Joe Mack is quickly becoming more than just a defensive standout for the Miami Marlins. The young catcher has shown a sharp turnaround at the plate in June while continuing to anchor the defense, hinting at a breakout that could reshape Miami’s future behind the plate.
Joe Mack, the Miami Marlins’ Gold Glove-caliber young catcher, is no longer turning heads only because of his defense.
He is now starting to do it at the plate, too.
The Marlins headed to the City of Brotherly Love for a series with the Phillies, but lost the opener 7–0, giving them only their third loss of June. Despite the Marlins’ struggles at the plate, Mack still managed to reach base twice with a walk in the second inning and a double in the top of the fifth.
The young catcher went from a .203 batting average and a .500 OPS in May to a .313 average and a .902 OPS in June, marking a dramatic turnaround for the 23-year-old.
Since being called up on May 4, Mack is hitting .240 with a .635 OPS and a 0.2 WAR, along with two home runs, five doubles, and 14 RBI. Despite his improvement at the plate this month, his plate discipline still appears to be a concern, as shown by his 3-to-8 walk-to-strikeout ratio in June and a 7-to-30 mark overall. Improving Mack’s patience at the plate should be a focus for Marlins hitting coach Pedro Guerrero moving forward.
Defensively, Mack looks like he can be a Gold Glove, with a pop time of 1.89 seconds and an arm that has him in 96 percent tile for throwing according to Baseball Savant. He has picked off 11 base runners, including Nasim Núñez. It was only the sixth time Núñez had been caught stealing in 45 career attempts at the time. Mack this season has a DWAR of 0.2.
Mack’s recent success has played a big part in the Marlins taking every series so far this month, sweeping two of them and getting back to a game under .500.
Mack attributes the success to everyone coming together collectively and doing their job.
“We’ve also had a lot of fun in the clubhouse. So, just all that time together is bringing a lot of wins and a lot of fun to the clubhouse.”
When the Marlins selected Mack in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, they added a player with baseball in his blood. His older brother, Charles, a shortstop, was selected in the sixth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, while his sister played softball at the University of Hartford.
After being selected 31st overall, Mack signed with Miami for a $2.5 million bonus. It didn’t take long for him to move from Rookie Ball to Triple-A after entering the Marlins’ system. Along the journey, Mack showed improved power and production. The best offensive numbers of his minor league career came in the 2024 Double-A season, when he hit 24 home runs and drove in 78 runs.
Mack reached Triple-A in 2025 with the majors just a call away. After starting 2026 in Triple-A again, it took 24 games for Mack to get the call he had always dreamed of, earning his first major league promotion on May 4.
Mack’s rise through the Minor showed he can produce at the plate. If he can be more disciplined and continue this recent trend of success, he could soon be not only one of Miami’s most complete young players but one of the complete young catchers in the game.
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