Below you can find Baseball America’s 2025 MLB Draft report card for the Marlins, which features picks for 11 key superlatives such as best pure hitter, best defensive player, best fastball and more.
You can find 2025 Draft Report Cards for every team here and complete draft results here.
Best Pure Hitter: Clemson OF Cam Cannarella (1S) was one of the more polished pure hitters in the 2025 class. He hit well over .300 in each of his three college seasons and finished his career with a .360/.453/.551 slash line and a 14.5% strikeout rate. Cannarella has some moving parts in his swing, but he has a good feel for the barrel with solid contact skills and generally makes sound swing decisions.
Best Power Hitter: Arizona State OF Brandon Compton (2) has significant power upside with massive strength packed into his physical 6-foot-1, 225-pound frame. His lefthanded swing is short and compact, but it delivers a real punch and helped him produce some of the best exit velocity data in the class. Among draftees who debuted, Compton’s 115 mph max exit velocity was tops.
Fastest Runner: Cannarella (1S) is a consistent plus runner who will turn in 70-grade run times at his best. His speed shows up more on the defensive side where he covers tons of ground in the outfield with well above-average range. He is a strong baserunner, though he didn’t attempt to steal much in his final two seasons with Clemson because of a shoulder injury.
Best Defensive Player: Cannarella (1S) is a no-doubt center fielder who has 70-grade defensive ability in the outfield. He tracks the ball well, gets consistently strong reads and jumps and has the athleticism to make highlight-reel grabs. He does have some defensive questions because of his arm health—he wasn’t making full effort throws for a majority of the 2025 season—but his glove work and legs will provide most of his defensive value and make him an asset regardless.
Best Fastball: Texas State RHP Carson Laws (14) has a ton of arm strength with a fastball that could become a 70-grade pitch. He averaged 95 mph this spring and has been up into the triple digits with solid riding life at the top of the zone to go with the velocity.
Best Secondary Pitch: Laws (14) also has a hard power slider in the upper 80s with short, gyro shape that occasionally flashes a cutter look. He used the pitch to generate whiffs at a 54% clip this spring and also racked up plenty of swings and misses with the pitch in his pro debut.
Best Pro Debut: Cannarella (1S) was challenged at High-A Beloit in his pro debut and in 22 games he hit .284/.337/.375 with a triple and six doubles. He found the barrel with impressive frequency and also showcased strong swing decisions.
Best Athlete: Oregon State SS Aiva Arquette (1) was the top college hitter in the class and boasts an impressive combination of physicality, raw tools and defensive prowess on the infield. He has solid actions for his size as a 6-foot-5, 220-pound infielder and also has some of the more impressive power upside in the class with great leverage in his swing and outstanding bat speed.
Most Intriguing Background: Compton (2) was a two-way player in high school but had UCL surgery as a senior and missed his first year at Arizona State. He then had a breakout 2024 season that included a 14-homer spring with Arizona State and a tremendous 38-game stint with Cotuit in the Cape Cod League, which put him squarely on draft radars for the following season.
Closest To The Majors: Cannarella (1S) has the sort of polish and game that should move quickly through the minors. He has fewer swing-and-miss tendencies to sort out compared to Miami’s more impactful college bats, and his defense is probably ready for the majors right now.
Best 11+ Round Pick (Or UDFA): Considering the pure stuff that Laws (14) already has at his disposal, he looks like a strong pick for a 14th-rounder. He had no issues missing bats with 15 strikeouts in his 10.1-inning pro debut, but will need to sharpen his control to make the most of it.