Heaney leads big day for Marlins on the farm

The Marlins' farm system's left-leaning tendencies were on full display on Sunday. Not politics. On the mound.

The organization's Top 20 list is rich with left-handed pitching, with four southpaws in the Top 10. Two of the top left-handers brought their "A" games to the hill in their most recent starts.

Marlins top prospect Andrew Heaney, the top left-handed pitching prospect in the game (also ranked No. 28 overall), went seven innings against Pensacola (Reds) in the Double-A Southern League. The 2012 first-round pick allowed just one run on three hits over seven innings, walking none and striking out nine. It capped off a fine week for the Oklahoma State product, as Heaney had tossed six scoreless innings on April 15. He's allowed just one earned run on eight hits over his last three starts. That spans 19 innings, and Heaney has struck out 22 and walked just two in that time frame. He's currently tied for the Southern League lead in strikeouts with 25.

Marlins No. 5 prospect Adam Conley was just as impressive as his counterpart on Sunday in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, though he ended up a tough-luck loser. Conley went seven strong innings, allowing just one unearned run on two hits. He walked one and struck out eight. It was Conley's finest start of the year, bringing his ERA down to 5.24. He has struck out more than a batter per inning.

Heaney and Conley weren't the only Marlins to have success on Easter Sunday. No. 9 prospect J.T. Realmuto, who caught Heaney for Jacksonville, went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored. He also swiped three bases. Realmuto started the season slowly, hitting just .189/.225/.378 through his first 10 games. Since then, he's gone 12-for-20 and raised his line to .333/.381/.509. Realmuto is currently third in the Southern League in batting average.