The Marlins’ 2026 draft class is still mostly sitting in the wings, but the organization has already started to show its hand.
Miami brought in 21 players in the 2026 MLB Draft, and while the franchise has traditionally pushed new signings into official Minor League Baseball action quickly, that hasn’t been the case this summer. As of Tuesday, only four players from the class had appeared for Marlins affiliates, and Fish On First has learned that none of the pitchers are expected to get into games against minor league competition until 2027.
That delay lines up with what Nic Tolbert told BoxThe Base about the club’s approach. Miami is putting its draftees through a heavy physical development program before letting them loose in games.
"We're all on a pretty intense training plan," Tolbert says. "We're in the weight room probably five days a week...We're trying to make as many gains as we can before we go make our debuts, that way we're at a good physical standpoint before we start to play."
Among the early movers, first-round shortstop Jacob Lombard has already logged 18 games with the Low-A Jupiter Hammerheads. He’s hitting .209/.341/.359 with 14 hits, three home runs, 13 RBIs, 11 walks, 12 runs scored and nine stolen bases. The .700 OPS is solid enough, but the 39.0% strikeout rate is the obvious red flag.
Third-round shortstop Cam Kozeal has also gotten into 10 games for Jupiter, though his line hasn’t changed in the last two weeks because he’s on the injured list. He’s at .214/.313/.405 with nine hits, two doubles, two home runs, three RBIs, six walks, six runs scored and a .718 OPS.
Wessley Roberson, the fourth-round pick and a Peach State native, made his pro debut with the Hammerheads last week. He didn’t get a hit in two at-bats, but he still made an impact by drawing two walks, scoring a run and handling center field.
Eric Guevara is the other Marlins draftee with game action so far. The seventh-round shortstop has appeared in 12 games for Jupiter and is hitting .222/.349/.389 with eight hits, two home runs, seven RBIs, seven walks, eight runs scored and two stolen bases. He has been playing third base almost exclusively, and his throwing accuracy still needs work.
The rest of the class is still waiting for its first official game. That group includes second-round lefty Ethan Kleinschmit, Competitive Balance Round B right-hander Ryan Peterson, fifth-round lefty Trey Beard, sixth-round righty Cole Selvig, eighth-round first baseman Rintaro Sasaki, ninth-round third baseman Nic Tolbert, and all the way through 20th-round right-hander Joey Lawson.
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