Marlins won't fret over fall to No. 7 pick in 2025 Draft

DALLAS -- Frank Thomas. Clayton Kershaw. Prince Fielder. All three of them were chosen seventh overall in the MLB Draft.

That’s where the Marlins will pick in next July’s Draft despite entering Tuesday afternoon’s MLB Draft Lottery presented by Nike tied with the Rockies for the highest odds (22.45%) for the No. 1 selection.

“I have kept these [names] in my mind for the most part for first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh picks,” director of amateur scouting Frankie Piliere said. “I like Draft history in general, but it's just a good reminder. A lot of us have talked about where Mike Trout went [25th overall in 2009] in the Draft. And there are players all over the Draft that are picked in all different places that are talented.

“And that's why we've talked about it from the beginning: Our Drafts are top to bottom. First round is fun. First round is exciting. We've talked about [how] you can get aircraft carrier-type talents, but they're everywhere. There are World Series MVPs who went in the sixth round. They're everywhere, and that's the way we approach the Draft.”

For the third consecutive year, a lottery was held during the Winter Meetings to determine the top of the Draft order. All non-postseason teams entered into a lotto for the top six picks; Miami could have gone as high as first or fallen to as low as eighth.

There is history for the Marlins at No. 7. In 2016, they chose Alabama prep left-hander Braxton Garrett. Now 27 years old, Garrett is on the 40-man roster. From 2020-24, he has posted a 4.03 ERA in 65 games (63 starts). Garrett broke out in ’23, starting Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Phillies.

With seven months to go before the Draft, Piliere and his staff won’t change their process of scouting prospects. The upcoming spring season will be a pivotal one for both high school and college players. Piliere singled out 2024 NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes, whose ‘23 season at LSU made him an easy decision as the top pick.

“Someone's going to come out and upend our expectations for better or worse,” Piliere said. “That's the reason the scouting calendar never really stops, and it changes a whole lot with the high school players. We know a lot from the showcase circuit, but they're going to go out in the spring, and they're very different people and different players than they were four or five or six months ago. So that's why we're always watching close.”

At the same time, the Marlins will be cognizant of small sample sizes and seek out notable core changes from prospects. Think one’s strikeout rate or physical tool set, which could include anything from velocity to sprint speed.

According to MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Draft Prospects list, Oregon State second baseman Aiva Arquette ranks seventh. Scouts call the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder the best college player in the Pacific Northwest. The report goes on to say that Arquette showed an ability to play shortstop long term at the Cape Cod League this summer.

“I think especially at this point, this early, there's a lot of good players clustered at the top,” Piliere said of the Draft pool of talent. “Like you said, not a lot of clear separation at this point. Will that probably happen as the Draft gets closer? Sure, but I think we still feel really good that we're going to be looking at some really good options, players that we're excited about, and I think we're going to be in a really good spot in the end.”