The Miami Marlins are in a positive position heading into this offseason.
Following a 2025 campaign where they seemed to have improved their roster in multiple key areas compared to the previous year, one of the other notable improvements for this franchise features their farm system.
They have many young talents who are showcasing promising skill sets ahead of their MLB debuts, and that should only boost what the Marlins had on display this year where they were in the Wild Card race to the very end of the season.
A prospect who has been making a name for himself in the Arizona Fall League is Starlyn Caba, a shortstop who is working his way up through Miami’s system. His skill set is an intriguing one, as his defense has been a cornerstone of his long-term development plan. But his offense has been streaky at best due to his frame.
After being a core element in the trade with the Philadelphia Phillies when the Marlins shipped out Jesús Luzardo, Caba now has work to do to prove himself even more. Recently, Keith Law of The Athletic (subscription required) detailed some of the top prospects in the AFL this past week, and one of the noted players was Caba, who got a somewhat mixed review.
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Caba was mentioned at length by Law, as the analyst discussed how he views the No. 5 prospect in Miami’s farm system.
“Starlyn Caba is the best defensive shortstop prospect I’ve seen since Jose Iglesias in 2009-10. Caba makes every play look routine, with plus range in both directions and outstanding instincts. He barely has to hit to be a big leaguer … but that’s still a question, as the Marlins shortstop, acquired from Philadelphia in the Jesús Luzardo trade, is still so small that he can’t impact the ball or even do anything with good velocity,” Law wrote.
The fact Law gave that high of praise to Caba’s defense is notable, but if he can’t ever get to the point where he’s effective with the bat in his hand, then not only will his role be limited at the big league level, but they might have also gotten fleeced for Luzardo.
“Caba is still 19, turning 20 in December, and has time to get stronger, but it’s not a big frame (listed at 5-9, 160, and he might be 5-8), and it’s not a guarantee that he’ll get past the threshold of strength required to be a big-league hitter. He does have a solid understanding of the strike zone, so I’m cautiously optimistic that if he does gain sufficient strength, he can be a replacement-level or better hitter and be worth a couple of wins a year with his glove alone,” Law continued.
Starlyn Caba jumps on a hanging breaking ball!
The @Marlins‘ No. 5 prospect mashes his first @MLBazFallLeague dinger onto the berm for Mesa: pic.twitter.com/ow4Sxddcuf
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 24, 2025
The timing of this is rather coincidental, as Caba hit his first home run in the AFL shortly after the release of the article. His batting has been effective so far there through eight matchups, but overall in the minor league system, he has been less than productive.
The good news is that he is slashing .276/.400/.414 in Arizona so far, so there is definitely room to build off of this showcase circuit for the future. He now needs to find consistency on the farm for the Marlins to prove he can really become a key part of this franchise’s future.
