Tag: Miami Marlins

Former UNC pitcher Kent Emanuel called up to majors for first time since 2021

In hopes of bolstering their pitching staff and bullpen, the Miami Marlins called up former UNC baseball star pitcher Kent Emanuel on Monday, April 1.

Getting called up to the majors is every young baseball player’s dream.

Young boys start playing ball at a very young age, either in their backyard, at a park or imaginarily in their homes, but may not think at the time how difficult making a major league roster is.

Getting called up for a second time – after spending consecutive season in the minors – is just as difficult.

It just happened to former UNC pitcher Kent Emanuel.

On Monday, April 1 (not an April Fool’s joke), the Miami Marlins called Emanuel up from their Triple-A affiliate, the Jackonsville (FL) Jumbo Shrimp.

Cool name for a team, right?

With the call-up, this means Emanuel will likely play his first 2024 game in the majors. Triple-A began its season on Good Friday (last week), but Emanuel’s official MILB stat page doesn’t show any appearances for this year.

Emanuel last played in 2021 with the Houston Astros, appearing in 10 games and compiling an impressive, 2.55 earned run average with one win. His minor league career is pretty successful, too: 44-33 record, 102 starts in 170 appearances, six saves and 552 strikeouts over 675 1/3 innings pitched.

Emanuel was even more of a standout pitcher in Chapel Hill (2011-2013), recording a 19-9 record, 2.52 ERA, and striking out 287 batters.

Here’s to hoping Emanuel enjoys a long, successful season in the majors.

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Every Major League Baseball team’s best promotional giveaway in 2024

What is the best giveaway your favorite MLB team is doing in 2024?

Why the Marlins may travel back to New York to play just 1 inning after a rain delay saga

Seriously. This could happen!

It’s been the rainiest of weeks in New York, and that might be wreaking havoc on the National League Wild Card race.

The Miami Marlins are in the thick of it, currently hanging on to the final spot by just a half-game, with the Chicago Cubs right behind and the Cincinnati Reds 1.5 games out. But Tuesday’s game against the Mets was postponed due to rain (there was a doubleheader on Wednesday), and on Thursday, the Marlins were up 2-1 in the ninth inning when rain suspended the contest.

That could mean some chaos: If the result of that suspended game is necessary to decide the Wild Card, there’s a possibility Miami would have to come back to New York after visiting the Pirates and play just ONE inning of baseball on Monday:

Wild. Just wild. And there have been some grumbling from the Marlins about how the Mets’ grounds crew has handled things:

A Marlins ball boy casually chucked a fair ball into the stands, helping the Dodgers

Oops.

Being a ball person — who is responsible for gathering foul balls and giving them to fans or storing them — is a tough job.

Sometimes, it’s diving plays that don’t go right or miscues that are broadcast everywhere.

That’s the case here. On Thursday night, Freddie Freeman hit a line drive that was called fair in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ eventual win over the Miami Marlins. But the Marlins’ ball dude gathered up the ball and chucked it into the stands, thinking it was fair.

Nope. Whoops. Mookie Betts eventually came in to score, and maybe he wouldn’t have if it wasn’t touched?

It’s OK! It happens!

WATCH: Brock Vradenburg crushes first HR of professional career

Brock Vradenburg crushed his first professional home run:

Brock Vradenburg was selected by the Miami Marlins with the 78th overall pick in the third round of this year’s MLB Draft. Vradenburg was an All-American for the Spartans in 2023 and is showing to be one of the best players to come through the MSU baseball program.

Now, Vradenburg is starting his professional career in the Marlins organization for the team’s Class-A affiliate Jupiter Hammerheads. He just reached his first milestone as well, hitting his first professional home run:

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Announcer Michael Kay perfectly summed up the Yankees’ demoralizing collapse against the Marlins

The Orioles would have suspended him.

This past weekend couldn’t have gone much worse for baseball fans in New York. The Mets dropped three of four to their NL East rival Atlanta Braves (outscored 34-3 in the three losses) and somehow didn’t come away with New York’s worst loss of the weekend.

That unfortunate distinction belonged to the New York Yankees.

The Yankees had a chance to win their series against the Marlins on Sunday and went into the ninth inning with a comfortable four-run lead. In fact, no Yankees team had lost after holding a four-plus run lead in the ninth inning since 2021 against Houston. It looked like they were in for a happy flight to Atlanta, but then the wheels fell off. The Marlins put together a rally with four hits, two walks and a massive error to win, 8-7.

When Jake Burger’s walk-off single to left completed the comeback, Yankees announcer Michael Kay summed up the embarrassing loss to perfection.

And let’s be honest: That loss deserved all the criticism from the Yankees’ own broadcast booth. The Orioles should take notes.

They have baseball’s No. 2 payroll (behind the Mets) and are in last place in the AL East.

