Marlins Hope Joe Mack Can Help Redeem 2021 Draft Class
The Marlins’ 2021 draft hasn’t worked out as planned.
Shortstop Kahlil Watson, drafted 16th overall, was traded last summer along with Jean Segura for veteran Josh Bell.
But the wild card for the 2021 class is 21-year-old catcher Joe Mack, a supplemental first-round pick taken out of a high school in suburban Buffalo.
Mack started hot at High-A Beloit, producing a 1.038 OPS in 13 games to earn a quick promotion to Double-A Pensacola on April 24.
“He’s been solid,” Pensacola manager Kevin Randel said. “He’s one of our best performers.”
The problem for Mack is that he has had to split his time between catcher and DH. That’s because Pensacola has two other catchers the Marlins like: Bennett Hostetler and Paul McIntosh.
Hostetler was also part of the Marlins’ 2021 draft, taken in the 18th round as a shortstop out of North Dakota State.
Randel pointed out that Mack in late May caught four games in one week—the first time he had done that at Double-A.
“It’s not always about the bat,” Randel said. “(Mack) is a future big leaguer, and he’s learning about game-planning. He’s figuring which one of his pitchers can do what.
“He’s growing in the game.”
The Marlins are hoping for continued progress by Mack because their first-round picks since 2012 have mostly been either traded away, stalled in the minors or injured.
The Marlins had traded away a string of first-round picks, including Andrew Heaney (2012), Colin Moran (2013), Josh Naylor (2015), Connor Scott (2018), JJ Bleday (2019) and Watson (2021).
Moran, Naylor and Bleday have had or are having MLB careers. Scott and Watson are in Double-A.
Two of Miami’s first-round picks since 2012 remain with Miami: rotation members Trevor Rogers (2017) and Braxton Garrett (2016).
