JUPITER, FL—Day two of Miami Marlins spring training from the Jupiter Academy featured Sandy Alcantara and Thomas White taking the mound and facing hitters.

Alcantara, who is entering his ninth season with the organization, debuted his new sweeper in a pitch design session. He threw it about nine times.

Why such an emphasis on the sweeper when he already has a deep arsenal to work with?

“Because I throw hard, and everything I throw is hard,” Alcantara said. “So me and (pitching coach Daniel) Moskos had a conversation last year about that. We needed a big break more and more slow, and finally we got it, so hopefully we do a good job throwing it.”

Following the pitch design, Alcantara went to hitters for feedback and they said the pitch looked “great.”

Likely to be named the Opening Day starter for the Marlins, Alcantara will first make his way back down to loanDepot park and represent the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. WBC participants have helped each other ramp up for the tournament by reporting to the Academy early. That includes Venezuela’s Javier Sanoja, who faced Alcantara.

“Before I took the mound today, I asked Moskos, ‘Hey, is Sanoja here?’ He said, ‘No, but I can get him for you.’ So okay, just put him out there. I know he’s very aggressive. Maybe he can get an at-bat in the WBC, so let’s see what happens.”

Midway through the at-bat, Moskos yelled “DR 1-0,” and Alcantara threw his sweeper, which landed in for a strike.

White is the consensus top prospect in the organization and a first-time non-roster invitee to big league camp at age 21. He faced four hitters.

The goal for the talented left-hander is to put himself out there and talk to as many guys as he can and soak up information.

“Any pitcher,” said White when asked if there was anyone specifically he wanted to spend time with. “I also want to talk to some hitters about approach stuff. I threw some live BP’s this offseason and Sal Frelick was one of the hitters, and I loved talking to him because he know the zone so well, and his approach is so good that it’s good as a pitcher to know what hitters are taking, see if you can outsmart them or use them.”

White is spring training roommates with Robby Snelling, Fish On First’s number three prospect. White describes him as a cheat sheet for his development because the 22-year-old Snelling has “done pretty much everything that I’ve done a year ahead of me.”

Making 21 starts across three minor league levels, White had an outstanding 2025 season overall, posting a 2.31 ERA and 2.27 FIP. However, battling through a back issue, his walk rate spiked to 17.6% over his final six starts (compared to 11.6% in all of his previous outings combined).

“I just think I wasn’t pitching like myself,” White said. “My mechanics weren’t really where I wanted them to be, not staying through the ball. It made the sweeper really good, but everything else—and especially the command—was affected a little bit.”

During the offseason, White made mechanical adjustments, increasing his stride length. In limited Triple-A action last September, he averaged only six feet of extension, but currently, he is around 6.8 feet and has maxed out at 7.1 feet. The key now for White in that aspect is consistency.

 

Additional Notes

– Manager Clayton McCullough said that Braxton Garrett touched 95 mph in his live BP session on Wednesday. “Yesterday was to try to mimic a little bit more of the first time of getting loose, sitting down and then go out there and kind of simulate what it would feel like to start a game,” McCullough said.

– On Monday, Andrew Nardi threw a pitch design, two sets of 15 pitches. “Sat 91 mph which is great for me, especially in a bullpen,” said Nardi. “I sat down for five minutes and came back out. Was a little stiff, but kind of what everybody was expecting. Haven’t done that in over a year.” The next step for Nardi is to throw live BP at some point next week.

– In addition to Alcantara and White, the following players threw pitch designs on Thursday: Janson Junk, Ryan Gusto, Robby Snelling, Lake Bachar, Tyler Zuber, Josh Simpson, Adam Mazur, Justin King, Karson Milbrandt and Garrett Acton.

– Still no word from McCullough regarding which pitcher will start the spring opener on February 21.Â