Marlins see plenty of top-tier talent available at 14th pick in Draft

MIAMI -- Nearly a year ago, the Marlins didn’t know whom they would select seventh overall until the pick got closer and closer. So much depended on what the clubs ahead of them did.

Aiva Arquette, considered the consensus top collegiate position player in last year’s MLB Draft, falling to them didn’t seem realistic. But that’s what happened.

Vice president of amateur forecasting and player evaluation initiatives Frankie Piliere expects more of that when the 2026 MLB Draft begins on Saturday.

“The fun part when you pick 14th is, you don't really know what's going to come your way, but especially this year,” Piliere said. “I think there's not a lot of clarity at the top. I feel like I've said that before, but this year in particular is that way. It's still a talented group. Sometimes when people hear lack of clarity at the top, they think it's because it's not talented. There's plenty of talent, it's just really hard to separate the guys this year. There's a bunch of guys that are qualified to go in the first 10-20 picks.”

• Day 1 picks: 14, 52, 71, 87, 115
• Bonus pool allotment: $11,960,100
• Last year’s top pick: Aiva Arquette, SS, seventh overall ... MLB Pipeline’s No. 41 overall prospect will be sidelined for the foreseeable future with a left thumb injury. Before this setback, the 22-year-old hit .240/.297/.462 with seven doubles, two triples, nine homers, 36 RBIs and 12 steals in 41 games between High-A Beloit and Double-A Pensacola.
• Breakout 2025 pick: Cam Cannarella, CF, 43rd overall ... Despite missing time with a left wrist fracture, the 22-year-old has proven the scouting report correct with elite defense and some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the Draft. As of Sunday, Cannarella was slashing .360/.442/.599 in the same two levels as Arquette. He has taken his game to another level at Double-A, with eight homers in 28 games.

According to Piliere, it’s a pretty balanced class, with college options at the top and a lot of prep depth. Leading up to the weekend, the Marlins will discuss how to separate the talent in order to make a pick.

When it comes to college players, the organization looks back on how it performed over the last couple of years and tries to project what's going to happen. Swing decisions, power and ability to make contact are profiles that transfer to the pros.

MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis recently wrote that the Marlins are targeting college bats like University of Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron, LSU outfielder Derek Curiel, TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider, University of Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia and Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese.

Coastal Carolina right-hander Cameron Flukey and Tennessee right-hander Tegan Kuhns are arms to monitor. So is California prep two-way player Jared Grindlinger.

“I don't think most people believe it when I say it, but it is truly best available, like it is every year at every time,” Piliere said. “We drafted all college players last year, because it's how the board fell. It could be different this year. It could be very different. It just depends how the board falls.

“I think every year when we build up a board, there are high school players, there are college pitchers, there are college bats. But if those guys get picked before you go, what you have next is who you take, and we're pretty strict about our board, and we stick to our board.”

The Marlins worked out more than 300 prospects in the build-up to this Draft. That included spending more time than ever scouting a player’s defense and speed.

Piliere also takes stock of what the organization has been able to do on the developmental side, singling out Triple-A infielder Gage Miller (third round, .895 combined OPS entering Monday) and Double-A outfielder Fenwick Trimble (fourth round, .820 OPS). Both hail from the 2024 Draft class -- Piliere’s first with the Marlins.

“You look around baseball fields, there are third-, fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, seventh-rounders all over the field, and sometimes lower,” Piliere said. “I look at no matter where we pick, we have a good shot at getting good players.

“They're available if you stay disciplined in the Draft. They sneak in, they fly under the radar. But those are really good players. And after the first round, everyone kind of forgets where you pick. Everyone's kind of almost on equal footing, and if you stay disciplined, there's really good players available, no matter where you pick.”