Tag Archive for: baseball

Five Possibilities for Marlins spring training

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The Marlins are one of the MLB’s most interesting franchises. Founded in 1993, they’re a young team. They’ve never won a division title and seen the league’s fewest playoff appearances with three total. Even so, they’ve got two World Series titles to their name, and one accounts for the MLB’s only championship-winning Wild Card berth.

Needless to say, it’s been an interesting run for baseball fans in Miami. In the past few years, the Marlins have sought to rebuild their roster from the ground up. Rather than sign on trusty senior players, Don Mattingly and franchise execs are looking to revitalize the squad with up-and-coming players. 

Though it’s been slow going, the team’s roster heading towards 2021’s Opening Day has depth, talent, and more than a few possible stars. As the Marlins cruise through Spring Training in Jupiter with the Cards, fans and pundits alike have their eyes on the Fish.

Each year, Spring Training gives fans the opportunity to size up their own team along with divisional competition. League experts who provide analysis on MLB betting odds rely on a team’s performance in Spring Training to gauge how rosters will be constructed heading into the regular season.

Meanwhile, on the diamond, rookies battle against each other to make it onto a team’s final 26-man roster. Though not official games, Spring Training can be some of the most high-pressure games for certain players looking to graduate from a team’s farming system, like the Marlins’ Sixto Sánchez and Trevor Rogers.

 

Elieser Hernandez pitching against the Saint Louis Cardinals in the 2021 Spring Training. Picture by Alejandro Villegas

 

Chisolm or Díaz Take Second

With solid moves in the off-season that have left the Marlins with a nearly-set roster, this year’s battle for second base is the franchise’s most hotly-contested position. Both prospects, Jazz Chisolm and Isan Díaz, the latter of which is coming off a groin injury from 2020. 

With both players plenty comfortable in the field, it’s their batting records that will likely decide who ends up on second. Though there’s also been some movement from Jon Berti, pundits and fans seem to lean on Díaz as a final candidate on the roster. 

Though only 24, Díaz has more experience than Chisolm has a (slightly) better record at-bat, and is a strong, reliable player. Given the Marlins’ need for a stronger offense, the verdict is likely to land with Díaz on second, Chisolm back in Triple-A for another season, and Berti floating around as a utility player. 

 

Isan Diaz at Clover Park in the 2021 Spring Training. Picture by Alejandro Villegas

 

 

Rogers or Neidert Take the Mound

With 39 pitchers on their list, the Marlins don’t have an empty mound by any stretch of the imagination. But with senior talent José Ureña gone, Sandy Alcantara will be the starting pitcher, with relievers Pablo López, Sixto Sánchez, and Eleiser Hernandez jockeying behind him.

That leaves a fifth position open for a newcomer.

At the moment, pundits have their eye on Trevor Rogers and Nick Neidert to inch into the starting rotation. Though Rogers’ ERA isn’t anything to write home about at 6.11, his strikeout stats show a promising future on the mound.

However, Neidert has experience on the mound after a few appearances in 2020. Given he was already in a bullpen role last season, Neidert is the stronger candidate—though Rogers is likely to graduate from Triple-A soon.

 

Aguilar Takes First Base

Between Jesús Aguilar and Garrett Cooper, the obvious candidate for the first base starter is Aguilar. He’s consistent and hasn’t struggled with injuries since entering the major leagues like Cooper.

With Adam Duvall, recently signed to the Marlins, heading for the outfield, it’s likely Cooper will serve as Aguilar’s backup—though some would prefer to see him as an all-around utility player and boost at the plate. The only issue is Cooper’s ongoing health concerns. 

Should he manage to go through the 2021 season without any barring injuries, he could find a more permanent place with the Marlins. However, at age 30, Cooper is running out of time to find his rhythm—especially as the Marlins look to revitalize their roster for a long-haul run in the east division.

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Marlins Trade for John Curtiss

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The Marlins made another impressive move the other day, going out and trading for John Curtiss. Curtiss, who helped lead the Rays to an AL Championship this past season, had a 3-0 record with a 1.80 ERA last season. Although he stumbled in the postseason, the Marlins have added another quality arm to their bullpen. With Detwiler, Cimber, Bass, Floro, and now Curtiss added to the mix, the bullpen looks strong headed into the 2021 season (at least stronger than it was last year). 

Curtiss Makes Marlins ‘Pen Even More Stable

Curtiss provides even more stability to the Marlins bullpen and could be a key piece in a well-balanced bullpen. In his 2/17 press conference Don Mattingly expressed how reliant the Marlins will be on pitching this season, maybe even more so than last year. Now, with an elite starting rotation and a solid bullpen to back it up, this season and its future are looking much brighter in Miami.

