Miami Marlins 2015 Top 10 Fantasy Prospects

Just like last year, the prospect staff here at Fake Teams will be taking an in-depth look at each major league organization, including our top 10 fantasy prospects, an overview of the organization's minor league system as a whole and potential opportunities for playing time in 2015. Our goal is to provide you with more information as you prepare for minor league drafts for dynasty and keeper leagues, as well as look at players that could potentially be worth watching during the spring, as they could be in line to potentially help your fantasy team. We will be reviewing two teams per week until we are through all 30 teams, and you can see the schedule of when your favorite team will be reviewed below. if we have already reviewed the team, a link to the post, along with the team's top prospect is noted.

System Schedule

Editor's note: The first paragraph of the overview here is extremely telling, as Dave's writeups were completed prior to the Marlins going out and sending prospects Andrew Heaney and Anthony DeSclafani (who would have been #1 and #10 on the top prospect list, respectively) out of town for Dee Gordon, Dan Haren, and Mat Latos. As a result, we have not updated these writeups, other than to remove those two prospects from the rankings and strike-through portions which clearly do not make sense any longer.

Trying to predict where the Miami Marlins are going to go next is like trying to guess what the next false rumor will be perpetuating the Twitterverse from a fake MLB "insider." It's a dangerous game that really nobody except trained professionals should play, of which I am not. So join me in putting my flak jacket on as this entire piece could blow up in my face worse than George Costanza's ill-fated foray into marine biology.

For the last two offseasons we've heard rumblings that the Marlins would look to move their only true offensive superstar in Giancarlo Stanton. Finally, all those rumors have vanished with Stanton's record breaking, 13-year $325 million, contract extension. The Fish, and owner Jeffrey Loria, have made a statement that they are finally ready to try and compete on an annual basis. Of course, we thought this was happening prior to the 2012 season, when the Marlins committed $191 million in payroll to sign Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell. The signings were made in attempt to build up some goodwill with a fan base that had just kicked in $500 million of public monies to build the Marlins new ballpark, which was successfully accomplished. However, in less than a year Reyes, Buehrle and staff ace Josh Johnson were sent to Toronto in a blockbuster deal involving 12 players. The move lead Stanton to tweet "Alright, I'm pissed off!!! Plain & simple." And with that one tweet the rumor mill, took off opining that the rift between Stanton and Marlins ownership, combined with the organization's seemingly self-imposed financial restraints would never allow the Marlins to sign Stanton long-term. With those rumors and concerns now put to bed with the massive extension, the Marlins have seemingly committed to surrounding Stanton with enough talent to compete over the long haul, or until Loria decides to troll the fans in South Florida once again.

The Marlins have made one move that seemingly impacts the Major League roster by acquiring right-handed reliever Aaron Crow from the Kansas City Royals for young starter Brian Flynn, though it is debatable whether Crow belongs on a Major League roster at this point in time. The organization also appears to be kicking the tires on free agent third baseman Chase Headley and veteran starting pitcher, and certified red ass, Jake Peavy. Neither Headley or Peavy seem like they'll be signing with Miami in the near future. So, the Marlins are headed into the Winter Meetings in San Diego with what appears to be a buyer's mentality. Reportedly, they are looking to add a power bat to "protect" Stanton in the lineup and a starting pitcher. I don't personally believe lineup protection is a thing, but I am a believer in acquiring good baseball players that can hit baseballs a long way, so if the Marlins can accomplish both of these roster goals to add to Stanton and their young talent the team should be able to compete in 2015.

Another goal for the Marlins this offseason seems to be locking up their talented young players through their arbitration years and a few extra years of free agency to some team friendly contracts. Most teams should try to do this, not just the Marlins, but the Marlins have a bevy of young players that the organization views as core players, so signing them to long term deals would give the organization some cost certainty moving forward and will allow them to pursue free agents without the guesswork that surrounds arbitration. The players the Marlins will look to lock up include Christian Yelich, Adeiny Hechavarria, Marcell Ozuna and 21 year-old ace Jose Fernandez.

