The first month of minor league baseball is in the books so lets see how some of the Marlins prospects are doing.
New Orleans Zephyrs
1. Elih Villanueva SP- After starting five games in the month of April, Villanueva isn’t off to the start that he was hoping or what people might have thought. He has a 1-3 record to go along with a 5.79 ERA. I’m sure as time goes on he will adjust and return to his previous season’s form.
2. Tom Koehler SP- Koehler on the other hand is off to a much better start than Villanueva. He has a 2-0 record with a light 2.74 ERA. With the way Koehler is pitching so far this year it is easy to see why he was the Southern Leagues best pitcher last year in AA.
3. Jose Ceda RP- Possibly the most dominate bullpen arm in the Marlins minor leagues, Ceda 24, has some lights out stuff at the back end of the pen. He’s pitched in 10 games so far this season and has recorded 6 saves. He has 15 strikeouts to go along with his dominate 0.75 ERA. Wouldn’t surprise me if he was a September call up.
Jacksonville Suns
1. Brad Hand SP- The most highly regarded arm in Jacksonville is 3-1 with a 4.03 ERA through 5 starts. The young lefty is quickly moving up in the Marlins system due to his great command.
2. Kyle Skipworth C- Same story every year it seems when it comes to Skipworth. He has great tools but it isn’t coming together, at least not yet. He is off to a poor start hitting just .175 and he is leading the team with 21 strikeouts.
3. Chris Hatcher RP- The former catcher changed his positions this off season due to his lack of hitting, but the ability to throw hard has made it an easy transition to a bullpen guy. Through 10 games this season Hatcher has a 0.84 ERA with 14 strikeouts compared to 2 walks.
Jupiter Hammerheads
1. Chad James SP- The 6’4″ lefty has a great arm, but lacked to show consistency last year. That is not the case this year. James, despite being 0-4 has a very nice 2.73 ERA after 5 starts. So far the only problem is that James has given up a team leading 3 home runs.
2. Kyle Jensen OF- This big LF has busted on to the scene this year hitting .369 with 5 HR’s to go with 19 RBI’s in 23 games. Jensen also has a OPS of 1.073.
3. Jose Torres SS- The former Venezuelan draftee has started to show skills at the plate hitting .290 but he still has low numbers in almost all batting categories.
Greensboro Grasshoppers
1. Christian Yelich OF- Last years 1st rounder is off to a semi slow start hitting just .256 but he has shown some pop in his bat with 3 HR’s.
2. Marcell Ozuna OF- The most intriguing prospect I think the Marlins have in their system is off to a torrid power start this year. He has 7 HR’s and 15 RBI’s. One thing Ozuna does do a little too much of is striking out. He leads the team in that category.
3. Isaac Galloway OF- The speedy OF who has tremendous tools has yet to show it. He is finally getting it done with the bat this season. He is hitting .296 with 4HR’s.
What Marlins prospects are you excited to see during the 2011 season?
-Alex