Edward Cabrera is ready to take the next step for the Miami Marlins

Good pitching makes the difference between a championship winning team and a team forced into a rebuild phase. There's some spots up for grabs in the Miami Marlins rotation and one of those spots has a favorite. That favorite? Edward Cabrera. It sounds as if there's quite a bit of optimism for his potential performance this season.

Can Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edward Cabrera take it to the next level this season?

Edward Cabrera was once a top prospect for the Miami Marlins. He debuted in 2021, producing a 5.81 ERA/6.63 FIP, with 9.6 K/9 and 6.5 BB/9 in 7 games and 26.1 innings pitched. It was an interesting debut. He had an elite strikeout rate, but terrible control. The results weren't exactly great either.

Cabrera received more playing time in 2022. He produced an elite 3.01 ERA with an unimpressive 4.59 FIP. He still had a great 9.4 K/9 and an improved 4.1 BB/9. The strikeout rate was slightly worse, but at least the control improved. He was the hottest pitcher in the Majors for a few months in fact. This was definitely promising, though the FIP was a bit alarming.

Things went...not as well for Cabrera in 2023. He produced a 4.24 ERA/4.43 FIP, with 10.7 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9, in 22 games and 99.2 innings pitched. The ERA was pedestrian again, but the FIP improved again. The strikeout rate was truly elite this time, but the walk rate sadly got worse.

It's the shaky 2023 season, that saw Cabrera demoted to the Minors and to pitch two games out of the bullpen, that may have lowered his trade value. It looks like he's ready to turn the page this season. He may have quietly already done so last season, as he had a 2.75 ERA in his last three starts of last season, in 14 innings. He still however had 12 strikeouts and 6 walks.

Edward Cabrera says that the team told him to focus on his control and manager Skip Schumaker said:

"He can literally out-talent a lot of hitters just on stuff. Nobody has a 93 mph changeup. That's not out there. His bullpens have looked good, he came in really good shape, ready to go."

Pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre really believes in Cabrera:

"When he puts together the things that he does, it's top-of-the-rotation stuff. And we keep telling him that."

Edward Cabrera can be a frontline arm for the Miami Marlins if he gets his control fixed. Don't be surprised if he becomes one of the top pitchers in the game in the upcoming seasons.