5 Top 100 prospects put Miami in 'great spot'

MIAMI -- With five players on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list for 2021, the Marlins continue to develop their young talent. Coming off the club's first postseason berth since 2003, the upcoming year will be a critical one in terms of staying on track, according to general manager Kim Ng. The time has come for many of the players acquired in key trades, or who were signed by the organization, to prove they are ready to contribute to a consistent contender.

Right-hander Sixto Sánchez (MLB's No. 15 overall prospect) and infielder Jazz Chisholm (No. 66) debuted in 2020, then started in the postseason. Outfielder JJ Bleday (No. 20) and right-hander Edward Cabrera (No. 68) will likely appear in the Majors in '21. Right-hander Max Meyer (No. 28), who was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in last year's MLB Draft, has an ETA of 2022, but he could arrive sooner.

"I think that puts us in a great spot, a great position," Ng said. "We look forward to seeing them out there, and again, creating that competition. Who's going to make the club, and who's going to be right there should anything happen to one of the regulars? Who's ready to fit in? Who's going to be able to come up and replace and do a serviceable job? We're excited about the guys that made it to the list, as well as the others that didn't make it but are right there."

Sánchez leads a deep prospect pool of starting pitchers within the Marlins' organization. He made quite the impression upon his callup, garnering comparisons to Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez and building hype not seen since the late José Fernández. The 22-year-old allowed only six runs over his first five starts. After some growing pains, Sánchez held the Cubs scoreless for five innings in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series.

But Sánchez isn't alone when it comes to frontline-starter potential. MLB Pipeline projects Cabrera, who likely would have debuted in 2020 had it not been for minor shoulder soreness, should pitch alongside Sánchez atop Miami's rotation over the next decade. Some believe the 22-year-old Cabrera may even have a brighter future.

Then, there's Meyer, who was at the alternate training site and pitched in the instructional league after signing last year. His wipeout slider was considered the best pitch in the 2020 MLB Draft class. When the Marlins added him to their 60-man player pool, some wondered whether he could debut as a reliever during the 2020 season.

"I like a lot about the team. In particular, I really like the starting pitching," Ng said. "To have young starters is exciting. Obviously, we have several who have done well in the past at the big league level, and [we're] hoping to add a couple more this spring to that group. Talking to other clubs and hearing about our players, many, many clubs love our good young pitching. I think that's our strong suit."

But with all that pitching, what about the bats? Two in particular will battle for open spots at second base and right field this spring.

Chisholm, who turns 23 on Monday, slashed .161/.242/.321 in 21 games in 2020. The left-handed-hitting infielder had only one inning of experience at second base before the Marlins put him there -- and yet, he looked like a natural. In Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Braves, Chisholm had a walk and a double. Nothing seems to faze him, if his confidence and personality are anything to go by.

Bleday, who has been on a fast track to the Majors since the Marlins selected the advanced collegiate hitter with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, could reach the big leagues soon. He got a taste of MLB Spring Training before the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down last year. The left-handed-hitting Bleday isn't on the 40-man roster, but he is the highest-ranked outfielder in Miami's system.

"I think there's going to be competition in a number of different spots," Ng said. "We just mentioned second base, right now we've got an outfield spot. I'll tell you what. Going through and talking to a lot of other clubs this offseason, and hearing how other clubs view your players, we have a lot of great outfielders in the system, so that's particularly exciting for us."

Appearing earlier this month on the Miami Marlins Radio Network's Hot Stove Show, assistant director of player development Hector Crespo couldn't contain his excitement about the farm system. As Ng put it, the Marlins intend to maintain an aggressive mindset in terms of getting prospects to the big leagues -- and remain hopeful that they're going to fulfill their potential.

"When we're out in Spring Training in Minor League camp, you usually try to lock in on one field as far as players go, because that's usually where we have our guys," Crespo said. "But where we're at right now, you've got to have a rubberneck to look around, because there's so many players and you want to be on all fields at one time.

"I can't express how excited we are with the caliber of players we have. The mission's not done. Our goal is to continue to build a system where we're pumping them into the Major Leagues and having consistent success amongst our Major League team and our player development system."