Cabrera won’t be rushed to majors
Marlins general manager Kim Ng made it a point to see Edward Cabrera pitch when he was in Jupiter working his way back from biceps muscle fatigue. Cabrera threw four shutout innings in that April 27 outing for the Single A Jupiter Hammerheads, striking out seven while allowing just one hit and three walks.
His progression has since continued with the Triple A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Cabrera, the second-ranked player in Miami’s system and the No. 32 prospect in all of baseball according to MLB Pipeline, has allowed just two earned runs over nine innings through his first two starts with the Jumbo Shrimp. He has struck out eight while allowing five hits and five walks.
On Sunday, he threw five shutout innings with six strikeouts against the Memphis Redbirds and held Memphis to 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position.
The Marlins know the value Cabrera can bring to their rotation when he’s healthy and he has the inside track to be called up to the bigleague club if someone in the rotation falters or gets injured because he’s already on the 40-man roster.
But Ng also said the club wants to make sure Cabrera is 100 percent ready before any sort of move is made.
“He’s getting his sea legs under him,” Ng said last week. “It’s going to take him still a little bit, but he’s getting them.”
MORE PITCHING NOTABLES
Your regularly scheduled Max Meyer update: Meyer gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out six over five innings of work on Friday. Through six starts, Miami’s thirdranked prospect has a
1.72 ERA and is holding opponents to a .159 batting average and 0.86 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched).
Bryan Hoeing’s Triple A debut: Miami’s 30th-ranked prospect pitched seven innings in his Jumbo Shrimp debut on Saturday. He allowed four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out seven. Hoeing gave up solo home runs in the first and third and then ran into trouble in the sixth when he loaded the bases with one out on back-to-back walks and a single before the Redbirds’ Alec Burleson hit a two-RBI single.
Finally, a strong start from Zach McCambley:
After giving up at least four runs in each of his first four starts, McCambley put together his first quality outing of the season on Saturday. The Marlins’ 15th-ranked prospect gave up just one run on two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over six innings in the Double A Pensacola Blue Wahoos’ 3-1 win over the Mississippi Braves.
McCambley’s lone run surrendered came in the first inning after he allowed back-to-back doubles to begin the frame. After that, he retired 15 of the final 16 batters he faced.
JJ BLEDAY HEATING UP?
Could this be the hot streak JJ Bleday needed?
The Marlins’ top outfield prospect and the No. 67 prospect in baseball rattled off a nine-game hit streak from April 28 through Saturday, hitting .424 (14 for 33) with four home runs, three doubles, 10 RBI, eight walks against just seven strikeouts and 12 runs scored in that span. He hit homers in three consecutive games and had four multi-hit games in that stretch.
On the season, Bleday is hitting .240 with 11 of his 24 hits going for extra bases (five doubles, six home runs).
“I just feel like I’ve gotten my timing back. I feel free. My swing feels free. I feel aggressive,” Bleday said to MLB.com about his recent hot streak. “I’m sticking to a plan and I’m playing the game pitch to pitch. I’m not worried about the next at-bat. I’m just completely focused on the moment and doing my best to get on base and help the team win.”
OTHER HITTER NOTABLES
Outfielder Griffin Conine batted .353 for Double A Pensacola last week with two home runs and five RBI. He has five home runs in 25 games this season for the Blue Wahoos, but the high strikeout rate (37.4 percent) is something that still needs to be monitored.
Outfielder Tanner Allen continues to be steady for the High A Beloit Sky Carp. He went 7 for 16 (.438) at the plate this week with one double, one home run and one stolen base to improve his season average to a team-high .291.