Marlins Bullpen Depth Looks Good

Miami’s bullpen is now the strongest it has been in a long time. The depth they have is unprecedented for the Marlins and when combined with Sandy, Sixto, and Pablo on most nights, could be the deciding factor in high caliber games versus the strong NL East. The Marlins have solidified themselves as a top 20 team at this point, but their in-division competition may make it look otherwise. 

Overall Takeaway

It looks like Miami is pushing to compete this season. Regardless of the outcome, they have made extremely solid moves in an attempt to win. For a young Marlins team, the goal is to perform better this year than last; however, that may just mean the bats start working and the pitching is good, not necessarily a playoff berth. That is all Miami can ask for, and now, all that is left is to see how it pans out.

Marlins Ng

Marlins Missing More FA Opportunities

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The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Chasen Shreve to a minor league deal today. Shreve is a crafty left that utilizes a devastating splitter to his advantage, which led to a solid 3.96 ERA over 25 innings with the Mets last season. The Miami Marlins had an interest in Shreve throughout this offseason, but couldn’t seal the deal.

Shreve Loss is not the issue

This is not a devastating loss, but Shreve offered another cheap option for the Marlins to bolster their middle of the road bullpen. As Kim Ng mentioned in her latest press conference, this Marlins team looks to be what we will see on Opening Day. Reports have led me to believe the Marlins are still looking for bullpen pieces this upcoming season. Names such as Brandon Kintzler continue to pop up, but with less and less time to pull the trigger, the Marlins may settle for what they have. 

Is the Marlins bullpen enough as is?

The bullpen, especially the backend, provided stability last season for the Marlins that allowed them to close out close games as most of their games were decided by a few runs. With less and less options on the market, it is hard to believe that the current bullpen will be enough to sustain a playoff run in a 154 game season. On the same end, it is unlikely any single addition would boost this bullpen to the next level. 

Overall

As more time passes and more names fall off the list of potential additions, Marlins fans may have to accept what we are seeing now is exactly what we are going to get. Nothing about this roster stands out to me as a playoff roster, but then again, neither did last year’s.

 

Arenado trade has big NL Implications

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Here in Miami, we know a thing or two about trading away MLB stars. As we’ve seen the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, and Marcell Ozuna take their talents elsewhere, we have become accustomed to trades that leave Marlins fans feeling as if they got the short end of the stick.

 

At least the Marlins aren’t the Rockies right now. The Rockies started the short 2020 season a scorching hot 12-4. They finished 26-34. And now, they have let go of their franchise 3rd baseman, Nolan Arenado. Being heralded as the worst trade in Colorado history, this trade left the Rockies even worse off and the St. Louis Cardinals in prime shape to re-emerge as the NL powerhouse of past years,

 

The Rockies effectively paid the Cardinals $51 million to take the 8-time Gold Glove Winner and 5 time All-Star off their hands for minimal return.

 

This trade continues to shape a blooming National League, and here are the key reasons any team (including the Marlins) should take notice:

 

NL Central becomes more defined

 

With this trade, a 2020 Wild Card berth for the Cardinals looks to transition into a 2021 NL Central Championship, especially with the Cubs under a firehouse sale. With Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Jack Flaherty, and an overall solid roster to back them up, the Cardinals are the new favorites in the Central. Most likely, this leaves the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs to fight for a Wild Card spot.

 

Wild Card Back May go back to Normal

 

Talks on this subject are 50/50, between maintaining an extended playoffs and returning to a normal structure. If there is a return, the structure leaves multiple teams that succeeded last year in a much worse position. 2 Wild Cards means and 3 Division Winners means 3 less teams in October. With all 3 divisions looking relatively decided, there is not going to be much excitement for teams such as the Marlins.

 

    1. NL West: Dodgers or Padres (2nd place will be WC1)

 

       2. NL Central: Cardinals

 

       3. NL East: Braves or Mets (2nd Place will be WC2)

 

No extended playoffs means a determined 5 or so teams. In my opinion, the level of competition from those competitors in a long 154 game season will outlast teams such as the Marlins, Brewers, and Phillies that rely on a smaller sample size to succeed.

 

Overall

With a more determined “top 5” emerging in the NL, teams like the Marlins need to hope that extended playoffs are here to stay. If not, the NL will shape up exactly as we expect it to.

