While the Phillies handed out eight six-figure bonuses during the 2025 international signing period, they also did some bargain shopping. The best find might be Marquez, who was “old” for the class, signing at age 19 for just $10,000 out of Mexico. The Phillies liked his combination of athleticism, stuff and feel for pitching enough to send him stateside for his pro debut, and after missing a good amount of bats over 10 Florida Complex League appearances, he got moved up to full-season Clearwater when the FCL season concluded.
At 6-foot-2 and about 180 pounds, Marquez has an athletic frame with projection left on it to add more strength. He was already adding a few ticks of velocity to his fastball, touching 96 mph during his debut summer after being more 92-94 with the heater when he first signed. He throws it with good sink to get ground-ball outs. He does the same thing with his changeup, a pitch that could be a plus offering in the future. The cambio is ahead of his breaking ball, a slider that has some depth. It’s more of a get-me-over, steal-a-strike pitch right now, but there’s enough feel to spin to think it might be a solid breaker in time.
Marquez doesn’t have much track record yet, but his smooth and repeatable delivery point to an ability to be a solid strike-thrower as he develops and moves up the organizational ladder. If the breaking ball comes and he can command all three offerings, he has the chance to be a starter, with more in the tank to come.
