After waiting six rounds for a Florida baseball player to be called in the 2025 MLB draft, it took just 32 picks for a second Gator to hear his name. The Miami Marlins took right-handed reliever Jake Clemente with the 198th pick in the seventh round.
A South Florida native out of Broward County, Clemente is a hometown pick for an organization still trying to find its footing under new front office management. The Marlins also took a former Florida Gator and high school teammate of Clemente, Chris Arroyo, in the round prior. Reuniting the duo that led the core years of the Stoneman Douglas High School dynasty just an hour away from where it all started, was a no-brainer.
With that said, Clemente’s sixth-round selection isn’t just the kicker at the end of a fairytale story. It’s the product of years of hard work and resiliency, too. Clemente left the high school ranks on top, alongside Arroyo and Boston Red Sox top prospect Roman Anthony. But in college, he was no longer a big fish in a little pond. Injury took away his true freshman year, accelerating the three-year clock most draft hopefuls start college with.
He returned as a second-year college player with no innings under his belt and was thrust into SEC action after just four outings. A 5.34 ERA over 28 2/3 innings left room for improvement, and his 14.8% walk rate was on the fringe of acceptability thanks to a 28.9% strikeout rate. Still, those kinds of numbers during a bounceback campaign and a fastball trending toward the upper-90s make for a good prospect.
It all came together last summer for Clemente, who earned an All-Star nod after posting a 3.00 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 27 innings for the Brewster Whitecaps. The slider was working as an out pitch and the fastball was finally back at full strength, all while operating as a starter.
Kevin O’Sullivan named Clemente the Sunday starter for Florida to open the year, but an early-season back injury and some rough outings after led him back to the bullpen. That’s when Clemente stepped into a long-relief closer role. Good for three innings, but maybe not four, Clemente became the guy no one in the SEC wanted to see walking down from the bullpen.
From April forward, Clemente dominated out of the bullpen, allowing just five earned runs over the final 31 innings of his college career. Although Clemente appears destined for a bullpen role, adding a third pitch to the fastball-slider combo could give him life as a starter in the minor leagues.
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