Marlins' Sanchez bound for Jacksonville

The biggest arm in the Marlins' system is about to become a Jumbo Shrimp.
Miami's top prospectSixto Sanchez -- acquired in the February trade that sent big league catcher J.T. Realmuto to the Phillies -- is scheduled to make his organizational debut with Double-A Jacksonville on April 26. The 20-year-old right-hander has been working out at the club's facilities in Jupiter, Florida, since the end of Spring Training.

"Sixto is in his throwing program," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill told MLB.com on Sunday. "Once we acquired him, we sort of started him from day one, so we knew exactly where he was, and we could do the things delivery-wise that we wanted to get accomplished with him.
"Part of his throwing progression is he will throw competitive innings in extended. He's been great. He's worked through his throwing progression. He's off the mound now, and he's being built up to ultimately join the Double-A rotation at the end of the month."

Sanchez is healthy, but the Marlins are being cautious with him because of his injury history. He threw only 46 2/3 innings with Class A Advanced Clearwater last year before being shut down in early June with inflammation in his throwing elbow. Then, a stint in the Arizona Fall League was nixed because of collarbone soreness. He hasn't pitched more than 95 innings in any of his five professional seasons.
The Marlins want to keep Sanchez on an innings limit, so his arrival in Jacksonville will expand the Jumbo Shrimp rotation to six starters.
Baseball's 27th overall prospect -- listed at 6 feet tall -- signed for just $35,000 in 2015. But according to MLB Pipeline, Sanchez's velocity can hit the triple digits and he usually throws with plus command.
The San Cristobal native won the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League's ERA crown in 2016, his first action outside of the Dominican Republic. In 54 innings that year, he held hitters to a .181 average and allowed just three earned runs (0.50 ERA). In his first full season the next year, he posted a 3.03 ERA in 18 starts between South Atlantic League and Florida State League. And before his 2018 was cut short, Sanchez went 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA, 45 strikeouts and 11 walks in eight starts for Clearwater.