MIAMI -- Victor Victor Mesa projects to be a major part of the Marlins' outfield of the future, but what does his arrival mean for the organization in 2019?
Miami has deepened its outfield over the past two seasons, acquiring in trades players like Lewis Brinson, Magneuris Sierra and Monte Harrison. Mesa joins the mix, but still there is uncertainty how the three outfield spots will shape up next year. There are no fewer than eight players who are in the mix to either open 2019 with the big league club or join the roster at some point during the season.
"That's our goal, to get better and add as much talent as we can, and put ourselves in position to where we can bring a championship back to South Florida," Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said.
On Monday, the Marlins took a step in that direction by signing Mesa, 22, and his brother Victor Mesa Jr., a 17-year-old outfielder.

The brothers defected from Cuba in May, and were immediately on the Marlins' radar. In Victor Victor -- MLB Pipeline's No. 1 international prospect -- they envision a five-tool talent with a skill set, in their opinion, similar to touted Nationals' outfielder Victor Robles.
"When you think about what Victor Victor represents, he's a five-tool player," Hill said. "It fits what we've done through our trades [and] through our Draft picks on the amateur side: Athletic. Above-average bat. Above-average runner. Above-average defender. Above-average throwing arm. Fits very well with the type of player that we like."

The Marlins anticipate the elder Mesa being in big league camp in Spring Training, and he likely will open 2019 either at Class A Advanced Jupiter or Double-A Jacksonville. If he performs there, it will be only a matter of time before he gets called up to the big leagues. So it's not out of the question that at some point next season -- most likely in the second half -- Mesa could be playing in Miami.
However his situation plays out, the Marlins have some interesting outfield scenarios to consider heading into Spring Training.
Based on the current roster, the frontrunners to start the season with the big league club are Brinson, Austin Dean and Derek Dietrich. If he doesn't start at third base, there is a possibility that Brian Anderson could be in right field, a position he appeared at in 91 games this year.
Sierra may also be in the mix, but the 22-year-old speedster struggled after being brought up this year, and he may start off at Triple-A New Orleans. Sierra appeared in 54 games with Miami, and batted .190. He's currently playing winter ball for Toros del Este in the Dominican Republic. In his first seven games, he hit .400.
For now, Brinson is the favorite to start in center, but the 24-year-old will have to perform. He comes off a rough 2018 in which he hit .199 with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs. He showed moderate improvement after the All-Star break, hitting .239/.263/.337.

In terms of his raw ability to impact the baseball, Brinson did show encouraging signs as the season progressed, even if it wasn't shown by his standard statistics. For instance, according to Statcast™, his hard-hit percentage on balls in play since June 1 was 43.2 percent, which is the highest on the team over that span. Hard-hit rate are balls with exit velocities of 95 mph or above.
Mesa, ranked by MLB Pipeline as Miami's No. 1 prospect, may move fast through the system. So might Harrison, ranked second by Pipeline, who could also reach the big leagues next year.
Harrison is impressing in the Arizona Fall League, batting .375 with a .474 on-base percentage in nine games. The 23-year-old had a single on Tuesday night that was clocked off the bat at 114.6 mph. Although he struck out 215 times at Double-A Jacksonville this year, Harrison belted 19 home runs. The question is if he can make enough consistent contact to be impactful.

According to the Marlins' data, 20 percent of the balls Harrison put in play had exit velocities of 105 mph or higher. The MLB average is seven percent.
Another prospect who may make the leap to Triple-A and even Miami next year is Brian Miller. A left-handed hitter who plays center field, Miller combined to hit .295 with a .338 on-base percentage at Jupiter and Jacksonville. He is a top-of-the-order option who swiped 40 bases in the Minor Leagues this year, and he's also fine tuning his game in the Fall League.

The Marlins have plenty of outfield options. Now, it's a matter of which players show they are ready.