Of the offensive players, I like Yelich's current ability and potential the most. I am not a fan of player comps, so I won't even try to comp him to anyone because it would probably not be good. Yelich is a line drive hitter that uses all fields really well, so while a BABIP of .356 is unsustainable for most players, I think that Yelich will always have a higher than average BABIP throughout his career. And if Yelich can learn to lift the ball, which usually comes as players enter their prime, the power numbers should improve, but for next year I expect him to build on his impressive 2014 and continue to be a great piece in both real and fantasy baseball.

Hechavarria is another story for me, as I don't think he will ever hit enough to be a true fantasy or real baseball stud, but he should eventually develop into a league average shortstop. Ozuna made his Major League debut in 2013 after advancing from High-A to Double-A straight to Miami's Major League roster. In 2013, as a 22 year old Ozuna was solid, but enjoyed a breakout offensively in 2014 and appears to be solid player moving forward. I would expect Ozuna to continue striking out at a slightly elevated rate (24.5% in his 1.5 Major League seasons) and not really walking much (6.6% in that same span), but the power is real and should be a safe bet to keep hitting 20+ homers a year and being a well above average offensive outfielder overall.

Finally, the hardest extension for Miami to get signed will undoubtedly be the anchor of their rotation, Jose Fernandez. Fernandez has two things that will probably keep him from signing anything considered an team friendly extension. First, Fernandez will be coming of Tommy John surgery, so the Marlins may try to use that as a reason to low-ball him with an offer. The Marlins reportedly did just this in late November if the reports of their offer are to be believed, and since it didn't come from some anonymous grade schooler I think the reports are probably legitimate. The offer made by the Marlins, reported by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, was a six year deal worth "close to $40 million" with team options for a seventh and eighth year. An extension worth just $6.7 million in AAV isn't something that Fernandez's agent, Scott Boras, has advised his clients to sign in the past, instead Boras advises his clients to play out their years of team control, reach free agency, and let the market dictate the player's value and signing with the highest bidder. So, I don't anticipate a long term deal to be reached anytime soon with these major hurdles in the way. Once Fernandez comes back from surgery there is no reason to believe he will not return to his elite status even while he goes through that initial phase of finding his control which almost always accompanies a recovery from Tommy John surgery.

It is certain that the Marlins have some nice pieces to build a foundation of a solid team. Outside of the previously mentioned young players, the Marlins also have a rotation of young arms consisting of Nathan Eovaldi, Henderson Alvarez, Tom Koehler, Jarred Cosart and top prospect Andrew Heaney, who we will breakdown in further detail as we move along with our evaluation. The Marlins would most assuredly benefit from adding a veteran starter to the mix while Fernandez works his way back and the other young pitchers go through their Major League growing pains. Whether that arm comes in the form of a free agent like Peavy or a pitcher acquired in a future trade the pieces are there for a solid, if not kind of awesome, rotation in 2015.

The roster will also need to add some bats to surround the offensive punch provided by Stanton, Yelich and Ozuna. They have a veteran backstop locked up through 2016 in Jarrod Saltalamacchia so catcher is probably not a position they will look to upgrade. But they could stand to upgrade first base because Garrett Jones is a replacement level player that could either really use a platoon partner to increase his value or be shipped out of town entirely. Second base is also a position that isn't settled and the internal options of Donovan Solano and Derek Dietrich are quite underwhelming. I am also not a believer in Casey McGehee at third base. McGehee produced a barely above average wRC+ of 102 while relying on an unsustainable BABIP of .335 for a ground ball hitter. I would doubt the Marlins would be able to upgrade all of these positions in one offseason, but if Loria and Co, are truly going to build around their superstar Giancarlo Stanton, this offseason is very important to at least get the process started. The organization will definitely make some moves and I would look for them to compete in 2015, but we've been here before in Miami, and the organization will have to prove their words are more than just that before the fans, and the baseball world in general, will fully buy in to the Marlins future.

