The Marlins enter Thursday night’s game at Kansas City just 2.5 games behind Arizona for the National League’s third wild card spot, and with a bunch of overlooked, under-the-radar pickups helping fuel their continued contention.
Under the leadership of president/baseball operations Peter Bendix, the Marlins have mastered the scrap heap pickup; Otto Lopez, Xavier Edwards, Liam Hicks (traded to Tampa Bay) and Heriberto Hernandez continue to wildly exceed expectations. They will help anchor the lineup during a critical nine-game homestand against the Cubs, Mets and Dodgers, beginning at 7:05 p.m. Friday against the Cubs at loanDepot Park.
But the Marlins are still looking for a signature bat, a genuine slugger, that strikes fear in opposing pitchers.
Kyle Stowers, a 2025 All-Star, has come close to that; he hit his 18th homer in Wednesday’s 9-6 win against the Royals and stands as the best of the top position player prospects acquired by Bendix via trade or the draft.
But it remains unclear if Jakob Marsee, Owen Caissie or Agustin Ramirez will be long-term big-league regulars. It seems doubtful that Graham Pauley will, because of holes in his bat. (Griffin Conine’s Marlins tenure predated Bendix’s arrival.)
The minor-league system offers hope, but as always, no guarantees.
As the minor-league season nears its conclusion, an update on the position players that MLB.com lists among the Marlins’ top 15 prospects, including the astounding performance of outfielder Brandon Compton:
▪ Shortstop Aiva Arquette (Marlins’ No. 2 overall prospect, per MLB.com): The No. 7 pick of the 2025 Draft missed the start of the season after undergoing core muscle surgery, then drove in 14 runs at High A Beloit before being promoted to Double A Pensacola, where he’s hitting .256 (.305 on-base) with nine homers and 30 RBI in 42 games.
Some inside the Marlins believe he will be ready for the big leagues by early next season, if an expected lockout doesn’t wipe out the season.
“He hit three balls over 100 mph [over a few days recently],” said Hector Crespo, the Marlins’ director of minor-league field operations.
“He can really impact the baseball. There’s hard contact there. The next step is becoming more consistent with more pitches that he’s attacking and making good swing decisions.”
Defensively, the Marlins have played him 40 games at shortstop and five at second base.
“I still think he’s a really good shortstop,” Crespo said. “The way he moves to receive the ball is better than most.”
▪ Shortstop Jacob Lombard (fourth overall): Drafted 14th overall in July and given a $5 million signing bonus, Lombard made his professional debut with Low A Jupiter and hit a home run in the same game. The 18-year-old former Gulliver Pinecrest star is hitting just .194 in 19 games but has a .322 on-base average, with three homers and 13 RBI.
Of course, many high picks out of high school struggle initially with pitching in the minors. A better gauge will be his performance next season. Minor-league games will continue even during a major league lockout.
The Marlins believe he has star potential, at shortstop or second base.
“He has some of the most elite athleticism for an 18-year-old that I’ve ever seen,” Crespo said. “The way he moves, his defensive upside, it’s as high upside as anyone in our system. He controls the strike zone, doesn’t chase [balls out of the strike zone].”
He swung and missed too much for the liking of some teams during play at the Cape Cod summer league last year, but Crespo said: “We feel we can help with our offensive approach with swing and miss.”
▪ Outfielder Cam Cannarella (sixth): The former Clemson outfielder, selected in the compensatory stage of the first round of the 2025 Draft (43rd overall), has had a breakout season, hitting .394 with three homers and 22 RBI in 19 games at High A Beloit and then hitting .344 (.453 on-base) with nine homers and 23 RBI in 34 games at Double A Pensacola.
He has hit well (.282, .403 on-base) since his promotion to Triple A Jacksonville, but with less power (two homers, seven RBI in 33 games).
The Marlins have been leaning toward keeping him in the minors this season so that he can get minor-league at bats during a potential lockout.
▪ Shortstop/second baseman Starlyn Caba (seventh): The key prospect acquired in the Dec. 2024 Jesus Luzardo deal with the Cubs, Caba remains a defensive wizard with base-stealing acumen (he’s 21 for 22 on steals), but his bat still needs developing.
He’s hitting .236 (.389 on-base) with seven homers and 47 RBI in 82 games at High A Beloit. He’s only 20, so it’s too soon to make any grand conclusions.
▪ Outfielder Kemp Alderman (eighth): He has had a good year at Triple A Jacksonville — .256, .340 on-base, 18 homers, 57 RBI in 94 games. But he’s still striking out too much (128 in 394 plate appearances), and the Marlins so far have declined to promote him.
He’ll need to be moved to the 40-man roster before a potential lockout begins Dec. 1; otherwise, he would be subjected to the Rule 5 draft.
▪ Third baseman Brayden Taylor (10th): Acquired in the Hicks trade with Tampa, the 19th overall pick of the 2023 Draft has struggled in his first 22 games at Triple A Jacksonville (.169, .365 on-base, two homers, seven RBI). He hasn’t yet been able to build on his good work earlier this year at Double A Montgomery (.284, 17 homers, 56 RBI in 88 games).
▪ Outfielder Dillon Lewis (11th): The Marlins coveted Lewis in the Ryan Weathers trade with the Yankees — a deal that also delivered prospects Brendan Jones, Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus, who was promoted to Jacksonville this week. But while Lewis’ ceiling is high, the strikeout totals have been, too (103 in 327 plate appearances).
He’s hitting .237 (.303 on-base) with 17 homers and 45 RBI in 80 games. Like several of the prospects acquired, the production hasn’t yet matched the hype.
As MLB.com noted: “Miami’s front office was eager to add Lewis in no small part because of his power potential. The right-handed slugger produces top-of-the-line exit velocities, up to 113.9 mph last year, and has plenty of raw strength — some stiff swing mechanics make it likely that he’ll maintain a below-average hit tool — he’s had particular struggles with in-zone contact.”
▪ Outfielder Compton (13th): The Marlins’ 2025 second-round pick (out of Arizona State) has been on an impressive power trip, hitting 33 homers with 94 RBI in 109 games at High A Beloit and Double A Pensacola before his promotion to Jacksonville. Naturally, he homered in his first game there on Wednesday; that gave him 34 for the season, sixth in minors.
His Double A numbers were staggering: .321 (.421 on-base) with 21 homers and 54 RBI in 50 games. The Marlins have played him in the corner outfield spots and DH.
Per Baseball America, he is the only minor-league player this season with 30-plus homers, 20-plus stolen bases and a .275 average.
▪ Shortstop Santiago Solarte (14th): The 17-year-old international signing — who’s already a physical presence at 6-5 and 200 pounds — can play shortstop and third and is hitting .339, with 10 homers and 47 RBI in 52 games in the Dominican League.
Per MLB.com’s scouting report, “the Venezuela native immediately stands out for his physical strength with near-top-of-the-line exit velocities from the left side of the plate. He will have as much upside as anyone in the Marlins’ system if he can tap into his tremendous tools.”
Up next: How the Marlins’ top pitching prospects have done this season.
This story was originally published September 3, 2026 at 12:14 PM.
Miami Herald
Barry Jackson has written for the Miami Herald since 1986 and has written the Florida Sports Buzz column since 2002.