New Marlins Draftees get right to work, notching 1st pro HRs in same game

“Swing at strikes and hit it hard.”

It’s a simple enough message from the Marlins to their players throughout the organization, and one that their 2025 MLB Draft picks already have adhered to.

Both Aiva Arquette (seventh overall) and Brandon Compton (second round) went deep for the first time in their professional careers in High-A Beloit’s 7-2 victory over South Bend on Friday night.

The right-handed-hitting Arquette, who ranks as Miami’s No. 2 prospect (MLB Pipeline’s No. 39 overall), went oppo with righty Kenten Egbert’s 2-2 offering in the first inning to tie the game at 1. It came in the 27th at-bat of Arquette’s young career.

“It was definitely a cool thing to do, first professional homer,” Arquette told MLB.com. “It was sick. Nothing really to it, just swung the bat and it went out.”

With Beloit ahead 4-1 in the seventh, the left-handed-hitting Compton (Miami’s No. 13 prospect) ambushed righty Dominic Hambley’s first pitch for a three-run homer over the right-center-field wall. The long ball arrived in Compton’s 29th career at-bat.

“It was definitely a great moment for me, first professional homer,” Compton told MLB.com. “It was in a cool part of the game with runners on base, too. Felt good to sort of get that out of the way and kind of just get after it now.”

The last month-plus has been a whirlwind for the pair. After being selected by the Marlins and signing pro contracts, Arquette and Compton joined the other Draftees in Miami for orientation. They later wound up in Jupiter, Fla., for Draft camp in preparation for their assignments.

Halfway through a round of golf during an off-day, they received a call from director of Minor League operations Hector Crespo. Arquette, Compton, outfielder Cam Cannarella (Competitive Balance Round A, Miami’s No. 7 prospect) and catcher Wilson Weber (12th round) were being sent to Beloit to begin their careers.

“It was like out of nowhere,” Arquette said.

“I was definitely expecting a call soon, but being able to go to High-A, that's super nice,” Compton said. “And I guess for me, just sneaking out of the tough humidity in Florida was nice, too.”

Before they left for Wisconsin, the Marlins didn’t necessarily tell the newbies what to focus on. For now, the goal is to get acclimated.

“For being a small part of the season, they kind of just wanted us to go out and compete and be ourselves and let the game decide what we need to work on moving forward,” Compton said. “But for this small part of the year, they just wanted us to go out there, get used to the routine of it, play with the wood bat and be competitive.”

The quartet all had the benefit of college ball, but pro ball is another beast. Everything revolves around preparation for games on a daily basis -- from training to nutrition to pregame work.

“I just wanted to find a good routine for me: stuff that works, stuff that doesn't work, and kind of just take into the offseason and take it into next year, too,” Arquette said. “That's the main thing, just finding a good routine.”

Surprisingly, when Arquette and Compton stepped onto the field for the first time on Aug. 5, there wasn’t any extra pressure.

“Honestly, I was really surprised how I really didn't feel like that,” Compton said. “I felt like it was kind of the same game, and it was just played a little differently. It's professional baseball and all that. But for me, it's the same game played between the same lines. It was really nice just to be able to get back out there after that little break and go out and compete with baseball players.”

The Sky Carp, who entered Saturday tied with South Bend atop the Midwest League West division with 20 games to go, are seeking their first title since 1995.

Arquette entered Saturday slashing .233/.333/.367 with one double, one homer, five RBIs, one steal, five walks and eight strikeouts in eight games. Compton has a slash line of .241/.389/.379 with one double, one homer, six RBIs, three steals, seven walks and 11 strikeouts in eight games.

“I just kind of expected all this,” Arquette said. “Pitching is better, the game is faster. Like Brandon said, just the preparation before the game is what matters, so you can just go out and play in the game. It's been a blast so far, and just excited to get to work.”