Miami Marlins: How in the World are the Fins in Second Place?
Who Would’ve Thought the Miami Marlins Would Be in Playoff Contention at This Point?
The Miami Marlins are currently 24-21, second place in the NL East. The team is only 2.5 games behind the first-place Atlanta Braves.
Derek Jeter is doing something right in Miami because the Marlins have a legitimate chance at the playoffs. The Phillies are close behind with a 23-23 record, and they were one of my favorites to compete in the playoffs at the beginning of the year.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Even if the Phillies surpass the Marlins, the team still has a great opportunity to take a Wild Card spot in the National League. Compared to the American League where the Wild Card team will most likely come out of the AL East of Central, the NL Wild Card is pretty wide open.
The Marlins would be competing against the Reds, and Giants. But the Mets and Brewers are not that far behind in fourth place. There is about two weeks of baseball left so things could shake up differently in the next few games.
Let’s meet the mysterious Marlins and find out where their biggest strengths are. Will they make the playoffs?
The addition of Starling Marte has been key for the Miami marlins.
The Miami Marlins made a surprise move and traded for Starling Marte from the Diamondbacks. He was one of the best hitters for the last-place team in the NL West and is a key piece in the unknown Marlins lineup.
The 31-year old has been a household name across the league and has been playing center field since his arrival. Outside of Marte, there really aren’t many familiar names in the starting lineup unless you paid close attention to fantasy baseball waiver wires.
Corey Dickerson is one of those players that was added and dropped often from fantasy teams. He is one of those sleeper waiver players that could be a good pickup while he was on a hot streak.
The one-time All-Star has played really well in the last few years. But in 2020, he has barely been good enough for me. He currently is hitting .243, and .310 OBP.
Dickerson has been hitting leadoff often for the Marlins despite his lack of speed on the base paths.
The other outfield position has been manned by a mix of Matt Joyce, and Lewis Brinson as of late.
Joyce is another one of those players like Dickerson who was a fringe fantasy player and was on my watchlist often. He is now 36-years old and is hitting .253, and .361 OBP.
His plate discipline at the plate has been a strength in his long career and is a reason why his name is in the lineup often. When Joyce is in the lineup, you will see him in the heart of the order. He is an underrated part of the Marlins’ wins.
Brinson on the other hand is still trying to get a grasp of the big leagues. The former first-round pick in 2012 has yet to impress teams. He is hitting above .200 this year, the first time in his four year MLB career. He holds a .243 average and .293 OBP which warrants him a spot in the lineup every once in a while when Joyce is the designated hitter.
No, Hall of Famer Derek Jeter is not playing shortstop for the Miami Marlins.
The Marlins infield, as you would guess is filled with unfamiliar names as well. It still amazes me how the Marlins are 24-21 with the outfield I just named. And now, you will be even more surprised with the team’s success with the infield.
Starting at first base, we have Jesus Aguilar, the most notable name among the infield. Aguilar, like Joyce and Dickerson, is a one-time All-Star player. He had his best season in 2018 when with the Brewers.
This season, he is hitting almost as good as his 2018 year. In 2020, he is hitting just below .300, a .357 OBP, and slugging .493.
As you would expect, he has been hitting in the heart of the order. Aguilar has been rotating with Joyce between the third and fourth spot in the lineup.
Now for the rest of the infield, the Marlins have a few utility infield players so the lineup rotates around. You can never really guess the starting lineup for the Marlins on a given day.
At the hot corner, it has been a mix of Brian Anderson and Miguel Rojas. Anderson has been a solid player for the Marlins since 2017. He has a .268 career batting average and played often in 2018 and 2019.
Anderson is a reliable bat and tends to hit in the fifth spot, where he boats as .273 average, .379 OBP and slugging .448.
Miguel Rojas on the other hand is hitting like an absolute beast. Rojas is having a breakout year sort of like Donovan Solano as an underrated name.
Rojas got off to a hot start, and he continues to keep his batting average at .359, an OBP of .438. He has been in and out of the lineup with injuries which explains the rotating infield. But Rojas is another underrated player in the Marlins lineup which will drive in runs and get on base often.
Rojas can play anywhere in the infield and is useful in that way as well.
The other two Marlins infielders are Jazz Chisholm and Isan Diaz. Both these infielders are young and in the infield for their glove as of now. They are hitting below .200 and have been filling in when needed for the Marlins.
