Miami Marlins Top Prospects 2024

Miami Marlins Top 30 prospects according to Chris Clegg, including Noble Meyer, Thomas White, Max Meyer, and more!

Welcome to our team prospect rankings. Over the next two months, I will be pumping out team top 30 prospect rankings and evaluations for dynasty baseball. These reports are generated from live looks, film study, and advanced data analysis to bring you in-depth fantasy scouting reports on every player you need to know. Not all 30 players in each writeup will be dynasty relevant, but many will, and if you play in a deep league, certainly most of the names will be worth knowing.

We kicked off earlier in the week with the Atlanta Braves top-30 and you can find that here:

Today we are moving on the Miami Marlins, whose farm system is not on the level it was a couple of years ago, but with a strong 2023 draft the system is in a much better spot.

Each player has a detailed write-up on each. The top 10 rankings and writeups are free for all, but the top 30 are for paid subs. Get an edge in your dynasty leagues and get in on some of these players first!

Glossary:

FFG = Future Fantasy Grade - essentially, what is the likely long-term outcome for the prospect? This is always going to be more conservative. Handing out ace tags is not something I like to do. So this is a realistic outcome.

90th Peak = If the player hits their best-case outcome, what does it look like?

Variance = How risky is this player’s profile, and how likely are they to hit their likely outcome? Low variance is good; high means more risky.

1. Noble Meyer, RHP, 18, 6’5”/185

Meyer established himself as one of the best prep pitching prospects in the 2023 MLB Draft, and the Marlins decided to play into their strength of pitching development and draft Meyer tenth overall. 

The 18-year-old has quite an impressive arsenal and a good feel for command, starting with his fastball that sits in the mid-90s. In his pro debut, Meyer’s sinker sat around 95 mph with some pretty incredible movement, averaging 17 inches of horizontal run, while also showing good depth. It is easy velocity from a frame that will likely only add strength, and with that could come more velo.
Meyer’s slider sits between 84 and 86 on average, with consistently ten or more inches of sweeping action while also showing good depth. In his pro debut, we saw it get anywhere between 2850 and 3000 rpm of spin, generating a ton of swing and miss as well as chase out of the zone.

The changeup is still a developing pitch that Meyer did not need to throw often as a prep player due to the dominance of his fastball and slider. He sells the pitch well with quick arm speed that resembles the fastball, and the Marlins have done well developing changeups in the past. If all develops for Meyer, he could be a consistent top-15 type pitcher.

FFG: SP2-SP3 Caliber Arm

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 180 IP/3.00 ERA/220 K

Variance: Medium

2. Thomas White, LHP, 19, 6’5”/210

Much like the pick with Meyer, the Marlins stuck to their guns, grabbing the best prep lefty in the class in Thomas White at 35 overall. White dominates with a big fastball from a low-effort delivery, currently sitting around 94 but has gotten up to 97 on occasion, playing better at the top of the zone with its ride. It also shows some late arm-side run, averaging between seven and 12 inches im his pro debut. 

White already has an advanced changeup, which plays quite well with his fastball until it takes a late dive and fade. Hawkeye has the pitch with as much as 30 inches of vertical drop and consistently 14 inches of fade, making it firmly a plus pitch.

The curveball is his go-to swing-and-miss pitch, sitting between 77 and 80 mph with a ton of vertical movement plus sweeping action. It is an interesting pitch, showing the depth of a curveball, but the sweeping action resembles more of a slider. If he can differentiate the two pitches and develop a true four-pitch mix, his stock is going to soar. 

Right now, you can make the argument there are three potential plus pitches in the arsenal already. The command is still a work in progress, but with the stuff, White can make it work. The upside here is tremendous.

FFG: SP2-SP3 Caliber Arm

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 170 IP/3.30 ERA/190 K

Variance: Medium

3. Max Meyer, RHP, 24, 6’0”/196

The Marlins seem to have a thing for pitchers with the last name Meyer in the first round of drafts, selecting Max Meyer third overall in the shortened 2020 draft. With no MiLB season in 2020, the Marlins sent Meyer straight to Double-A in 2021, where he dominated to the tune of a 2.41 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP while striking out 27 percent of the batters he faced. After making 12 starts in Triple-A in 2022, Meyer earned a chance to make his MLB debut, which didn’t go so hot, and in his second big league start, Meyer tore his UCL, leading to Tommy John Surgery.

The arsenal is predominantly fastball/slider for Meyer, with the fastball sitting in the mid-90s, which does not have much horizontal movement. But the fastball plays up enough to set up the wipeout slider, which misses a ton of bats, showing nice depth.

The emergence of the changeup will likely take Meyer to the next level of being a high-end starting pitcher. It showed over 15 inches of fading action before his injury, putting that movement profile in the plus category. 

We don’t know what Meyer’s arsenal will look like coming back from Tommy John in 2024, but there are high hopes he can return to form and contribute to the Marlins rotation. I would be buying Meyer this offseason in dynasty.

FFG: SP3-SP4 Caliber Arm

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 160 IP/3.30 ERA/185 K

Variance: Medium

4. Xavier Edwards, SS, 23, 5’10”/175

While Xavier Edwards technically graduated due to service time, I am leaving him on the list because he only received 78 MLB at-bats, putting him well under that threshold. After being selected 38th overall by the Padres in 2018, Edwards has been traded to Tampa Bay and now is with the Marlins.

You can argue that Edwards had by far his best season as a professional in 2023 when he posted a .351/.429/.457 with seven home runs and 32 stolen bases in 433 Triple-A plate appearances. You can tell that Edwards is an elite contact hitter, considering he struck out 6.9 percent of the time in Triple-A while walking 12 percent. The numbers show that as he posted a 90 percent contact rate and a 93.2 percent zone-contact rate. The 26 percent chase rate is manageable, especially considering the elite contact. 

