The Marlins' farm system is ever evolving and looking stronger than it's been at any point in the past three years. Not only is there plenty of top-end talent, with five Top 100 prospects, but there's rare depth.
Major acquisitions in the past 12 months have been a notable factor.
Miami landed a strong Draft class led by college hitters Aiva Arquette, Cam Cannarella, Brandon Compton and Max Williams and signed two of the Top 30 international prospects in January. After adding several prospects at the Trade Deadline, the Marlins acquired four more who landed on their Top 30 this offseason: Owen Caissie and Cristian Hernandez from the Cubs for Edward Cabrera and Dillon Lewis and Brendan Jones from the Yankees for Ryan Weathers.
Many of their top prospects are ready to join the team's young core in Miami, too. Four of their Top 100 prospects -- Thomas White, Robby Snelling, Caissie and Mack -- ended last season in Triple-A or the Majors and are expected to contribute in 2026.
There's plenty of talent in the lower Minors as well, particularly at shortstop and in the outfield, and the Marlins maintain a reputation for developing young hard-throwing starters. Keep an eye on right-handers Kevin Defrank, Yohanfer Santana and Adrian Pena, all of whom already display triple-digit velocity in Rookie ball.
COMPLETE MARLINS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Here's a look at the Marlins top prospects:
1. Thomas White, LHP (MLB No. 17)
2. Robby Snelling, LHP (MLB No. 39)
3. Owen Caissie, OF (MLB No. 42)
4. Aiva Arquette, SS (MLB No. 47)
5. Joe Mack, C (MLB No. 62)
Complete Top 30 list »
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2025 preseason list to the 2026 preseason list:
Jump: Kevin Defrank, RHP (2025: NR | 2026: 6)
Defrank was on our radar after landing the fourth-largest bonus for an international pitching prospect in 2025, but he's quickly surpassed expectations. The 6-foot-5 righty is exceptionally physically mature for a 17-year-old and stands out for his fastball that's already up to 101 and an advanced changeup. He had an impressive debut in the Dominican Summer League -- with 34 K's and a 3.19 ERA in 31 innings -- and although Rookie-ball pitchers are an incredibly risky demographic, he's checking off every box you'd want from one.
Fall: PJ Morlando, OF (2025: 6 | 2026: 27) and Carter Johnson, SS (2025: 10 | 2026: NR)
Morlando and Johnson are a pair of highly touted prep hitters from the 2024 Draft whose pro careers have yet to take off. Morlando (16th overall, $3.4 million) has barely seen the field, between a back injury, elbow sugery and a hamstring injury, and he's struggled when he has played (.699 OPS in Single-A, .396 OPS in the Arizona Fall League). Johnson (56th overall, $2.8 million) has been healthy but unable to make consistent or hard contact, with a sub-.600 OPS in two Single-A campaigns.
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is plus and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade.
Hit: 55 -- Cam Cannarella (Luis Arana, Starlyn Caba)
Power: 60 -- Owen Caissie (Kemp Alderman, Aiva Arquette, Santiago Solarte)
Run: 70 -- Dillon Head
Arm: 60 -- Starlyn Caba (Kemp Alderman, Luis Arana, Aiva Arquette, Owen Caissie, José Castro, Joe Mack, Ronny Muñoz, Esmil Valencia)
Defense: 70 -- Starlyn Caba
Fastball: 70 -- Kevin Defrank
Curveball: 60 -- Nate Payne
Slider: 70 -- Thomas White
Changeup: 60 -- Thomas White (Kevin Defrank)
Control: 55 -- Robby Snelling
How they were built
Draft: 14 | International: 9 | Trade: 7
Breakdown by ETA
2026: 5 | 2027: 7 | 2028: 9 | 2029: 2 | 2030: 5 | 2031: 2
Breakdown by position
C: 1 | SS: 6 | OF: 14 | RHP: 6 | LHP: 3