Stock Up, Stock Down for Miami Marlins' Top 10 Prospects for Week of May 6

Another week, another promotion.

The Miami Marlins called up another prospect to the big leagues after they placed two middle infielders on the disabled list less than 48 hours apart. Donovan Solano was placed on the 15-day DL with a left intercoastal strain while Chris Valaika joined him with a fractured left wrist. In their place is Derek Dietrich, the fifth Marlins top-10 prospect to make his debut in the majors this year. 

Without further ado, in ascending order, here's the latest stock report of the Marlins' top-10 prospects.

1. Jose Fernandez, RHP, Miami Marlins

Last week: 1

Stock up: The young phenom is now on a winning streak.

After serving up a three-run home run to slugger Adrian Gonzalez on his 10th pitch Friday, Fernandez shut down the Los Angeles Dodgers the rest of the way as he earned his second consecutive win in the Marlins' 5-4 victory.

Fernandez yielded three runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts in six innings of work. What was even more impressive was Fernandez threw 66 of his 86 pitches for strikes, including 17 in a row at one point. 

"

“He’s one of those type guys that you want to get to early,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly told the Miami Herald. “As he gets settled in, he gets better as the game goes along. He was aggressive in the strike zone. He wasn’t afraid of nobody. He was coming right after us.”

"

Fernandez has a 2-2 record and a 3.65 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 37 innings this season.

2. Christian Yelich, OF, Jacksonville Suns (AA)

Last week: 2

Stock up: If Florida is the Sunshine State, then consider Yelich en fuego.

In six games this past week, Yelich batted .455 (10-for-22) and had two home runs with six RBI. He also added two doubles and two triples.

Moreover, Yelich's two home runs Wednesday not only provided the winning runs in a 3-1 victory, but it was the third consecutive game in which he homered. The next night, Yelich extended his hitting streak to 15 games before it was snapped on Friday when he went hitless in three at-bats.

"

“We’re seeing the real Christian who after the slow start, now has his timing down right and is really hitting the ball,” Marlins Director of Player Development Brian Chattin told the Florida Times-Union.

"

3. Jake Marisnick, CF, Jacksonville Suns (AA)

Last week: 3

Stock up: Slowly, but surely, Marisnick is hitting his stride.

Marisnick has notched a hit in four consecutive games and finished this past week batting .280 (7-for-25) while driving in seven runs. Marisnick also hit his first home run of the season Saturday—the front end of back-to-back solo shots. 

Marisnick started the season on the disabled list (broken bone in his left hand) after he was hit by a Trevor Rosenthal pitch in a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 6. He returned less than three weeks ago and played in a couple of rehab games with the Jupiter Hammerheads before making the move up to Jacksonville.

4. Justin Nicolino, LHP, Jupiter Hammerheads (Advanced Single-A)

Last week: 4

Stock up: After a pair of subpar starts, Nicolino rebounded.

Nicolino gave up just one run on three hits in five innings of work as he received a no-decision in a 3-2 loss to Lakeland on Wednesday. In two prior starts, Nicolino yielded four runs in each outing. Moreover, Nicolino has never pitched more than five innings in any of his seven starts this year.

Last year, Nicolino was 10-4, had a 2.46 ERA and struck out 119 in 124.1 innings. This season, however, he's 0-1 with a 3.89 ERA and has just 15 strikeouts in 34.2 innings.

5. Andrew Heaney, LHP, Greensboro Grasshoppers (A)

Last week: 5

Stock has not changed: Andrew Heaney has yet to see the field this season, as he's sidelined with a strained lat muscle, which he injured within the first couple of days in spring training.

Last month, Heaney started to long toss, according to the Bradenton Herald. Once he's fully recovered, Heaney will join the Hammerheads rotation.

6. Adeiny Hechavarria, SS, Miami Marlins

Last week: 6

Stock has not changed: It's a good thing Hechavarria's value is in his defense, not his bat.

A week after tying a team record with seven RBI in the Marlins' 14-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies, Hechavarria recorded just three hits in 21 at-bats this past week. His lone highlight with the stick came Sunday, when he hit a two-out, two-run double in the Marlins' 5-3 loss to the Dodgers. 

On the bright side, Hechavarria was hitting in style as he was only one of two Marlins to use a pink bat on Mother's Day. The other was Juan Pierre.

As for Hechavarria's defense, the shortstop has committed just one error this season, which ties him with four other shortstops as the second best mark with at least 85 chances. Atlanta's Andrelton Simmons has yet to commit an error in 145 chances.

7. Derek Dietrich, 2B, Miami Marlins

Last week: NR

Stock up: Like Marcell Ozuna before him, all Dietrich has done since being promoted to the majors is rake.

Dietrich singled in his first big league at-bat Wednesday and then two days later, he hit his first major league home run in front of family and friends in the Marlins 5-4 victory. In Fernandez's first major league win, Ozuna aided the cause with his first career home run. Dietrich did the same in Fernandez's second career win.

"

"How special," Dietrich said afterwards. "So many greats have played here. It kind of brings chills. I'm glad my family got to see it."

"

Dietrich ended the week with four hits in 11 at-bats with one home run and three RBI.

8. Marcell Ozuna, RF, Miami Marlins

Last week: 7

Stock down: Ozuna's second week on the job was nowhere near as good as his first week.

After recording a hit in each of his first six games as he batted .478 (11-for-23) with one home run and four RBI, Ozuna had just four hits in 23 at-bats this past week.

But as bad as Ozuna was at the plate, he was worse on the field. Ozuna lost track of Will Venable's deep fly ball Tuesday, and Ozuna waved his arms a couple of times before the ball landed in the right field seats for a home run. The incident made ESPN's Not Top 10 plays. 

"

"It felt really good," Venable said of his swing. "I knew that I had hit it high, but I felt like I hit it pretty good. Then, obviously I didn't know he had lost the ball, I thought that was the play on it. Obviously disappointed that I didn't hit it better at that point. Then Doc (first-base coach Dave Roberts) was saying, 'He can't see it, he can't see it,' I start running and Jedd (Gyorko, who had singled to start the inning) took off and I saw it was in the seats."

"

9. Adam Conley, LHP, Jacksonville Suns (AA)

Last week: 9

Stock up: Conley's back on track.

Conley threw six scoreless innings of one-hit ball and struck out five Saturday to earn his second consecutive win in Jacksonville's 7-2 win. The only hit Conley surrendered was a fifth-inning bunt single to Devin Lohman. Lohman was caught stealing as Conley faced the minimum over six frames.

The performance was Conley's best since his first start of this season, when he also allowed one hit while striking out eight in five innings on April 6.

10. Rob Brantly, C, Miami Marlins

Last week: 8

Stock down: The good news is Brantly hit .400 this week. The bad news is he had just five at-bats and played only twice.

Now, there might be a logical reason why Miguel Olivo got the other four starts. The best explanation seems to be matchups. In three of Olivo's four starts, the opposition started a left-handed pitcher. Brantly is a left-handed hitter.

However, even when Brantly played, he made mistakes. The most glaring miscue was when he lunged unsuccessfully at Carlos Quentin's routine pop-up in front of home plate, allowing the ball to drop and a run to score on the play.