In the NL East, the Miami Marlins finished dead last and have been working towards a rebuild for many years. The Marlins farm system is starting to produce some interesting names that could be making their debuts in 2020.
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Sixto Sanchez (SP)
He was included in the trade for JT Realmuto before last season and did not disappoint in the minors in 2019. Many experts have Sixto ranked in the top 30 for all MLB prospects at 21 years old and could be making his Major League debut in 2020. Sixto started only two games in A before being pushed up to AA and performed very well. In AA he started 18 games and pitched 103 innings with 97 Ks 19 BBs and a 2.53 ERA.
Sanchez can touch triple digits with his fastball with a plus breaking ball that should be a strikeout be a plus strikeout pitch when he makes it to the MLB. His third pitch is the changeup and is a plus offering as well and shows good command on all three. He may not be the workhouse ace because of his slight build but could be dominate for 3 to 5 innings as the MLB teams are moving away from pushing starters too deep into games.
Edward Cabrera (SP)
His age 21 was not on too many people’s radars before the 2019 season but after dominating the minors in 2019 he has moved up to the top 100 in everyone’s prospect list. In 2019 Cabrera started 11 games in A+ and 8 games in AA. At A+ he pitched 58 innings with 73 Ks 18 BBs and a 2.02 ERA. At AA he pitched 38.2 innings with 43 Ks 13 BBs and a 2.56 ERA. Another guy that is upper 90s with his fastball and a plus slider as a strikeout pitch and the third pitch is a changeup that still needs time to develop. Most likely Cabrera will not find his way to the MLB until late 2020 but a name to keep an eye if he continues to dominate the minors could force the Marlins to bring him up sooner.
Jazz Chisholm (SS)
He’s the first hitter on the list. Chisholm has all the tools and superstar potential but there are some worrisome underlying stats. Chisholm played 23 games with the Diamondbacks AA team before being traded for Zac Gallen to the Marlins where he played 89 games for their AA team. In total, he slashed .220/.321/.441. These numbers are not dominating, but he was three years younger than his average competition. If Chisholm can cut down on the strikeouts, he has the potential to be the best prospect in baseball with speed and power. Do not expect Chisholm up until 2021 as he still needs time to develop his batting eye at the lower levels.
Monte Harrison (OF)
He’s the first guy on the list that could very well be on the big-league roster opening day. The Marlins do have plenty of guys in the outfield but none of those names are guys that could not be replaced if Harrison fulfills his potential. Harrison was included in the trade for Christian Yelich after having a big 2017 where he slashed .278/.341/.487, however, this was followed by a down 2018 where the slash numbers fell to .240/.316/.399. The good news is that in 2019 he came back to slash .274/.357/.451 with the AAA club.
Harrison has shown he can be a threat on the bases and could provide instant SB upside to your fantasy club with total SB of 27, 28, and 23 over the last three years in the minors. He was hurt much of last year only playing in 56 games but showed the improvement over 244 plate appearances needed to have a chance to open up 2020 on the Major League roster.
Jesus Sanchez (OF)
He’s another Marlins outfielder who will be fighting for playing time on the Major League roster in spring training. Sanchez was acquired last summer in a deal with the rays for Nick Anderson and Trevor Richards. Sanchez started 2019 in AA before being promoted to AAA with the Rays. In total in 2019 with three teams Sanchez slashed .260/.325/.398. With only 13 home runs in total Sanchez will need to add some power to his game to be a useful fantasy asset as he has yet to top 10 steals in a season in the minors.
Additional Names to Watch In 2020
- Kameron Misner – Misner drafted 35th overall in the 2019 draft slashed .270/.388/.362 at rookie and A ball in his first year.
- JJ Bleday – Bleday drafted 4th overall in the 2019 draft slashed .257/.311/.379 in his only stop at A ball.
- Lewin Diaz – Diaz was acquired in a trade with the Twins. In 2019 he slashed .270/.321/.530 at A and AA.