The following players have surpassed their rookie maximums of 130 AB, 50 IP, or 45 days of service time.

Justin Bour (ST), Jake Marisnick (AB/Trade), Enrique Hernandez (ST/Trade), Chris Hatcher (IP/Trade), Sam Dyson (ST)

I have always been a fan of Justin Bour and I continue to be a fan of his even though he may prove to be nothing more than a Quad-A type of bat. As I stated in the organizational overview, first base was a black hole for Miami in 2014 and they are trying to fill that void through free agency or a trade. If the organization doesn't find an everyday fit, I think Bour could be a sleeper to be an effective left handed side of a platoon split for the Fish. Bour has obvious raw power and has shown it off when he was with the Cubs organization and then with the Marlins after being selected in the minor league portion of the 2013 Rule-5 draft. Since entering full-season minor league ball Bour has never posted a wRC+ lower than 117. A strikeout rate under 20% and a walk rate of close to 10%, profiles to me as a player that won't be an embarrassment in the Majors, and certainly no worse than the replacement players run out there by the Marlins in 2014. Bour has also averaged 17 homers per season and plays decent enough defense to compete at the Major League level. A player like Bour won't show up on any top-10 prospect lists for the Marlins organization but you can never count out power. Bour could be a great waiver pick-up if it appears he will get playing time and if you have the ability to platoon first base position in your league.

The top draft pick of the Marlins in 2014, Kolek was viewed coming into the draft as a potential top overall pick candidate. He ended up going at #2 overall, which the Marlins were happy to see, and signed him for a bonus of $6 million. He made nine appearances in his professional debut, with his last start being his longest (4 IP on 8/28).

The reports on Kolek start with his fastball, which is considered an elite offering. He routinely topped triple digits in high school, and there are multiple reports at this point which note it is an 80-grade pitch. He features a slider, curveball, and changeup as well, but the reports on all three are mixed on both their current value and their future potential. How these pitches develop will determine his long term value, as he has the build to potentially log a lot of innings as a starting pitcher.

Kolek is one of the few pitchers from the 2014 draft class that has true top-of-the-rotation potential, and could be a fantasy monster if his offspeed offerings develop at least in part as hoped. If they don't, he could still slot in at the back-end of a bullpen if one of his breaking pitches can develop into a strikeout offering. He could see either a short-season assignment, or if the Marlins are more aggressive, full-season Low-A to start the 2015 season. You're probably looking at a player that will need at least four seasons to reach the majors, but the upside here is immense.

A third round pick in the 2012 draft, Romero got his first extended look in full-season ball in 2014. He started the year at Low-A Greensboro, moved up to High-A after the All-Star break for about a month, and returned to Low-A to finish out the season with their playoff-bound team.

Romero is limited defensively to second base, but could be a decent contributor at the position offensively. He has shown the ability to make consistent contact (14% K rate or less each of the last two seasons), while still maintaining a decent walk rate (around 6%). He should be capable of providing a good batting average, albeit with minimal power and speed (think between 5-10 of both home runs and steals).

He's not likely to be a top 10 option at the position long-term, but should be worth starting in most deeper formats or as a MI option. He could return to High-A to start the 2015 season, with a move to AA during the season.

	3. J.T. Realmuto (C)
Photo Credit: Brad Barr - USA Today Sports

A third round pick out of high school in 2010, Realmuto has slowly made his way toward the majors, culminating with a call-up in June for a couple weeks along with a late September return engagement. His performance this year was much better in his second go-around at AA, and showed improvement in some of his peripheral numbers which bode well for the future.

