Unlike Miami Marlins teams of yesteryear, the 2016 incarnation of the South Florida ball club has been littered with young prospects yearning to shed old labels from the team. With the superfluity of young arms racing through the system, the Fish’s most evident liability will provide the most intrigue throughout the season. With lefties Adam Conley and Justin Nicolino, along with Jose Urena, up in the majors, the future is forming an amalgam with the present, as Miami heads toward national consciousness.
Marlins Young Pitchers Supplanting Stopgaps
The demotion of floundering right-hander Jarred Cosart opened the door for Justin Nicolino. The 24-year-old hurled 7 ⅓ innings of shutout ball on the way to his first win of 2016, a 2-0 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicolino was a complete anomaly in a pitching staff struggling to find the strike zone, more so during the team’s 5-11 start that saw them seven games back of the Nationals for the division lead. Marlins ballpark still plays like a large ballpark despite renovations to make it more hitter-friendly, which plays right into the Florida native’s hands. Nicolino has had a HR/9 of one or more only once at any level in his professional career. Nicolino, previously acquired in the deal that saw Jose Reyes and others head to Toronto, is one of three left-handers in Marlins rotation. Both Nicolino and Chen have been solid in their latest starts, while Adam Conley, who made the team out of camp and came within four outs of a no-hitter in his latest start, leads the way.
Edwin Jackson, David Phelps, Justin Nicolino, Jarred Cosart, and Adam Conley competed for the pair of open rotation spots, with the last two filling those roles. Conley, who was a second-round pick of the Fish in 2011, only trails Jose Fernandez for the team-lead in strikeouts per nine. The 25-year-old is second only to Vincent Velasquez for strikeouts per nine among rookies, at 9.78. One of three lefties in the Marlins rotation, Conley hasn’t been without his flaws, getting touched up for eleven runs through his first four starts, with his best start, prior to Friday’s, coming in New York where he threw six innings of shutout baseball.
The 5.40 ERA that Marlins right-hander Jose Urena owns is anything but indicative of the 24-year-old’s performance in his second season in the big leagues. His sterling 1.30 FIP provides a much more accurate representation of the ground baller’s proficiency early on this season. With Kyle Barraclough and A.J. Ramos unavailable, Urena pulled off a 1.2 inning save to secure a win for his good friend Justin Nicolino. Urena started nine games for the Marlins last season, and was pervasively discussed as being an option to start when Jarred Cosart was optioned to AAA. His average pitch speed of 95 MPH isn’t an anomaly in the Marlins bullpen, which features the likes of Barraclough and others with plenty of velocity.
Acquired in the transaction that saw Steve Cishek take his talents to St.Louis, Kyle Barraclough has found a home in the Major Leagues. Thanks partly to the introduction of a changeup, Barraclough has been relatively less wild than he was when first got a taste of the bigs. This was the goal in starting the flame-thrower out in AAA to start the season, where he recorded a 1.50 ERA in three appearances. His 96 MPH average ranked first among Marlins pitchers.
Preceding stopgaps in the forms of Mat Latos, Randy Wolf, and Dustin McGowan, among others, are archaic when talking this Miami roster. With youngsters Justin Nicolino, Adam Conley, Jose Urena, and Kyle Barraclough, Miami’s young depth is coming to a forefront, right as the controversy surrounding the team hits a peak.
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