Miami Marlins pitching coach talks managing innings, rotation, Sixto Sanchez, Max Meyer

Mel Stottlemyre Jr., entering his sixth year as the Miami Marlins’ pitching coach, always embraces a challenge. He lives to find ways to get the best out of his pitchers and, more often than not, he succeeds.

Stottlemyre knows he will have his share of challenges to work through this season.

A rotation without its ace. Players having to build on the expectations that come after having career years. Monitoring players coming back from injury.

For nearly 30 minutes on Sunday after the Marlins finished a spring training workout in Jupiter, Stottlemyre touched on a myriad of topics regarding Marlins pitching heading into the 2024 season.

Here are some of the highlights.

‘Other great cast members’ have to step up

Stottlemyre stated the obvious when saying ace Sandy Alcantara not pitching in 2024 “hurts.” The same goes for the fact that Alcantara not being in the rotation “opens up and presents opportunity for other people personally and the staff to step up collectively as a group.”

“We’ve got other great cast members,” Stottlemyre said.

The Marlins’ rotation will be built around the trio of Jesus Luzardo, Eury Perez and Braxton Garrett. Trevor Rogers and Edward Cabrera most likely have the inside track to rounding out the rotation, but Miami is thinking beyond just its top five starting pitchers when it comes to filling Alcantara’s void.

Another factor that needs to be taken into consideration: Innings monitoring.

Luzardo, Perez and Garrett are all coming off career-highs in innings pitched last season so the Marlins need to see how they respond in 2024. Rogers only threw 18 innings last year before being sidelined for the season. Cabrera didn’t hit 100 innings in the big leagues and was demoted to Triple A for a month due to command issues.

So what are the Marlins’ other options?

Lefties A.J. Puk and Ryan Weathers along with righties Bryan Hoeing, George Soriano, Max Meyer and Sixto Sanchez (more on the final two from that list in a minute) are among Miami’s options beyond the five who appear to be frontrunners to open the season in the starting rotation.

While manager Skip Schumaker said the plan is for the Marlins to open the season with a traditional five-man rotation, Stottlemyre said there could be times where Miami goes with six starters when they have an extended stretch of games without an off day.

“We’re gonna have to be creative,” Stottlemyre said, “and there is going to have to be some depth.”

Sixto Sanchez

This is a pivotal spring training for Sanchez, the once highly regarded prospect acquired as the centerpiece of the J.T. Realmuto trade with the Philadelphia Phillies. Since showcasing his potential when he made his debut in the 2020 season, he has pitched in just one professional game over the past three years while dealing with an assortment of injuries.

Sanchez is out of minor-league options, so he either needs to make the team or be on the big-league injured list to stay on Miami’s 40-man roster.

Sanchez has thrown two bullpens so far in spring training.

“If you’re asking me, it’s not the same Sixto to this point,” Stottlemyre said. “And I say that because I know what it looked like before when I had him.”

In 2020, Sanchez had a five-pitch mix — a four-seam fastball that averaged 98.5 mph, a sinker that averaged 96.6 mph, a cutter that averaged 89.1 mph, a changeup that averaged 89 mph and a slider that averaged 85.8 mph. Stottlemyre said Sanchez at that time had “probably the most talented stuff and feel” for a young starting pitcher that he has ever coached — and Stottlemyre coached the likes of Felix Hernandez and Max Scherzer.

After three years of injuries, Sanchez has yet to return to that form.

“That isn’t there yet,” Stottlemyre said. “He’s still got a gap where he has to get to. He’s feeling pain free. He’s feeling like we can move along with the program. ... Hopefully his stuff starts to spike up and we just keep him moving along. He’s had so many hurdles and roadblocks. He’s just faltered. It’s been obviously a tough road for him. As an organization, we definitely need to see something.”

Max Meyer

Meyer, Miami’s first round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, pitched just six innings in the big leagues in 2022 before blowing out his right elbow and needing Tommy John surgery.

Meyer is full go in spring training but is going to be on an innings limit in 2024.

Stottlemyre appreciates Meyer’s eagerness but also wants to make sure Meyer doesn’t try to ramp up too fast as he returns from injury.

“He wants to go now,” Stottlemyre said. “He told me today ‘I’m ready,’ but there there’s the part of he went through the surgery, so you have to respect that timeline and what doctors give you. ... We’re treating him like a starter, helping bring the changeup along. Get him in spring training feeling like he’s trying to make the club and watch him in between.”

Quick hits

▪ Both Schumaker and Stottlemyre singled out left-handed relief pitcher Josh Simpson as a potential breakout pitcher in camp. Stottlemyre specifically said he’s “intrigued, infatuated” with Simpson’s slider.

▪ Stottlemyre on Alcantara still being active during camp despite his injury: “Just having him around is going to push guys because we all know how Sandy’s built and he never settles. From a player standpoint, that should push you when your guy is out here every day, standing in the corner going to battle with you. He can’t do it physically, but here’s there morally supporting the staff.”

▪ Three Marlins pitchers are adding a new pitch to their arsenals: Weathers a two-seam fastball, Andrew Nardi a splitter and Luzardo a curveball.