Making Waves: Young Draftees Help Jupiter Earn First Championship

By Ryer Gardenswartz

Jupiter Hammerheads history was made in 2023. After competing in the Florida State League (FSL) since 1998, the Marlins Single-A affiliate finally found themselves hoisting the trophy at the end of the season.

Jupiter was a model of consistency throughout the long Minor League season. First year manager Nelson Prada led the team to a 35-31 record in both the first and second halves of the season, culminating in the best overall record in the FSL East Division and a second-half division title.

After a long 132-game regular season, the Hammerheads hosted a familiar opponent in the semifinals. For the first time in the playoffs, Jupiter faced their Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium co-tenants, the Palm Beach Cardinals. The opening game in the best-of-three series was a pitcher’s duel that catcher Jan Mercado ended with a walk-off single in the 10th inning. Game two also needed extra innings, but Jupiter emerged victorious 7-6 to punch their ticket to the Championship Series for the first time since 2012.

Waiting for the Hammerheads in the Championship Series was the 79-50 Clearwater Threshers, the Single-A affiliates of the Philadelphia Phillies. The first contest was a high-scoring 8-7 game in favor of Jupiter and highlighted by a Carlos Santiago grand slam.

The series shifted to the Gulf Coast, and so did the momentum. After scoring eight runs in the game prior, the Hammerheads struggled to score in game two of the series. The 3-1 loss set up a winner take all game three. The final contest of the 2023 season continued to bring the drama. Jupiter played small ball and found multiple ways to score, including a sacrifice fly, a walk, a fielder’s choice, and a throwing error on back-toback steals. With only three hits in the game, Jupiter was still able to score seven runs and win 7-4 to clinch the 2023 title.

The Hammerheads were fueled by their pitching last season. The pitching staff finished the season atop of the FSL leaderboard with the lowest ERA (4.12) and allowed the fewest total runs (606), as well as the second-best WHIP (1.38).

At the end of August, the already strong pitching staff was infused with some new, young talent as 2023 Marlins draftees Noble Meyer and Thomas White joined the team for the final push. The two high schoolers both made immediate impacts in the starting rotation. Meyer, the 10th overall pick in 2023 and the Marlins No. 1 overall prospect, allowed just three earned runs across 12.2 combined innings in the regular season and playoffs. White, the No. 2 overall prospect, tallied 10 strikeouts in three total starts for the Hammerheads. Beyond Meyer and White, 10th rounder Xavier Meachem and 15th round selection Nigel Belgrave both made major contributions during the championship run.

Other draftees like OF Kemp Alderman (second round, 47th ), INF Brock Vradenburg (third round), OF Jake DeLeo (sixth round), OF Mark Coley (17 th round), and INF Johnny Olmstead (19th round) all played a role for the Hammerheads.

All of these new faces filled roles left by other cornerstones of the 2023 team as players continued to move up in the Marlins organization. Not to mention, the many players that donned a Hammerheads jersey from April through September. Each player that made a stop in Jupiter during the 2023 campaign all played a part of the history making season.