JUPITER, Fla. – Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett has thrown a Maddux and pitched in the postseason more recently than Sandy Alcantara.
After rehabbing from a second Tommy John surgery, however, Garrett doesn’t assume he has an Opening Day roster spot. Much has changed since he last pitched on June 17, 2024, and eventually went under the knife that December.
“I'm here to compete, always here to compete,” Garrett said. “I don't think anything is going to be handed to me. I've been out a little too long for that, in my opinion. I worked really hard this offseason. I'm really excited. So yeah, here to compete, do the best I can, and try to help the team the best I can.”
Garrett, whom the Marlins selected seventh overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, is a homegrown member of Miami’s 40-man roster. He debuted during the COVID-impacted 2020 campaign and later set career bests in ‘23 during his first full season.
Three years later, Garrett is following the organization’s plan regarding what his road back from surgery would look like. Some focuses included increased fastball velocity and 20 extra pounds to his 6-foot-2 frame.
“He's had a tremendous offseason and a tremendous time coming back,” pitching coach Daniel Moskos said. “I truly believe you're going to see a better version of Braxton Garrett, because the stuff is so much better. And so because of that, that's why we've been talking about, ‘You were a guy [whose] command was your best asset, but it's kind of because you had to be, because you were a little bit lighter in stuff.’
“We've narrowed that gap a little bit. And also, execution is kind of the last thing to come back from Tommy John. Look no further than Sandy last year and what he looked like in the first half versus the second half. And so we talked to him about picking bigger target areas instead of spot targets.”
This mindset continues to be a work in progress for Garrett, who is being told to trust his stuff being good enough to play in the zone. There is no need to paint the corners and be on the edges as much as in the past, when he had a 1.8 BB/9 from 2022-24.
“He's probably pitched a little bit old school in his past,” Moskos said. “Now, granted, I'm not going to take away his sinker to opposite-handed hitters, because it's something he executes really well and there's a lot of utility. So it's going to be a little bit different. I could see usage changing some, but not maybe a complete, entire overhaul, just because he has had success at the Major League level before doing what he's done, and we want to make sure that we capture that as well.”
As these final two weeks of Spring Training play out, Miami will look to see how Garrett’s stuff holds up with more volume. Garrett allowed just one run over three innings in Sunday's Grapefruit League start against the Cardinals -- a game that ended in a 2-2 tie -- at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
With time, Garrett's command and stuff will return to form.
“A big part of it is just trying to remind them that while there's such a hurry to maybe perform or execute like you did in the past, or have your stuff feel and look like it did in the past, that it does take some time to have all these pieces come back together,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “You could feel healthy, which is great, but then your body is somewhat also in ways re-learning how to go out again and pitch pain free. It's just trying to continue to encourage them that your stuff is in a good place, your spin's in a good place, pitch types now.”
Miami’s projected rotation consists of righties Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Max Meyer and Chris Paddack. Garrett seems like the logical choice to round out the starting staff as the lefty, though righty Janson Junk saw success in 2025 and is out of Minor League options. Plus, non-roster invitee Robby Snelling (MLB Pipeline's No. 39 overall prospect) continues to impress.
“I take it day by day,” Garrett said. “No. 1, we want to make sure the arm feels good and staying healthy. No. 2, like we've been talking about, continue to listen to Mosk and kind of merge both of our thoughts pitching wise, and trust my stuff. It doesn't change since I'm coming off Tommy John previous to the last spring that I was healthy, just taking it day by day, trying to get better and earn a spot.”