Two top Miami Marlins prospects hit home runs to highlight team’s first scrimmage

Two hard, loud cracks of the bat from a pair of the Miami Marlins’ top prospects against one of their top pitchers highlighted the Marlins’ first simulated game experience since returning to practice.

Yes, it was a good day for both first baseman Lewin Diaz and outfielder Monte Harrison, each of whom had a home run off Caleb Smith within the first two innings of the seven-and-a-half-inning event Thursday at Marlins Park. Diaz, the Marlins’ No. 7 overall prospect according to MLBPipeline, hit a no-doubter to right-center field in the first inning. Harrison, Miami’s ninth-ranked prospect, belted one into left field in the second. Both made their way around the bases after admiring their clutch hitting to a subdued and socially distanced celebration at home plate.

Both Smith and fellow starter Sandy Alcantara, however, settled in toward the tail end of their five-inning stints on the mound.

The unofficial pitching lines for Alcantara and Smith, based on the Miami Herald’s pitch tracking throughout the practice:

▪ Alcantara: five innings, five hits, two runs (one earned), seven strikeouts and one walk. Alcantara threw 80 pitches, 42 of which went for strikes. After needing 20 pitches to face four batters in the first inning, Alcantara struck out the side in the fifth (Jesus Aguilar and Miguel Rojas swinging, Isan Diaz looking) to end his time on the mound.

▪ Smith: 4 1/3 innings (he reached his pitch count two batters into his fifth inning), four hits, three runs (all earned and all off the two home runs), five strikeouts and three walks. Smith threw 78 pitches, 46 of which went for strikes (and 14 of which were swings and misses). Smith gave up just one hit — a Magneuris Sierra bunt single (Sierra’s second infield hit of the day) — after Harrison’s second-inning home run.

“Felt good to get back out there on the mound and have some competition,” said Smith, who noted that he woke up with a stiff neck which impacted his command. “[Harrison] got me today. It was a bad changeup at the top of the zone. That’s what happens when you make bad pitches.”

Brandon Kintzler, Sterling Sharp, Drew Steckenrider and Brad Boxberger each pitched out of the bullpen, with Sharp pitching multiple innings. Steckenrider, in particular, impressed. He struck out Jorge Alfaro and Lewin Diaz in his one inning.

Now, some caveats:

▪ The Marlins didn’t field a full defense at any point during the game. The infield was in full effect for the first two innings, followed by only outfielders in the third through sixth innings. The seventh inning had no one on the field defensively outside of the pitcher and catcher, resembled live batting practice more than a game.

▪ Miami also did some situational hitting drills inside the scrimmage. For example, Alcantara had a runner on second for each of the first two batters he faced in the third inning, similar to what will be seen in extra inning games this year. The first of those runners scored, which would qualify as an unearned run in a live game.

▪ Situational runners were in place, whereas no hitter also ran the basepaths in the same inning.

▪ Marlins player relations and Spanish media liaison Luis Dorante served as home plate umpire.

“It’s just more that you’re putting a group of players together,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “... It’s part of our plan to keep moving forward, getting to game speed, doing more. We started off doing less with game speed. Now we want the game speed with more going on.”

Prospect power

Diaz and Harrison showing off their power was a positive for the Marlins, who speak highly of both prospects.

Harrison, the lone player obtained in the Christian Yelich trade yet to make his MLB debut, is a contender to make the 30-player roster on Opening Day when the Marlins face the Philadelphia Phillies on July 24 to begin their 60-game season. He has been steady throughout the first week of practice.

Diaz, meanwhile, is more of a long shot to make the roster at least to start the season for multiple reasons. The biggest of them is the Marlins already having two big-league first basemen in Jesus Aguilar and Garrett Cooper, which would limit his reps in an already shortened season.

But that isn’t stopping Diaz from making as much of an impression as he can while he’s with the big-league club for practice.

He also took advantage of the new dimensions on the right side of the ballpark, where center field went from 407 feet to 400 feet while right-center moved in from 399 feet to 387 feet.

“It’s still a pretty good shot out there,” Mattingly said. “I’ve seen some guys crush the ball and it won’t go. You’ve got to hit it good.”

Diaz did just that.