The Miami Marlins have a two-headed, left-handed-pitching monster rapidly approaching the big leagues after wreaking havoc down on the farm. Robby Snelling led all minor league southpaws with 166 strikeouts in 2025. He spent half of his season with Triple-A Jacksonville, making 11 starts for the Jumbo Shrimp with only nine earned runs allowed. Nearly a year younger than Snelling, Thomas White missed bats at an even higher rate. He got a cup of coffee in Jacksonville (two starts) to end the season. Although neither are on Miami’s 40-man roster yet, both prospects are likely to debut during the 2026 season. 

Snelling’s success was the bigger surprise coming off an uneven 2024 campaign. He sliced his ERA in half (from 5.15 to 2.51) and improved his xFIP by more than a full run (from 3.80 to 2.72). These are elite numbers for any prospect, especially one who’s facing Double-A and Triple-A competition as a starter. 

The curveball is Snelling’s best pitch. It got a 42.70% whiff rate in Triple-A and a low .241 xwOBA, faring well against both lefties and righties. The pitch resembles former Marlin Andrew Heaney’s curveball, but with much more velocity on it (averaging 82.6 mph).

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An increase in velo has benefited Snelling’s whole pitch mix. His fastball sat at 94.7 mph in Triple-A. He mostly removed the sinker from his arsenal as a result of being able to overpower hitters with the four-seamer and commanding it so well. 

Snelling’s fastball has characteristics comparable to Tanner Scott’s. Both get around 16.7 inches of induced vertical break (IVB), close to six inches of arm-side run, and just over six feet of extension down the mound during their delivery. Snelling’s ability to locate more precisely and his slightly lower arm angle (approx. 26.6 degrees) are more conducive to long-term performance even if his velo doesn’t continue to climb. 

Overall, his fastball performed well in Triple-A, posting a 36.5 whiff% and a .200 xwOBA. 

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Snelling was in the strike zone 54.5% of the time in Triple-A, which would have ranked top 10 among MLB starters in 2025. He mixed his pitches in such a way that hitters only swung at 62% of in-zone pitches, the same as Hunter Brown. Even when they did, their 77.5% zone contact rate was Dylan Cease-like. Outside the zone, the contact rate was 50.7%, on par with NL Cy Young Award runner-up Cristopher Sánchez (50.5%). He also thrived at limiting hard contact with a 3.5% barrel rate and 28.5% hard-hit rate.

Snelling showed minimal flaws in 2025, and continuing a trend from his San Diego Padres days, he was injury-free. He has emerged as a complete pitcher. 

This is not meant to diminish Thomas White at all (2.31 ERA and 2.80 xFIP in 89.2 IP). His “stuff” may be slightly better than Snelling’s, including a fastball that sits 95 mph and touched triple digits on several occasions. His sweeper is practically a cheat code for getting whiffs both in and out of the zone. 

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However, White’s lack of efficiency is a potential concern when looking ahead to how he’d fit in a major league rotation. He finished Double-A with a walk rate of 12.6%, and it ballooned to 25% his two starts of Triple-A. Although it’s reasonable to project further improvement in that area—he is entering his age-21 season—waste pitches will likely always be part of his formula.

White has completed six innings only once in a professional game. For context, Snelling did that 14 times in 2025 alone. 

The future is bright for both Marlins minor leaguers. White is universally ranked higher on public prospect lists due to his ceiling, but it may be easier to forecast consistent success for Snelling at the highest level. One thing’s for sure: they will command a lot of attention when they report to spring training in February as non-roster invitees.

Interested in learning more about the Miami Marlins’ top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!

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