Marlins' top prospect turns in strong outing

Left-hander Andrew Heaney put together the longest start of his professional career Saturday, an impressive 7 2/3-inning performance with eight strikeouts for Double-A Jacksonville.

Heaney, the Marlins' No. 1 prospect, gave up two runs on eight hits as the Suns beat the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, 4-2, and the 22-year-old improved to 4-2 with a 2.35 ERA this season. Heaney walked one batter and threw 108 pitches, 77 of them for strikes.

Ranked No. 26 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list and the top overall left-handed pitching prospect, Heaney could soon be on the move -- but not to Miami.

According to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, Heaney appears to be in line for a promotion to Triple-A New Orleans. The step up to Triple-A would provide Heaney with a greater challenge, facing Pacific Coast League players in what is generally considered a more hitter-friendly league.

But Heaney has proven up to any challenge thus far in his professional career, going 13-7 with a 2.25 ERA in 33 Minor League games across four levels since 2012.