Marlins' Alderman already sporting newlywed glow in Fall League

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Batters love hitting in the Arizona Fall League. The dry, humid air coupled with temps that often hover around triple digits in the early weeks often lead to a pile of extra-base hits and fly balls that might have landed on the warning track in other settings instead going over the fence.

Through his first two games of the 2024 campaign, Kemp Alderman is the latest in the lineage of sluggers to have an affinity for the premier prospect showcase. But just how much does he love the AFL? Enough to return immediately after his wedding.

The Marlins’ No. 12 prospect is in Arizona to make up for lost time at the start of his season, while also showcasing the offensive impact that made him a second-round pick out of Ole Miss in 2023. The 22-year-old was overjoyed when he got the news of being AFL-bound … even if it meant needing to take a brief sabbatical in late October to get married and honeymoon in Antigua.

“I'm blessed with my family and my fiancé,” Alderman said. “She's gonna be a great wife. She loves baseball. She knew getting into this relationship that baseball was my life, it's what I do every single day. It's what I take passion in and she loves that, and when I got the call [to play in the Fall League], she was like, ‘I'm blessed that you get that opportunity to go out there and play and showcase [your] skills.’ … It’s tough, but being busy is good.”

Alderman walloped an opposite-field solo homer to kick off the scoring for the Javelinas in a 5-3 win over the Saguaros at Surprise Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, giving him homers in each of his first two Fall League appearances. It took him 23 contests until he cleared the fences in the regular season, but he has quickly hit the ground running after three weeks off from game action.

Power is the calling tool of the 6-foot-2, 250-pound outfielder. Prior to the acquisition of Deyvison De Los Santos (MIA No. 4) at the Trade Deadline, Alderman had the organization’s highest-ranked power grade (the two are now tied with 60). But it’s hard to get to pop of any kind without grip strength, an issue that cropped up for the right-handed-hitting outfielder in early April when he broke the hamate bone in his left hand.

Having mashed to a 1.149 OPS during his final season with Ole Miss, it’s not hard to envision why Alderman would sell out to his pullside for extra-base pop. But after producing a 46.3 pull percentage in 34 games with Single-A Jupiter during his first taste of pro ball in 2023, he’s made a conscientious effort to tweak his focus, with that number steadily declining this year as he climbed up to Double-A. Both his AFL homers were opposite-field shots – at 109.9 mph and 105.4 respectively.

“Just trying to work on my sights more to right-center,” Alderman said of his recent adjustments. “I mean, not trying to let the ball travel, but if I catch it deep, that's all right too.”

Once Alderman hit his first home run of the season for Jupiter on July 9, he took off. In many regards, he was the best hitter in the Minors for a three-week stretch. From that date until Aug. 4, he collected at least one RBI in 16 of his 19 contests, recording 29 total, tied for the most in MiLB during that span. He slashed .333/.416/.640 with 12 of his 25 hits going for extra bases, including five homers, while moving up to High-A after proving far too advanced for the Single-A Florida State League.

“You just gotta know what to do when things start going bad because as everyone knows, this is a game of failure,” Alderman said. “So sometimes things aren't gonna go your way. It's how you're gonna react when things are going bad vs. when things are going good because anybody can keep going when things are going good -- it's how you react when it's going bad.”

That summer hot stretch helped push Alderman up the Marlins’ organizational ladder, and in many ways, has helped to reestablish his shimmering prospect profile after some early hiccups. He’s the highest-ranked member of the Miami system on hand in Arizona, a group that has been rejuvenated by a recent spate of moves.

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“I mean, this is the best of the best competition. It's a great opportunity,” Alderman said. “It's kind of like Spring Training, you know, you roll out, backfield-game-playing against guys. You don't really have a scouting report just going up there and playing ball. … It's awesome.”