How Marlins’ top outfield prospects are faring since trades, with executive feedback

Part 2 of a four-part series

Eight Marlins trades during the past three months have infused the organization with sorely needed young talent. Over several days, we’re looking at where the Marlins’ top prospects stand, with feedback from two team executives.

In Part 2, let’s examine the Marlins’ top prospects in the outfield:

▪ Center fielder Dillon Head, acquired from San Diego with first baseman Nathan Martorella, outfielder Jakob Marsee and pitcher Woo-Suk Go for Luis Arreaz:

The Marlins saw Head in only three games at Jupiter before he sustained an abductor strain that ultimately led to a femoral impingement that required season-ending left hip surgery. He should be fine for spring training, the team said.

“His overall athleticism is incredible,” said Rachel Balkovec, the Marlins’ director of player development. “We are talking about speed, explosiveness on defense.”

Hector Crespo, the Marlins’ director of minor-league operations, said Head is “electric on the field. The run tool stands out; seeing him in center field track balls down is [impressive]. He’s electric on the bases.”

Head, a first-round pick in 2023, was the Padres’ No. 6 prospect at the time of the trade and considered one of the fastest runners in the minors.

In 37 career games and 177 plate appearances in A ball, he was hitting .237 (.317 on base) with 13 RBI and six steals in 12 attempts, with 38 strikeouts and 13 walks. At 19, it’s way too soon to know whether he will be able to hit at the advanced levels of the minors, let alone the majors.

He has had some trouble with pitch recognition, according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, but the speed is intoxicating.

Baseball America projects that “he’s likely to be a contact-oriented offensive player without a ton of power.”

▪ Marsee, acquired in that Padres trade for Arraez:

The .194 batting average in 85 games at Double A Pensacola is discouraging, but the on-base percentage (.349) and modest strikeout totals give reason for hope. So do the 32 steals in 37 attempts, to go with eight doubles, six homers and 35 RBI.

“His strikeout rate is 21 percent and his walk rate is 16 percent; that’s extremely promising,” Balkovec said. “His swing decisions are good. [Marlins president/baseball operations] Peter [Bendix], [assistant GM Gabe Kapler] and I are all aligned that if you’re doing that at the Double A level, it will bode well.”

Defensively, “we like him in center field,” Balkovec said. “We like to see guys who can play multiple roles.”

The former sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan has started in left field or right field in 17 of his 85 starts for Pensacola.

▪ Kyle Stowers, acquired from Baltimore with infielder Connor Norby for Trevor Rogers:

His first three weeks with the Marlins have been a struggle: eight hits (all singles) in 61 at-bats, computing to a .131 average and .197 on-base average. He had three hits in a recent game but struck out in a key ninth inning at-bat in Wednesday’s loss to Arizona.

“He’s taking some licks now; he could be pressing,” Crespo said. “But he has a history of really good years with Baltimore. ... He hits the ball really hard. He has above-average swing decisions with our metrics, swings at the right pitches” generally.

What’s encouraging is that he hit better than that in limited work for Baltimore this year: .306 (11 for 36).

At Triple A this season, he hit .240 (.322 on base) with 18 homers and 55 RBI in 58 games. He has 91 homers in 407 games over parts of five minor-league seasons.

His overall big-league numbers (mostly with Baltimore): .202, .252 on base, 4 homers, 21 RBI, 80 strikeouts and 11 walks in 234 plate appearances in 86 games through three seasons.

▪ Center fielder Andrew Pintar, acquired with Deyvison De Los Santos in the A.J. Puk deal with Arizona:

Drafted in the fifth round out of BYU in 2022, hit .304 (.403 on base) with nine homers and 32 RBI in 57 games in High A Hillsboro, Oregon, this season and went 7 for 38 (.184) in his first 10 games at Double A Amarillo, Texas.

Since the trade, he’s hitting .229 (.283 on base) in 48 at bats through 12 games at Double A Pensacola.

“Maybe he’s not as talked about as much as others, but the one thing that stood out is his run tool,” Crespo said. “He’s an above-average runner home to first and first to third. He can play really good defense in the outfield. He puts the ball in play, doesn’t strike out a lot.”

Pintar is 27 for 35 on steals in two minor-league seasons. He hit .298 with nine homers and 46 RBI in 81 games through three seasons at BYU. Besides center, he also can play second base and left field.

TOP PROSPECT MOVES TO THE OUTFIELD

▪ Jacob Berry, selected sixth overall by the Marlins out of LSU in 2022, has moved to right field after playing primarily first and third base during his first two seasons.

“We’re probably going to see him more in the outfield” now, Crespo said. “It has been a slow process [offensively], but he’s been one of better hitters in the Southern League the past two months. He hit .300 in July, .378 in August [through last week]. He’s on the rise. Credit to Jake for fielding coaching. We’ve changed a couple things with his work before games that has translated.”

One of college baseball’s best hitters at LSU, Berry is hitting .236 (.301 on base), with 9 homers, 44 RBI and 17 doubles in 100 games at Double A Pensacola this season. He’s at .236 (.300 on base) with 21 homers and 129 RBI in 244 minor-league games. So he still has much to prove.

MLB.com ranks him as the Marlins’ No. 13 prospect.

OTHER TOP OF PROSPECTS IN THE SYSTEM

▪ Victor Mesa Jr.: He’s out for the year with a lower back injury but “should be back for spring,” Crespo said.

The injury was “heartbreaking. We were excited where he was at and performing before the injury — 13 homers, 14 doubles. He’s a guy we are still really high on.”

Mesa Jr. had 51 RBI, a .259 batting average and a .319 on base average in 80 games at Jacksonville. At 21, there’s still plenty of upside.

▪ Kemp Alderman: The Marlins’ No. 16 overall prospect had a late start to the season because of a hand injury but is hitting .259 (.332) with 5 homers and 38 RBI in 55 games at three levels this season, mostly Single A ball. He has not been overmatched in 17 games at High A Beloit (.266, .356 on base).

“He was Player of the Month in the Florida State League, has a reduced strikeout rate, is swinging at better pitches,” Crespo said. “He has as much or more power than [most] anyone in the system.”

▪ Griffin Conine: He’s still putting up big power numbers (19 homers, 63 RBI), along with a .266 average and .347 on-base percentage in 109 games at Triple A Jacksonville. The issue remains strikeouts.

“We’re happy with his year,” Crespo said. “You’re not where you want with strikeouts at 30 percent, but that’s down from 39 percent. The power is still there.”

Here’s Part 1 of the series on the Marlins’ top infield prospects.

Coming next: A progress report on the Marlins’ top pitching prospects.