Realmuto is considered an above-average defensive catcher, which helps with his overall value for fantasy purposes. He's likely to provide decent production in both batting average and power, potentially between 10-15 home runs per year most seasons. He seems like he could be right on the edges of the top 10 at the position some years, based on how his batting average turns out. He should also provide value in OBP and points leagues, as he makes a good amount of contact, draws walks at an excellent rate, and generally has avoided strikeouts in the minors.

The profile isn't something to write home about, but should still be usable in a number of formats. The question at this point is when we might see him in the majors. He did debut in 2014, but had to be added to the 40-man roster at the end of the season either way. It seems more likely at this point, that Realmuto could head to AAA New Orleans for the 2015 season, ease in as the backup in 2016, and aim toward the starting job when Jarrod Saltalamacchia's contract is up for the 2017 season.

	4. Justin Nicolino (LHP)
Photo Credit: Brad Barr - USA Today Sports

Acquired from the Blue Jays as a part of the mega deal after the 2012 season, Nicolino spent the entire year at AA as a part of one of the better starting rotations in the minors. He pitched well, throwing a career-high 170 innings with a 2.85 ERA and 3.44 FIP, but saw an even-further drop in his strikeouts, down to 11.8%. This was coupled with a career low walk rate of 2.9%, and Nicolino is a ground ball machine (nearly 50% rate last year).

It's a bit more difficult to see a lot of high-end value out of Nicolino for fantasy than it was a year ago. The drop in strikeouts looks bad, and would be less concerning if any of his pitches profiled as a true swing-and-miss offering. He throws a fastball, curveball and changeup, all of which he commands well, but he will be extremely BABIP-dependent since they aren't likely to provide high numbers of swing-and-misses.

He was added to the 40-man roster this offseason, and is in line to head to AAA New Orleans to start the season. He could be called upon should the Marlins need a starting pitcher during the year, but realistically looks like a streaming option right now. He's worth a look in deeper formats, but would be a streaming option below that.

	5. Jose Urena (RHP)
Photo Credit: Brad Barr - USA Today Sports

Urena was signed out of the Dominican Republic in August 2008, and is another of those prospects like Brian mentioned earlier in the week where the prospect fatigue has set in. He's been plugging away a level per year, and surpassed one of the biggest hurdles for any prospect with a successful season at AA this year.

There remain a lot of questions about his long-term viability as a starting pitcher at the highest level. He features an excellent fastball-changeup combination, but his breaking pitch needs additional development, and remains the key to his long-term role. If his slider develops as hoped, he can be a back-end starting pitcher who should provide solid ratios while providing decent value in strikeouts.

It's interesting to see a player like Urena, who has had success at AA, which is usually a great indicator for success at the major league level. However, the way he is achieving that success is not answer those question as well as we would hope. He still can provide value down the line, but more likely it seems he might be a bullpen arm, who could potentially work toward save opportunities in the right bullpen.

A 2nd round pick out of Arizona State in 2013, Williams reached AA in his first full professional season, albeit for just a total of 15 innings. He spent the majority of the year at High-A Jupiter, striking out 90 and walking just 29 over 129 innings pitched there.

Williams projects to be a back-end type of starting pitcher, primarily on the strength of a four-pitch repertoire where all four are expected to be average, but none stand out as an elite offering. He has shown both the ability to limit walks (7.8% career in the minors), along with getting ground balls at a very high rate (54% last year, 57% in 2013 per MLBFarm.com), both of which bode well for his long-term success.

He really seems like a more interesting prospect for the Marlins than for your fantasy team. There doesn't appear to be a lot of upside in terms of strikeouts, and honestly the overall profile sounds a lot like Mark Buehrle - good pitcher, going to throw a bunch of innings, decent ratios, get minimal strikeouts, and in general end up as a streaming option in most formats. He likely returns to AA to start the 2015 season, with 2016 being a possibility for his arrival in the majors.

A third round pick this year, Anderson might be the prospect in this group that jumps toward the top of the list in a year's time. He attended the University of Arkansas, where he slashed .318/.418/.467 while playing center field and second base primarily. The Marlins have taken to the task of converting him to third base, which is expected to be a better use of his above-average arm if it works.

