Two Marlins Prospects Can Strengthen Bullpen in Second Half of Season
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Two Miami Marlins prospects are on the NRI list. Both players are approaching the Marlins camp with a chip on their shoulder.
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Relief pitching helps teams to get the job done, especially when there’s a one-run game. The Marlins could have these two prospects on their MLB roster sooner rather than later.
Josh Ekness will head to #Marlins camp as an NRI for the second straight season, per source.
— Fish on the Farm (@marlinsminors) January 29, 2026
Ekness has spent the offseason with @alonzobaseball in his hometown of Houston. Fantastic last year at Double-A: 2.73 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 66/21 K/BB. pic.twitter.com/M2Uant0dxE
Two Prospects Can Shape Marlins Bullpen in Second Half of Season
Josh Ekness
Ekness is currently playing for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, which is part of the Marlins Triple-A affiliate.
The 23-year-old right-handed pitcher was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Marlins selected him in the 2023 MLB draft in the 12th round out of the University of Houston.
Josh had a solid 2025 campaign, posting a 4-1 record and 68 strikeouts in 66 games. Although his ERA is a bit too high (4.17), he has shown that he can be a force on the mound. In 2024, he posted a career-low 1.91 ERA and a career-high 83 strikeouts.
His pitching performance must elevate in the 2026 season. The right-hander can be a tremendous presence on the mound, and he’s a hard thrower who can reach a fastball between 97 and 100 mph. Ekness has the tools to become an unhittable pitcher if he continues to tweak certain aspects of his pitches.
Miami can certainly use him as an asset coming out of the bullpen in the second half of the season.
Nigel Belgrave
Another name on the #Marlins’ NRI list is Nigel Belgrave. It will be his first trip to big league camp.
— Fish on the Farm (@marlinsminors) January 29, 2026
Belgrave had a great 2025, mostly in Double-A Pensacola: 85/28 K/BB and sub-3 ERA. Averages 94 with the fastball and owns a 60 grade slider. pic.twitter.com/05eojz9s1f
Belgrave is also playing for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. He has a fantastic fastball and a sweeping slider.
The 23-year-old was selected by the Marlins in the 15th round of the 2023 MLB draft out of Maryland. Nigel finished the 2025 season posting a 5-3 record with a 2.51 ERA, 92 strikeouts, and a 1.06 WHIP in 41 games.
In 91 career minor league games, he went 13-7 with a 2.73 ERA, 183 strikeouts, and 141.2 innings pitched.
Belgrave has excellent size for a pitcher, listed at 6-foot-4 and 215, with the chance to get bigger and stronger.
Every season, Belgrave is improving his pitching mechanics. He’s seeing the game much better. He’s pounding the strikeout zone more consistently. In each campaign, his strikeout numbers are going higher.
Belgrave has only given up five home runs in three seasons in the minors. It’s very tough for hitters to get extra-base hits when they go up against Belgrave. That’s a positive sign if you’re the Marlins front office. You want a picture that can dominate hitters.
He spent the entire 2025 season in Pensacola, Florida, continuing to work on his game. He’s slowly developing his control and command. Consistency and trust are vital in baseball.
Ekness and Belgrave are going to be very important for the Miami bullpen. The Marlins don’t have an elite depth of relievers this season. If these two young men can have a strong first half of the season, then the sky’s the limit for them.
The second half of the season could be huge for Miami if their names get called up and bring dominance to the mound.
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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.