This Miami Marlins Pitching Prospect Is On The Rise

The Miami Marlins have quietly been one of the better pitching development factories in MLB over the last few seasons. Edward Cabrarear, Eury Perez, Sandy Alcantara, and Ronny Henriquez are just a couple of the current pitchers on Miami’s roster who have proven themselves as solid MLB arms.

However, there are still a couple of promising pitchers in the minor leagues who are trending in the right direction in terms of development and progress.

One pitcher on the rise in Miami’s pipeline is RHP Karson Milbrandt. The 21-year-old was a third-round pick of the Marlins in the 2022 MLB draft and had a slow start to his professional career, but it’s all starting to come together for him.

Milbrandt has recorded some solid numbers this summer, but his most recent two starts are what are really putting him on the map and gaining attention around the league.

In Milbrandt’s last two games, he’s pitched 10.2 innings of shutout work, given up just four hits, issued five walks, and struck out 16 batters.

These performances were even good enough for Milbrandt to be named the Midwest League High-A player of the week.

The 21-year-old now has a season ERA of 3.13 and a WHIP of 1.69, along with a strikeout rate of 28.6 percent and a FIP of 3.41.

Feb 21, 2023; Jupiter, FL, USA; A detail view of a Miami Marlins equipment bag on the field during workouts at the Marlins practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Milbrandt battled a shoulder injury earlier this season, but is clearly putting all of that behind him and is returning to form at a perfect time.

With two starts like this, Milbrandt should be the next in line to move up to be promoted. However, it will be interesting to see if the Marlins decide to move him up this late in the year or wait until the spring to bring the right-hander up to Double-A, with how close the end of the minor league season is.

Milbrandt is currently ranked as Miami’s No. 20 overall prospect. If he can keep developing and keep his strikeout rate high, the right-hander could soon become one of the top pitching prospects in Miami's farm system, or possibly even in all of baseball.

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