The twist with Mesa brothers after the Marlins’ $6.25 million investment. And new arms

When the Marlins’ previous front office gave $5.25 million to prospect Victor Victor Mesa in 2018, they envisioned someone who could become a long term big-league starter.

As it turns out, his younger brother, Victor Mesa Jr., seems to have a much better shot of fulfilling the siblings’ major league dreams and following in the footsteps of their father, legendary Cuban outfielder Victor Mesa.

While the older Mesa has fizzled out as a prospect and is not expected to report to minor league spring training, the younger Mesa -- who received $1 million from the Marlins in 2018 -- has raised his stock.

We hear the new Marlins executives think highly of him -- not only his skill set but his work habits and how he comports himself as a teammate.

Victor Mesa Jr., just 22, hit .242 with a .308 on base average with 18 homers, 76 RBI and 24 doubles in 533 plate appearances at Double A Pensacola last season. The left-handed hitter can play all three outfield positions and is a plus defender.

MLB.com assesses Mesa this way: “A left-handed hitter, Mesa has one of the sweetest swings and some of the best feel for the barrel among Miami farmhands. He controls the strike zone, uses the entire field and makes consistent contact, but he needs to add muscle so he can provide more impact. He’ll probably always be a hit-over-power guy, but he could swat 15-20 homers per season if he gets stronger and drives balls in the air more regularly.

“Mesa’s high baseball IQ helps him play quicker than his average speed. He runs the bases aggressively and uses good reads and routes to enhance his range in center field. He has a chance to stick in center, and his solid arm strength works anywhere in the outfield.”

As for his brother, who was far more ballyhooed as a prospect a few years ago, he’s now 27 and his Marlins career seems like it might be over.

Victor Mesa had only 40 total plate appearances for the first two months of last season (mostly in Jacksonville), hit .189 and then abruptly left the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in June after the team bus arrived in Gwinnett, Georgia, for a series against the Gwinnett Stripers. He never returned and was placed on the restricted list.

He ended up hitting only .233 (.289 on-base) with eight homers and 92 RBI in 290 minor league games.

While he remains under contract, there are no plans for him to return this spring, if at all.

NEW PITCHERS

What to know about several pitchers with big-league experience who will be competing for bullpen jobs at Marlins spring training as non-roster invitees:

▪ Right-hander Kyle Tyler, who was signed to a minor league contract, has a 2.20 ERA in seven appearances for the Angels and Padres but didn’t appear in a game last season. His 16 ⅓ career big league innings include 10 hits allowed, 7 walks and 8 strikeouts.

In the minors, he’s 26-18 with a 4.22 ERA and 391 strikeouts in 392 2/3 innings.

Last year, in Seattle’s system, he had 27 Double-A appearances on the year, including 26 starts, tossing 135 innings with a 5.60 earned run average.

Per MLBtraderumors.com, “he struck out 22.3% of batters faced, walked 9.4% and kept 42.8% of balls in play on the ground. He didn’t get much help from a .351 batting average on balls in play or 63.6% strand rate, which is why his 4.47 FIP was more than a run better than his ERA.

“Tyler still has a couple of options and less than a year of service time, giving him the potential to be a long-term depth piece with roster flexibility if he manages to get onto the club’s 40-man.”

▪ Right-hander Declan Cronin, who was claimed off waivers from Houston this week.

Cronin, 26, made his big league debut with the White Sox in 2023, allowing 11 runs in 11 innings -- as well as 11 hits (including three home runs) and seven walks.

MLBtraderumors.com calls him “ a sinker-slider righty who averaged just under 94 mph on the former of those two offerings and posted big ground-ball rates both in the upper minors and in his limited MLB time. Cronin logged a 3.83 ERA in 51 2/3 Triple-A frames this past season, striking out 18.7% of his opponents against an 8.9% walk rate while sporting a 54.5% grounder rate.

“While Cronin’s cup of coffee in the big leagues doesn’t stand out, his combination of lofty ground-ball rates and plus spin on his slider has piqued the interest of a few teams now. The ChiSox selected him to the roster this past summer, the Astros claimed him off waivers early last month, and the Marlins have now placed their own claim.”

Cronin, who has a 3.81 ERA in 151 minor league appearances (all but one in relief), has multiple minor league options left and is under team control for at least six years.

▪ Right-handed pitcher Matt Andriese, who has a 28-37 record and 4.63 ERA in 217 games (and 50 starts) covering 509 innings. He hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2021 and hasn’t been a regular rotation member since 2017 with Tampa.

He had a 6.05 ERA in 21 games (19 starts) for the Dodgers’ Triple A team last year. As MLBtraderumors.com noted, “he doesn’t have overwhelming velocity or swing-and-miss stuff but he’s generally around the strike zone. He can serve as rotation depth or in a long relief role at Triple-A Jacksonville if he doesn’t break camp.”

▪ Left-hander Kent Emmanuel, whose signing was reported Thursday by Miami Herald senior baseball correspondent Craig Mish. He had a 2.55 ERA in 17 2/3 innings for the Astros in 2021 but sustained a UCL injury that June, missed the remainder of the season and hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since.

Last season, he had a 6.19 ERA over 84 1/3 innings for Triple A Indianapolis, and the Pirates released him in August.

Per MLBtraderumors.com, “Miami could give Emanuel a look as rotation or long relief depth in camp. He’s likely to start the season with Triple-A Jacksonville. He still has a minor league option remaining, so the Fish could move him between Miami and Jacksonville if he pitches well enough to earn a 40-man roster spot.”

ONE MORE PITCHER

▪ And finally, here’s what to know about right-hander Roddery Munoz, who was acquired from Pittsburgh from cash considerations and is on the 40 man roster:

Munoz, who turns 24 in April, hasn’t made a big league appearance. He’s 14-19 with a 5.02 ERA in 88 games and 56 starts in the minors.

His stuff intrigues scouts; he has 317 strikeouts in 287 minor league innings. But he has allowed too many walks (149) and 270 hits.

Per MLBtraderumors.com, Munoz “was a prospect with Atlanta and had a solid 2022 campaign, tossing 100 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A. His 4.66 earned run average for that year doesn’t jump off the page, but he struck out 26.9% of batters faced while walking 9.5%.

“That got him a roster spot in November of last year, to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. But his results backed up in 2023 and he went to the Nationals and Pirates on waiver claims in July and December, respectively. He tossed 78 minor league innings on the year overall with a 5.42 ERA, striking out 23% of opponents but also walking 15.1% of them. He is still young and has a couple of options, so the Marlins will add him as some optionable starting depth.”