Jordan Yamamoto is a rookie pitcher with the Miami Marlins who was part of the package the team received in return for Christian Yelich in 2018. He made his Major League debut this season on June 12 and is seen as a major part of the Marlins rebuild. We discussed his experiences leading up to his rookie season.

5R: What was your MLB Draft experience like?

JY: I was actually sleeping when I got drafted. The draft happens and you’re six hours behind in Hawaii so it was like eight o-clock in the morning in the offseason right after high school so I didn’t want to wake up. My agent called me and said, “Hey, you’ve been drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers, congratulations!”

5R: Take us back to when you found out that you were being traded to Miami. Where were you when you heard the news?

JY: I was actually eating lunch in my neighborhood watching “Law & Order”. I got the call from the farm director of the Brewers and he said, “You’ve been traded.” It never hit me until I got on a plane and headed to Florida.

5R: As a rookie establishing yourself within the Marlins, it seems like your minor league days are over. There’s an account on Instagram called “Minor League Grinders” that showcases videos submitted by the players of what the journey is like, whether it’s the peanut butter & jelly sandwich diet, working out in a locker room shower, bus rides, etc. What has been your “Minor League Grinders” moment?

JY: Has to be in Clinton, IA, when I was there in 2016 with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The locker room was the old locker room before and they wouldn’t sweep the ground so all we had to do was grab all of our towels and lay it on the ground so we could walk around because if not you’re like walking on the warning track. It was just kind of rough. Our visitor’s locker room in our old stadium in Helena (which no longer has a MiLB team) never had bathroom doors in the stalls, which is crazy.

5R: What’s your mindset when dealing with adversity?

JY: For me, it’s the sun rises and it’s a new day. That’s how I grew up. My dad would say “flush it” and that was a key word because you can’t change the past in anything you do in life. The only thing you can do is use that to better your future. That’s what it comes down to. You have to try to stay consistent because the lower lows you get, the higher highs you get, it’s going to be a lot harder to stay consistent the whole time.

5R: You’re also a skilled barber and have given your minor league teammates fresh cuts during the season. Where did that passion come from?

JY: I grew up in art. I grew up painting, drawing, sketching, all this stuff. One year I was like, “I’m gonna try it,” and it just became natural. I started watching YouTube videos and it all just went from there. It’s hard to find a barbershop every city you go to in the minor leagues because you travel so much. It’s hard to trust some guys, especially if you don’t know them because a haircut can make or break two weeks. Especially for guys in the minor leagues because they like to go out and have fun but if you go out with a pretty bad haircut then you can’t add it to the club. It’s just more for them and on top of that, they don’t make too much money, it’s more of a, “here, you don’t have to spend $40-50 on a haircut, I’ll just do it for you.”

As is always the case, there were a lot of ups and downs for the Miami Dolphins in their second preseason game. They pushed their way to a late fourth quarter lead, but the Buccaneers took advantage of the Miami backups on defense and managed to kick a winning field goal, defeating the Dolphins 16-14. But the preseason is not about record, it’s about evaluation. So here are the top three players for Friday night.

Sam Eguavoen, LB

This is not even a contest. The best player on the field for Miami all night was the former CFL standout. Consider where Eguavoen came from, and it’s astonishing he’s made it this far. Eguavoen comes from the CFL, as previously mentioned. There, the rules are different, the field is larger, it’s a whole different animal. Nonetheless, Eguavoen has unseated Raekwon McMillan as a starter on the defense even before his injury, and he’s proving he deserves that.

Fins force fumble 🐬#MIAvsTB | @MiamiDolphins pic.twitter.com/wozKY8VKOb

— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2019

Eguavoen made six tackles, two for a loss, and forced a fumble against the Buccaneers on Friday. It’s been a long time since the Dolphins had a linebacker with that kind of playmaking ability. He’s undoubtedly going to make the team, and it’s well-deserved. This preseason game against Tampa Bay only confirms Eguavoen’s ability.

Charles Harris, DE

Just when it seemed all hope was lost for the former first round pick, he has a game like this. Charles Harris consistently applied pressure, and even managed to set the edge on his way to four tackles and 1.5 sacks against the Buccaneers. Never has he been more physical. Surprisingly, he looked more like a well-rounded defensive end more than just a pure speed pass rusher. For Harris, that’s a major accomplishment.

Charles Harris with the SPEED off the edge 💪💪#MIAvsTB

(via @MiamiDolphins)

pic.twitter.com/BE2hEwe0is

— PFF (@PFF) August 17, 2019

The Dolphins coaching staff is clearly working on his pass rush technique and the strength of his hands, and it appears to finally be paying off. Miami needs pass rushers, and Harris improving takes some of the pressure off the coaches and front office, and puts it on opposing QBs.

Patrick Laird, RB

Surprisingly, the best running back of the evening was the one who has the least impressive reputation. Patrick Laird, an undrafted free agent out of Cal, showed shiftiness and power that no one could have predicted. It makes one question why he hasn’t been getting more looks higher up on the depth chart. Laird ran the ball seven times for a total of 51 yards, and he also caught two passes for a total of 16 yards and Miami’s only touchdown of the night.

