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Marlins Farm System Ready To Shine

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Miami Marlins are widely expected to be one of the worst teams in baseball in 2013, but there may be hope for the team coming from the team's farm system. According to MLB.com, the team has six prospects in the top 100 across baseball.

MLB.com released its Top 100 prospects Wednesday morning and the number one prospect for the Marlins was right-handed pitcher Jose Fernandez. The 20-year-old Cuban played high school baseball in Tampa.

Fernandez was 14-1 with an ERA below 2.00 in 2012 while playing in single A and high A ball. He had a strikeout to walk ratio of 158/35 during his 2012 season and was the Marlins' 14th overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft.

Overall, Fernandez is ranked as the number seven overall prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com.

Just behind Fernandez is outfielder Christian Yelich, who was previously the Marlins' top prospects. Yelich played in 107 games between the rookie league and high A ball in 2012. Yelich hit a combined .329 with a slugging percentage of .402 with 12 home runs and 48 RBI's.

Yelich is the 13th ranked overall prospect via MLB.com's rankings.

Yelich was the Marlins' first round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft and along with Fernandez received an invitation to attend Spring Training with the Marlins this year. Both are expected to begin the regular season in Double-A Jacksonville.

The Marlins have four other prospects in the Top 100 including outfielder Jake Marisnick, left-handed pitcher Justin Nicolino and Andrew Heaney, along with shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. Heaney was the Marilns' top pick in the 2012 Draft.

Hechvarria should move into the starting shortstop position according to Marlins.com. He was acquired in the fire sale trade of talent with the Toronto Blue Jays last season.

Still, while those six players inspire some hope in the roster, Baseball America had this to say about the Marlins' farm system: "The club's last three first-rounder rank as its best prospects, though the upper levels of the system are feeling the effects of disappointing drafts in 2008-09."

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