Miami Marlins: Recapping the draft with burning questions for fans
Here’s a look at the questions Miami Marlins fans should be asking after the draft.
The Miami Marlins are officially off the clock, and the 2020 MLB Draft is a wrap.
Following a historically shortened draft, many baseball fans are likely wondering what to make of this draft class. Most Miami Marlins fans are probably aware of the fact that they took all pitchers, a strategy many might question given the state of the MLB roster.
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The Marlins already sport one of baseball’s more interesting young rotations, and with big names like Sixto Sanchez knocking on the door, it could be well on its way to dominance. Meanwhile, to borrow from Bull Durham, the big league club hasn’t been able to hit water falling out of a boat the past two seasons. Seems like some more bats might be in order.
Personally, I love the strategy.
The last two Marlins drafts were very hitter heavy, as were many of the recent trades. So there’s that. More importantly, though, pitching prospects are the ultimate currency. And while I sincerely hope this ownership group uses this commodity more judiciously, I have no problem with them doing it occasionally. A mass infusion of pitching like this can easily lead to either not having to spend on elite pitching, or being able to trade for an elite player.
But still, all pitchers? Six straight pitchers? Marlins fans casting about for their sports fix are surely jonesing for some context. This article will tackle some of the most likely questions.
Did any teams, other than the Miami Marlins, think drafting all pitchers was a good idea?
Yes.
Well, one team anyway. The Chicago White Sox also picked all pitchers. However, they only made five selections. So the Marlins are the only team to draft six pitchers in 2020 but weren’t the only team to bypass hitters entirely.
One curious note about a draft that is reportedly so deep in pitching though. Of the 29 official first-round picks, only 11 were pitchers. Once Competitive Balance Round A is thrown in, the split is still 22-15 in favor of hitters. Fingers crossed Miami didn’t miss the boat here.
Have The Miami Marlins Ever Drafted This Many Pitchers In A Row Before?
Yes. Many times.
One draft in particular stands out though. In 1995, the Miami Marlins selected only one pitcher with their first five picks, drafting Michael Marriott in the fourth round. Marriott never pitched so much as an inning for the big league club. Which isn’t all that bad, considering those first five picks combined for eight MLB appearances in a Marlins uniform- all coming from second-round pick Nate Rolison. If you remember Nate Rolison, you needed more to do in September of 2000.
In any case, Miami’s front office might have overcorrected a bit, when they drafted eleven straight pitchers after that.
Going for broke on pitching is not that unusual a practice. Only getting two mediocre relief arms out of the attempt- Michael Tejera and Gary Knotts– is definitely unfortunate, but also not completely beyond the pale when it comes to the MLB Draft. If nothing else, Tejera did get a World Series ring.
Have the Miami Marlins ever started a draft taking this many pitchers?
Now you’re being more specific. But yes. Twice, in fact.
In 2001, the Miami Marlins started the draft off with a staggering nine consecutive pitchers. In 2005, they took a step back, drafting the same amount Miami just picked this time around. Obviously this begs the question: what kind of elite arms did the Marlins get out of this approach in the past?
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Unfortunately, the answer will really depress you. Let’s take these classes briefly in turn.
Of that 2001 class, only two of those nine selections ever made it to the majors. And those two- Chris Resop and Jeff Fulchino didn’t exactly light the world on fire. Resop, if you’re reading a Marlins fan blog during a pandemic, you might at least vaguely remember. He made nearly forty appearances over the course of two seasons but was ultimately just a guy. Eventually, though, he was traded for Kevin Gregg, one of the better closers in franchise history. Fulchino made just a single appearance, facing two batters. No wins, no strikeouts.
Sadly, the 2005 draft class is in some ways even more upsetting. For if you count the first supplemental phase, the Miami Marlins made five first round picks in 2005. That bounty came in exchange for losing 2004 All-Stars Armando Benitez and Carl Pavano in free agency. Of those five picks, two never played a game for Miami, and only one- Chris Volstad– ever enjoyed any semblance of a real MLB career. This busted draft often gets overlooked because of how stacked with young arms the 2006 rotation was. That doesn’t make it any less devastating to the franchise though.
How Many Times Have The Miami Marlins Drafted The First Pitcher?
Once.
This means any Miami Marlins fan worth their salt knows who it was: Josh Beckett in 1999.
So I guess you can call it a good track record.
Beckett might have never been an All-Star for the Marlins, but he was All-Century when it came to postseason play. He won the World Series MVP Award in 2003, producing two complete-game shutouts on the way to a title. Worth his weight in gold when it comes to successful selections.
The only other time in franchise history the Marlins were even in a position to take the first pitcher came in 2000 when they opted for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez over any of that year’s elite arms. Probably the right move considering the only Round 1 pitcher to have any real MLB success in that draft, Adam Wainwright, was the seventeenth pitcher selected. Which again just speaks to the uncertainty of any MLB Draft.
How happy are the Miami Marlins with their infield really?
Very, very happy.
Because that’s the only way the Miami Marlins don’t pounce on Austin Martin, the Vanderbilt shortstop that played some second but spent a ton of time at third even though he could probably be an outfielder too.
Maybe the Marlins did have Max Meyer rated as the best pitcher and second-best overall player on their board. Or maybe this was about saving some slot value money to spend later on. Honestly, both of those statements could be true. But only if the Marlins are straight up sold that Jazz Chisholm and Isan Diaz are the middle infield of the future. Sold that Brian Anderson is sticking at third base because enough of those outfield prospects are going to pan out.
Otherwise, this could be a selection Miami regrets for awhile.
Final Thoughts
Meyer headlines a Miami Marlins draft class that also includes Daxton Fulton, Kyle Nicolas, Zach McCambley, Jake Eder, and Kyle Hurt. Six high-velocity arms in five rounds definitely should be good enough to bump the Marlins farm system into the Top 3 in the MLB rankings.
Good starting pitching tends to be the most expensive commodity for a team to buy. One final thought with this all pitchers draft approach is that we might be seeing a sign of a small market team rightly concerned about revenues even more than the Marlins usually are. Developing a young, cheaply controllable rotation could be more important than ever in these times of pandemics and potential labor lockouts.
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In any case, it will be fun to keep tabs on this crop of arms over the next couple seasons. Here’s hoping Max Meyer is a little more Beckett, and a little less Tyler Kolek.