Nicolino among five to join Marlins' 40-man roster
Move protects prospects from Rule 5 Draft; Seattle claims lefty Olmos
MIAMI -- Justin Nicolino, the Marlins' organizational Pitcher of the Year in 2014, was among five players added to Miami's 40-man roster on Thursday afternoon.
Ranked fourth on the Marlins' top prospects list, Nicolino went 14-4 with a 2.85 ERA for Double-A Jacksonville, which won the Southern League championship.
Along with Nicolino, catcher Austin Barnes, lefty Adam Conley, right-hander Domingo German and right-hander Matt Ramsey join Miami's 40-man roster, which now is full.
The Marlins did have one subtraction from their roster, as lefty reliever Edgar Olmos was claimed by the Mariners.
By adding these five to their roster, Miami protected each player from being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 11, the final day of the Winter Meetings in San Diego.
In an injury-plagued season, Conley was 3-5 with a 6.00 ERA in 60 innings at Triple-A New Orleans. The hard-throwing lefty is Miami's eighth-ranked prospect by MLB.com.
Video: Top Prospects: Adam Conley, LHP, Marlins
Barnes (ranked 16th) impressed behind the plate at Class A Jupiter and Jacksonville, combining for a .304 average with 13 homers and 57 RBIs.
German (ranked 11th) was 9-3 with a 2.48 ERA in 25 starts at Class A Greensboro. The right-hander represented the organization in the Futures Game.
Ramsey had a 1.95 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings at Jacksonville.