Wise Kraken 41.2032: Celio Marin Coming Around

[aaronweiner]

The Carolina Kraken were excited about the possibility of Celio Marin joining the Kraken this season in a setup role for closer Rafael Mata, virtually skipping AAA in the process. The reliever had very little left to prove in the minor leagues, posting outstanding numbers at every level. It took a little bit of time, but it looks like Marin has begun to adjust to the major league level.

"The level of the hitters is so high here," said Marin. "Everyone swings so fast and they're so talented."

The righty reliever started out the year by giving up a run in five of his first six appearances, but has been unscored upon in his last seven outings, including a 1.2 inning performance that brought his ERA down to 6.23 on the year. More impressively, Marin has 10 strikeouts in just 8.2 innings, a number which would put him in the top ten relievers if he qualified in both K/BB and K/9IP.

"Celio has a lot of command of his pitches, and he's going to be a good reliever for a long time in this league," said pitching coach Ed Eldridge. "There was some talk about making him a starting pitcher earlier this year, and that could still happen maybe, but right now we're very happy with his development."

Marin has a chance to be a starter if the team desires at some point in his career. He has one of the best changeups in the business to go with a solid fastball and a sneaky slider, and there's the possibility that Marin could be a solid fourth or fifth starter.

"We have a lot of solid starting pitching prospects in the minors, so we're just going to see how Celio does in the bullpen right now," said Kraken GM Aaron Weiner. "We have a lot of confidence in this young man."