Survival the goal for Marlins prospect Braxton Garrett

After four starts this season, Miami Marlins pitching prospect Braxton Garrett is back to where he left off.

Despite a 4.67 ERA, Garrett leads the Jupiter Hammerheads in strikeouts with 26 over 17.1 innings, which is a very promising statistic.

Two years ago, he went four starts in Single-A Greensboro before an injury to his elbow resulted in taking Tommy John surgery. The rehab was long the to him, the worst part about it was being away from the mound for so long.

“That’s the longest I’ve gone without playing a game,” Garrett said. “After my first start there was a tweet that said six hundred and something days since I pitched in a real game, and it really opened my eyes.

“I didn’t really get to experience much pro ball coming out of the draft but I always tell people, like going through Tommy John, ‘Man, I just can’t wait to get back because that month I had in Greensboro was the best month I’d ever have in my life.’ It was just awesome.”

.@GoHammerheads LHP Braxton Garrett strikes out 7 in a 2-0 loss to the Daytona Tortugas.#HammerDown 🦈 pic.twitter.com/Y5pb4JptBY

— FOX Sports Florida (@FOXSportsFL) April 18, 2019

Garrett’s best pitch is his curveball, which is given a scouts grade of 60 out of 80. The innings per start may seem low but this season has been about making it through without any injuries. Maybe the bullpen is in his future but he makes it to Labor Day healthy, then it would be considered a success.

“It’s been fun,” Garrett said. “I’m competing again. It’s just a blast to be able to pitch. I told our staff coming into the season that I want to be able to be successful when I pitch but the main goal is just to make every single start just because I’ve been going through rehab this whole time and if I can just get through a season and learn and learn that will just be great.”

The @Marlins ping pong tourney looked EXTREMELY lit.

(via @KoltonMahoney & @Marlins)pic.twitter.com/6c3ql6HaJo

— Cut4 (@Cut4) March 24, 2019

In the meantime, Garrett is currently sharing the same field with Marlins right fielder Garrett Cooper, who is in Jupiter for a minor league rehab assignment. He went 3-for-4 with a double during Garrett’s latest start on Sunday.

The Marlins had a giant ping pong tournament to close out spring training. Garrett emerged from the minor league bracket, as did Cooper from the big league side. The final showdown was broadcasted on every player’s Instagram feed and Garrett came out victorious in epic fashion.

Tune into the latest episode of Swings & Mishes to hear the full interview.