With the 2025 MLB Draft only a few weeks away, now is a good time to check in on the picks that the Miami Marlins made in the previous draft.

The 2024 draft class was the organization’s first with president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and director of amateur scouting Frankie Piliere. The Marlins had the 16th overall pick, landing high school hitters in the first two rounds, then going heavy on college bats after that. They signed 20 out of their 21 selections.

The 2025 minor league stats below were updated prior to Thursday’s games.

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Round 1, Pick 16—PJ Morlando, OF, Summerville HS (SC)

Current level: Low-A

With the first pick of the Piliere/Bendix era, the Marlins shocked everyone by selecting high school outfielder PJ Morlando. Going into the draft process, Morlando was one of the top rated players, but he was pitched carefully during his senior season and had limited opportunities to show off his game power (.403/.602/.571/1.173 with two home runs and ten RBI). The Marlins noted following the selection that they were impressed by the athleticism he showed at the MLB Draft Combine and he had the potential to play center field in the pros.

Since joining the organization, Morlando has suffered three injuries to his back, elbow and most recently his hamstring. He has drawn plenty of walks in 21 career games, but simply isn’t hitting, slashing .148/.404/.279/.683 with two home runs, five RBI and a 126 wRC+. Morlando turned 20 in May.

It has been tough to evaluate Morlando’s progress with the organization considering his uneven playing time.

“I genuinely believe it’s been a run of bad luck,” said Frankie Piliere in an exclusive interview with Fish Unfiltered. “It’s a tough sequence of events, but PJ’s body is in a great spot. When you draft an 18, 19-year-old player, there’s just naturally not just a learning curve to facing professional pitching, but staying healthy. I think over time, he’s going to figure this out and he’s just been through a patch of bad luck.”

 

Round 2, Pick 56—Carter Johnson, SS, Oxford HS (AL)

Current level: Low-A

The Marlins went overslot with the selection of Alabama native Carter Johnson. Through 61 games in 2025, he is slashing .190/.278/.275/.553 with two home runs, 29 RBI and a 67 wRC+. He has been Jupiter’s primary shortstop this season, though that is largely because of the time missed by Starlyn Caba.

“We figured it would be a longer road with the bat,” said Piliere regarding Johnson. “It’s a defense-first player with a younger body and he is going through the bumps and bruises right now. Obviously, we want him to do really well out of the gate, but I don’t think you can go into players like this and be shocked or taken off track when it’s not an instant success. We really believe in Carter. He’s actually gotten faster and stronger since he got here. He’s just going through the bumps and bruises of facing Jupiter-level pitching.”

It has been a bit of a surprise that the Marlins have not demoted Johnson to the FCL, giving him some time to get back on the track.

 

Competitive Balance Round B, Pick 70—Aiden May, RHP, Oregon State

Current level: FCL (60-day IL)

The first college player that the Marlins took was Oregon State’s Aiden May. With the Beavers, he had a 3.05 ERA, 10.3 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 through 73 ⅔ innings pitched.

May has yet to make his organizational debut as he underwent right elbow arthroscopic surgery back in March and should be back around mid-July.

 

Round 3, Pick 92—Gage Miller, 2B, Alabama

Current level: High-A

Gage Miller slashed .381/.474/.702/1.176 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI with the Crimson Tide last year. In his lone season in the SEC, Miller was a Second Team All-American and an ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region Second Team selection.

After an awesome start in Low-A Jupiter, Miller was promoted to High-A Beloit in 2024. He began the 2025 season in Beloit and through 57 games (246 PA), he is slashing .239/.346/.344/.690 with three home runs and 14 RBI. In the month if June, Miller is slashing .222/.329/.460/.789 with three home runs and four RBI.

 

Round 4, Pick 122—Fenwick Trimble, OF, James Madison

Current level: Double-A (7-day IL)

“As soon as he got into pro ball and we started working with him, swing decisions improved quite dramatically and all of a sudden, you have a really interesting player,” said Piliere about Trimble. “He’s a little bit quicker than he was when we got him, swing decisions are better and it’s still the same contact ability, same power and upside.”

Through 34 games this season between High-A and Double-A, he is slashing .277/.407/.429/.835 with two home runs, 17 RBI, 16 stolen bases and a 143 wRC+. He was the first draftee to be promoted to Pensacola.

 

Round 5, Pick 155—Grant Shepardson, RHP, Mountain Vista HS (CO)

Current level: FCL

The Marlin went overslot with this selection and they’re happy they did. Shepardson represented them well at the 2025 Spring Breakout game. Through seven starts in the FCL, he has posted a 2.84 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 10.66 K/9 and 4.26 BB/9 through 25 â…“ innings pitched.

 

Round 6, Pick 184—Payton Green, SS, Georgia Tech

Current level: High-A

In his lone season at Georgia Tech, Green slashed .308/.407/.577/.984 with 12 home runs and 42 RBI. He is hitting almost as well in the Midwest League as he did in the ACC despite it being a more pitcher-friendly environment. He is slashing .307/.379/.497/.876 with four home runs, 24 RBI and a 144 wRC+ through 41 High-A games. Green is a clear candidate to move up to AA-Pensacola following the trade deadline.