 

 

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Marlins Sign Detwiler and Leon

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Since the announcement of Kim Ng as the new Miami Marlins General Manager, the offseason has been relatively quiet. There were a lot of questions as to what she would do first, and it looks like we finally have our answer. Rather than shooting for big names, she has decided to buy low. The two biggest signings of her tenure happened recently, and although they aren’t stars, they have the capability to make this Marlins team better at a cheap price. 

 

LHP Ross Detwiler and C Sandy Leon were the initial targets of choice for Ng. Both players serve a role for the “Bottom Feeders” in the upcoming 2021 season. They add depth in two areas that the Marlins were previously lacking in.

 

Ross Detwiler

 

The 34-year-old southpaw was signed to a 1 year $850,000 deal. The Marlins bullpen, outside of a few, struggled immensely in 2020. Richard Bleier was the only veteran lefty in the bullpen, and this lack of experience showed up in big moments through the likes of Stephen Tarpley, Trevor Rogers, and Daniel Castano. 

 

Coming off of a strong 2020 campaign, Detwiler provides more stability to a young bullpen. He effectively becomes a 2nd Richard Bleier. Statistically, the two pitchers are very similar and bring a lot of the same stuff to the table: low MPH fastballs which force them to rely on movement and control to get outs. Bleier was extremely effective last year, and if Detwiler fills the same role, they can split outings, allowing the Marlins to have access to a solid lefty arm every night of a long 162 game year.

 

Detwiler is not what Miami was directly hoping for but still could play a vital role in stabilizing a young and variable team.

 

Sandy Leon

 

Sandy Leon was another name that Miami fans did not expect to see. He signed to a minor league deal that may be worth $1.25 million if he makes the majors. In the 2020 season, the bullpen was a problem, but our catching situation was an absolute disaster. Francisco Cervelli was phenomenal in the few games he played before his injury forced his retirement, but after that, the woes of Chad Wallach and Jorge Alfaro plagued Miami. Wallach cannot hit and Alfaro cannot play defense. Wallach batted .227 (.071 in the playoffs) and Jorge Alfaro had -7 Defensive Runs Saved (-39 over a full season). 

 

Sandy Leon could be a guy like Cervelli in the right situation. Statistically, he has never been great offensively, but he was Chris Sale’s primary catcher in Boston. He is a good defender, saving runs that we would lose through Wallach and Alfaro. He may never live up to the season he hit .310 in Boston, but he could be exactly what the Marlins needed in the NLDS and need to save runs defensively.

 

Overall Takeaway for the Marlins

 

Nothing too groundbreaking going on in the Marlins front office right now. These signings prove that they are willing to go out and find solutions, but also may point to their understanding that this team is not ready to compete just yet. It seems that Kim Ng has taken a slower approach to success in Miami, and we will just have to wait to see if it pans out.

 

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A Brief History of Women’s Baseball

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Everyone knows that baseball is a huge sport played by men but what about the women’s equivalent? Is there even such a thing? The truth is women’s baseball was around in the 1860’s but went through much tougher and sadder times than the men’s game.

 

In 1866 Vassar College organized the first two women’s baseball teams. Over the next few years other colleges followed suit. Then in a similar way that women’s basketball later faced problems women’s baseball was mostly gone by the mid 1870’s. It faced a backlash not only from the press and the general public but also from the girls’ mothers.

 

Two teams competed in 1875 and were the first women to actually be paid for playing the sport. Unfortunately early teams were considered a novelty and anytime they tried to be taken seriously they were shut out. In the 1890’s things improved and teams started to become more prevalent. Because of the style of uniform these players were known as bloomer girls.

 

The beginning of women’s professional baseball

Ironically there were more opportunities for women to play baseball in the 1940’s and 50’s than there are now. In 1943 The All American Girls Professional Baseball League was formed. The league lasted 12 years and was very popular for a few reasons including a momentous event that happened two years earlier.

 

In 1941 Pearl Harbor was attacked and America was drawn into the Second World War. Star players across all the teams enlisted or were conscripted to go and serve their country. The men’s league continued to compete but with a much lesser array of talent. Interest dwindled and so did the crowds.

 

The Lipstick League

Philip K Wrigley was the owner of the Chicago Cubs and their home was Wrigley Field. A big ballpark that needed to be filled. The Cubs General Manager at the time worked with Wrigley to devise options to raise revenues. They looked at softball and even light opera according to some sources. However it was the women’s league that became a reality.

