Among the Marlins’ Day 3 picks in 2024 MLB Draft: A high school catcher from Alaska

Miami Marlins director of amateur scouting Frankie Piliere’s plan for the final day of the 2024 MLB Draft was simple and similar to his approach through the first two days.

“Keep stacking up talent,” Piliere said. “We’re not going to be the team that takes the foot off the gas pedal. We’re going to keep looking for every single way to add an impactful player because they’re still out there, and we’re going to find them.”

The Marlins cast a wide net in an attempt to get that done.

And perhaps their most intriguing and far-reaching (at least geographically) picks on Day 3, which consisted of Rounds 11-20, came in the 15th round when they drafted Anchorage (Alaska) Robert Service High catcher Coen Niclai.

Niclai, who is committed to Oregon, is a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Alaska. In 2024, Niclai hit .392 (20 for 51) with 10 RBI and 13 runs scored in 20 games played. He also participated in the MLB Draft League and the MLB Draft Combine to help gain exposure.

“We’ve said from the beginning that we’re going to scout all these types of players hard,” Piliere said. “I talk to the staff all the time about casting as wide of a net as possible. We are going to beat the bushes and look for these guys all over the place — and it’s fun when we can scout in Alaska, right? He’s a very talented player. [He has] power. [He] went to the Draft League, playing with older players and holding his own. It’s an exciting young talent. We think he’s going to be really good player.”

The pipeline from Alaska to MLB is pretty thin. Only 12 players born in the state have gone on to reach the big leagues, the most recent of whom was relief pitcher Tony Barnette — a 10th-round pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks who made 127 career MLB appearances from 2016-2019.

Baseball America, which ranked Niclai as the No. 419 prospect in the draft, evaluated Niclai as follows: “It’s rare to have prominent prospects from Alaska but Niclai is an intriguing catcher from the state with a powerful 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame and some tools to go with it. His raw power and arm strength are the calling cards of the profile and both tools are either above-average now or are easy projections to be in the near future. He’ll need to work to stick behind the plate because of his size and the fact that his actions are a bit light for the position currently. If he doesn’t catch he’ll move off to first base or a corner outfield spot as a well below-average runner which changes the complexion of his profile significantly.”

“We think he has chance to stick behind the plate,” Piliere said. “It’s obviously challenging, and he’s got a long journey ahead, but he has the tools to play behind the plate.”

Overall, the Marlins’ 10 selections on Tuesday included five college position players, three college pitchers, and one high school pitcher in addition to Niclai.

That supplemented their first 11 picks, headlined by first-round pick outfielder PJ Morlando out of Summerville High in South Carolina and second-round pick shortstop Carter Johnson out of Oxford High in Alabama. Eight of the Marlins’ other nine selections on the first two days came from the college ranks, with six of those eight being hitters.

“We have a really diverse group of interesting players,” Piliere said. “When I look up and down, I see middle-of-the-field players, shortstops, real power arms that we’re excited about and progress. Our process is always take the best player on the board that can make the biggest impact possible, but it’s nice when it does work out where you get such a diverse group of players that can help us in so many ways.”

The Miami Marlins’ 2024 draft picks

1 (16) Summerville (South Carolina) High outfielder PJ Morlando

2 (56) Oxford (Alabama) High shortstop Carter Johnson

CB-B (70) Oregon State right-handed pitcher Aiden May

3 (92) Alabama second baseman Gage Miler

4 (122) James Madison outfielder Fenwick Trimble

5 (155) Highlands Ranch (Colorado) Mountain Vista High right-handed pitcher Grant Shepardson

6 (184) Georgia Tech shortstop Payton Green

7 (214) Portland right-handed pitcher Nick Brink

8 (244) East Carolina outfielder Jacob Jenkins-Cowart

9 (274) California Irvine third baseman Dub Gleed

10 (304) Oklahoma third baseman Michael Snyder

11 (334) Arkansas right-handed pitcher Jake Faherty

12 (364) Purdue catcher Connor Caskenette

13 (394) UCLA shortstop Cody Schrier

14 (424) Washington shortstop Cam Clayton

15 (454) Anchorage (Alaska) Robert Service High catcher Coen Niclai

16 (484) Niagara University first baseman Eric Rataczak

17 (514) Oregon State outfielder Micah McDowell

18 (544) Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Central Dauphin High left-handed pitcher Nate Payne

19 (574) St. Leo University right-handed pitcher Luke Lashutka

20 (604) UCF right-handed pitcher Chase Centala