Pitching prospects starting to show promise

Checking in with five youngsters on whose arms the future rests.

The Marlins’ vice president of player development and scouting Gary Denbo reiterated once the recent draft ended what type of pitcher the club has been looking to acquire in recent months whether through trades or the draft.

“We value strike-throwers, guys that miss bats and guys that create weak contact and are athletic on the mound with quality repeatable deliveries, guys that can split a breaking ball and have pitchability,” Denbo said on June 7.

The Marlins have begun to see those profiles developing in several pitchers acquired during the past year and even in some that were already in the system since last year’s draft who have been working with the club’s new development staff. Here is a look at five of them:

Jorge Guzman: The hard-throw-

ing right-hander acquired in the trade for Giancarlo Stanton with the Yankees struggled early this season with his command of that plus-100 mph fastball.

But after some mechanical adjustments to his delivery, Guzman appears to be improving his overall arsenal as he has compiled a 1.91 ERA in nine starts at Single A Jupiter.

“He kind of got out of whack his first start (in April),” said Kevin Randel, the managerof the Jupiter Hammerheads. “He came right out throwing 101 and 102 about five pitches to the first hitter of the game. It was another learning experience, and we talked about it. He’s going to try and establish the fastball and establish it in the zone. He’s going to have those experiences, and that’s what you need at this level.”

Guzman, rated the No. 3 prospect in the Marlins’ organization by MLBPipeline, has steadily improved that walk to strikeout ratio with more experience.

In three of his past four starts, Guzman has thrown five or more shutout innings, and allowed three earned runs overall in his past 22 2/3 innings. Over that span, Guzman has struck out 21 and walked 10.

Sandy Alcantara: The crown jewel for the Marlins in the Marcell Ozuna trade with the St. Louis Cardinals has begun consistently pitching deep into his starts at Triple A New Orleans. Alcantara, the Marlins’ top pitching prospect (No. 2 overall), is 5-2 with a 3.76 ERA in 13 starts (79 innings) and has pitched into the sixth inning in each of his past six starts. Four of those have lasted seven or more innings as Alcantara has struck out 24 and walked 13 during that span.

The Marlins figure to remain patient with Alcantara as he develops more command on the mound, but a call up this season is likely.

Pablo Lopez: Despite missing all of 2014 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, a healthy Lopez is making a quick rise through the ranks this season and appears to be a candidate for a major league call-up later this season. Lopez, who was traded to the Marlins in the David Phelps deal with the Seattle Mariners last year, compiled a 0.62 ERA in eight starts (43⅔ innings) at Double A Jacksonville before being moved up to Triple A New Orleans earlier this month.

Lopez, a 22-year old righthander ranked No. 21 in the Marlins’ system, has since made two starts and gone 1-1 with a 3.27 ERA with nine strikeouts and just two walks.

Nick Neidert: Acquired in the trade with Seattle last December for Dee Gordon, Neidert pitched in spring training and has had a strong season at Double A Jacksonville going 6-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 13 starts (68⅓ innings). Neidert, the Marlins’ No. 8 prospect per MLB.com, has shown improved command with 77 strikeouts and only 17 walks.

Merandy Gonzalez: Got a call-up to the major league club during the weekend in Baltimore with Marlins starter Caleb Smith on the bereavement list. Gonzalez, who the Marlins sent back to Jacksonville on Monday to continue to develop as a starter, pitched 4⅓ innings on Sunday against the Orioles and gave up four runs on five hits (including homers to Jace Peterson and Mark Trumbo) with five strikeouts and a walk.

“It was a good experience because here’s where you want to be,” said Gonzalez, who recently overcame a fingernail injury that sidelined him for nearly three weeks. “I feel like my change-up has become more effective as well as my curveball and sinker are both coming along.”