It has not been easy for the Miami Marlins over the past 20 years. Since winning the World Series in 2003, they have only made the playoffs twice: once during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and in 2023 as a Wild Card. However, they were only able to muster one playoff series win between the two appearances. Outside of that, it's been a lot of lost seasos,n with the feeling the team had no direction.
2025 has been more of the same. They are currently 18-27 in the basement of the National League East, 10 games behind the Mets. They're also nine games behind the Giants for the final Wild Card spot. Although it's only May, it feels like it's the Marlins will be sitting on their couch again once October comes around.
However, despite the less-than-ideal start, the Marlins have some positives to build on. Specifically, Kyle Stowers' breakout performance has been a massive highlight. Although it's been a small sample size, Stowers can be a piece for the Marlins to build around.
Why Kyle Stowers can be a special player for the Marlins
Stowers was the throw-in piece in the Trevor Rogers trade at last year's deadline. Although Stowers struggled down the stretch in 2024, he's turning it around this season. He has a slash line of .305/.382/.563 with 10 home runs, 30 RBIs, an OPS+ of 154, and a wRC+ of 156. These numbers also seem sustainable because his expected stats align with his actual stats (i.e., his results aren't luck-based).
The reason for the turnaround has been Stowers' ability to make consistent, quality contact. He gets the barrel on the ball in 22.3% of his at-bats, which is in the 99th percentile among qualified hitters. He also has a hard hit percentage of 52.4%, which is in the 90th percentile among qualified hitters. His launch angle has also increased to 13.2 degrees, a .9 degree increase from 2024.
It's these major jumps that have allowed Stowers to produce much better numbers. For example, in 2024, he only got the barrel on the ball 10.9% of the time and only had a hard hit percentage of 51.3%.
While Stowers contributions seem to go unnoticed due to the lackluster play of the Marlins, he could be cementing himself a key piece for Miami. The Marlins are at the beginning of their rebuild (again). They are trying to gather as much young talent as possible in order to be successful in the future. This process has produced decent results so far, as they currently have five prospects on the MLB Pipeline top 100 list.
However, with Sandy Alcantara struggling (and likely to be traded), the one thing the Marlins are missing is the player to build around — the guy who can be the face of the franchise. At least at this stage of the rebuild, Stowers can fill that role perfectly. With his great offensive numbers team control (four more years of club control after 2025), expect to hear Stowers' name frequently when the Marlins are brought up.