 

Round 7, Pick 214—Nick Brink, RHP, Portland

Current level: High-A

“Nick Brink has the ability to move fast,” Piliere noted on Unfiltered. In 2025, he has posted a 3.77 ERA, 4.27 FIP, 8.15 K/9 and 3.62 BB/9 in 13 appearances (12 starts). Brink leads this class in minor league innings pitched so far.

 

Round 8, Pick 244—Jacob Jenkins-Cowart, OF, East Carolina

Current level: High-A

In his time at East Carolina, Jenkins-Cowart was named to the 2024 All-AAC First Team. He finished the season slashing .340/.386/.558/.945 with 13 home runs and 79 RBI. Through Low-A and High-A, Jenkins-Cowart has slashed .211/.303/.339/.642 with two home runs, 21 RBI and an 85 wRC+.

 

Round 9, Pick 274—Dub Gleed, 3B, UC Irvine

Current level: Low-A

Gleed was briefly given a taste of Triple-A to provide emergency depth, though most of his time this season has been spent between the FCL and Low-A Jupiter. Overall, he’s slashing .203/.382/.304/.686 with one home run, nine RBI and a 113 wRC+.

 

Round 10, Pick 304—Michael Snyder, 3B, Oklahoma

Current level: Double-A

In his time at Oklahoma, Snyder was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, NCAA Norman Regional All-Tournament Team and ranked fifth in the country with 26 doubles. Across two levels in 2025, Snyder is slashing .247/.401/.386/.786 with four home runs, 37 RBI and a 130 wRC+. A versatile defender, most of his action has been coming at first base and left field. Turning 25 in September, Snyder is also the oldest member of this draft class.

 

Round 11, Pick 334—Jake Faherty, RHP, Arkansas

Current level: Low-A

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Sources told Fish On First that multiple teams were after Arkansas pitcher Jake Faherty despite only throwing 15 ⅔ career innings in college. He currently finds himself in Low-A posting a 4.91 ERA, 3.71 FIP, 14.11 K/9 and 5.52 BB/9 through 14 ⅔ innings pitched. Faherty joined the Marlins for their exhibition game against the New York Yankees right before Opening Day where he topped out at 100 mph

 

Round 12, Pick 364—Connor Caskenette, C, Purdue

Current level: High-A

Caskenette got off to a scorching start in High-A, but slowed down when promoted to AA, only playing in two games there before being sent back to Beloit. Through 35 games played across two levels, he is slashing .219/.364/.281/.645 with 11 RBI and a 97 wRC+ while only throwing out 11% of base-stealers.

 

Round 13, Pick 394—Cody Schrier, SS, UCLA

Current level: Low-A

Coming out of UCLA, Schrier has played primarily in Low-A, where he’s currently slashing .241/.302/.391/.693 with two home runs, 18 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a 98 wRC+. With so many other Marlins prospects needing shortstop reps, he has been playing first base more than anything.

 

Round 14, Pick 424—Cam Clayton, SS, Washington

Current level: Low-A

Clayton has been one of the better players for a lackluster Jupiter Hammerheads offense. He is slashing .292/.361/.510/.872 with three home runs, 13 RBI and a 144 wRC+ through 27 games played since his promotion to the Florida State League. At the age of 22, you can take some of these numbers with a grain of salt, but overall, great start for the former Washington Husky.

 

Round 15, Pick 454—Coen Niclai, C, Service HS (AK)

Niclai was the only player in this draft class who did not sign. He honored his commitment to Oregon, where he slashed .242/.324/.455/.779 with one home runs and four RBI in 23 games played as a freshman. He entered the transfer portal and has since signed with Arizona State.

 

Round, 16, Pick 484—Eric Rataczak, 1B, Niagara

Current level: High-A

Although drafted as a first baseman, Rataczak is regularly playing right field for the Sky Carp in 2025. Through 42 games in High-A Beloit, he is slashing .241/.346/.346/.692 with two home runs, 19 RBI and a 99 wRC+.

 

Round 17, Pick 514—Micah McDowell, OF, Oregon State

Current level: High-A

Between Low-A and High-A, McDowell is slashing .221/.341/.356/.697 with two home runs, 13 RBI and a 105 wRC+.

 

Round 18, Pick 544—Nate Payne, LHP, Central Dauphin HS (PA)

Current level: FCL

Payne was the lone left-handed pitcher drafted by the Marlins last year and through eight starts in the complex league, he has posted a 2.03 ERA, 2.48 FIP, 12.77 K/9 and 4.06 BB/9 through 31 innings pitched. Similar to Shepardson, expect Payne to be promoted to Low-A later this summer.

 

Round 19, Pick 574—Luke Lashutka, RHP, St. Leo

Current level: High-A

As a 23-year old in Low-A, there wasn’t much to take away, but credit to Lashutka for finishing his Hammerheads stint riding a streak of 19 â…“ consecutive scoreless innings. His High-A debut last Saturday was a much different story, allowing six runs on six hits, three walks and three strikeouts in 1 ⅓ innings of work.

 

Round 20, Pick 604—Chase Centala RHP, UCF

Current level: High-A

Centala has quietly been great. He began the 2025 season in Jupiter, where he posted a 3.38 ERA, 4.36 FIP, 9.82 K/9 and a 3.99 BB/9 through 29 ⅓ innings pitched. Since his promotion to High-A, he has a 0.90 ERA, 4.17 FIP, 5.40 K/9 and 0.90 BB/9 through 10 innings pitched. There has been some luck, but the command has been great thus far.