Marlins Pitching Prospect Jacob Kisting Went From Unknown to Undefeated

For emerging pitching prospect Jacob Kisting, the journey to becoming a member of the Miami Marlins has been anything but a conventional one. 

The 23-year-old played for three seasons at Bradley University, but hit a pothole when a preseason injury limited him to just 16 innings in 2024. In order to draw some attention to his pitching prowess, the right-hander went anywhere he could to get scouts to take a look at him.

So, Kisting pitched in both the Northwoods League and the MLB Draft League before the Minnesota Twins selected him in the 14th round of the 2024 MLB Draft. He signed for $125,000.

Kisting spent most of his first pro season working as a reliever, posting a 5-5 record and 3.79 ERA over 73.2 innings between Single-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Fort Myers. He was subsequently returned to being a starter when he was acquired by a new franchise, the Tampa Bay Rays. It was with the Tampa organization that really saw the young hurler’s talent for what it was, and it was where he blossomed into a potential big-leaguer.

Beginning the 2026 campaign with High-A Bowling Green, Kisting quickly established himself as one of the South Atlantic League’s most effective pitchers. He went 6-0 with a 1.67 ERA and 96 strikeouts. He was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year as a result.

The Marlins acquired Kisting on Aug. 3 as part of the trade that sent catcher Liam Hicks to the Rays. Miami then promoted him to Double-A Pensacola, where he went 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA in five appearances.

At the end of his twisting-and-turning roller coaster ride of a season, Kisting had compiled a cumulative 10-0 record, 1.72 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 127 strikeouts over 110 innings across 23 appearances. 

His rise from an unknown 14th-rounder to an undefeated pro starter makes Kisting one of the more intriguing arms in Miami’s developing pitching pipeline. In terms of his place in the franchise, he’s currently listed as the team's 21st-ranked prospect.

Standing 6’5” and weighing 220 pounds, he’s likely to add at least a little mass to his frame. And his steady improvement has been listed as the 21st prospect that the Fish have down on the farm. And scouts throughout baseball have raved about his command on the hill.

"[He] won’t be mistaken for an overthrower any time soon, his official MLB.com scouting report says of the Wisconsin native. "He shows easy, repeatable mechanics from a low three-quarters slot and only sits around 91-93 mph with his heater, but he can command it well enough with lots of arm-side run to elude most barrels."

"There’s enough separation and movement variation to elicit empty swings, and he sports healthy reverse splits as a result."

Expect Kisting to have a realistic shot at making the MLB roster in Spring Training 2028, provided he has another outstanding year in the minors. Anything close to his perfect performance in 2026 would push him to Triple-A Jacksonville by a year from now.