Peyton Burdick

Burdick debuted after the trade deadline to little fanfare -- after all he was a 25-year-old batting .229 at Triple-A at the time of his call-up. Those in NL-only leagues who took a flier were left wanting more although Burdick put a nice exclamation point on his season with two homers in his final four games. The holes in Burdick's swing are plentiful as evidenced by his strikeout rates routinely around 30% against upper-level pitching (34.3% in the majors last season). He did not have the green light during his brief time under Don Mattingly, but Burdick has respectable speed and it's possible the team is more aggressive on the bases under new manager Skip Schumaker. Burdick has legitimate power to go along with the speed, and if he could get quicker to the ball and make contact just a bit more consistently, he could emerge as a surprise late bloomer for Miami. First things first, Burdick will need to fight to make the roster out of spring training.

Burdick, the No. 82 overall pick in 2019, did not get invited to Miami's alternate training site, but he did have a loud showing during the fall instructional league. It should be noted that he turns 24 in February, so he was older than most of the true prospects participating in instructs. A chiseled 6-foot, 210 pounds, Burdick is always one of the most physically imposing players on a diamond, and he is an above-average runner to boot. Given his age, he really needs to spend time at Triple-A this year for us to start fully buying into his game performance translating at the highest level. His pole-to-pole power is obvious, but he hasn't been tested by many pitchers who can sequence and locate a diverse repertoire of pitches. The Marlins have a lot of similarly skilled outfield prospects in the upper minors, so Burdick will need to earn his opportunities.

A third-round pick out of Wright State who turns 23 in February, Burdick doesn't have many biographical characteristics we look for in fantasy. However, he put up a 172 wRC+ in the Midwest League after signing, so people are starting to take notice. He is built like Tyler O'Neill, 6-foot with massive forearms and massive raw power, primarily to the pull side. A 23.3 K% against Low-A pitchers is a little concerning, given his age, but he also took his walks (11.1 BB%). He is a sneaky good runner, even at 210 pounds, and could steal double-digit bases in his first full season. Burdick would hardly be the first older college hitter to post monster numbers at Low-A and never be heard from again, so expectations should be tempered. The Marlins may not open him at Double-A, but they will want him to spend most of the year in the upper levels to get a better sense of what they have.