Spring Training Notebook: Kahlil Watson, Jose Salas Take Center Stage For Marlins

JUPITER, Fla. — On the Marlins side in Jupiter the standouts of the day were a trio of highly-touted middle infielders in first-round pick Kahlil Watson and high bonus signees Jose Salas and Yiddi Cappe. 

Watson stood out on both sides of the ball, but was particularly loud at the plate. He drove a fastball to the wall for an extra-base hit and sat back on a breaking ball in his next at-bat and shot the ball back up the middle for a line drive single. He showed speed on the bases with the ability to find a second gear and made pitchers work. He moved well in the field and showed good range at short. He plays the game at full speed with a joyful exuberance and a healthy dose of swagger. 

The Marlins highest bonus signee from the 2019 international class, Jose Salas, started in the infield alongside Watson, and showed good instincts and a quick first step. At the plate he was aggressive but showed a natural ability to impact the ball with a direct line drive-focused swing. He’s an above-average runner and has plenty of projection to add good weight in the coming years. 

The mystery man Yiddi Cappe replaced Watson at shortstop and showed fluid infield actions and an arm with a little zip. He has a tall, lean frame that oozes projection. He showed a line drive-focused approach at the plate with bat speed and smooth mechanisms.