Marlins Prospect Must Sharpen Key Skill to Reach Full MLB Potential
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Owen Caissie is the latest addition to the Miami Marlins team. He’s considered a very top prospect to come out of the Chicago Cubs farm system.
The Marlins will miss Edward Cabrera and his production, but this trade involving Caissie could be a massive win for the organization. Every young player has weaknesses, but there’s one critical area that Caissie must work on to become an elite hitter.
What Is The One Key Area For Caissie To Improve?
Caissie must hit consistently against left-handed pitchers.
The 23-year-old is a left-handed batter. He has all the potential to become a 30-plus home run caliber hitter. Caissie can hit for contact and has incredible bat-to-ball skills. In addition, he’s a versatile defender who can play all the outfield positions. The Marlins' defense in the outfield will be fun to watch with him, Kyle Stowers, and Jakob Marsee.
Caissie has no problem hitting against right-handed pitchers. During his time at Triple-A in Iowa, Caissie batted .312/.402/.637. His vulnerability comes against left-handed pitchers. We have seen many times that left-handed hitters struggle against left-handed pitchers, especially in today's game, but that’s no excuse. Caissie must improve in this area.
Against lefties, Caissie hit a slash line of .235/.369/.388 this season. When pitchers throw him sliders, it can take him out of his game, and that’s another thing to work on. We understand strikeout problems and swing-and-miss issues. Every player has strengths and weaknesses.
It’s just imperative that if Caissie can find success against lefties as he has against righties, then he will become an elite hitter in the Marlins lineup.
There’s a lot of room for him to grow. He’s only 23. This will be his moment to show the world that the Cubs made a mistake in reading him. Extremely competitive players will use that to their advantage, waking up early, staying out late, and working on their weaknesses and how they can help the team get better.
It’s going to be a pivotal season for Caissie. We hope he can clear those weaknesses and establish a great relationship with the team and fan base.
How amazing would it be if he could surprise all of us by suddenly hitting 30 home runs at the age of 23? Mike Trout, Julio Rodriguez, Ronald Acuna Jr, and Pete Crow Armstrong are some of the players to accomplish this. Of course, we won’t expect that from Caissie right away. Everything takes time.
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After graduating from City College of New York in 2014, Miguel created his own blog. Since 2021, he has written for FanSided, where he covered the Toronto Blue Jays, College Football and Utah Mammoth hockey team. He also wrote for Miami Heat on SI and Cleveland Sports Talk. Miguel is the creator and host of his podcast, Baseball Heat Podcast with Mike.