Edward Cabrera Stands Out In A Crowd

The Marlins have a seemingly never-ending stream of young starting pitchers.

Today it is 25-year-olds Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez and brilliant 23-year-old rookie Trevor Rogers leading the charge.

Tomorrow it could be hard-throwing 23-year-old righthander Edward Cabrera.

While Sixto Sanchez and Max Meyer receive more prospect fanfare, Cabrera offers plenty of upside, according to his Double-A Pensacola pitching coach Tim Horton.

“He’s got a lot of horsepower,” Horton said of Cabrera. “He just needs a bit more fastball command, especially to his glove side.”

Horton is in his first year with the Marlins organization. Previously, he spent a long time in the minors with the Yankees, first as a pitcher from 2006-11 and then as a pitching coach.

Horton got his first in-person look at Cabrera on June 19, when the 6-foot-5, 217-pound righthander made his Pensacola debut.

“He came in hot,” Horton said. “His first pitch was 100 (mph).”

Limited to 65 pitches after starting the year with a shoulder injury, Cabrera got in 4.1 innings, striking out seven and allowing just one walk and one earned run.

Cabrera has a slider that ranks behind his fastball as his second-best pitch. But Cabrera has also made strides with his changeup.

As of late June, Cabrera had logged 296 minor league innings since signing with the Marlins for $100,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2015. Since signing, Cabrera has risen from under the radar to a Top 100 Prospect.

Cabrera, now that he’s healthy, could be in the majors this year if all goes well.

“All he needs is innings,” Horton said. “He is the total package.”