The power is the biggest question as Edwards posted an 85.7 mph average exit velocity and a 98.1 mph 90th percentile, which may put him closer to 20-grade power than 30. The good news is that if you are rostering Edwards in a dynasty league, you get an elite contact hitter who feels like a safe bet to steal 25 bases or more regularly.

FFG: Stolen Base Speciliast w/Good Batting Averages

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .300/10 HR/40 SB

Variance: Low

5. Jacob Berry, CI, 22, 6’0”/212

Berry was quite hyped coming out of LSU in the 2022 draft, and the Marlins liked enough of what they saw to take him sixth overall. Berry has not lived up to that hype in his professional career, slashing .233/.284/.388 in 107 games between Single-A and Double-A this year. He managed just nine home runs and stole ten while striking out 20 percent of the time and walking five percent. 

The switch hitter has posted exit velocities slightly below average for his entire career, which is fairly important for a corner infielder for fantasy purposes. The body suggests that more power cloud be developed with some swing tweaks, but given the age, im not confident he will ever get above-average game power.

The good news is Berry’s contact rates have been very good, with a contact rate of 77 percent this season, and it stayed consistent all year. Right now, the profile does not give me huge excitement for fantasy purposes, but you should bet on the performance improving from what we saw in 2023.

FFG: Hit First 1B

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .275/18 HR/10 SB

Variance: Medium

6. Troy Johnston, 1B, 26, 5’11”/205

Some will be quick to dismiss Johnston because he is a 26-year-old prospect, but in the wise words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend.” Johnston had an incredible 2023 season between Double-A and Triple-A, posting a .307/.399/.549 with 26 home runs, 36 doubles, and five triples while stealing 24 bases. 

Johnston makes plenty of contact despite being an aggressive hitter, posting a 52 percent swing rate but still having a 78 percent contact rate and an 85 percent zone-contact rate. While the exit velocities are not off the chart, Johnston hits the ball at ideal launch angles and gets the most of his power. 

2024 should present an opportunity for Johnston at the MLB level to see how he can handle big-league pitching.

FFG: Deep League CI

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .270/25 HR/ 15 SB

Variance: Medium

7. Brock Vradenburg, 1B, 21, 6’7”/230

Vradenburg had a successful career at Michigan State but saw his stock soar in 2023 as he slashed .400/.492/.721 with 13 home runs. From a data standpoint, finding someone across the board who posted better numbers in college was hard. His chase rate of 17 percent was incredibly impressive and one of the lowest among all draftees while posting a 79 percent contact and an 86 percent zone-contact rate. All three of those metrics are strong.

The power is easy to all fields. Vradenburg’s 91 mph average exit velocity and 106 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in college are both strong numbers. Even with a tick back when using wood, you can argue for at least 55-grade power. There will certainly be pressure on the bat, as Vradenburg will be limited to first base only in the field, but the contact and plate discipline, coupled with respectable power should play.

FFG: OBP League Secret With Power.

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .270/25 HR/3 SB

Variance: Medium

8. Dax Fulton, LHP, 21, 6’7”/235

Fulton was one of my picks to break out in 2023, but an elbow injury and later surgery ended his Double-A season after just 33 innings. You have to wonder if the elbow was bothering him all year as he uncharacteristically pitched to a 5.18 ERA and walked 19 batters. 

The tough thing about the injury was that Fulton was finally returning to form to end the 2022 season after having Tommy John in 2020 as a senior in high school. 

Fulton pounds the zone with a fastball in the mid-90s, topping out at 97 mph. His tall frame creates a ton of extension and downhill plane while he also mixes in a two-seam fastball as well. The curveball is his best offering that sits in the high-70s and gets into the low-80s. It varies from a 12-6 to a 1-7 shape but gets a ton of downward movement. The changeup will be a big sticking point for Fulton being a long-term starting pitcher. His return from injury in 2024 will be telling, as it is possible that Fulton could make his MLB debut if all goes well.

FFG: SP4-SP5 Caliber Arm

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 160 IP/3.50 ERA/175 K

Variance: High

9. Victor Mesa Jr., OF, 22, 6’0”/195

It was a tale of two halves for Mesa Jr. who came out of the gate hot and through June 15, was slashing .270/.353/.449 with six home runs. Considering the tacky ball being in the Southern League, and that Mesa posted a .669 OPS in 2022, their seems to be some tangible changes in the profile. But after June 15, Mesa slashed just .224/.280/.386 despite the contact rate jumping eight percentage points over that span. 

The hit tool will always be a question, but the strides in the second half were quite noticeable. Mesa is a strong athlete and has shown the ability to hit for some power and steal some bases which is his biggest appeal for fantasy. His future value will go as far as his hit tool takes him.

FFG: Deep League OF

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .250 20 HR/15 SB

Variance: High

10. Dane Myers, OF, 27, 6’2”/205

Is Myers considered an old prospect? Sure. But that does not concern me at all, considering his performance this year. Myers made the majors and played 22 games in Miami after a solid 100-game sample between Double-A and Triple-A. In the minors, Myers posted a .316/.406/.489 slash with 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases. 

Myers hits the ball with respectable exit velocities, posting a 90 mph average exit velocity and a 103.5 mph 90th percentile. The contact skills are good across the board despite higher chase rates. Myers posted an 86 percent zone contact rate and an 82 percent overall contact rate, both firmly in plus territory.

By no means is rostering Myers in a dynasty league sexy, but he might just be an underrated asset in deeper leagues.

FFG: Deep League OF Option

90th Percentile Peak Outcome: .270/15 HR/15 SB

Variance: High

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