Anderson is a bit of a lottery ticket from a fantasy perspective. He has shown the ability to hit for average and draw a walk while in college, and in a limited sample was able to do the same at both short-season Jamestown and full-season Greensboro. Draft reports on him note that he has above-average raw power, and he did hit a total of 11 home runs between both stops, but MILB.com noted last year that Greensboro plays up quite a bit in terms of home run production.

The range of potential outcomes for Anderson is pretty wide at this point, but he is expected to provide value as a hitter, with a higher value if he stays at second base than with the current move to third base. He'll likely return to Low-A to start the 2015 campaign, but could move quickly as a college draftee.

	8. Domingo German (RHP)
Photo Credit: Jerry Lal - USA Today Sports

Domingo German was signed by the Marlins out of the Dominican Republic back in 2009, but did not make his full-season debut until this past year after two stints in the Dominican Summer League and Gulf Coast League, along with a stop in the NY-Penn as well. He earned a spot on the Futures Game roster this year, and made the most of it, striking out both Kris Bryant and Joey Gallo as a part of a perfect 1-2-3 inning.

German features a three-pitch repertoire which has the potential to keep him as a starter long-term. His fastball sits in the low-90s, and he was dialing it up to 96 in bursts during the Futures Game. His changeup is his second best offering, and reports on it point to its' potential as an above-average offering as well. His breaking ball, a slider, has some mixed reports at this point, as it needs further development and refinement to become a true strikeout offering.

If it all clicks, German is a potential mid-rotation starter who should provide solid value in four categories. If not, he still could have some value as a potential late inning reliever, still capable of providing strikeouts and saves if given the opportunity. He was added to the 40-man roster this offseason, so the Marlins can still take some time to work with German as a starter.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2010, Garcia made his full-season debut this year with Greensboro in the Sally League. He pitched reasonably well there, with his peripherals (19.5% strikeout rate, 3.7% walk rate, nearly 50% ground ball rate) all pointing to some more upside than the stat line necessarily provides.

Garcia features a fastball, curveball, and changeup, with the changeup being behind the other two offerings. Reports on him note that he is extremely athletic, and video of his delivery point toward that as well. There are questions right now about his ability to command his pitches (as opposed to controlling them, which he does alright now), but nothing that jumps out to limit his potential.

Garcia needed to be protected from the Rule 5 draft this year, and the Marlins opted not to. It worked out in their favor, as he was not selected, but a year from now we could see him added to the 40-man roster. He'll likely head to High-A Jupiter for the 2015 season, and work on continue to develop as a starting pitcher. He's more of a lottery ticket at this point, so I would keep an eye on him if you're in a particularly deep NL-only or mixed format.

A second round pick in this year's draft, Twine is viewed as a very toolsy, but very raw prospect. He was drafted out of a Texas high school, and had planned on attending TCU before signing with the Marlins. He was recruited as a quarterback as well, but the Marlins gave him over $1.3 million reasons to forego that option.

Twine remains very much a work-in-progress, although reports on him point to a potential above-average hitter who could stay up the middle. His best tool is his speed, which is considered plus and potentially capable of providing high stolen base totals in the future. He's a long, long way from the majors right now, and at this point is more of a name to keep tabs on than anything. His long-term home may not be at shortstop, but would likely be up-the-middle if it isn't.

About the Authors

Jason Hunt is a contributing writer for Fake Teams, specializing in the minor leagues and prospects. 
Follow him on Twitter @jasonsbaseball

Brian Creagh is a contributing writer for Fake Teams, specializing in fantasy baseball and the minor leagues.
Follow him on Twitter @BrianCreagh

David Spracale is a contributing writer for Fake Teams, specializing in fantasy baseball and the minor leagues.
Follow him on Twitter @dspracale