With some members of the Miami Marlins now suiting up for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League, several players will be looking to prove themselves, but perhaps one more than others.

The Marlins (80-82) go to the drawing board again this offseason after falling just short of a Wild Card berth, and they will continue to work on player development. Their current rebuilding project has a blueprint that is centered around a talent-laden youth movement. One of the more prominent names on that list is outfielder Dillon Lewis, who will look to bring damage at the dish during his Autumn in the Desert.

Lewis was placed on the Injured List at Double-A Pensacola after suffering a broken hamate bone in his hand/wrist on June 27, which cost him more than seven weeks. The late-season issue was more about his recovery and loss of power after returning, rather than a second documented injury.

One major factor at play is how much the IL time affected his swing… particularly in the power department. While he’s known as a multi-dimensional player, his calling card has been the pop in his bat.

Lewis has 20-20 potential, with 40 homers and 46 stolen bases across his two full professional seasons. That kind of balanced output is what the Marlins have been expecting, based on what scouts have to say about the 23-year-old, who was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Ryan Weathers trade.

"Miami's front office was eager to add Lewis in no small part because of his power potentia," his official MLB scouting report states. "The right-handed slugger produces top-of-the-line exit velocities, up to 113.9 mph last year, and has plenty of raw strength. That pop has come with swing-and-miss issues, which could be mitigated with better swing decisions... Some stiff swing mechanics make it likely that he'll maintain a below-average hit tool -- he's had particular struggles with in-zone contact.

At one point on pace for 30 long balls last season, his inability to put a charge into the ball late in the year grounded him at 18. And there’s good reason the team is worried that his damaged wing might have cut off some of their affairs tonight. Lewis had 16 blasts through his first 64 games with the Triple-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, but had a bit of a power outage after that. After his return from injury, the hitter went 22 games without a home run.

It will be imperative that the Marlins' 4th highest-ranked prospect shows that there are no lingering effects left over from the mid-season malady. The lack of thunder in his bat after such a torrid start may not be enough to be totally alarming, but it's certainly something that needs to be addressed.

Otherwise? He checks out as a surefire big leaguer and potentially, an All-Star player. 

If Lewis can rediscover the pre-injury power stroke in Arizona, he could enter 2027 as one of the more intriguing upper-level prospects in the Miami system. That would help elevate him to a potential late-season call-up if he performs well to start 2027.