power hitters. That will help the team win more than just one World Series title. I know it’s a lot to talk about in a short period time but the crystal ball is quite clear that this is a team that is built to win championships in the future.

And it appears for the Marlins, that time might be now.