Fish On First: A Miami Marlins podcast

A full report on the hottest Marlins minor league affiliate, the Clinton LumberKings (0:40). Infielder Christopher Torres is igniting the offense while the pitching staff has consistently kept games within reach. Then, our guest Jake Walters (7:45) joins us to talk the cutter, coming out of the University of Alabama, and the beginning a pro career in 2019.  Follow Erik Oas ( @erik_oas ) on Twitter...

Danny outlines his timeline (6:00) for how the Marlins can go from the National League's worst record to postseason contender over the next few years. However, his sampling of the Fish Stripes audience finds that the majority of the fanbase is more patient (11:30). On the recently completed homestand, standout players include Elieser Hernandez (17:38) and hitters Miguel Rojas, Garrett Cooper, Haro...

Now in his 12th season as a Marlins radio broadcaster, Glenn Geffner calls in to discuss his career path (3:35), assess the state of the club's rebuild (8:20), get inside the mind of the fanbase (13:20), and distinguish between old and current Marlins ownership (19:55). Geffner also reflects on his signature moments behind the mic (27:40), specifically the game following the tragic death of supers...

The LumberKings welcome new additions to the roster (4:20), including 2019 MLB Draft picks Peyton Burdick and Evan Edwards. In the aftermath of losing their top starting pitchers to midseason promotions, the remaining arms have to adjust to different roles (5:50).  Our guest this week, pitcher Tyler Mitzel (8:15), talks his insanely good changeup (10:15), coming out of South Dakota (16:00) and wha...

Danny, Ethan and Ian are relieved to see the Marlins farm system bearing fruit in the majors (3:00), with Jordan Yamamoto and Zac Gallen earning rotation spots (5:30). The guys summarize a handful of key promotions within the system (12:00), including—but not limited to—Robert Dugger, Edward Cabrera, Chris Vallimont, Peyton Burdick and Evan Edwards. Ian reports findings from his in-person scouting...

Danny shouts out rookie starters Sandy Alcantara, Jordan Yamamoto and Zac Gallen (4:15) for their performances during the 5-2 Marlins road trip. Meanwhile, Brian Anderson and Garrett Cooper have been locking down the heart of the lineup and infield corners (13:00). The MLB news of the week was a zany, two-city proposal that would have the Rays playing home games in both Tampa Bay and Montreal. Dan...

Danny, Ian and Ethan once again lead off the pod with recent MLB call-up Jordan Yamamoto (1:30), whose seven scoreless innings on Tuesday made some Marlins history. Then, they summarize the first-half excellence of potential ace Edward Cabrera (5:15). Ian and Ethan share experiences from seeing Cabrera, José Devers (who could remain on the injured list until August, according to Alex Carver of Fis...

On Episode 12, we talk about the current LumberKings offensive slump and the crazy first-half performances from their players. Third baseman Bubba Hollins joins the podcast (10:10) to describe bouncing back from a recurring injury, growing up around baseball (17:00), and the how tennis skills apply to his current career. Follow Erik Oas ( @erik_oas ) on Twitter and listen to all LumberKings radio...

Marlins right-hander Jordan Yamamoto (2:40) and slugger Garrett Cooper (8:40) earn Danny's Pitcher and Hitter of the Week honors. Cooper has established himself as a long-term candidate to fill the club's void at first base, remarkable considering the seemingly minor trade that brought he and Caleb Smith to Miami. But let's say this rebuild yields an amazing core and fan experience...is that enoug...

Danny, Ian and Ethan react live to Jordan Yamamoto ’s MLB debut (1:35) and examine the factors that led to the Marlins promoting him instead of alternatives like Zac Gallen . Then, they analyze the mixed results from top prospect Sixto Sánchez (16:50) and all-around excellence of Isan Díaz (21:40) and Edward Cabrera (27:30). That’s followed by an exclusive interview with Isan (33:17)! The star sec...

In Episode 11 of A-Ball with Erik Oas, we offer a full report on the Clinton LumberKings and are joined by reliever Alex Vesia (9:25). The left-handed reliever, who's been one of Minor League Baseball's premier strikeout artists in 2019, talks his path into professional baseball, the difficulty in throwing changeups, and being an influence on younger players. We also look forward to newly signed M...

Daniel Martinez has trouble settling on a single Marlins Pitcher and Hitter of the Week given the multitude of viable candidates—Trevor Richards, Pablo López, Sandy Alcantara, Brian Anderson, Jorge Alfaro and Garrett Cooper (2:00). Good problem to have! Then, we share some final thoughts on the 2019 MLB Draft (12:30) and why the baseball industry is so complimentary of how the Marlins handled it....

