With the explosion of young talent that has arrived in Miami both via offseason trades and the draft, some new Marlins stars have been born and some have even begun to go supernova. With first halves complete across baseball, here’s a look at which organizational players have shined brightest thus making up our 2018 All-Baby Fish Team, some of which could see time with the big league club during the second half.

C Austin Nola (AAA)
.282/.358/376, 14 XBH, 24 RBI, 29/17 K/BB, 39% CS%

If the surname sounds familiar, that’s because it is. After clearing some massive hurdles recentl, Austin, the younger brother of Phillies’ ace Aaron, is beginning to show the same athletic prowess and similar standout baseball abilities, the kind the Marlins foresaw in him when they selected him in the fifth round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

A .296/.387/.425 career hitter over the course of a four year career at LSU, Nola was a 2009 College World Series champion as a freshman and a major catalyst in the team’s 2010 SEC title and their #9 nationwide ranking a year prior. The patient, pesky, contact-first top of the order threat (128/115 K/BB) who also found plenty of gaps (30% XBH%) and the occasional fence (1.45 HR%), Nola, an SEC Tournament MVP, a second-team All-SEC selection, a CAS Regionals MVP and a Wally Pontiff Award winner as top scholar athlete, also manned a more than solid shortstop, most heralded for his huge arm and throw accuracy all across the diamond. Including his posting of a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in the CWS in his freshman year, Nola posted a career FPCT over .970 during his time in purple and gold.

After posting a .968 fielding percentage in his first 5,108 innings as a professional, the Marlins decided to ride that history as well as the reputation Nola built in the collegiate ranks by assigning him to the second-most defensively responsible position on the diamond: catcher. Playing at a spot he hadn’t played since little league (link) Nola responded to the position change by tossing out 27 of his first 38 runners.

Through his first 49 games this season, Nola has allowed more SBs than he did in 75 overall games last season (38 vs 41). However, in place of an adjustment process to MLB-caliber runners, Nola has soared on offense, hitting .282/.358/.378/. Among PCL catchers with at least 100 ABs, those marks rank 11th, 8th and 19th. Additionally, Nola’s 0.64 BB/K ranks 7th.

Though the 28-year-old might be a bit of a late bloomer in realizing exactly where his future lies, he’s less than a step away of putting it all together and becoming an above average defensive catcher with an at least average offensive bat. Given his background and biological pedigree, we like Nola to make the squad, post-Realmuto or not, as the backup backstop next season after a cup of coffee is served to him this September.

1B John Silviano (A+)
.281/.363/.491, 12 HR, 22 XBH, 39 RBI, 61/30 K/BB

A local boy makes good.

A native of Boynton Beach and graduate of Summit Christian School, Silviano attended Lynn University for a single season in 2016 after being released by the Blue Jays who drafted him in the 13th round in 2012. In that single season, Silviano hit a ridiculous .405/.528/.950 by way of 31 homers, a number which set both conference and team records and made him just the third player in Division II history to hit at least 30 long balls. In addition to his SLG, Silviano’s RBI (76) and total base tallies (190) also set Fighting Knights program records.

After hitting a subpar .212/.281/.449 while manning backstop in his first season with the organization, the Marlins gave Silviano the promotion from A to A+ and a positional switch from catcher to DH in order to focus on his offensive game. That season, the switch proved to be productive as Silviano paced the Hammerheads and placed third in the Florida State League in homers with 13. Additionally, his .172 ISO placed fourth in the league’s ranks. However this also came while Silviano had the 15th lowest BB/K in the league at 0.29, giving the Marlins reason to hold Silviano back from a promotion.

So far this season, there is very little holding Silviano back from a seemingly destined call upstate to Jacksonville. A .281/.363/.491, 12 HR first half hitter and owner of the league’s fourth best SLG and fifth most homers, Silviano has also tempered his free swing and become an 11.5 BB% presence.

Though he is another late arrival due to some early career hindrances based on a lack of confidence by a knee-jerky organization that drafted him and cut him after just 247 plate appearances as an 18-and 19-year-old in rookie ball, the now 24-year-old is very much in the cusp of cracking the upper minors and eventually touching the Majors as at least a lefty power bat off the bench spot with the ceiling to share starts as a righty-mashing platoon option at first base. So far in his career as a Marlins’ affiliated player, Silviano is hitting .277 with 29 homers against opposite side hurlers. This year, his slash line vs righties reads .305/.379/.584.

