Marlins Catcher Joe Mack Joins Top 100 Prospects Rankings
Image credit: JUPITER, FLORIDA - MARCH 3: Joe Mack #80 of the Miami Marlins in the spring training game against the Houston Astros at Roger Dean Stadium on March 3, 2025 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/Getty Images)
Welcome to Baseball America’s Top 100, Joe Mack.
Following Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez’s graduation, the Marlins catcher enters the back-end of the list as an in-season addition. Mack is coming off a 24-homer season in 2024 and the 22-year-old started strong this season, hitting .348 (8-for-23) with a pair of home runs through seven games with Double-A Pensacola.
The Marlins used a 2021 supplemental round draft pick to select Mack No. 31 overall out of Williamsville East High School (East Amherst, N.Y.) and signed him to an over-slot $2.5 million bonus. Mack’s bat started slow, and he hit just .218/.295/.287 in 120 games with High-A Beloit in 2023, but he found his power stroke last year to pair a more potent offensive attack with his well-regarded defense.
Mack’s addition gives the Marlins three players in the Top 100, joining teammates Thomas White (No. 31) and Starlyn Caba (No. 67).
More Joe Mack News
- He was featured in Baseball America’s latest edition of Hot Sheet.
- He was one of 50 prospects who impressed scouts on the backfields this spring.
Joe Mack Preseason Scouting Report
BA Grade/Risk: 50/High.
Track Record: Things did not go well for Mack in his pro career heading into 2024. A supplemental first-round pick out of high school signed for $2.5 million in 2021, Mack struggled in his pro debut, missed much of 2022 with a hamstring injury and followed that with a healthy but poor showing in 2023 at High-A Beloit. Mack broke out in 2024, hitting twice as many home runs (24) as he had in his entire pro career to date. He lit up the Midwest League for 13 games and continued to perform after a promotion to Double-A.
Scouting Report: Mack employs an upright stance at the plate. His swing involves a slight bailout with his front foot to open his hips, which makes him susceptible to soft stuff away. Making contact may always be a weak point in his profile. His 2024 power spike appears real—he was one of the largest year-over-year gainers in exit velocity among all minor league players. Though he has all-fields power, most of his singles and doubles come to his pull side, making him both pitchable and defendable. His pitch identification and plate discipline are roughly average. He’s a below-average runner but decent for a catcher and has a smooth gait. Behind the plate, Mack is tough to run on. He has a tendency to bobble the ball on the transfer, but he’s explosive getting out of his stance, has a fast transfer and plus arm strength. He’s an above-average framer who presents the ball well. His mobility is well above-average, but he will sometimes block at angles that deflect the ball laterally rather than in front of him.
The Future: Mack’s combination of being a lefthanded-hitting catcher with above-average power and defense should get him to the big leagues. There are outcomes where his hit tool limits him to a backup role, but his upper end outcomes look like an everyday catcher akin to Cal Raleigh.
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Field: 60 | Arm: 60.