Lastly, the starting catcher is Jorge Alfaro. He was once a highly-touted prospect in the Phillies farm system and has not quite hit his stride in the big leagues. Alfaro did hit 18 home runs in 2019 but has not shown much besides that.
In 2020, Alfaro is hitting .224 and .288 OBP. When looking at the infield as a whole, you would never think this would equal a 24-21 team. But the Marlins are doing it somehow.
Miami Marlins: A young school of fish swimming upstream.
It probably comes with no surprise that you have not heard many of these names. Sixto Sanchez has gained popularity as of late for his elite fastball velocity as a 22-year old.
He has definitely caught the league’s attention when he got called up and is now 3-1, with a 1.69 ERA. Despite his high velocity, he keeps his walks very low and boasts a .906 WHIP.
You would not expect many 22-year olds to keep their walks low, especially when you throw heat. Sanchez has shown maturity and seems to understand the importance of managing the strike zone, not just blowing batters away.
My favorite pitcher for the Marlins is Sandy Alcantara. Like the title says, the Marlins rotation is filled with young talent. He is only 25-years old and was selected as an All-Star in 2019.
One of the reasons why I like Alcantara was his 6-14 record last year, but he still found a spot on the All-Star team. This says a lot about his talent and the struggles he had to fight against being on a terrible Marlins team.
In 2020, he holds a 3.97 ERA, 8.3 K/9, and a 1.235 WHIP. Alcantara does walk quite a few hitters and is something he needs to improve on to warrant another All-Star selection.
Pablo Lopez is another surprising staple in the Marlins rotation as a 24-year old. He does not have quite the stats like Sanchez and Alcantara, but a 4.50 ERA is not terrible.
Lopez also has a high K/9, 9.0, but his walks are high which hurts him in the long run.
The other two starting rotation spots have been a rotation of pitchers and call ups. The 22-year old, Trevor Rogers was called up and he has started four games now, but without any impressive numbers.
But the main three are Sanchez, Alcantara, and Lopez. The trio are quietly leading a team of unknowns into playoff contention.
The Miami Marlins have probably the most unrecognizable names.
Brandon Kintzler has been the closer for the Marlins and has been actually very good. He has nine saves and a 3.12 ERA for the Marlins.
Kintzler is now 36-years old, but the one-time All-Star is continuing his consistent track record in the bullpen.
More from Miami Marlins
- The Miami Marlins actually do have a Jazz Chisholm problem
- Square one at catcher? Miami Marlins sign former backstop Jorge Alfaro
- Miami Marlins remake their infield at MLB trade deadline for playoff push
- Miami Marlins make late night splash with David Robertson trade
- MLB trade deadline: Nationals and Mets for sale, plus wish lists for Phillies, Braves, Marlins
Brad Boxberger is a familiar name as well. A veteran reliever and closer for a couple of teams, and was an All-Star in 2015 with the Rays. Boxberger has been really good for the Marlins this year and is a nice compliment to Kintzler.
This next pitcher has been very good as well, Yimi Garcia. He might be a little less known but he has been a staple in the Dodgers bullpen before joining the Marlins in 2020.
Garcia has pitched in only nine games but has only given up one run. Although it is a small sample size, he does have a good track record of keeping a low ERA which is promising for the Marlins as the final stretch begins.
You may also remember Ryne Stanek who was with the Tampa Bay Rays for a couple of seasons when the Rays utilized the spot start system with relief pitchers.
Stanek has yet to find his best Rays season in 2020, but he does have a track record of throwing a 2.98 ERA in 2018, and 3.97 ERA last season.
Nick Vincent is somewhat known, but you don’t need to know his name to know he is good, the stats tell all. The veteran reliever has a 2.55 ERA currently in 16 games.
Vincent has had some amazing seasons and 2020 lines up pretty close to his other seasons. His career ERA is 3.29 which is very respectable as well.
Last but not least, we have Richard Bleier. To be completely honest, I have never heard of him but he has an impressive 2.84 ERA in 2020.
The southpaw has pitched in 16 games and fits right into this outstanding bullpen in Miami. I think this bullpen is one of the top pens in the MLB right now and Bleier helps solidify that among other notable names.
The Marlins are a great example of great bullpens winning ballgames and their depth could help them make the playoffs and compete in the playoffs if they have a healthy starting lineup.
I think the Marlins have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs especially because the big name teams are struggling and not performing.
Next. White Sox may be a pretender. dark
The expanded playoffs is exactly what the Marlins need and they could capitalize. They could be a fun sleeper team to watch in the playoffs.