RADIO
Another year, another Marlins team that just cannot do anything right. They signed a bunch of free agents to big deals one year, trade them all away the next. In spite of having bats like Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich in the middle of their lineup and pitchers like Jose Fernandez leading the rotation, the Marlins continue to struggle year in and year out.
Unfortunately for Marlins’ fans, there is no looking down in the farm system for help. For the most part, the Marlins have been very unlucky with their draft picks and have made a series of trades that have not paid off. In the trade that sent Mark Buehrle and Jose Reyes (among others) off to Toronto, they acquired Henderson Alvarez (who left after being non-tendered this winter), Anthony DeSclafani (now the workhorse in the Reds’ rotation after the Marlins acquired Mat Latos), Adeiny Hechavarria (worth 0.9 WAR in his career), and several other players who have had even less of an impact. Basically what I’m saying is that it is a tough time to be a Marlins’ fan.
Miami Marlins Top 10 Dynasty Prospects
These are the top ten prospects for the Miami Marlins in terms of fantasy production for fantasy owners in the next few seasons.
1. Josh Naylor (1B, R)
Stats: 105 PA, .327/.352/.418, 1 HR, 1 SB, 3.8% BB rate, 10.5% K rate
ETA: 2019
The Marlins’ first pick in 2015 (12th overall), Josh Naylor looks like a prototypical slugger first baseman who will make it to the majors for no other reason than his bat. Scouts are a big fan of his approach to the plate which they say will lead to few strikeouts in the majors. He has a lot of power and should be able to hit 25+ home runs per season in the big leagues while batting above .260. The biggest area of weakness for Naylor is his speed which should not be too much of an issue as dynasty owners should not expect stolen bases from the first base position. Naylor still has a bit of work to go before he makes it to the majors, but his bat makes him worthy of owning in all dynasty leagues.
2. Stone Garrett (OF, A-)
Stats: 247 PA, .297/.352/.581, 11 HR, 8 SB, 7.7% BB rate, 24.3% K rate
ETA: 2018
People have dangerously slept on the bat of Stone Garrett, and I am here to make sure dynasty owners don’t make that mistake. Garrett was taken with the 227th overall pick in 2014 and was ranked 30th on MLB.com’s Top 30 Marlins’ Prospects in 2015, but he has done everything in his power to prove them all wrong. Scouts originally saw Garrett as a corner outfielder with a little bit of pop, but in his first full season of professional baseball Garrett flashed the ability to make consistent contact, steal a few bases, and man center field. Garrett could be one of the biggest outfield sleepers in dynasty leagues, and owners need to grab him quick before others start to realize his potential.
3. Tyler Kolek (SP, A)
Stats: 108.2 IP, 4.56 ERA, 4.87 FIP, 6.71 K/9, 5.05 BB/9, 0.58 HR/9
ETA: 2019
When he was taken with the second overall pick back in 2014, the sky was the limit with regards to the potential of Tyler Kolek. As a high schooler, he could reach triple-digits on his fastball with movement and he had a 12-6 curveball that has looked like a dominant secondary pitch at time. The only question was whether he would ever be able to control his pitches and to this point he has not. In 130.2 innings in the minors, Kolek has walked 74 batters which is good for a 5.12 BB/9 rate. Equally concerning, he has not been able to strike many batters out in spite of his dominant stuff as he only strikes out 6.84 batters per nine innings. Kolek is still only 20 years old so there is still time for him to refine his comman. He has as high of a ceiling as anybody, but dynasty owners need to understand that Kolek is a risky own at this point.
4. Brett Lilek (SP, A-)
Stats: 35.0 IP, 3.34 ERA, 2.20 FIP, 11.06 K/9, 1.80 BB/9, 0.26 HR/9
ETA: 2017
Though his ceiling isn’t too high, Brett Lilek looks about as poised as anyone in the Marlins’ organization to have a role with the big league club. Taken in the second round of the 2015 draft, Lilek was not expected to perform even half as well as he did. Lilek tore up Low-A and could potentially fly through the minors since he was taken out of college. His stuff is not overwhelming, but his fastball/slider/changeup combo works well and grades out as at least Major League average and could possibly be slightly above average. He may not be considered a must-own in dynasty leagues, but he should be considered a sleeper who could be worth owning.
