2021 Marlins Roster: Young Guns Having Fun

The Marlins have high expectations for the 6’5" left-handed pitcher. Miami selected him with the 13th pick in the 2017 MLB Draft out of Carlsbad High School in New Mexico. He did not make his professional debut until mid-2018 due to some minor arm issues and was a little bit slow out of the gate after the time off. Rodgers came back in 2019; proving his draft selection, pitching to a 2.53 ERA across 18 starts while punching out 122 in 110 ¹⁄₃ innings for High-A Jupiter. The 2021 season"s first start came in a losing effort against St. Louis. The 23-year-old trailed 3-0 after his first inning on the mound, however, he bounced back in his next two starts.

Rogers admits the fans momentarily threw him off his game. Mechanical issues lead to walks and passed balls. Rodgers also acknowledged having those debut jitters all over again with 4,605 fans at Marlins Park. He said, "I was overeager, for sure," "Hearing the noise of the crowd, the talking, the chit-chatting, the cheering and booing and all that good stuff, it was something I had to get used to again. It definitely got the heart rate going a little faster."

2021 Marlins Roster: The Big Apple

A follow-up performance in New York displayed Rodger"s talent. Rogers “outpitched" deGrom for the second time in nine major league starts. Rodger"s first big league win came against him in a 5-3 victory last season. In April"s start, Rogers was victorious in a 3-0 victory, aided by a stunning homer from Chisholm off deGrom’s 100 mph fastball at the letters.

With his bright blue hair, Chisholm is a spark plug. The kid brings pure joy and energy on the field. Plus, he rakes. "People were saying, ‘It’s an angry 100, it gets on you,’" the Marlins’ brazen, blue-haired Bahamian said. "It didn’t really get on me like I was expecting."

That"s a bold statement about the best pitcher in baseball. On 0-2, the 23-year-old barreled up a 100.4 mph fastball out of the zone. Chisholm"s blast reached the second deck in right field for a 1-0 lead and was estimated at 402 feet.

deGrom was not amused, "He sold out for it,". DeGrom said, "Probably should have done a better job recognizing he was going to try to get to that fastball." The next time Chisholm came up, deGrom struck him out with one fastball and then five straight changeups.

The addition of fans in the stands has many reactions from players. Jazz said,"I love hearing them talk their trash, I love the compliments, I love everything the fans bring to the game, the energy. It does it all for me." We see the impact fans have during the game.

Thankfully, teams have begun allowing limited fan access, with an average crowd of roughly 10,000 per game. For players coming from the minors, those crowds are already about as big as they’ve seen — Triple-A parks generally average 5,000-9,000 patrons per game. That energy before the game can not be synthetically made. Jazzy said, "That first game in front of, like a huge crowd, huge ballpark, having family in the stands, that’ll be, I feel like, just as good, maybe even better than my debut,".

Rogers threw a first-pitch strike to each of the first 10 Met batters; 15 of 22 total. The ability to consistently get first-pitch strikes put the count in favor right away. Rogers said, “that was and always has been a key to success for him". Over 15 innings, he has pitched to a 2.40 ERA and a WHIP of 1.13. After the first inning against, St. Louis, Rodgers has been Ace material. but we have a long season ahead.

Pitch selection has been a major focus in the 2021 Marlins. Rogers mixed a fastball averaging 95 mph with a slider and changeup, inducing 19 swings-and-misses among his 82 pitches. He ended his outing with strikeouts of Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso, stranding two runners to preserve a 1-0 lead. That turning point is what makes great players. If Rodgers continues to perform at critical junctures in games the way Jacob DeGrom, he has a bright future.

Marlin"s skipper beams when discussing Trevor, "This kid’s growing up right in front of our eyes,". Most recently, Rogers pitched well against the Braves; allowing two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out seven over five innings. The only blemish came from Ronald Acuna"s pinch-hit HR.

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Main image credit: Embed from Getty Images