Mader was drafted by the Marlins from Florida-based Chipola College in the 3rd round of the 2014 draft. He was sent to Batavia of the New York-Penn League, where he made 12 starts, throwing 45 innings, with a 2.00 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 16/28 BB/K ratio.
The Marlins sent Mader to Greensboro of the low-A South Atlantic League for the entire 2015 season, and he had a solid, albeit not spectacular season, making 27 starts, throwing 140 2/3 innings, with a 4.73 ERA and 1.41 WHIP, posting a 57/86 BB/K ratio.
Miami sent Mader to Jupiter of the high-A Florida State League to start the 2016 season, and as I was starting to make calls on the Marlins system and who could be big guys that were not big on the radar coming into the season, Mader’s name was one that came up.