5. Jarlin Garcia (SP, AA)
Stats: 36.2 IP, 4.91 ERA, 4.20 FIP, 8.59 K/9, 4.17 BB/9, 0.98 HR/9
ETA: 2017
Though the 4.17 walks per nine innings is unsightly, it should not scare dynasty owners away too much. Prior to 2015, Garcia had shown solid control as his highest walk rate in a season was only 3.15 walks per nine innings. The 23-year-old lefty possesses a modest repertoire with a low-90s fastball, a decent slider (which replaced his malfunctioning curveball), and a slightly below-average changeup. Garcia does not have nearly the upside of Kolek (few pitchers do), but he could be a dependable starter at the back end of a major league rotation as early as next season. He is a player who could be owned in dynasty leagues, but doesn’t have enough upside to be considered a ‘must-own.’
6. Kendry Flores (SP, MLB)
Stats: (from AAA) 58.2 IP, 2.61 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 6.44 K/9, 2.15 BB/9, 0.46 HR/9
ETA: 2016
Theoretically, Kendry Flores could win a starting spot in the Marlins’ rotation out of Spring Training, but most likely he will begin the year at Triple-A to continue to develop. Flores’ ceiling is very limited as he does not have any plus pitches. He profiles as a back of the rotation, ground ball inducing pitcher. Dynasty owners could add him to their team, but much like Garcia, he is not a player that must be owned in dynasty leagues.
7. Austin Dean (OF, A+)
Stats: 578 PA, .268/.318/.366, 5 HR, 18 SB, 6.7% BB rate, 13.1% K rate
ETA: 2017
Austin Dean has some potential to be a decent contributor for batting average, but don’t expect much in the way of home runs or stolen bases. Dean looks likely to hit his ceiling which is that of a bottom of the order left-fielder who could hit .260-.270 in the majors. If you are in desperate need of some outfield depth, you could do worse than own Dean in dynasty leagues, but his future expected value is very limited.
8. Justin Twine (SS, A)
Stats: 473 PA, .206/.235/.310, 7 HR, 8 SB, 1.3% BB rate, 22.8% K rate
ETA: 2020
Some scouts see Justin Twine has having potential to be an everyday shortstop because of his high level of athleticism, but he needs to make major strides before he reaches that potential. He does not have much power and though he possesses above-average speed, he has yet to translate that speed to stolen base production. He has horrible plate discipline that will require the most improvement out of all the different facets of his game. Dynasty owners who want to bank on a major sleeper should consider Twine as stash eligible, but it is very likely that Twine will not reach his potential.
9. Tomas Telis (C, MLB)
Stats: (Rangers’ AAA) 300 PA, .291/.327/.404, 5 HR, 1 SB, 4.7% BB rate, 10.3% K rate
ETA: 2016
Acquired in the Sam Dyson deal from the Rangers, Tomas Telis could be a solid backup catcher in the big leagues, but that is likely his ceiling. With no power or speed, Telis only could contribute a modest .250 batting average which is nowhere near enough to make him ownable in dynasty leagues.
10. Brian Anderson (3B, A+)
Stats: 530 PA, .235/.304/.340, 8 HR, 2 SB, 7.5% BB rate, 20.6% K rate
ETA: 2018
Considered at a time to be a decent third base prospect, Brian Anderson has reached 22-years-old (will be 23 in May) and has yet to advance beyond High-A. He also way underperformed in 2015 for someone with his skillset and athleticism. Anderson is fast, but his speed has more of an impact in the field than on the basepaths. The potential is there for him to hit 10 home runs and steal 10 bases, but he seems unlikely to reach his potential and can be passed up in dynasty leagues.
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