Neidert, Miller headline Marlins All-Stars
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in their organization. Click here to locate your favorite club.A team that hit the reset button prior to the 2018 campaign, the Marlins
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in their organization. Click here to locate your favorite club.
A team that hit the reset button prior to the 2018 campaign, the Marlins dealt their entire starting outfield from 2017 in hopes of beginning a rebuilding process under new ownership. A slew of offseason moves helped Miami in that regard, giving the system a much-needed influx of talent in the Minor Leagues.
Though Miami did not put any teams in the postseason, with the acquisitions of
Marlins Organization All-Stars
Catcher --
And behind the plate, Nola continued to be a valuable asset for the pitching staff, throwing out 37 percent of would-be basestealers in his second full season as a catcher.
First baseman --
After hitting .226 in May, Silviano started to take his game to another level in June. Over 16 games that month before he hit the disabled list, he batted .368 with a 1.169 OPS, five homers and 12 RBIs. The explosion at the plate earned him a cup of coffee in Double-A when he was healthy, for the final month of the season.
Organization All-Stars by MLB affiliate »
Second baseman --
In his first crack at Double-A, Diaz mashed 10 homers with 42 RBIs, finishing his tour in the Southern League with a .784 OPS -- the highest mark on the club of anyone who played at least 80 games. For the final third of the year, Diaz moved up to the Pacific Coast League and, despite struggling to hit consistently, belted three dingers with New Orleans.
Jacksonville manager Randy Ready was impressed by the extra defensive work Diaz put in during his time with the Jumbo Shrimp. He maintained a personal-best .973 fielding percentage throughout the season.
"Pleasantly surprising was his defensive play," Ready said. "He was a very dependable defender. He worked very hard on his defense and established a routine every day in his pregame routine. He also worked hard on his pivot, and that progressed very nicely. His range improved, and most importantly, defensively, was his dependability and consistency in the field."
Third baseman --
In June, the 2014 fourth-round pick batted .185, but rebounded by hitting .285 with five home runs over the course of July and August, earning him a postseason All-Star nod in the Southern League.
"Brian has been maturing each and every season from a defensive standpoint and from an offensive standpoint," Ready said. "Offensively, he hung in there and was [hitting] .270 at one point during the season. ... I thought he made a lot of adjustments and made some nice progress offensively with his timing and his contact point."
Shortstop --
Although he lacked power (he had a .332 slugging percentage), he batted .273 in the South Atlantic League. In the first half, Devers put up a .284 average with 13 extra-base hits and earned a spot on the Northern Division squad in the SAL All-Star Game.
Keeping a solid glove, he committed seven errors in 241 chances for a .971 fielding percentage, improving upon his .933 mark from 2017.
Outfielders
In his first crack at Triple-A, Dean hit .320/.397/.475 with nine home runs in 87 games. In 11 August contests, he hit .465 with four roundtrippers and grabbed another Player of the Week award.
The highly productive stretch got him his first Major League callup.
Between two levels this season, Miller amassed a .295 average and .338 on-base percentage, but that only tells part of the story. He swiped an organization-best 40 bases one year after he stole 21 with Greensboro.
Using that speed to his best ability in the field, Miller held a .992 fielding percentage (two errors on 250 chances) while accumulating five assists.
With a lack of fear in all facets of the game, he made himself a better player each day, according to Ready.
"Brian can manipulate the barrel and handle so many different pitches within the strike zone," the Jacksonville skipper said. "There were balls put in play and the ability to use the whole field. ... The biggest plus was his ability to steal bases. ... Catchers in Double-A have at least average pop time, and to steal that many bases was quite a nice feather in his cap."
Harrison also collected 42 extra-base hits and 48 RBIs, and was named a midseason and postseason All-Star in the Southern League.
"He has the speed-power combination and he's certainly a tools-out player," Ready said. "If he cuts down on the strikeouts, he has an opportunity to have a nice career."
Honorable mention --
Utility player --
His presence and character also made him a positive influence in the clubhouse.
"With Peter, there's no doubt that he's a class act on and off the field," Ready said. "He prepares very well and is a total professional. He's a good ambassador and he represents well as a player on the field with his work habit and also as a teammate."
Right-handed starter --
"I think the biggest compliment you could give a starting pitcher is [that he gives the team] an opportunity and chance to win," Ready said. "Each and every time Nick took the mound and started, that just showed how dependable he was and we had confidence that we were going to win the game that night. There were times where he didn't get run support, but he maintained his part of the game and shut the opposition down."
Left-handed starter --
Overall in his first full season, Castano had a 3.93 ERA and 1.34 WHIP while making 13 starts in which he completed at least six innings.
Relief pitcher --
"Lee would come in and slam the door," Ready said. "He got ready in the bullpen and when he came in the game, he was on a mission and it certainly showed. Great angle with the fastball -- downhill plane -- and commanded the strike zone with the fastball on both sides, up and down. And he had the wipeout slider with the change that was becoming an average to above-average pitch. That's why he earned the promotion to Triple-A."
Making 10 relief appearances for the Baby Cakes down the stretch, he whiffed 19 batters in 16 frames.
Andrew Battifarano is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter, @AndrewAtBatt.