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First-rounder Garrett headlines Marlins’ instructs
- Updated: September 29, 2016
The Miami Marlins’ trend of drafting a high school player with their first-round pick continued in 2016, when the club selected right-hander Braxton Garrett with the No. 7 overall pick. He was named the organization’s new top prospect the following month, passing over 2014 first-rounder Tyler Kolek in the rankings despite having never thrown a pitch as a professional.
Though Garrett has yet to make his professional debut, the No. 37 overall prospect is finally getting his first taste of pro ball this fall in the Marlins’ instructional league camp in Jupiter, Fla., where it’s taken him all of a few weeks to make a strong impression on his new organization.
Using his commitment to Vanderbilt as leverage, Garrett held out until the July 15 signing deadline before agreeing to an above-slot bonus of $4,145,900. But after a lengthy senior campaign for Florence (Ala.) High followed by a month-long layoff before signing, the Marlins ultimately decided not to rush Garrett into competitive action, postponing the 19-year-old left-hander’s debut until 2017.
“We had to build him up to where he could understand our throwing program, the stuff we do on flat ground, all the routines,” Marlins vice president of player development Marc DelPiano said. “We wanted to make sure he’d have a good foundation in place before getting on the mound.”
With an impressive 6-foot-3, 190-pound frame and three pitches that all project as at least above-average offerings, Garrett utterly dominated against prep competition in 2016, posting a 0.53 ERA with 131 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings. Miami has managed his workload carefully in the camp so far by limiting the southpaw to short outings and offering him additional rest, but Garrett has shown enough in those small sample sizes to have team officials excited about his future.
“From his athleticism and delivery to the impact of his pitches, he’s really stood out,” DelPiano said. “He has the maturity, too, and we like the ease of operation in how he does …
