Miami Marlins top 10 prospects for 2019

6. Jorge Guzman, RHP

Birthday: 1/28/1996 (22)
Acquired: Trade with the New York Yankees, December 2017
Level(s): high-A Jupiter
Statistics: 0-9, 21 GS, 96 IP, 4.03 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 14.9% BB, 23.5% K

Now on his third organization, Jorge Guzman was a late signee by the Houston Astros in June of 2014, already 18 when he was signed. He did not make his pro debut until the next season, when he jumped up both of the Astros Dominican Summer League teams to the GCL team.

He made huge strides in his second season of pro ball, significantly lowering his walk rate and showing an impressive 32.1% strikeout rate. He was traded after that season to the New York Yankees as part of the Brian McCann deal. The Yankees sent Guzman to the New York-Penn League in 2017, and he had an impressive season.

That 2017 season led to Guzman being a key piece of the Giancarlo Stanton trade between the Miami Marlins and Yankees last offseason. In his first experience in full-season ball, Guzman struggled with controlling his impressive stuff.

Guzman has touched 103 with his fastball and frequently sits in the upper-90s with his fastball. His slider has flashes of plus quality, coming in around 90 MPH with hard break, frequently breaking the bat of a lefty hitter and leaving righty hitters swinging hopelessly.

There’s really no two ways around Guzman needing to develop his delivery better to have a more consistent landing spot and a consistent arm action within his delivery, as he often would have a consistent landing spot, but he had arm drag through his delivery, needing to rush his arm, and leading to difficulty controlling his stuff.

The Miami Marlins will need to decide Guzman’s path soon as he’s going to be 23 heading into 2019 and has never pitched 100 innings. He could possibly be a dominant closer or develop as a mid-rotation starter, but he’ll need to work on his command and control to work in either role.