As Marlins continue current success, focus for some turns temporarily to MLB draft and future

There’s a lot going on with the Miami Marlins right now.

After a wild, 10-9 walk-off win on Wednesday, the Marlins entered their series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday with a 51-37 record — already the most wins and on pace for the second-best win percentage ahead of the All-Star Break in franchise history. They’re eyeing a playoff spot in Year 1 under manager Skip Schumaker and for the first time in a non-shortened season since winning the World Series in 2003.

They have a pair of representatives in the All-Star Game in second baseman Luis Arraez and designated hitter Jorge Soler.

They have a trade deadline to prepare for, one in which the Marlins should unequivocally be buyers.

But shift your attention for a moment to this weekend, like some top members of the franchise will, when moves will be made for the Marlins’ future.

The three-day 2023 MLB Draft begins at 7 p.m. Sunday with the first two rounds and will be televised on ESPN (Round 1) and MLB Network (both rounds). The Marlins have three picks on the first day, Nos. 10, 35 and 47.

Rounds 3-10 are on Tuesday starting at 2 p.m. and Rounds 11-20 take place on Wednesday, also starting at 2 p.m. The final two days can be seen via MLB.com and the MLB app. Miami has the eighth pick in the third round, No. 146 overall, and the ninth pick in each round after that.

“It’s always an exciting time of year,” Marlins director of amateur scouting DJ Svihlik said Thursday. “This is what we do. This is our World Series.”

Here’s what you need to know about the draft and how it pertains to the Marlins.

How much money do the Marlins have in their bonus pool?

The Marlins have a bonus pool of $12,829,600, the eighth-largest pool this draft and a little more than $2.5 million above the league average of $10,244,510.

Each team’s bonus pool is determined by the slot values of each pick in the first 10 rounds of the draft. For example, the Marlins’ No. 10 overall pick comes with a slot value of $5,475,300. That’s the signing bonus value MLB gives to a player taken with that pick. Teams are allowed to give a player a signing bonus larger or smaller than the slot value, but the team can’t spend more than 5 percent above its bonus pool — so, for the Marlins, $13,471,080 in total — or else they will lose future draft picks. Also, if a player in the top-10 rounds does not sign, his pick’s value is subtracted from the team’s bonus pool total.

Teams are able to spend up to $125,000 on draft picks in the 11th through 20th rounds without it counting toward their bonus allotment. However, any signing bonus above $125,000 for those selections comes out of the team’s bonus allotment.

Also, as of 2020, non-drafted free agents are limited to $20,000 bonuses.

The Marlins’ draft approach

According to Svihlik, the draft this year is hitter-heavy, which fits the Marlins’ needs.

“It continues to be our No. 1 goal here,” Svihlik said. “Philosophically, that’s how we set our board up. It’s no secret: We try to put the best hitters up high. We make pitchers push guys out of the way in order to take arms. Sometimes they do; sometimes they don’t. But the priority will continue to be hitters in this particular draft.”

A question to ponder: If the draft is as hitter-intensive as Svihlik is making it out to be, would it make sense to try to get a pitcher with one of those three picks in the top 50?

“We were just having some strategy conversations about those kind of things,” Svihlik said. “Often, teams think about taking the best player. Sometimes you don’t know who the best player is. They’re all good. You might have a cluster of four or five guys right there and it’s hard to distinguish which is the perfect player to take. There’s a lot of things that come into play.”

Which players have mock drafts linked to the Marlins?

▪ The Athletic’s Keith Law: Maryland middle infielder Matt Shaw

The explanation: “Another link that keeps coming up, although Shaw earned mentions from several teams as one of the best interviews they had at this past week’s MLB Combine in Phoenix, and I have to think some of the teams focused on college bats above this are at least reconsidering Shaw. I’ve also heard the Marlins with [Jesuit (Oregon) right-handed pitcher Noble] Meyer, [Virginia catcher Kyle] Teel, and [Grand Canyon shortstop Jacob] Wilson.”

▪ ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel: Ole Miss shortstop Jacob Gonzalez

The explanation: “Gonzalez could well go fifth or sixth, so this is near the bottom of his range. I think Miami is another team that loves Meyer but is looking more at hitters, which happens to be what the board is giving them. Matt Shaw, Wilson and [Parkview (Georgia) third baseman] Colin Houck are the other leading options.”

Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo: Gonzalez

The explanation: “Yes, the swing is a bit unorthodox, but Gonzalez has tools, profiles on the left side of the infield and is a lefthanded hitter with a three-year performance track record in the SEC. He’s a career .319/.427/.561 hitter with 40 home runs in 186 games with the Rebels, and he’s always had a keen eye for the strike zone as well. He has never posted a walk rate lower than 12% and he’s never posted a strikeout rate higher than 11.1%. Matt Shaw is another name who might fit.”

MLB.com’s Jim Callis: Portland (Oregon) right-handed pitcher Noble Meyer

The explanation: “The Marlins are better at developing arms than bats, which could lead them to Meyer, Dollander or even White. They also could continue their recent pursuit of pure hitters with Wilson or Maryland shortstop Matt Shaw, pounce on Teel or start a run on high school shortstops with [Dover (Florida) Strawberry Crest High] Arjun Nimmala or Colin Houck.”

MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo: Dover (Florida) Strawberry Crest shortstop Arjun Nimmala

The explanation: “If the Marlins go high school hitter, Nimmala appears to be the top choice, with Colin Houck also a possibility. There are some college hitters in play here and they might be seriously interested if Teel or Wilson got here, with Taylor and Gonzalez possibilities with those two off the board already. Dollander will be considered, but it does seem like they are looking for a bat here.”