That’s more like it! Monitoring the 2024 Arizona Fall League from a Miami Marlins perspective was frankly a bore—their delegation was mostly comprised of organizational filler types rather than legitimate prospects. Thankfully, the players who are expected to participate in 2025 have a lot of upside.
Preliminary AFL rosters were announced on Wednesday. The Marlins plan to send seven farmhands to the Mesa Solar Sox, including one of their former first-round draft picks and a high-profile trade acquisition who was widely regarded as an MLB Top 100 prospect entering this year. Each of these guys spent some portion of the 2025 minor league season on the injured list, so they’re using the fall league to partially compensate for the time they missed.
Here are my quick hits on each player, listed in order of how I personally rank them as prospects.
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INF Starlyn Caba
Highest level played at:Â Low-A
The centerpiece of last offseason’s Jesús Luzardo trade, Starlyn Caba missed two-plus months of his age-19 campaign due to a thumb injury. He got banged up again toward the end of the season just as his bat was coming around.
Caba is an excellent defender with the requisite hands, footwork, throwing accuracy and instincts to stick at shortstop.
The Marlins’ decision on whether Caba should repeat Low-A in 2026 or move up to Beloit will depend on his bat. Even in the power-suppressing Florida State League, a .278 slugging percentage is troubling. The sample size is tiny, but the Dominican switch-hitter has continued to be far more productive from the right side of the plate. Maybe if that trend continues during the AFL, he will ditch his left-handed swing.
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RHP Karson Milbrandt
Highest level played at:Â Double-A
Karson Milbrandt was eased into the 2025 season carefully due to a fluid build-up in his arm. He didn’t even reach 60 pitches in any outing until mid-May. As a result, his overall workload was slightly lighter than it had been in 2023 and 2024—AFL participation will allow him to remedy that.
By most measures, this was a career year for Milbrandt, though it comes with the caveat that almost all of his production happened at the High-A level where he had already made 33 starts over the previous two seasons. He primarily leans on his mid-90s four-seam fastball and high-80s slider, with occasional changeups and curveballs mixed in.
Milbrandt will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft after the 2026 season.
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OF PJ Morlando
Highest level played at:Â Low-A
Like Caba, PJ Morlando was supposed to experiencing his first full-length MiLB season, but the injury bug bit him multiple times. He posted a 113 wRC+, largely buoyed by his 17.8% walk rate, which was the highest in the entire Marlins organization among players with at least 250 plate appearances.
Morlando has performed terribly against breaking balls as a pro, so I will be paying close attention to that while he’s in the desert.
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OF Fenwick Trimble
Highest level played at:Â Double-A
By the end of the fall league, I might be ready to flip Morlando and Fenwick Trimble in our prospect rankings. Trimble received just 16% of Morlando’s signing bonus coming out of the 2024 draft, but his offensive tools have been louder than expected. During this season alone, he has as many stolen bases as he totaled during three years at James Madison University.
I’m intrigued to see how Trimble does defensively in the AFL. He seemed to gradually improve on that side of the ball as the regular season progressed. I currently project him as left field-only in the majors.
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RHP Aiden May
Highest level played at:Â High-A
During a recent media availability at Citi Field, I asked Marlins director of pitching Bill Hezel to identify some under-the-radar pitching prospects who he still had confidence in coming off inconsistent or injury-shortened years. Most of his response focused on Aiden May.
Arthroscopic elbow surgery has limited May to 31 innings pitched in 2025. His control is still lacking, but he’s been extremely tough to hit (.141 BAA).
May’s fastball velocity has been sitting around 94 mph and his sweeper is a reliable putaway pitch. The question of whether he’s a starting pitcher or reliever long term will largely depend on how the rest of his arsenal develops.
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RHP Xavier Meachem
Highest level played at:Â Double-A
The Marlins have already picked a lane for Xavier Meachem, who’s being used exclusively out of the bullpen. Walks have been an issue dating back to his amateur career. The 2023 draftee has a four-seamer/slider/curveball repertoire.
Regardless of fall league performance, Meachem figures to begin next season as a member of the Blue Wahoos ‘pen.
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RHP Darwin RodrÃguez
Highest level played at:Â Low-A
The Marlins know that Darwin RodrÃguez will struggle in the AFL. Originally signed as a two-way player out of Venezuela, RodrÃguez has posted a gruesome 9.39 ERA and 6.41 FIP in 61 ⅓ innings pitched as a minor leaguer. He only moved up to Low-A during the final two weeks of the just-concluded Hammerheads season.
RodrÃguez has a talent for spinning the ball, averaging over 2,700 RPM on his curveball.
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It was previously reported that Griffin Conine would play fall ball as part of his rehab from left shoulder surgery. However, he has progressed ahead of schedule, putting him on track to make it back to the majors before season’s end.
Managed by Marlins field coordinator Aaron Leanhardt, the Solar Sox will open their regular season on October 7 and play a 30-game schedule. Their roster will also be comprised of players from the Athletics, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees organizations.
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!