MIAMI -- After all the hard work and sacrifices, outfielder Destin Hood finally got a taste of the big leagues, and in the season finale, the 26-year-old showed what he is capable of with a homer off Max Scherzer.
Down on the farm, Luis Castillo stood out at two Minor League levels, and the right-hander is knocking on the door to pitch for the Marlins at some point in 2017.
For their accomplishments, Hood and Castillo have been named the Marlins' Position and Pitching Prospects of the Year, respectively, by MLBPipeline.com.
Castillo is the Marlins' fifth-ranked prospect, and Hood ranks 30th.
A September call-up, Hood appeared in 13 games for Miami and batted .240 with a double, home run and two RBIs.
Manager Don Mattingly gave Hood a rare start in the season finale at Nationals Park. The Mobile, Ala., native belted a two-run, opposite-field homer off Scherzer in the Nationals' 10-7 victory.
"It didn't hit me until a little bit later," Hood said. "That's the team that Drafted me. Obviously, Scherzer wasn't there yet."
The Nationals selected Hood in the second round in 2008, and he made his MLB debut on Sept. 2.
Hood spent a majority of the season at Triple-A New Orleans, where he had a slash line of .267/.316/.435 with 15 home runs and 80 RBIs in 126 games.
The Marlins staff got a sampling of what Hood could do in Spring Training.
An all-around athlete, Hood was a standout wide receiver in high school. He was recruited to play football for coach Nick Saban at the University of Alabama, but he declined to focus on baseball.
Castillo, 23, was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Year after going 8-4 with a 2.07 ERA in 117 2/3 innings for the Hammerheads. The hard-throwing right-hander made 23 appearances and 21 starts before being promoted to Double-A. At Jacksonville, he made three starts and was '02, posting a 3.86 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 14 innings.
Combined, he was 8-6 with a 226 ERA in 131 2/3 innings with 103 strikeouts and 25 walks in 131 2/3 innings.
The Marlins acquired Castillo from the Giants in Dec. of 2014 as part of the Casey McGehee deal.
The fact Castillo is still with the Marlins is a bit of a surprise. The club initially traded the right-hander to the Padres in late July as part of the Andrew Cashner trade.
But after it was revealed Colin Rea was dealing with a right elbow issue, at the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline, the Marlins and Padres revisited the deal, and Castillo was sent back to Miami for Rea.
The Marlins envision the right-hander as a middle of the rotation possibility.
"We don't know when their exact timeline will be, but whenever a pitcher gets to Double-A, you have to consider him as a potential option," president of baseball operations Michael Hill said. "There is still more development that needs to come. But we're happy with the growth he's made in 2016."