2B Eric Campbell
.321/.436/.455, 24 XBH, 57 RBI, 54/53 K/BB

A New York Mets’ 2008 8th round pick after a .306/.391/.448 career at Boston College, Campbell rose through the Mets’ Minor League ranks, the standout seasons being a .306/.369/.467 year between A+ and AA in 2010 and a .314/.435/.475 AAA season in 2014 before he made it to the majors for the first time that same season. In his first 85 MLB games, Campbell hit a respectable .263/.322/.358. A season later, Campbell made the Mets squad out of spring training only to manage a meager .197/.312/.295 line over 71 games before being sent back to AAA. Prior to hitting .363/.493/.593 for the rest of that season, Campbell earned a second straight Opening Day roster spot for the Mets in 2016 only to hit .173/.287/.227 in 40 games that year. Campbell spent most of that season hitting .301/.390/.447 in AAA

After spending a season abroad in Japan, Campbell returns to the MLB ranks hoping to shake the audacious title of AAAA fodder. So far this season, he appears to be a step closer to accomplishing that feat. He has done so by making himself nearly impossible to not promote via exceptional offensive output. A Triple A All-Star starter, Campbell hit .326/.429/.468 in the first half, marks which ranked 9th, 6th and 31st in the PCL. Campbell’s current .891 OPS ranks 13th.

With MLB experience and good positional flexibility and eligibility at first, second, third and in left field, it’s easy to believe the Marlins will give Campbell another chance in the majors ahead of calling up their young prospects who they have no reason to rush. Look for Campbell to pull on a Marlins jersey very shortly after the trade deadline.

3B Cristhian Adames
.264/.315/.366, 20 XBH, 38 RBI

A Marlins’ free agent depth signing at the beginning of the year, Adames impressed this spring in extended action, hitting .333/.381/.513 with five doubles, a triple and an RBI before being assigned to AAA in favor of Yadiel Rivera, the final spot on the bench, to begin the season.

While Rivera has gotten a much longer leash than originally thought and used it to hit a very unappealing .198/.317/.248 while playing -1 DRS overall defense (though he has been rather good at shortstop, posting a +3 mark in that respect), Adames is hitting .262/.315/.366 with 20 XBHs, 34 RBI and a 46/24 K/BB along with a .970+ FPCT across three different infield positions.

While it’s taken this long for Adames to get another shot in the pros, it may not take him much longer. Look for Adames to get a look as a switch-hitting bench option sometime early in the second half.

SS Jose Devers
.272/.308/.339, 16 XBH, 21 RBI

Despite being the youngest guy to crack these rankings as well as the youngest member of the Greensboro Grasshoppers after he skipped rookie ball, Jose Devers has been one of the best and brightest stories to grace the system this season.

Another organizational player with a preceding pro pedigree in being the brother of Red Sox’ standout Rafael Devers, the Marlins acquired the Jose Devers of the Dominican in the Giancarlo Stanton trade with the Yankees. A native of Somana, DR, Jose hit .245/.336/.342 in his age 16-17-year-old seasons that marked the beginning of his pro career.

In his inaugural season with the Marlins’ organization, though he has shown that he still has room for growth in terms of strike zone knowledge by recording a 3.28 K/BB, Devers has already begun to exhibit his lauded raw elite bat speed by hitting to a .272 BA. He’s also enjoyed good success on the base paths where he is 11/16 in stolen base attempts.

A kid who has been on base in 26 of his last 29 games while also exhibiting a .973 fielding percentage via the same great speed that allows him on-base success, a fantastic first read to the ball off the bat and a flashy glove, Devers is the dark-horse candidate to become the best piece of the return for Giancarlo Stanton.

While the Marlins will undoubtedly take it easy with the kid’s progression up the ranks, we expect his name to be a mainstay among the top prospect ranks as a for-average shortstop with above average defense for the foreseeable future.