 

Over 500 women would play in the league over the next dozen years. For the initial tryouts in Chicago nearly 300 women travelled from Canada and all over the states. Clearly there was a demand there to play. Four mid-west teams formed the initial All American Girls Baseball League (the word Professional was added later). The South Bend Blue Sox, The Racine Belles, Kenosha Comets and the Rockford Peaches.

 

Femininity was a big part of this league. They didn’t want women to act like their male counterparts and the league became known as the Lipstick League. The players were sent to charm school by Wrigley where they had to learn the right way to apply makeup and get out of a car in a feminine manner. They were encouraged to wear skirts at the hotel and slacks were frowned up.

 

This isn’t to say the league was a novelty. Far from it. The girls wore skirts but they were talented professional ball players. The popularity of the league grew and at its peak in 1948 it had a million paying fans. Like men’s baseball the women’s sport was segregated and only white players could compete in the AAGPBL.

 

The rise and fall and rise of women’s baseball

Sadly the sport didn’t survive long. In the 1950’s crowds dwindled and revenues dropped. More people were starting to get televisions in their homes and travelling to a stadium was not the only way to watch a game. The league collapsed and there were very few opportunities for women to play baseball. The Bloomer Girls had gone and the Lipstick League disappeared. Players packed up and returned home.

 

It would take decades for women’s baseball to rise again. Many sports witness league collapses and teams disappearing. Basketball is no stranger to this but women’s baseball seems particularly hard done by.

 

In 1984 Bob Hope attempted to bring women’s baseball back with a minor league team but was shot down by the Florida State League. He tried again in 1994 this time backed by Coors Beer. They established the Colorado Silver Bullets who would travel the states and play minor league and men’s college teams for the next few years.

 

2004 saw the first US Women’s National Team formed by US Baseball and there are signs for optimism with women’s baseball continuing to grow albeit slowly. Many young players end up switching to softball instead.

 

Betting on women’s sports

If you are a fan of women’s sports you may also like to have a flutter sometimes. Not surprisingly you cannot really gamble on women’s baseball. Online kaszino allow for a multitude of different ways to gamble though and include sports betting. You should check the regulations in your state or region to make sure online sports betting is allowed as there are different laws in place for each state. Women’s basketball is a popular way to bet women’s soccer is getting bigger too.

 

Before choosing a casino to play in, read the reviews to see recommendations and choose which games you want to play. Many land-based casinos will let you place sports bets on site and basketball season is very popular in Las Vegas. Search out your favorite games in Wazdan kaszinójátékok such as poker, blackjack and roulette and find the best odds for your sports bets. Online casinos are a great way for sports fans to stay entertained.

 

Future of women’s baseball

It is to be hoped that women’s baseball will continue to grow. The Peaches were immortalized in the Tom Hanks and Madonna movie; A League of Their Own. A story of the Lipstick League and the struggles those players faced and also their achievements. It is sad to see that 80 years on since the league was formed there isn’t now a professional established league like the NBL. If a girl or woman wants to play baseball it seems that they are encouraged to switch to softball instead.

Braves Beat Marlins 29-9…

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On 9/7 and 9/8, the Marlins beat the Braves in Games 1 and 2 of their 3 game series. On 9/9, the Braves proceeded to break the NL-record for runs scored, beating the Marlins 29-9. Yes, 29-9. Pablo Lopez started for the Marlins before quickly falling apart against a strong Braves lineup. The Marlins hitting actually continued to stay relevant, putting up 9 runs, but sadly that was nowhere near close enough.

Pitching? The Marlins barely knew her last night

 

Looking at what happened last night, it is easy to get down on the Marlins pitching. Let’s remember this team has been carried by their pitching throughout the year. In reality, it is better for the pitching to allow 29-runs this game then it is for them to allow 8 over the next 4. Pablo Lopez allowed 7 earned runs, Jordan Yamamoto allowed 12 earned runs, and Alex Vesia and Josh A. Smith both allowed 4 earned to top it off. There really is no silver lining to look at revolving around last night’s pitching. As long as they can get back on track versus the Phillies, this can be considered a blip in a great season.

Hitting? The Marlins kind of know her now

 

I briefly mentioned the statistic that the Marlins longest streak of scoring 4+ runs was 3 games. They have now scored 4+ runs in 6 games. The Fish are starting to heat up, and although they aren’t “keeping up with a 29-run avalanche” hot, there is still progress to be seen. Jazz Chisholm hit his first career home run and is showing more and more promise as a future star. Lewis Brinson continues to swing the bat better, and the rest of the lineup looks the best it has all year.

What’s next? 

