With the third-worst record in the National League and another finish in the cellar of the National League East seemingly imminent, the Miami Marlins don’t have much to be excited about this season. Their best three players this year – Dane Myers, Otto Lopez, and Anthony Bender – have a combined 3.5 bWAR. Four big leaguers have all reached that mark individually: Aaron Judge, Jeremy Pena, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Kris Bubic.
While the team may not make a miraculous run anytime soon, a future star is beginning to form in the Marlins’ bullpen. Ronny Henriquez, who is just 24 years old and rostered in 26% of Fantrax leagues, has the makings of an elite closer and is a must-add for fantasy baseball managers.
Meet the Elite Closer You’ve Never Heard Of
Historical Precedence
This season, Henriquez owns a 2.20 ERA in 28.2 innings pitched. The Marlins right-hander, who has racked up 40 strikeouts already, has put himself in elite company with his 2025 performance so far.
Most Recent Age 25 or Younger Relievers with 28 IP, 2.20 ERA, 12.55 K/9
- Ronny Henriquez, MIA (2025)
- Bryan Abreu, HOU (2022)
- Edwin Diaz, SEA (2018) 2x All-Star
- Jose Leclerc, TEX (2018)
- Corey Knebel, MIL (2017) 1x All-Star
- Josh Hader, MIL (2017) 5x All-Star
All of the pitchers who made the list have been high-leverage arms in baseball for some period of time. Diaz and Hader were each considered one of the best, if not the best, closers in baseball at one point. The group has eight All-Star seasons between them, and Henriquez has placed himself firmly in the conversation to join them this season or the next.
Henriquez’s Electric Arsenal
Not many closers around baseball throw four pitches with regularity. Henriquez, however, throws a sweeper, four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup all at least 19% of the time. Even better? All four of them have been elite offerings this season.
Sweeper – According to Baseball Savant, roughly 28% of Henriquez’s pitches this season have been sweepers. Even as his most-used offering, batters are hitting .211 against it and have an 82.2 MPH average exit velocity. The latter is the lowest average exit velocity hitters have on any of Henriquez’s pitches. While it doesn’t have exceptional movement – in fact, it has below-average drop and sweep – he throws it at an average of 85.1 MPH. That puts it in the 89th percentile of sweeper velocity among qualified pitchers and has helped him coax a 50% whiff rate out of the offering.
Four-Seam Fastball – Henriquez throws his 96 MPH fastball just a tick less often than his sweeper, as it accounts for 27% of his total pitches. One could make a case that he should throw it more often; Henriquez’s heater has averaged the 3rd-most “rise” of any qualified fastball in baseball this season.
2025 MLB Fastball Vertical Rise Above Average (Based on Extension and Velocity)
- Alex Vesia, LAD (4.7 inches)
- Jeremiah Estrada, SD (3.8)
- Ronny Henriquez, MIA (3.5)
- Luke Weaver, NYY (3.5)
- Mason Montgomery, TB (3.4)
While no fastball really “rises”, Henriquez’s fastball drops far less than most fastballs thrown with similar extension and velocity. That makes it far harder for hitters to square up, which we’ve seen this season. Batters have a .151 xBA and 27.5% whiff rate against his fastball, both of which rank in the top 20% of pitchers with at least 100 fastballs thrown.
Slider – The Marlins right-hander’s slider accounts for nearly a quarter of his total pitches. It’s thrown even harder than his sweeper at 87.6 MPH, and opponents have a lower batting average against it (.100) than any of Henriquez’s other offerings this season. Hitters also have a whiff rate of roughly 40% on the offering, which, when combined with his sweeper, has helped Henriquez coax more swing and miss than nearly anybody in baseball.
2025 MLB Whiff Rate, min. 100 batters faced
- Brendon Little, TOR (49.7%)
- Ronny Henriquez, MIA (38.5%)
- Logan Gilbert, SEA (38.2%)
- Bryan Abreu, HOU (38.2%)
- Griffin Jax, MIN (37.0%)
Changeup – As his least-used pitch, outside of a sinker that accounts for 2% of his pitch mix, one might expect Henriquez’s changeup to be a work in progress. That judgment would likely solidify upon hearing he is a 24-year-old reliever who throws four pitches. His changeup, however, has been anything but mediocre this season. Hitters have a .211 batting average and a 28.6% whiff rate against the offering.
Opportunity
According to the Marlins’ Fangraphs depth chart, Henriquez is currently being deployed as Clayton McCullough’s closer. The Marlins rank 25th among MLB teams in save opportunities, which means he may not get as many chances as if he were playing somewhere else. When the opportunities do arise, Henriquez is the 9th-inning man for the Marlins.. Even when he’s not saving games, he’s still being used regularly: his 25 appearances this year put him only four games behind MLB leaders Jose A. Ferrer and Louis Varland.
While his control still leaves room for development – Henriquez walks just over 11% of the hitters he faces, which isn’t ideal – it shouldn’t be a reason not to take a chance on the elite young closer. His deep arsenal is full of wipeout offerings, and his performance this year has done nothing but confirm that he has a bright future ahead of him.
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