LF Cameron Baranek
.278/.341/.390, 5 HR, 11 XBH, 22 RBI

In enjoying his fantastic first half this season, second year Marlin Cameron Baranek is not only making a name for himself, he’s gaining his alma matter some deserved recognition. Miami’s ninth round selection last year, Baranek is the first ever MLB draftee from Hope International College in central California. However, that’s far from the first “first” Baranek recorded for the brand new Hope International baseball program.

The transfer from nearby Santa Ana college earned his Draft honor by setting multiple club records in his single season with HIU in its sophomore season including BA (.364), homers (14) and steals (20), flashing a five-tool skillset. In so doing, Cameron led the school to 35 wins and its first Conference title. After the season, Baranek was named the the Royals’ first NIAA All-American.

Despite playing just one season for the Royals, Baranek will forever remain a pioneering member of the HIU baseball family.

What had been potentially most impressive about what Baranek was able to accomplish in his amateur days was the fact that he was able to succeed and realize his dream of becoming a pro despite not only coming from a very young and virtually unknown pedigree but that he was able to overcome a laundry list’s worth of injuries sustained since he began high school. Since the age of 17, Baranek underwent surgery to repair three different parts of his body.

Still, he was able to stand tall (albeit on a surgically repaired knee and ankle) on June 14, 2017, as a professional baseball player. It’s hard to believe Baranek’s grind, drive and incredible ability to stay positive was lost on the Marlins.

That same mindset has remained in Baranek this far in his young career as a professional.

Prior to being drafted, Baranek broke into the professional ranks by hitting .234/.306/.351 with 9 XBH and his team’s second best RBI total (22) for the GCL Marlins last season, the 22-year-old impressed in camp and earned his initial call to full season ball to begin 2018.

This year, Baranek became one of the best hitters in the South Atlantic League, hitting .420/.453/.580 in June. Among hitters with at least 90 ABs, Baranek’s .319 overall BA ranks 9th, his .400 OBP ranks 4th and his .479 SLG ranks 16th. His wrC+ of 150 ranks 7th.

On June 20, Baranek received his call-up to A+ Jupiter and built on a 21-game on base streak by reaching in his first four games, turning it into a 25-game on base streak. He had a 30/81 with 11 walks. Over that span, Baranek had a .445 OBP.

A lefty hitter with a bit of surprising pop behind his 5’10”, 197 pound frame and quick bat speed propelled by a flashy cut with uppercut action and a strong raw throwing arm that stands to get better with improved accuracy, Baranek is a 20+ 9th round boom-or-bust draftee that should be fast-tracked through the minors. If his career thus far is any indication, he should end up on the right side of that equation as at least a fourth outfielder and/or lefty threat off the bench with the potential for more.

Chalk Baranek up to reach a ceiling of that of Nick Markakis with a more moderately adjusted expectation around Raul Ibanez, a career .801 OPS.

CF Brian Miller
.320/.359/.398, 22 XBH, 27/35 SB/CS, 42/20 K/BB

Like you didn’t know this was coming.

Fish On The Farm’s 2017 Minor League Player Of The year last season after hitting .322/.384/.416 in his first 57 pro games with Greensboro (he skipped through the GCL and short season), Miller began 2018 in A+ Jupiter. There, Miller continued to flaunt his for-average, gap thirsty swing and above-average speed, hitting .324 with 13 doubles and 19 steals in 25 attempts before getting the call to AA Jacksonville.

In his first 21 games for the Shrimp, Miller has answered the promotion to AA by hitting .321/.358/.417 in 21 games, reaching base in each of them and hitting in all but one of them. In other words, Miller has taken the toughest jump in the minors to take by adjusting immediately and continuing to be one of the most productive prospects in the organization despite his career being just 140 games old.

On top of good strike zone knowledge and vision, Miller’s calling card is his extremely quick bat speed that he uses to reach all parts of the plate and go to all fields. From there, Miller puts arguably the best of his four tools to work for him, his speed, to create runs. In 97 trips on base for the Hammerheads this year, Miller swiped 19 bags in 25 attempts. Trouble catching Miller has proven to be just as difficult for upper minors catchers as he has stolen seven in his first nine tries. Overall this season, Miller has an audacious 78% SB success rate (21/27).