 

A good ole’ 7-game series between us and our division rivals? With the Marlins only sitting 3.5 GB of the Braves and 1.5 GB of the Phillies, the Fish can make a splash in the current standings with a solid series. Currently, the Marlins sit in the second Wild Card spot. Sandy Alcantara (2-1, 3.78) takes the mound in game 1 versus Jake Arrieta (3-4, 5.67 ERA) (the game is free to watch today at 6:40 pm on MLB.TV).

 

Tough Loss for the Marlins

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Yesterday, the Marlins played the Rays in their series finale. Trevor Rogers took the hill for the Marlins against Tyler Glasnow of the Rays. After a series of missed opportunities for the Marlins, the Rays ended up walking it off with a 5-4 win in the 10th. The Marlins competed but lacked the extra fire to steal a win when they could have. 

What more can the pitching do?

 

Trevor Rogers is a 22-year-old kid who pitched 6 innings of 3 run baseball against arguably the best team in the American League. Brad Boxberger and Yimi Garcia combined for 3 scoreless innings. Allowing 3 runs over 9 innings shouldn’t be a guaranteed loss for any team, but for this Marlins squad every night it looks more and more like it’s the case. The pitching shows up and puts the Marlins in a position where they can win, but the hitting falls short. 

What is going on with the hitting?

 

Starling Marte hit a 2-run bomb in the first, but past that, the bats were quiet. The dichotomy between this team earlier in this season and now is evident. Lately, the Marlins have struggled to play small ball, resulting in lost opportunities and lost games. Before the 10th inning last night, the Marlins had a runner on 2nd base with nobody out in the 8th and 9th innings. In both cases, the Marlins failed to even move the runner over to third. I’m guessing Don Mattingly will not be happy with that sequence of events. 

Tough losses can have silver linings

 

Jazz Chisolm finally got on the board with his first MLB hit! Congratulations to him as he navigates his first few weeks in the bigs. He looks like an extremely talented young player who has fun on the field and loves what he is doing. Jazz Chisholm and Brian Anderson made two of the team’s best defensive plays back-to-back yesterday, which was good to see.

What’s next?

 

The Marlins need to pick up the pace if they are going to make a run for the playoffs. They can start doing so today against the Braves, where Jose Urena makes his season debut against the Braves’ Ian Anderson.

Marlins Lose 2-1, Split Series With Blue Jays

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One mistake was enough to give Sixto Sanchez (1-1, 2.37) his first loss in the MLB. On a dominant night from Sixto, one hanging slider to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was enough to make the difference. The Blue Jays managed to hold on to their relatively early 2-0 lead off the Gurriel Jr. blast and win the game 2-1. The Marlins fell to 16-16 and the Blue Jays improved to 19-16 on the season. 

Positive Takes

The pitching remains stellar. Sixto had a lot of swagger on the mound and showed high levels of confidence for the young 22-year old that he is. He managed the game with a low pitch count and went 7 strong innings allowing only the 2 runs on the home run. Boxberger and Garcia pitched scoreless innings in the 8th and 9th, respectively. Marlins’ pitching continues to look extremely special with the combination of effective young arms in the starting rotation and the wily veterans in the bullpen. After almost every game (barring some of the games which the bullpen was working on low rest), Marlins’ pitching has been a positive post-game topic. At least they are consistent.

Negative Takes

Speaking of inconsistency, the Marlins’ lineup has continued to struggle. Adding Marte to the mix proved to be the difference on Tuesday, but as seen on Wednesday one guy cannot shift the momentum of 8 guys lacking. These hitting woes have been a consistent fixture on this team. Their ability to get back on track will be the driving factor in whether this Marlins team can continue their run. The hitting has been inconsistent all season, but there have been solid spurts mixed in. The Fish will look to have a 28 game “spurt” to finish off the season.

Looking Ahead

The Marlins have Thursday off. On Friday they head to the Trop to take on the Tampa Bay Rays, who they were just swept by a series ago. Pablo Lopez (3-2, 2.10) will take the mound on Friday versus Josh Fleming (2-0, 1.74).

Marlins outbreak

Updates on Marlins COVID Outbreak

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The Miami Marlins are in uncharted territory. The team landed in Philadelphia last Thursday and haven’t left since. They could be there through Sunday considering MLB has paused Miami’s season as the Marlins deal with this COVID outbreak.

The details of this story continue to change, but here’s what we know so far.

