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Sunday, June 16th, 2013
Double-A OutfielderJake Marisnick could be the next top prospect to see playing time in Miami this year.
Sam Evans (Baseball Writer and Marlins, Mariners Correspondent): Follow @RJA206
The Miami Marlins are probably going to have one of the best outfields in the National League in a matter of years. Whether or not one of the best young power hitters in the league, Giancarlo Stanton, will still be in Miami remains to be seen.
Nonetheless, with young superstars like Christian Yelich and Jake Marisnick on the verge of breaking into the Majors this season, it won’t be long before Miami has a star studded group of outfielders patrolling the green at Marlins Park. Here are a couple of quick notes on players that will have an impact on the future Marlins outfield.
Jake Marisnick, of, Miami Marlins
Giancarlo Stanton is an elite power hitter who is still extremely young. Nonetheless, the Marlins seem very open to trading him after the 2013 season.
Giancarlo Stanton: Even with all of the hype surrounding the young, upcoming outfielders in the Miami farm system, none of them have the potential of Giancarlo Stanton. Not to mention, Stanton is still just 23, he’s already had two 30+ HR seasons, and most would argue that Stanton is a long ways from hitting the prime of his career. He could still improve his plate discipline and situational hitting abilities.
Stanton is going to be a perennial N.L. MVP contender over the next five years, but there’s a very high chance that he won’t be playing in Miami. Rumors continue to swirl about the Marlins trading Stanton, but Miami seems content on holding onto him at least until the offseason. The Marlins need to make sure that if they do decide to trade Stanton, they are getting what a player of his caliber should command.
Christian Yelich: The Marlins love Christian Yelich, and for good reason. Miami’s first-round pick in 2010, Yelich is a left-handed hitting athlete who projects to hit for a high average down the line. Just twenty-one years old, Yelich is currently on the disabled list in Double-A, but once he is healthy, he could be called to the Majors very quickly.
Yelich projects to be play strong defense in the corner outfield and hit for average power. There is no question in my mind that the Marlins plan to have Christian Yelich be part of their future. Definitely by Opening Day 2014, Christian Yelich will have solidified his spot in the Marlins outfield.
Juan Pierre: Juan Pierre is thirty-five years old and he has an OBP of .300. It seems unlikely that Pierre makes it through the entire season in Miami, but there’s absolutely no way he will be back in Miami in 2014. Juan Pierre definitely does not factor into the future of the Marlins outfield.
Marcell Ozuna: Marcell Ozuna has been a personal favorite player of mine for the last couple years and he has turned the baseball world upside down with what he has down in a limited amount of time in Miami this season. A 6’1’’ 220 lb. corner outfielder with a 70 grade arm, Ozuna is a freak of nature.
In 167 at bat’s for Miami this season, Ozuna is hitting .306/.343/.433 and he’s valued at 1.5 WAR. Ozuna projects to be a power-hitting right-fielder with decent plate discipline down the line. He will definitely become a familiar face in the middle of the Miami lineup over the next couple of years.
Justin Ruggiano: After his breakout season in 2012, the expectations were high for Marlins center fielder Justin Ruggiano. Unfortunately, in 2013, he has done nothing to silence the critics that say his 2012 season was a fluke.
With Ozuna stealing some of his playing time, and Yelich and Jake Marisnick on their way, Ruggiano will be the odd man out next year. He will likely stick with the Marlins, unless they try to trade him at the deadine, as a fourth outfielder in 2014.
Jake Marisnick: The prize piece in the Blue Jays trade this offseason, Jake Marisnick is a five-tool outfielder. With under 250 career at bat’s in Double-A, Marisnick started out the 2013 season with Double-A Jacksonville. So far, in 179 plate appearances, Marisnick has hit .274/.326/.516 with 9 HR and 8 SB. He has been exactly the player the Marlins thought they were getting, and more.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jake Marisnick got his first MLB plate appearance before Christian Yelich. Marisnick projects to be a 20/20 center fielder that should be starting for Miami at the latest by Opening Day 2014.
In the lower minors, the Marlins also have a few more interesting outfield prospects in Jesus Solorzano, Brent Keys, Austin Dean, and assuming he signs, K.J. Woods. However, the future outfield, assuming the Marlins trade Stanton, is looking like it will feature Marcell Ozuna in right, Jake Marisnick in center, and Christian Yelich in left. To see those three play together in the Majors would be amazing.
They all bring different tools to the table, and all have the potential to make an All-Star game or two. However, there’s always a chance the Marlins hold onto Stanton and then who knows what the Marlins outfield would look like? No matter who it shapes out, the future Marlins outfield could not look much more promising.
Christian Yelich might have too much hype circling around him, but he’s still going to be an above-average outfielder in the Majors for a very long time due to his multiple above-average tools.
*** The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com and their partners***
A big thank-you goes out to our ‘Marlins and Mariners Correspondent’ Sam Evans for preparing today’s featured article. Sam is a high school student from the greater Seattle area. He is a longtime Mariners fan, and has been an off-and-on season ticket holder for the last five years.
Sam enjoys interacting with readers and using statistical analysis to dig beneath the surface to find the truth in baseball. Sam was our 2nd Intern who has graduated to the position of Baseball Writer. For all of Sam’s archived articles – click here. You can follow Sam on Twitter: Sam also writes for the Marlins website Fish Stripes.Follow @RJA206
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