This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola's Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Fenwick Trimble is not a character in the Harry Potter series or in a Jane Austen novel.
Trimble, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB Draft, is a 23-year-old outfielder who ranks as the Marlins’ No. 26 prospect. He also is one of seven of the organization’s farmhands who will compete for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League, an annual prospect showcase that will run from Oct. 6 to Nov. 15. They will be managed by Marlins field coordinator Aaron Leanhardt.
Joining Trimble are middle infielder Starlyn Caba (Marlins No. 5 prospect), outfielder PJ Morlando (No. 14) and right-handers Karson Milbrandt (No. 18), Aiden May, Xavier Meachem and Darwin Rodriguez.
“They said, ‘Go out there, get more at-bats,’” Trimble told MLB.com. “Excited for the opportunity. It's a pretty cool experience from what I've heard, so I'm really excited for it. Get to play with good players. That's how you elevate your game, is playing with good players, and I'm excited to learn some things from some guys out there and it's going to be fun playing with those guys.”
Unranked by MLB Pipeline entering the 2025 season, Trimble was the name director of player development Rachel Balkovec offered as the 2024 draftee who had stood out most by late May, around the time he became the first member of Miami’s class to reach the Double-A level.
The Marlins promoted Trimble just six weeks into his first full professional season after he hit .284/.407/.422 with 10 extra-base hits, 14 RBIs and 15 steals in 29 games for High-A Beloit.
“I almost think of Fenwick as the ultimate dynamic of consistency, just a really good player,” director of Minor League operations Hector Crespo said. “No crazy tool, but just like a really good baseball player: can run, can hit, hits for contact, plays really good defense. Just a very, very good baseball player.”
According to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, the right-handed-hitting Trimble’s calling card is his bat-to-ball skills. As a junior at James Madison University, he slashed .369/.452/.635 with an 8.1 percent strikeout rate. He exhibits a disciplined approach and line-drive contact from gap to gap.
Trimble has shown a penchant for drawing walks, as he continues to profile more for on-base rather than slugging percentage. Still, Trimble has taken to the organization’s hitting philosophy -- “Hit strikes hard” -- by getting stronger, understanding pitchers and making better swing decisions.
“Consistency,” Crespo said. “He was the one constant bat in the lineup where you just saw every single day he was putting together quality at-bats. He was helping his team win, whether it be offensively, on the bases. Really being consistent in so many different realms of the game that was just easily noticeable, and then backed up with the subjective information that correlated.”
Unfortunately for Trimble and the Marlins, he strained his hamstring running after a ball in the gap and awkwardly planting his leg during his first week with Pensacola. He had collected hits in three of his first five games and had walked (five) more than he had struck out (three) in the small sample.
What was once a promising season was halted, leaving Trimble sidelined for two months.
“It was frustrating, but everything I guess happens for a reason, and as frustrating as it was, I knew that the only thing I could do was really just focus on rehabbing and getting it right as fast as possible,” Trimble said. “Injuries suck, but it's part of the game, and just try to get back as fast as possible and as healthy as possible.”
Since his return to the Blue Wahoos on July 19, Trimble has hit .243/.353/.396 with 11 doubles, five homers, 24 RBIs and 15 steals in 48 games. Sunday marks the end of Pensacola’s season, but Trimble isn’t quite done yet.
“Honestly, I didn't have any set goals where I wanted to finish or anything,” Trimble said. “I just wanted to focus, like I said earlier, one day at a time. And the development process is going to have faith in the Marlins that they're going to do what's best for their players. So, it's just trusting what they're doing and one day at a time, and when you stack up those days over time, you're going to develop.”