15 of the 33 players on the Marlins roster, and two members of the staff, have reportedly tested positive for the virus. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported Miguel Rojas as one of the new positives. Rojas leads the NL with a .700 batting average, .750 OBP, 1.300 slugging percentage, 2.050 OPS and .476 OPS-plus.

The team remains quarantined in their Philadelphia hotel awaiting results of the latest round of testing. The Marlins took the opening series of the year against the Phillies 2-1. They won’t play again until at least next Tuesday.

MLB’s Statement

In a statement this afternoon, the league said: “Given the current circumstances, MLB believes that it is most prudent to allow the Marlins time to focus on providing care for their players and planning their Baseball Operations for a resumption early next week.”

MLB postponed this week’s series between the Phillies and the Yankees. New York will instead play the Orioles on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Marlins are scheduled to host the Phillies in Miami Tuesday, but it remains unclear whether they’ll be allowed to play.

Andy Slater reported earlier today that Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the Marlins should follow the quarantine protocols (14 days) upon returning to South Florida. However, Florida governor Ron DeSantis put an exception in place for sports teams to travel in and out of the state without quarantining.

 

MLB said in their statement that more than 6,400 tests have been conducted since July 24th and, other than Miami, no franchise has seen a positive test. However, to think this will be unique to one club seems naïve.

Marlins Roster Moves

If the Marlins get to their game next Tuesday and have to play, they’ll need to fill out their roster. Over the last few days, the team has claimed three relief pitchers off waivers and signed a minor league free agent. All four of these new players have been added to the team’s 40-man roster.

The Marlins will need to move additional players to the IL in order to create more space on the 40-man. So far, only Jorge Alfaro, Garrett Cooper, Harold Ramirez and Jose Urena have been placed on the 10-day IL.

The players added so far are: OF Travis Snider, RHP Justin Shafer, LHP Josh D. Smith and RHP Mike Morin.

Snider last played in MLB in 2015. He signed as a minor league free agent and could play either corner outfield spot. Over an eight-year career, Snider played 630 games and hit 54 home runs. His slash line in 2015, his last year in the Majors, is .232/.315/.350.

Miami claimed a pair of pitches off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. Shafer is a South Florida native and played collegiately at the University of Florida. Shafer made 40 relief appearances for the Blue Jays over the last two seasons. He sports a 3.75 ERA with 41 K and 32 BB over 41 IP.

The other Red added to the roster is a former Marlin. Josh D. Smith pitched six games for Miami in 2019 and posted an 8.31 ERA. He surrendered four earned runs over 4.1 IP. The Marlins have another Josh Smith, Josh A. Smith, in the 60-man player pool as well.

Morin comes to the Marlins via Milwaukee. Over a six-year MLB career, the righty Morin has appeared for five different clubs, posting a 4.65 ERA.

Possible Call-Ups

A number of position players at the team’s alternate training site in Jupiter awaited a call-up. Lewis Brinson has worked out after missing all of the summer camp due to COVID-related issues. He’s almost certainly to be among the call-ups.

The same can likely be said of Jordan Yamamoto. A surprise option to Jupiter, Yamamoto started 15 games for the Marlins in 2019. He had a blistering start to his career, with back-to-back starts of seven scoreless innings, but he struggled to end the year. He finished 4-5 with a 4.46 ERA and couldn’t win the fifth starter spot out of summer camp.

Monte Harrison could make his MLB debut. One of the last cuts of summer camp, Harrison sports power and speed as an outfield prospect. A wrist injury late in 2019 kept Harrison from joining the team last September.

Among the other position prospects on the 40-man roster are 1B Lewin Diaz, RF Jesus Sanchez and SS Jazz Chisholm.

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter’s Statement

On Tuesday, Marlins CEO Derek Jeter released a statement as well.

“We continue to take this entire situation very seriously. All of our players, coaches and staff are, understandably, having a difficult time enduring this experience. After receiving additional test results on our Major League team this morning, we reached out to the Commissioner’s Office with concern for the health and safety of our team as well as our opponents.

“We have moved to a daily testing schedule while we isolate and quarantine appropriately, along with enacting additional preventive procedures with our traveling party. We look forward to safely returning to Miami where we conducted a successful and healthy Spring 2.0 before departing on the road and experiencing challenges. For the time being, we will remain in Philadelphia and gather information in order to make informed decisions and prepare for our return to action next week.”

Beyond all of this, another frustrating element of the coverage has been the lack of respect for the Marlins. Both ESPN and Twitter have published content with Miami’s old logo. The team switched its logo and primary colors in November of 2018.

Check out our discussion on YouTube from this afternoon: