Despite a mounting losing streak, Peter Bendix remains committed to his youth movement, trusting that struggling prospects like Owen Caissie will eventually mirror Kyle Stowers’ breakout success.
MIAMI — Before the start of most games, Miami Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix observes the fruits of his labor and convenes with fellow key members of leadership, from general manager Gabe Kapler and manager Clayton McCullough.
While the Marlins have struggled mightily during their 10-game homestand, he told reporters on Friday that he still sees the progress take place.
“We’re very happy with the progress that we’ve shown,” Bendix said. “It hasn’t quite shown up in the wins that we want to but it’s shown up in the way that we’re in every game.”
After enduring the showers of April with a series win on the road against the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Marlins returned home at 15-16 expecting May’s flowers to bloom. Instead, they lost six of their last eight games, though most of them were close.
“We’re never out of a game,” Bendix said. “At the end of the day, competitive is not the goal, winning is the goal, but I think you can evaluate progress and things in addition to the win-loss record.”
Many of the players penciled in the lineup by McCullough were young players acquired by Bendix through trading more established players. Jakob Marsee and Owen Caissie entered the season expecting to join Kyle Stowers as the Marlins next All-Star outfield.
After a strong showing in the World Baseball Classic and a first impression at home, Caissie enters Saturday’s game against the Washington Nationals batting .202 with a .584 OPS and 16 RBI. He has not hit a home run since April 1 against the New York Yankees.
Bendix continues to exercise patience with Caissie, saying “Adjusting to major league pitching is the hardest thing a player is ever going to do.”
“With guys like Owen, he has never failed at any point in his career,” Bendix said. “So what happens when you get punched? What happens when you get knocked down? You have to figure out a way to get back up and adjust. Players do that at different points in their careers. It takes them different amounts of time.
Bendix points to Stowers as a strong example of not giving up on a young player based on early results. Stowers, who was acquired along with Connor Norby by the Baltimore Orioles for Trevor Rodgers in 2024, finished the season with similar stats as Caissie with 57 more at-bats. He emerged as their All-Star in 2025 with 25 home runs and a .912 OPS.
“We saw Kyle Stowers get punched in the face every single night at the end of 2024 and then he was able to use that to make an adjustment,” Bendix said. “I'm optimistic that Owen can do the same thing.”
Marsee was the opposite, breaking out from the moment he was called up with a .352 batting average, a 1.059 OPS, four home runs, and 25 RBI through August 2025. However, he has struggled since then and is batting .175 with one homer and 10 RBI through 143 at-bats this season.
Marsee remains in the lineup for his defense at center field and his speed. Despite the low batting average, he still leads the Marlins with 10 stolen bases.
“He adds a lot of value in addition to when he’s hitting,” Bendix said. “He’s doing all the things that we want to see him do. The league adjusted to him. Now he has to adjust back. That’s what baseball is all about, but I’m very optimistic of where he is.”
Both Marsee and Caissie will be in the lineup against the Nationals on Saturday. Washington (19-20) is starting reliever Richard Lovelady as a likely opener before handing the ball to Zack Littell (1-4, 7.24 ERA), who was the original starting pitcher.
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