First chance to impress
Lefty Dillon Peters will start Friday’s Grapefruit League opener
JUIPTER — A big-league clubhouse always resembles a casting call at the beginning of spring training.
That is particularly true in Miami Marlins camp this year with about a dozen of the 38 pitchers auditioning for three openings in the starting rotation and a few other long shot candidates angling for a big break.
Amid an influx of new faces, left-hander Dillon Peters has an advantage of not needing a nametag reading, “Hello, my name is …”
Peters got his first taste of the majors last September when he was called up from Double-A and made six starts for Miami. He will get first chance to make an impression when he starts the Grapefruit League opener Friday against the Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
“Pretty excited to get the ball,” said Peters, who will be slated for two innings. “Just to get out there and compete again; it’s been a long time.”
The Marlins’ 10th-round draft pick in 2014 opened eyes with a solid showing a year ago in his first experience in big-league camp. In his only Grapefruit League start he tossed three hitless innings against the Nationals.
But a promising beginning to the season was shortcircuited in mid-April when a comebacker to the mound fractured his left thumb. That kept Peters out for three months, but he showed enough in 13 starts in High-A and Double-A to get the call-up from Miami.
“Sitting in rehab for a few months is tough on anybody. So, it was a lot of ups and downs last season that finished positively,” said Peters, adding that he has no lingering trouble with the thumb, though, “There’re plates and screws in there that ain’t coming out.”
Peters made one of the most memorable big-league debuts in Marlins history with seven shutout innings against the Phillies on Sept. 1. His eight strikeouts tied the late Jose Fernandez for most in a Marlin’s first game. The seven innings matched Justin Nicolino and Brad Penny for longest outing in a Marlin’s first game.
He also held the Braves without a run on two hits for 5 2⁄3 innings in his final outing. In between there were some rough patches that led to a 5.17 ERA and 1.63 WHIP.
So, the results were mixed, but Peters has the advantage of coming into this camp as a known quantity while many others vying for recognition are a blank slate.
“It definitely helps to have a little history with a guy,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “We’ve seen some good and we’ve seen some bad, quite honestly. But then we’re able to see the improvement from last year to a couple of the [recent bullpen sessions], which don’t necessarily mean a whole lot. But he’s throwing well. You see he’s in great shape this year.”
In an age when pitchers tend to be oversized and the emphasis is on velocity, Peters is a bit of an anomaly at 5 feet 9.
There is enough zip on his fastball at 92-94 mph, particularly when he keeps it on either edge of the plate.
That sets up an effective curveball, which has an above-average spin rate of 2,695.87 rpm (the MLB average last season was 2,500.35), according to Statcast. Breaking balls with higher spin rates tend to yield more movement and are tougher to hit.
But as Mattingly noted, command and location of pitches will be big determining factors in how Peters and others fare in this starting rotation sweepstakes.
“It’s all about him making sure he’s able to get the ball to both sides of the plate with the fastball. [And] staying in favorable counts to be able use his repertoire,” Mattingly said. “I think Dillon’s determination is a good thing to see. I think he has a lot of confidence in himself.”
Self-confidence is essential in this camp with so many viable candidates making a pitch for jobs.
“I think everybody has just got to go out there and compete. Just handle your business and do the right things and I think everything will work out,” he said.
Caution with Prado, Riddle
Competition at a number of other positions amps up Monday with the full squad working out for the first time.
But the potential starting left side of the infield will not be in place until later in spring training. Shortstop JT Riddle and third baseman Martin Prado are coming back from seasonending surgeries, and Mattingly said the Marlins will take a cautious approach with both.
Riddle had surgery for a tear in his left shoulder on Aug. 11. He is not expected to play in a game until the middle of March.
The projection is more vague for Prado, who had arthroscopic surgery July 28 to repair a meniscus tear in in his right knee.
“For me, the date on Martin is Opening Day,” Mattingly said. “You just want Martin to be healthy when we start the [regular] season.”
Prado was limited to 37 games last season due to recurring hamstring strains and then the knee injury. Rookie Brian Anderson, who played in 25 games in September, will get considerable time at third this spring, and the Marlins will also take a look at non-roster invitees Peter Mooney, Eric Campbell and Johnny Giavotella.
Miguel Rojas figures to get most of the work at shortstop until Riddle returns. Riddle took over at short after Adeiny Hechavarria was traded and appeared in 70 games, batting .250 with three home runs and 31 RBI.