Miami Marlins: Will prospects get more reps in the offseason?

Will MLB offer instructional leagues to the Miami Marlins the rest of the league as a way to help top prospects prepare for the 2021 season?

If there is one thing that hasn’t been discussed in further detail since the start of the 2020 season it has been the exclusion of MiLB across the baseball landscape and how it affects the Miami Marlins.

As the front office and coaching staff worked in a short time to come up with a list for the 60-man player pool, which included veteran players, rookies, and top prospects, not every member of the Miami Marlins system was part of the plan.

And since minor league baseball was eliminated from every franchise this year, the players who will not get to work on their skills in either Miami and Jupiter this season, the question was asked what happens to them.

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All four of the tiers of minor league baseball for the Miami Marlins – Clinton, Jupiter, Jacksonville, and Wichita were affected.

How do the players who were not part of the plan work on their skill set for the remainder of the 2020 season and beyond?

“Chief executive officer Derek Jeter recently discussed the issue of prospects who are not part of the player pool. One idea being discussed by the Marlins, as well as many clubs, is to have some form of an instructional league,” Joe Frisaro wrote. “These usually take place every season, in September, and about 30 prospects are invited. Also mentioned was the possibility of an early Spring Training, taking place in January. Some players may also participate in various Winter Leagues.”

Marlins players have been sent to the Arizona Fall League in the offseason to hone their craft and improve their chances of moving up the minor league ladder. Monte Harrison and Nick Neidert have taken advantage of the opportunity in recent years and are now on the Major League roster.

If the Arizona Fall League and a league formed possibly in Florida were to happen, it would give the Miami Marlins prospects a chance to further their development.

“Clearly, not playing a Minor League season hurts the Marlins, in particular, because they have a deep farm system. You note three players – [Kam] Misner, [Connor] Scott and [Peyton] Burdick – ranked as the organization’s Nos. 14, 15, 16 prospects, respectively, by MLB Pipeline. They, and others, are basically waiting in the wings to find out when and where they will get back to playing,” Frisaro added.

If something like this were to happen, it is another layer to playing ball in the Coronavirus era. It would also mean there would be health protocols clubs would need to adhere to. There would be more baseball, which is great, but there would also be risks of playing in a different climate.

Stadiums like the one in Jacksonville have been using their fields for other uses to keep fans involved during their “off-season” including movie nights and social events that adhere to protocol and regulations for social distancing.

If MLB and teams like the Miami Marlins were to have players participate, it could mean prospects will come to Spring Training having had the instruction they need in what would be considered potential downtime for the sport of baseball.