Although they was just in the honorable mention category of Yahoo! Sports’ all-minor league team, Miami Marlins‘ right-handed pitching prospects Andrew Heaney and Nick Wittgren were named to the list adding another bright spot to the Marlins’ future if the organization decides to keep them.
This season, Heaney started off in the Florida State League with the Jupiter Hammerheads. In 13 games (12 starts), Heaney won five games, had one complete game, struck out 66 batters, had an ERA of 0.88 and a 1.005 WHIP. He was completely dominant and once he was brought to the Double-A Jacksonville Suns of the Southern League, he continued to pitch well.
With the Suns, Heaney was 4-1 with a 2.94 ERA and 23 strikeouts in only six starts. The dominance that Heaney is portraying on the minor-league baseball field is something to marvel at right now. There is hope that Heaney and Jose Fernandez can dominate the field at one point in time. Something for Marlins’ fans to really hope for.
Wittgren also spent time with the Hammerheads and the Suns this minor-league season. However, Wittgren is more of a reliever and not an impact starter like Heaney. In 52 games of relief, Wittgren had a 0.77 ERA with a 0.891 WHIP with 26 saves. His latter-half of the game dominance is something the Marlins need to invest in. The Miami bullpen is shaky at best, but add Wittgren to it and you have the start of something solid.
Seeing both of these guys starting to develop is interesting, and hopefully for the Marlins, it pays off into some wins and fan support.
Ryan Gaydos is a MLB columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
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