As the Miami Marlins prepare for their first full-squad workout of spring training on Monday, attention will swing toward the team’s youth — and for good reason.
With the Marlins set for another year of their continued rebuild and a roster without a big-name star, the optimism around a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since 2009 is pinned to a group of top prospects who represent what the future might hold.
But for every Victor Victor Mesa and Monte Harrison and Nick Neidert and Isan Diaz who will take part in the Marlins’ six-week spring training in Jupiter, there’s a Martin Prado and Dan Straily and Curtis Granderson and Neil Walker and Sergio Romo — the latter three signed in the offseason to one-year deals — to provide a veteran presence for the prospects who, the Marlins hope, will eventually take over as the stars of the franchise.