3 worst-case scenario outcomes for Miami Marlins in 2022

What If Jazz Chisholm, or any other prospect, doesn’t?

The Miami Marlins really need to hit on a hitter from their system in 2022.

Let’s be blunt. The organization hasn’t produced a young star at the plate since J.T. Realmuto. That is a six-year gap– far and away the longest such drought in franchise history. Sure, Jazz Chisholm plays the part. Sure, Jesus Sanchez showed some promise in 2021. Sure, Brian Anderson was supposed to have been the answer to this question … and was described as such as recently as last spring.

Still, neither the Marlins organization nor their fans know. Really know if they have a future star hitter in this organization. That’s something that has to change in 2022 for this rebuild to work. Miami just doesn’t have the pockets to buy their way out of needing to develop an offense, and not even leading the league in pitching is going to be enough to secure a playoff spot with last season’s offensive production.

Jazz turning into a consistently healthy consistent hitter would go a long way towards achieving this. Then again, it doesn’t need to be Jazz either. J.J. Bleday or Peyton Burdick making fans flashback to 2014 Christian Yelich or Marcell Ozuna would do the trick, even if they ended being more 2009 Chris Coghlan than a genuine long-term answer. Same goes for Sanchez turning in 140 plus games worth of the power production he closed out last season with.

Something like that must happen though. Because if the Marlins end 2022 with only two or three veterans looking like building blocks for 2023, they might as well start dealing MLB pitching and pushing back that contention window.

Which, more than anything else, would be the ultimate worst case scenario for the Miami Marlins.