JUPITER, Fla. -- When the Marlins unveiled their roster for big league camp, only three of their top prospects made it as non-roster invites: right-hander Max Meyer (MLB Pipeline No. 30 overall) and outfielders JJ Bleday (No. 71 overall) and Peyton Burdick (Miami's No. 14 prospect).
Last year, Meyer and Burdick earned promotions to Triple-A Jacksonville, while Bleday turned a corner during the Arizona Fall League. All three are expected to open with the Jumbo Shrimp, whose season begins April 5.
In a typical year, the NRI list would be longer. But with a shorter Spring Training schedule due to the lockout, there is less time for players to get ready and fewer reps to go around. In 2021, Bleday and Burdick appeared in Grapefruit League games, but Meyer didn't have that luxury. Could that change this spring?
"I hope so," manager Don Mattingly said. "I think the one thing that we've talked about with Max is keeping him on schedule, because he's been down here throwing. He's built up, so I think he's probably maybe 60 pitches or so already. He's built up ready to go, so we don't want to back him down to getting an inning every six days, and then his season starts and he's not ready. The main thing with Max has been keeping him on a schedule. Hopefully it falls with us where you can piggyback with guys. But sometimes it's going to fall on the other fields."
Scheduled to pitch in a Minor League game against the Nationals that got scrapped Tuesday in West Palm Beach, Meyer instead faced the Marlins' Double-A hitters on a back field at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex.
Marlins’ Grapefruit League play doesn't kick off until Friday, but when it does, Burdick and Bleday should see time in the outfield, and perhaps even the unsettled position in center.
What the Marlins don't want to do is mess with their progress and negatively affect their routines. Meyer, Bleday and Burdick took part in a development camp in February before Minor League camp opened March 1, so they are ahead of players on the 40-man roster in terms of game action.
"Those guys have been playing, so you're going to see those guys probably getting [in the] back end of games getting at-bats," Mattingly said. "They've been playing in games, got at-bats, so you'll definitely see them on our side, but up until then, there's talk about allowing them to continue to play -- even doing our work here and then getting some at-bats over there because they've already built up. It's like we don't want them to go backwards, either. We've got guys that have been here built up. You don't want all of a sudden they don't get at-bats for two weeks."
Who's the DH?
Expect the Marlins to utilize the designated hitter in a similar manner as they did in 2020, when Jesús Aguilar and Garrett Cooper split time in that role and at first base. Mattingly also envisions using the DH as a way to give Avisaíl García and/or Jesús Sánchez a day off from the outfield.
On the mic
Bally Sports Florida on Tuesday announced its broadcast team for the 2022 season. Paul Severino will return for his fifth season as play-by-player announcer, while Tommy Hutton, J.P. Arencibia, Jeff Nelson, Gaby Sánchez and Rod Allen will rotate as analysts.
A fan favorite, Hutton served as the FOX Sports Florida analyst from 1997-2015. Fellow former big leaguers Nelson, Arencibia and Sánchez also are back. The Emmy-winning Allen is the group's newcomer, joining the booth after providing analysis for Bally Sports Detroit on Tigers broadcasts. He also spent four seasons as a hitting instructor in the Marlins' organization from 1992-95.
You gotta see it
Worth noting
Right-hander Edward Cabrera (MLB Pipeline's No. 29 overall prospect) participated in his first workout Tuesday after reporting to camp around 1:10 p.m. ET on Monday. He had been in transit from the Dominican Republic.