What has become clear during first week-plus of Marlins spring games. And favorites emerge

A Thursday six-pack of Marlins notes on an off day of spring training:

▪ It’s awfully early, so nothing definitive should be drawn from a limited sample size of at-bats. After all, Luis Arraez — one of the best hitters in baseball — is off to a 1-for-16 start and it hardly matters.

Where spring performance could matter for veteran players, to an extent at least, is with the confidence level of players coming off a down year or down years.

That said, after two difficult seasons, outfielder Avisail Garcia continues to scuffle at the plate (2 for 17, with seven strikeouts).

A Marlins official said recently that the team is cautiously optimistic he can get back to some semblance of the player he was in Milwaukee, because he’s in decent shape and determined to return to his previous form after hitting .215 with 11 homers and 47 RBI in 135 games through two injury-plagued seasons with Miami.

Trey Mancini, the former Cub, also is off to a slow start (1 for 13, six strikeouts) in his bid to win a backup first base/DH job.

Multiposition Nick Gordon, who has a very good chance to win a backup job, is off to a 4-for-12 start.

Two young shortstops who assuredly will begin the season in the minors are scuffling at the plate, too. Jose Devers is 0 for 13 and Jacob Amaya (acquired from the Dodgers for Miguel Rojas last year) is 1 for 13.

On the flip side, infielder Jonah Bride — acquired from Oakland for cash considerations on Feb. 6 — is off to a 5-for-14 start, with a home run.

First baseman Troy Johnston -- the Marlins’ best offensive player in the minors last season — is hitting 4 for 9. He could get a chance this season if the Marlins have injury issues at first base or designated hitter.

▪ Jon Berti and catcher Christian Bethancourt are cinches for two open backup jobs, and Gordon and Vidal Brujan — who are both out of minor-league options — are clear favorites for the other two open position player jobs.

Brujan is off to a 2-for-9 start. Gordon and Brujan can both play a handful of positions.

Skip Schumaker has said Bruján has a “really good chance to make the team.”

That would leave Mancini, Bride, Xavier Edwards and Dane Myers without a spot on the opening day roster barring injuries — or a roster surprise. New Marlins management really likes Edwards’ upside.

They thought enough of Bride to trade for him this spring. And Myers could help the big-league team at some point this season after hitting .339 in 51 games at Triple A Jacksonville last season.

▪ In the bullpen, Tanner Scott and Andrew Nardi are cinches for the roster of course; Bryan Hoeing deserves a spot after a good work last year (he has allowed one run in five innings this spring).

Anthony Bender (off Tommy John surgery) and JT Chargois (dealing with neck spasms) likely will be on the team if healthy, with Chargois out of minor league options.

Calvin Faucher, acquired from Tampa Bay via trade, has a decent chance; he has allowed two runs in 2.2 innings.

That could leave two bullpen spots, potentially three, among a loser in the starting rotation battle (A.J. Puk or Trevor Rogers or Ryan Weathers — whichever one of those isn’t in the opening day rotation with Braxton Garrett unlikely to be ready for opening day).

Puk is a front-runner for one rotation spot behind Jesus Luzardo, Eury Perez and Edward Cabrera, with Rogers and Weathers potentially competing for the other spot. I would give Rogers an edge because of the earlier (2021) track record, and the Marlins’ vision of Weathers as a swing rotation/long man.

From a bullpen perspective, there’s also Sixto Sanchez (if he pitches well and stays healthy this spring) and perhaps Declan Cronin or George Soriano. Sanchez must either be on the team or the injured list to start the season; otherwise he would be subjected to waivers.

Puk assuredly will be on the team; he has allowed no runs and struck out nine in five innings this spring. Rogers and Weathers likely will be, too. Weathers has looked good this spring (10 strikeouts, two runs, in 8 2/3 innings).

▪ Patrick Monteverde, who developed into a prospect with a strong year at Double A last year (3.32 ERA in 21 starts), end up pitching four scoreless innings in five spring innings.

He was recently re-assigned to minor league camp, and the question is whether his stuff will translate to the big leagues. He was bombed in two starts at Triple A Jacksonville last year, allowed 15 runs and 15 hits in 8 ⅔ innings.

▪ Per Roster Resources, the Marlins’ payroll stands at $102 million — 24th in baseball — after the team gave $5 million to Tim Anderson in a one-year deal.

That includes a painful $7.75 million payments this season to three Marlins no longer on the roster — Giancarlo Stanton (still owed $3 million by Miami each of the next three seasons), Johnny Cueto ($2.5 million) and Matt Barnes ($2.25 million).

▪ Respected MLB.com evaluator Jim Callis released his top 30 Marlins prospects this week and lists pitchers Noble Meyer, Thomas White and Max Meyer as his top three Marlins. Outfielder Victor Mesa Jr. and first baseman/third baseman Jacob Berry round out his top five.

The player who made the biggest jump, in Callis’ eyes, was shortstop Fabian Lopez, who signed with the Marlins in January 2023.

Unranked in Callis’ top 30 a year ago, the 17-year-old Lopez now stands No. 12 on the Marlins prospects list after hitting .265 with four homers, 22 RBI and 15 steals in 49 games and 200 at bats in the Dominican Summer League.

“He’s a potential Gold Glover and a switch-hitter who’s proficient from both sides of the plate,” Callis said.

Callis says outfielder Kemp Alderman has the best power in the system, catcher Will Banfield the best arm, Lopez the best defense and Karson Milbrandt the best fastball.

Overall, Callis paints this disconcerting picture: “The Marlins run one of the smallest big league payrolls while having one of the game’s weakest farm systems.”

Here’s Callis’ full top 30 Marlins prospects.