Miller’s speed serves him just as well in the field where he owns a 2.00 range factor and .988 fielding percentage this season. Though he projects most advantageously as a center fielder Miller’s jets and good reads off the bat provide him with positional flexibility anywhere in the outfield.

A top of the order for-average on base threat who has hit at each of the three levels he’s played at in an extremely young Minor League career but one in which he has disallowed the Marlins from taking a watchful eye off of him as well as disallowing the organization from holding him back to repeat any level, we are penciling Miller in as a potential September call-up and as a shoe-in to get a long, extended look next year in Spring Training. With only one spot in next year’s Marlins’ outfield currently occupied (Lewis Brinson), Miller is the rest of the season doing exactly what he’s done his entire minor league career and a strong spring showing away from potentially appearing in an MLB Opening Day lineup. To do what Brian has done in such a short amount of time on the pro circuit can only be described in one word: wow.

RF Austin Dean
.326/.392/.472, 8 HR, 25 XBH, 49 RBI, 44/28 K/BB

From the lowest of lows to the highest of highs.

Not far from this time last season, long time Marlins farm hand drafted in 2012 Austin Dean began his way back from a knee injury suffered seven games in to the 2017 season when he collided with a teammate in the outfield. After a .283/.325/.415 second half that year, a 100% healthy Dean returned to Jacksonville this season and in his third season’s worth of work for Jacksonville, proceeded to make Southern League history.

By hitting .420/.466/.654 in the first month of the season, Dean held the best overall batting line in the month of April since at least the year 2005. Following that showing in which Dean hit in 17/22 games and at one point had a 10 game hit streak, he was promoted to AAA New Orleans. The call-up came just over one month shy of the anniversary of Dean’s return from the most serious injury of his career which occurred in the same outfield he commanded this season. Talk about coming back with a vengeance.

What is more is that Dean’s success this year hasn’t been exclusive to the AA ranks. Instead, he is exhibiting the same well balanced and timed shortened line drive swing, the same knowledge of the strike zone and the same improved bat speed and plate coverage via the same better extension across the dish to become one of the better for-average and on-base threats at the highest level of Minor League Ball. Through 64 games, his .299 BA ranks 20th and his .373 BA ranks 23rd in the Pacific Coast League.

While it may have taken him six years, almost a year and a half total of which was spent on the shelf with various ailments, it looks as though Dean has finally realized the potential the Marlins saw in him when they drafted him out of a Texas high school in 2012. A .294/.367/.409 hitter against the best of what MiLB has to offer this year, Dean is a shoe-in for a September (if not earlier) call and a lead candidate to win a roster spot next season.

SP Nick Neidert
105.1 IP, 2.91 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 110/23 K/BB, .248 BAA

Nick Neidert was the main return piece in the trade with Seattle for Dee Gordon. In his first 17 games as an organizational Marlin, the 21-year-old has proven why he was such a sought after commodity.

Neidert, a second round pick by the Mariners out of Suwannee High in Georgia, impressed in his first two seasons as a pro, holding down a 2.50 ERA by way of a sub-1 WHIP and 5.15 K/BB before being promoted to AA late last year. comes back to his home coast.

After getting a taste of the competition in the upper minors, Neidert has begun to dominate it this season, proving his success wasn’t exclusive to A ball. In 17 games, the-22-year has held down a 2.91 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, marks which rank 3rd and 5th in the Southern League.

Neidert’s deception starts in his slow and deliberate delivery which he then speeds up at his moment of propulsion off his back foot. The sudden change in motion and acceleration makes Neidert one of the most difficult pitchers in the system to time and leads to a multitude of swings and misses and at the very least, off-balance contact when he’s hitting spots. His stuff consists of a low-mid-90s fastball with sink as well as arm-side run, a shapely changeup with good running fade and a 12-6 curve with sharp downward action. He commands all three pitches extremely well down in the zone and can spot on both corners.

Already the owner of a more than solid three pitch repertoire and great command via repeatable mechanics that deceive, Neidert stands to get a September call, fill out even more with pro coaching and be a mainstay among the top three in the Marlins’ rotation in 2019 and beyond.