PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – So much for that early Spring Training slump.
With less than three weeks to go until Opening Day, Neil Walker on Friday picked up the pace at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs in the Marlins' 10-3 win over the Mets at First Data Field.
"You want to see guys hitting the ball hard and seeing the quality of the at-bats," manager Don Mattingly said. "It's good to see the result, and they want it too. They want to feel good, but they also know they'd like to have a little bit of the result to feel better about what they're working on."
Walker entered the game 1-for-15 in Grapefruit League play, before he connected on an opposite-field, three-run home run off Noah Syndergaard in the third inning. Walker had singled off the hard-throwing right-hander in the first inning.
In the fifth inning, Walker belted a solo shot to center off Seth Lugo.
"I haven't felt great with my timing, and today was a good day," Walker said.
Walker, 33, is one of the veteran offseason additions for the Marlins, and he's expected to play first base.
After spending 2018 with the Yankees, Walker is adapting to his new club.
On Friday, he had familiarity facing Syndergaard and Lugo, two former teammates from his time with the Mets in 2016 and part of 2017.
"A lot of times in Spring Training, you see a different guy every single day," Walker said. "Sometimes it [has] a calming effect when you at least see guys you've seen before, and you know what they have. It kind of helps you get into more of your approach."
Spring stats not the priority
Many factors will go into how the Marlins eventually trim down to the 25 players who will be on the Opening Day roster.
In general, Grapefruit League statistics will not weigh that heavily for players on the bubble.
"We have a pretty good idea coming in of what guys can do, but we've got some new faces, and guys are getting opportunities," Mattingly said. "You're looking at stats, from the standpoint more of how the at-bats are. Are they good at-bats? Are they swinging the bats good? If it's close at the end, then [stats] would have something to do with it.
"You're not worried about what Neil Walker is doing in spring. You're not worried about what Martin Prado is doing in spring. The fact that they're out there getting their at-bats is what we're more concerned about."
First wave of cuts
On Friday, the Marlins made their first round of cuts, sending 11 players to the Minor Leagues, leaving 55 players in camp.
Included in the moves is right-hander Nick Neidert, ranked by MLB Pipeline as Miami's No. 4 prospect. Jorge Guzman (No. 10), Jordan Holloway (14), Brian Miller (15), Jordan Yamamoto (18) and Robert Dugger (23) also were sent down.
"The early send-downs are usually the guys that know what's going on," Mattingly said. "It's a really good learning experience, and a good gauge for next year on what works."
Optioned to Triple-A New Orleans were right-handed pitchers Yamamoto, Kyle Keller, and Elieser Hernandez, along with outfielder Magneuris Sierra. Guzman was optioned to Double-A Jacksonville. Holloway was optioned to Class A Advanced Jupiter.
Right-handers Neidert, Dugger, Ben Meyer and Miller and catcher Sharif Othman were reassigned to Minor League camp.
For these prospects, the experience of big league camp is something that should benefit them for the season.
"We always talk about the access to this, and to be able to get into games is really beneficial for these guys," Mattingly said. "They see what they need to work on. The game shows you what works and what doesn't work. I think it's just good for guys to be around it."
Worth noting
• Dan Straily, lined up to be the Marlins' No. 2 starter, had a goal to not walk anyone in Spring Training, and he didn't in his first two starts over 4 1/3 innings. That changed on Friday as he walked one in 3 1/3 innings. "At this point, my goal was to not walk anyone this spring, and I walked one guy today, that was kind of frustrating," Straily said.
• JT Riddle was 1-for-22 before homering off Syndergaard in the fourth inning.
Up next
For the first time this spring, the Marlins will play under the lights in a Grapefruit League game. On Saturday, Miami travels to West Palm Beach to face the Nationals at 6:35 p.m. ET. Pablo Lopez will get the start for Miami. Wei-Yin Chen, who has been matched with Lopez on a couple of previous spring starts, will be pitching in a simulated game in Jupiter.