What Owen Caissie’s Spring Usage Really Says About His 2026 Role
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The offseason was filled with trades for the Miami Marlins, who traded away two established starting pitchers in Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers. But giving up those players helped the Marlins get some prospects for the future who could help immediately at the Major League level.
The top prospect Miami got this offseason was from the Chicago Cubs in the form of outfielder Owen Caissie. Caissie made his MLB debut last season with the Cubs and showed glimpses of why he's one of the top prospects coming into the league this season. Lucky for the Marlins, he's donning their jersey.
What Caissie's 2026 Role Will Be
So far this spring, Caissie has been used in a role that makes him stand out as an everyday outfielder for Miami in 2026. Slated to be the starting right fielder for the Marlins via FanGraphs, Caissie has been used that way in spring, having gotten the start a handful of times, including Thursday against the Toronto Blue Jays.
In his small sample size in Chicago, Caissie didn't look as he did while he played in the minors, hitting .192 at the plate and striking out 11 times. But while he played in the minor leagues in 2025, he hit 22 home runs with 55 RBIs and held a .286 batting average.
He's got the power that the Marlins are looking for more of in 2026, and he fits the status quo roster-wise as Miami looks for its youth to take a step forward. His bat in spring training has yet to get going, but it's ultimately going to come around at some point.
In the outfield, Caissie will hold down right field, but if he doesn't get his bat going in spring, the front office could field the option of starting Caissie as a bench bat before he starts to prove himself.
He will need to make better adjustments when seeing breaking balls from left-handers, but against righties, he should mash. The minor league power is bound to carry over, and with continuous starts in spring, Caissie has to know that the Marlins have big plans for him in Miami.
"We're getting someone who has shown the ability to make adjustments as he's gotten older and as he's faced better pitching," Marlins' Peter Bendix said of Caissie. "He still has room for improvement offensively and defensively, but his performance to date in his career has been exceptional."
Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.