Marlins Projected to Attempt Addressing Organizational Weakness in Upcoming MLB Draft
The Miami Marlins need to figure out the shortstop position.
Free agent signing Tim Anderson isn’t the answer, owing to the combination of being on a one-year deal, a sub-.200 batting average, and currently being on the injured list with a back injury. Replacement Vidál Bruján, acquired via trade this offseason from the Tampa Bay Rays, has looked promising during the injury fill-in time: he’s batting .297/.395/.460 in a small sample size (43 plate appearances) at shortstop.
In the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospects for the Marlins, they have three players with shortstop as one of their listed positions - 2B/SS Yiddi Cappe (#8), SS Fabian Lopez (#14), and OF/SS/24 Javier Sanoja (#17). But none of them either project to be up anytime soon or make much offensive impact, with Cappe and Lopez both in the lower minors (High-A and Rookie ball, respectively) and Sanoja batting just .246 with a .627 OPS in AAA (plus being seen as a better outfield and second base defender than shortstop, where he’s graded as “average” by MLB Pipeline).
Prospect writer Keith Law of The Athletic might have a solution in his latest MLB Mock Draft, which was released this morning for subscribers: Kalen Culpepper, the shortstop from Kansas State, was his selection for Miami at #16.
Here’s what Law said about Culpepper:
Culpepper’s sliding a bit with some model-heavy teams because of his high chase rate (around 31 percent) and lack of a two-strike approach, so this may end up being high for him. He looks like he’ll stay at shortstop and he’s got a great swing with incipient power that may improve with a little swing adjustment. I’ve heard the Marlins connected with King and would assume they’re on some of the other college bats in this group like Smith, Jordan, and Benge.
(Law’s referring to Wake Forest outfielder & shortstop Seaver King, Florida State 3B Cam Smith, Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan, and Oklahoma State outfielder & RHP Carson Benge in that last sentence.)
Going off of other publicly available draft boards, it does appear that #16 would be a high-water mark for Culpepper to be selected. MLB Pipeline has him as their #31 prospect in the class, grading him as a 50 overall (on the 20-80 scouting scale, 50 is average). Here’s what they had to say about the shortstop:
If he displays more power, Culpepper might go from an unheralded Tennessee high schooler to Kansas State's first-ever first-round position player. Bothered by a hamate injury for much of his sophomore season, he starred at the Big 12 Conference tournament and was the top hitter (.471/.526/.853) on the U.S. collegiate national team during the summer. He's moving from third base to shortstop as a junior, which also could help his cause.
A right-handed hitter, Culpepper has a disciplined approach that prioritizes making consistent contact and using the entire field. He has well-above-average bat speed and enough strength to produce average power, yet he has a flat swing and rarely drives the ball in the air. He slugged just .318 with wood bats in the Cape Cod League last summer and may top out at 12-15 homers per season.
Culpepper handled shortstop on the Cape and in fall practice better than scouts expected, though he probably lacks the lateral quickness to play there regularly in the big leagues. He has at least plus arm strength and is a potential Gold Glover at third base, though that position would demand more power production than shortstop. He's an average runner and an opportunistic basestealer.
If the idea of a defensively sound but unspectacular shortstop with questionable power doesn’t get you excited, it shouldn’t - it’s a profile that can be found all across the upper minors and in free agency. That’s what Sanoja would offer in a best-case scenario, or Xavier Edwards, or even incumbent Bruján.
By far, the best course of action for Miami would be to focus on the team’s two most glaring weaknesses - power production and defense. It’s hard to find both in the same player, especially in the middle of the first round as compared to the top, but a first-rounder should be able to check off one of those two boxes at least. Third baseman Cam Smith, who Law has going one pick later to the Milwaukee Brewers, would be a much better selection for Miami than Culpepper.
Managing Editor for Blackerby Media, covering the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins Also: Senior Baseball Writer for Auburn Daily, member of both the National College Baseball Writers Association and Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (where he won the 2023 Prospects, Minors, & College Writer of the Year award)