Have a Winning Season
For most Miami Marlins fans, it’s probably hard to even remember what 2009 felt like.
Which is unfortunate, considering that was the last time the Miami Marlins managed to produce a winning season.
That season saw Chris Coghlan win an NL Rookie of the Year award. It saw Hanley Ramirez win anNL batting title. And it saw the Marlins fall a painful five games short of the Wild Card, sticking in the race until the very end.
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The eight years since have seen no shortage of individual highlights. Gold Gloves. No-hitters. Home run chases. Every Jose Fernandez start. Even another batting title. But be it clubhouse chemistry, cheap ownership, or both (it’s both), none of those teams were ever able to do enough to completely and consistently win fans over. And more to the point, consistently win.
That’s a lot of losing to stomach, particularly in a front running sports town like Miami. The fact that the Miami Marlins have seemingly guaranteed that streak is going to hit double digits is not sitting well with the fandom. Or for that matter, with the MLB Players Association.
If this team were to go out and have everything go their way, and somehow stumble into an 82-80 finish, all criticism would evaporate. Fans were up in arms heading into 2006; the conversation changed in a hurry when that club played winning baseball over the final four months. Fans were outraged over the trade of Miguel Cabrera, but consecutive winning seasons helped quell a lot of that wrath.
Next: Fernandez’s death “turning point” for Marlins
It’s not gonna happen. But if it did, Jeter would go from carpetbagger to conquering hero overnight.