Fish Stripes recently partnered with the High-A Jupiter Hammerheads to provide discounted tickets to the Florida State League All-Star Game at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium coming up on Saturday, June 15 . But we have decided to sweeten the deal even more—save your wallet for the concessions, because 50 tickets for our group outing will be given away for free!!! Join our staff, plus Jupiter All-Sta...

Headlined by JJ Bleday, Kameron Misner and Nasim Nuñez (and possibly Evan Fitterer), the Marlins made good use of their 2019 MLB Draft position. Danny, Ian and Ethan get into the specifics of how these prospects could impact the Fish and the front office's motivation for selecting them. They also hand out grades for the Rounds 1-10 execution (35:20). Meanwhile, across the full-season affiliates (4...

In this episode, we offer a full report on the Clinton LumberKings. J.D. Osborne, Jerar Encarnación and Connor Scott are each swinging a hot bat. Then, Marlins 2018 draftee Tanner Andrews joins the podcast (10:40) to talk about coming from a small town in Indiana, the role of other sports in his development, and working to become a starting pitcher. He also explains how fellow Purdue pitcher Nick...

As the most impressive Marlins players of the past week, Trevor Richards , Pablo López and Harold Ramírez get well-deserved shoutouts (2:05). Danny then sets the stage for Day 1 of the MLB Draft coming up on Monday night (13:15), which will include the Marlins’ first three picks at No. 4, No. 35 and No. 46. Jorge Alvarado joins the show (19:35) to banter about his longtime Marlins fandom, Venezuel...

Pitching Coach Mark DiFelice joins the podcast (8:30) to talk LumberKings culture, Marlins organization expectations, the analytics of baseball, and the current success of LumberKings pitchers like Humberto Mejía and Chris Vallimont. Follow Erik Oas ( @erik_oas ) on Twitter and listen to all LumberKings radio broadcasts on 100.3 WCCI. Follow Fish Stripes on Twitter ( @fishstripes ) and visit FishS...

It’s an impromptu Christian Yelich trade package special. Danny, Ethan and Ian analyze the hot performances from Triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes Lewis Brinson , Monte Harrison and Isan Díaz . All three seem destined to join the Marlins active roster later this season ( re -joining in Brinson’s case, MLB debuts for Harrison and Díaz). What else do they have left to prove in the minor leagues?  Coin...

Closing out Memorial Day weekend, Danny highlights the top performing players during the Marlins latest road trip: Trevor Richards, Harold Ramírez, Brian Anderson and Jorge Alfaro (2:15). He explains the significance of Miami’s six-game losing streak (8:20), reminds fans of how the old Marlins core had the worst of both worlds (16:45), takes stock of how controllable major league players have prod...

Erik Oas delivers a full report on the Clinton LumberKings, highlighting amazing no-hit bids from Humberto Mejía and Chris Vallimont. Outfielder Thomas Jones joins the podcast (6:05) to talk about learning from Juan Pierre, Mike Jacobs and other experienced coaches in the Marlins organization (9:50), the choice he made between football and baseball (12:00), the mental battle with opposing pitchers...

June 3 is right around the corner! Danny and Ian tell you about Cal first baseman Andrew Vaughn, prep shortstop C.J. Abrams, Vanderbilt outfielder JJ Bleday and the other leading candidates who the Marlins will consider selecting with the No. 4 overall pick in the MLB Draft (5:29), plus some under-the-radar and outside-the-box alternatives (20:38). They break down realistic targets for the Fish in...

Danny explains why he's so encouraged by Pablo López's start to the season despite the elevated earned run average (3:00), embraces the heated debate about the state of the Marlins franchise (9:55), and breaks down the caliber of talent in the farm system heading into the 2019 MLB Draft and international signing period (15:45). That's followed by a special guest! Longtime Marlins fan Tony Valdes j...

The Clinton LumberKings' recent struggles defy the math in our full report on the Marlins Single-A affiliate. First baseman Sean Reynolds talks to us (8:20) about his power, the advanced numbers we've come to know him by, his “bond” with LumberKings manager/former big leaguer Mike Jacobs (15:53), beating the shift (19:12), and what it was like growing into a 6-foot-7 frame (we asked him the basket...

Danny, Ethan and Ian celebrate the promotions of Harold Ramírez and Elieser Hernandez to the big league club (1:00), note the improved performance from hyped Cuban outfielder Víctor Víctor Mesa (2:20), preview top Marlins targets for the 2019-20 international signing period (6:15), point to encouraging signs in the recent performances from Isan Díaz and José Devers (16:28), and round up the rest o...

Danny highlights Miami Marlins who have had under-the-radar success (3:08) such as Nick Anderson , Neil Walker and  Rosell Herrera , explains the impact of Harold Ramírez and last weekend’s other roster additions (9:27), drools over the elite hitting prospects that the Marlins can target in the 2019 and 2020 MLB Draft classes (16:14), and shares his leading candidates to take over as manager if Do...