Notes: Sandy leads; Sierra's celebrations

MIAMI -- On the first day of Spring Training, Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara stated his intention of being a leader and a mentor for the ballclub.

After Edward Cabrera was chased in the seventh inning of his Major League debut on Wednesday night, the Bally Sports Florida broadcast showed Alcantara talking with the 23-year-old pitching prospect in the dugout.

"First of all, he told me congratulations, how good I did," Cabrera said via an interpreter. "He explained to me that it was great that I attacked the zone, some of the pitches I was throwing, some of the location. Pretty much all the good things he saw that I did on the mound. Having him there is just a blessing. Being with him, chatting about the game. As we know, Sandy is truly a beast."

Alcantara, 25, would be considered a youngster for many rotations around the Majors. But the All-Star right-hander is the most experienced arm on the Marlins' staff, and garners respect.

Manager Don Mattingly said it's important for players to be mentors because they've experienced situations, like reaching The Show, not too long ago. Sometimes advice from someone other than a coach gets through. World Series champion Joe Panik has been that for infielder Isan Díaz. And Mattingly rattled off names like Rich Gossage, Willie Randolph, Graig Nettles, Lou Piniella and Bobby Murcer as veterans that helped him.

"Sandy, for me, it shows that he's just continuing to grow and gain confidence in what he does and who he is," Mattingly said. "I think that's important for him to feel that, because when you first come up, it's hard because you don't feel like you should be doing that. You're just a young player, and he always talks about wanting to be a leader. I've talked to him about that. Willing to share with Edward coming out of the game. I see him out there -- he's playing catch with [Jesús] Luzardo today, talking to him. It's going to be really important for the younger guys, because Sandy's a guy that you want to follow. He's got his routines now, he knows what he's doing, his bullpens are sharp, all the things that he does -- but it's taken him two or three years. Really, if you can give a young guy that, and cut corners for him, it's really important."

A celebration gone awry

Following Jorge Alfaro's walk-off hit on Wednesday, teammates greeted him near second base. Díaz and Brian Anderson provided hugs. Cabrera doused Alfaro with water from a bubble gum bucket.

Then there was reserve outfielder Magneuris Sierra, who tried getting Alfaro with a large cooler ... only to miss and drench himself instead. Remarkably, this isn't the first time. The same thing happened following a walk-off victory on May 22 against the Mets.

Sierra has become a bit of a comedian. On June 30, he beat Ronald Torreyes in an epic national anthem showdown in Philadelphia.

"I wanted to celebrate with Alfaro," Sierra said in Spanish of the walk-off mishap, "but I missed."