Fans appreciated Kay’s willingness to call the Yankees out after such a terrible defeat.

A fan on the field evaded security to make a daring escape during the Phillies-Marlins game

A legendary escape.

It’s never a smart decision to run on the field during a sporting event. It’s an easy way to get arrested, spend the night in jail and face a long ban from a stadium.

That being said, if a fan manages to evade security after running on the field, that fan should be given a free pass. He or she escaped. They won. There’s no need to launch a manhunt over someone interrupting a baseball game. Unfortunately for one fan, the folks at loanDepot Park don’t share that philosophy.

Ahead of the ninth inning of Monday’s game between the Phillies and Marlins, a fan seated in the outfield jumped down from the stands, ran around the outfield and escaped security by showing off his parkour skills.

I mean, that was genuinely impressive.

From the initial video, it seemed like the fan had successfully gotten away as he ran through the concourses to exit the stadium. But a TikTok video from his friend’s perspective showed that this fan was ultimately arrested outside the stadium.

@sheffieldshuffler #streaker #miami #marlins #mlb ♬ original sound – Sheffield Shuffler

To be fair, if you’re hoping to escape by blending in with a large crowd, a Marlins home game is not the place to do it. On top of that, the Phillies rallied and won the game after that interruption. Still, fans admired the effort (especially Phillies fans) even if it was a terrible idea.

Former LSU star Jacob Berry earns Double-A promotion with Marlins

Jacob Berry is quickly on the rise in the minor league ranks.

Former LSU baseball star [autotag]Jacob Berry[/autotag] is quickly rising within the minor league ranks.

Berry, the No. 2 prospect in the Miami Marlins organization, earned a promotion to the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos on Tuesday. In his debut with the Blue Wahoos the same night, he recorded a single, a walk and a stolen base.

A transfer from Arizona who followed [autotag]Jay Johnson[/autotag] to spend his final season at LSU, Berry was the sixth overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft. After a brief stint in the Rookie League ranks, he was promoted to the Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads, where he finished out his season.

Berry began the 2023 season at the High-A level with the Beloit Sky Carp, for whom he had a hot start. He batted .227 with four home runs, 15 doubles and 37 RBI, earning a promotion to the Double-A level.

His current projected ETA in the Major Leagues is 2025.

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Rockies tried to stop Luis Arráez with a shift loophole and MLB fans roasted them when it failed

The Rockies REALLY tried that …

Marlins second baseman Luis Arráez spent much of this season hitting around .400 and is among the most difficult players in baseball to strikeout. That had the Rockies getting needlessly creative with the game on the line in the 10th inning on Sunday.

While the shift has generally become a relic of baseball’s past with the new rules, it wasn’t outright banned. Teams are required to have at least two players on both sides of second base at all times, forcing teams to bring in an outfielder in order to deploy a shift.

It’s a risky defensive alignment because it leaves a massive gap in the outfield. But on Sunday, the Rockies knew that Arráez was putting the ball in play with the bases loaded and one out in the 10th inning. So, they brought the infield in and had center fielder Brenton Doyle playing in on the dirt as a second baseman. They also had right field totally unoccupied.

Well, Arráez beat that shift easily.

Arráez walked off with a single to right field. Now, had right fielder Nolan Jones been playing in his regular spot in the outfield, he might have been able to make a play and attempt a throw home on the tagging runner. It may have also been a single regardless, but you’d like to see the outfield playing shallow in that situation given Arráez’s lack of power.

MORE: Every MLB stadium, ranked 

Still, the Rockies made that play way more difficult than it had to be by deploying a five-man infield instead of putting players in their natural positions. Like, why would Rockies manager Bud Black even trust Doyle — who has zero professional games in the infield — to make that play when an inning-ending double play was in order on grounders to second or short? It was beyond strange.

You can’t blame fans for roasting the Rockies after that choice backfired.

Andrew Lindsey selected by Miami in 2023 MLB draft

Tennessee pitcher Andrew Lindsey selected by Miami in the 2023 MLB draft.

The 2023 Major League Baseball first-year player draft is taking place Sunday-Tuesday in Seattle, Washington.

The MLB first-year player draft is being held in conjunction with the 2023 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday.

Tennessee junior pitcher Andrew Lindsey was selected by Miami in the fifth round with the No. 146 overall pick.

Lindsey played at Tennessee in 2023 after transferring from Charlotte.

Lindsey (3-4) appeared in 21 games, including nine starts, with the Vols. The former Vol recorded a 2.90 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 71.1 innings.

He is the third Vol to be selected in the 2023 MLB draft.

Tennessee junior pitcher Chase Dollander was selected in the first-round by Colorado with the No. 9 overall pick.

Tennessee junior shortstop Maui Ahuna was selected by San Francisco in the fourth-round with the No. 117 overall pick.