Trevor Rogers Is Just Getting Started

Marlins pitching coordinator Scott Aldred has a theory as to why 23-year-old lefthander Trevor Rogers has arrived in the majors at least one year early and with significant impact.

Rogers, a New Mexico native who was drafted 13th overall in 2017, pitched four scoreless innings in his big league debut on Aug. 25, beat Jacob deGrom in his second start and struck out 10 batters in his third appearance.

“His fastball and changeup were already in place, but he’s made strides with his slurve,” Aldred said. “He’s also got a slow heartbeat. The moment is not too big for him.”

Entering the season, the 6-foot-5 Rogers had topped out with five starts at Double-A. His inexperience showed in his fourth start for Miami when he allowed nine hits and eight earned runs in three innings against the Phillies.

Still, Rogers appears to be worth his $3.4 million bonus.

After the draft, Rogers rested his arm for the remainder of 2017. He made his pro debut with low Class A Greensboro in May 2018, had a 5.82 ERA that year, improved to 2.90 in 2019 and then made the majors in 2020, his fourth pro season.

With no minor league season in 2020, Rogers improved by putting in work at the Marlins’ alternate training site in Jupiter, Fla.

“That alternate site was loaded with unbelievable talent—the guys there are hungry,” Rogers said. “You never faced an easy at-bat. Competing in that Jupiter sun is not easy.”

Rogers has Marlins manager Don Mattingly raving about his poise. Rogers’ fastball also deserves recognition because of his easy delivery and the way the pitch gets on hitters.

In his debut, he threw 53 fastballs and got 10 swinging strikes, averaging 94.4 mph and topping out at 96.1. He threw 18 slurves and eight changeups.

“This is just the start of things for Trevor,” Aldred said of Rogers, who finished with a 6.11 ERA in seven starts. “His command is improving, and his ceiling is very high.”

FISH BITES 

— JJ Bleday, the fourth overall pick out of Vanderbilt in 2019, was impressive at the Marlins’ alternate training site. The lefthanded batter is a gifted hitter with power, but he has also worked to improve his quickness on the bases and in his reads and jumps in right field. The Marlins have had the third-lowest production out of right field since Giancarlo Stanton was traded three years ago, and they are hopeful Bleday can make an impact at some point in 2021.