Laird’s numbers would have been even higher but there were some unfortunate holding calls on the backup offensive linemen. Nonetheless, even with the numbers as they are, Laird was by far the superior running back. He still has Mark Walton and Myles Gaskin ahead of him, but Friday’s preseason performance should put an idea in head coach Brian Flores’s head that Laird needs more looks.

Luis Sung has covered the Miami Dolphins for numerous outlets such as Dolphins Wire for six years. Follow him on Twitter: @LuisDSung

Wednesday’s practice started a bit of drama surrounding defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. When the Sun Sentinel’s Omar Kelly pointed out that Fitzpatrick was struggling in practice, Fitzpatrick’s mother fired back with no restraint.

No you would never want to do that maybe it’s because he is not a ss and is being used to suit other people skill set not his own . But you know let’s just keep ripping him because we know it breaks your heart to do that

— minknmelissa (@minknmelissa) August 14, 2019

Dolphins fans everywhere know that Kelly is not shy about stating his opinions, controversial or otherwise. But it isn’t every day that his comments earn the ire of players, or those close to them. It brings up an interesting point though. Miami is using Minkah Fitzpatrick all over the field. Inside the box, in the back of the secondary, covering tight ends, and so on. That is exactly what Fitzpatrick did not want to have to do. He hoped to be used in a single position and focus on that. That still isn’t Fitzpatrick’s reality, much to his dismay.

“I wish she would have addressed me first,” Fitzpatrick admitted on Wednesday. “My mother feels very strongly. She’s not wrong. But coach is asking me to do something right now, I gotta do what they ask me to do … you just gotta do it. If you resist it, you’re not gonna play well. If you think about playing somewhere else, you’re not gonna be able to focus on your position. I’m not a 215 pound to 220 guy, so being in the box isn’t best suited for me, but that’s what coach asked me to do. So that’s what I’m gonna go out there, I’m gonna practice my hardest, try my hardest. I might lose some of those matchups in the box, but I’m gonna fight my hardest.”

So Fitzpatrick agrees with his mother’s statement. His abilities are being misused. However, the whole appeal of drafting Fitzpatrick out of Alabama in 2018 was his ability to be a jack-of-all-trades. He does it all. He does some things better than others, but his versatility is still impressive.

“He’s done a really good job.” said head coach Brian Flores. “He’s a hard-working kid, does a good job with his communication, practices well every day. Obviously, it’s never perfect for anybody, but he’s a guy who we’ve used in multiple roles. He’s taken to that and really learned them all at a pretty good level. Obviously, there’s always room for improvement from a technique, from a fundamental standpoint – just an understanding of the game. He’s still a young player. It’s a new system, but he’s really a joy to work with from an abilities standpoint, as a kid – he’s a really good kid, too. I’m looking forward to working with him some more.”

The term “misused” isn’t something to be used lightly. True, Fitzpatrick feels comfortable elsewhere in the secondary, but necessity takes precedence. As of now, both of Miami’s starting safeties, Reshad Jones and T.J. McDonald, are nursing injuries. With them out, Fitzpatrick is being asked to step in. True, he’s willing, but he’s made it clear he doesn’t think he belongs there.

Are the Dolphins misusing Minkah Fitzpatrick?

— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) August 14, 2019

Now, fans are coming out to agree with Minkah Fitzpatrick. They believe his skills are suited for the free safety position. When he was drafted, that’s what everyone envisioned him as. But now that’s Bobby McCain’s role, and Fitzpatrick is taking over his slot position. Keep in mind, back in Alabama, the slot is where he spent most of his time.

With the 11th pick in the first round of the 2018 #NFLDraft, the Miami Dolphins select Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama pic.twitter.com/jOHDs36bzA

— PFF (@PFF) April 27, 2018

Whatever one may think of his integrity, coach Nick Saban knows how to handle and develop players. If Fitzpatrick’s best place is in the slot, he should be there. If he gets moved around, it’s not because the coaches don’t care.

“It depends on if it’s a matchup-based game and his guy’s to the field, then we’ve got to put him to the field.” Flores said. “If we’re playing a zone game and we’re playing him middle of the field, then we’ll play him in the middle of the field. If his guy’s into the boundary, we’ll do that. He can do a lot of things. Part of what we do is try to put him in positions – because he can do so many things – not to overload the kid. I think that’s a big part of our responsibility as a coaching staff is not to overload him.

“I don’t feel like he’s overloaded. He’s played multiple positions. He’s really done a good job at all of them. Every time he gets out there, it’s a new experience. Whether he’s getting stack receivers or Y-Y wing or empty – I mean there’s a myriad of things that could happen and every one is a good experience for him, and he’s done a good job.”

More than likely, Minkah Fitzpatrick will go back to his slot position upon the return of Jones and McDonald. Until then, he will have to endure being an all-purpose player. Is he being misused? The answer is no, not really. He is as advertised, someone who can do it all, but at different levels of effectiveness. This is the next man up mentality in a nutshell. The coaches know what he is and isn’t good at, but when injuries come into play, sacrifices must be made.