How the Marlins decided to start Jorge Alfaro in left field and what they expect from him

The Miami Marlins want to see newly acquired catcher Alex Jackson get steady reps behind the plate, but they also don’t want Jorge Alfaro riding the bench on a regular basis.

Their solution?

Say hello to outfielder Jorge Alfaro.

Alfaro made his first career start in left field in Miami’s 5-4 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday at loanDepot park.

The move worked. Alfaro held his own in left and hit an RBI double in the eighth while Jackson hit his first career MLB home run in the win. Isan Diaz also homered for the Marlins (46-61), Bryan De La Cruz had a three-hit game with two RBI and Nick Neidert held the Mets (55-51) to three runs over a career-long 5 2/3 innings before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Marlins bench coach and acting manager James Rowson said he thought Alfaro “looked good out there” and said Jackson’s home run — a 411-foot shot to straightaway center field — “shows you what he can do there.”

And the Marlins don’t plan for the Alfaro-in-the-outfield experiment to be a one-time thing.

“We just want him to be as versatile as he can be,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said.

In his MLB career, Alfaro had played four total defensive innings in the outfield entering Tuesday. He was in right field for the final three innings of the Marlins’ 29-9 loss to the Atlanta Braves last season and played one inning of left field this season in a 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 27.

But while he lacks the experience, Alfaro does have the athletic profile to play a corner outfield spot.

He has the foot speed to track down fly balls. Alfaro’s average sprint speed this year is 28 feet per second, a mark that ranks fourth among MLB catchers and would rank 19th among qualified left fielders. League average sprint speed is 27 feet per second.

He also has a strong arm, with Statcast ranking him as one of the hardest throwing catchers since making his MLB debut in 2017. That could make him a candidate to throw out runners on the basepaths.

“Jorgie’s a unique player,” bench coach and acting Marlins manager James Rowson said. “I mean, it’s very rare you find a guy that’s athletic and can play so many places on the field, especially catchers. Generally, you think catchers are only going to catch, but this is a guy who’s athletic enough — I mean, we see him run, you know what he can do on the bases. He can throw. He has power. There’s so many things he does that profiles across many positions, so this gives him an opportunity to show that.”

How does Alfaro feel about the move?

“Wherever the team needs me out there, I’ll be able to go out there and play,” said Alfaro, who has been working on fielding balls in the outfield pregame the last couple days but noted he was surprised when the idea was brought up to him. “I’m ready.”

The Marlins hope the move can help Alfaro produce more consistent results offensively. Alfaro entered Tuesday hitting only .222 this season and has a 33-percent strikeout rate, but he does damage when he is able to put the ball in play. His 91.3 mph average exit velocity would rank 30th in MLB if he had enough at-bats to be qualified for the league leaderboard. His 46.7 percent hard-hit rate, defined as the percentage of balls put into play with an exit velocity of at least 95 mph, would rank 36th.

Moving Alfaro to the outfield allows him to devote more time to his hitting and offensive approach prior to the game compared to when he catches because of the time he has to spend building scouting reports with the pitchers.

“Catchers need to prepare so much,” Ng said, “and they need to not only worry or be concerned about themselves but the entire pitching staff. For us, it’s anywhere from 13 to 14 [pitchers]. Hopefully it clears him a little bit and he can look to produce offensively.”

And if Alfaro ends up playing well in the outfield, it could only add to his future value — whether it’s with the Marlins or another club.

“One of the particular things I saw on the market last year and probably over the last several years,” Ng said, “is having that positional versatility on your club is really great for the entire team. ... We just thought it was a real plus for him as well as the club.”

The move also opens the door to giving Jackson, who the Marlins acquired from the Atlanta Braves for Adam Duvall at the trade deadline, more reps behind the plate. Ng said the organization wants Jackson to get steady at-bats and reps with the Marlins’ pitching staff.

“We need to get a better feel for” Jackson, Ng said. “I would anticipate [Jackson starts] several games a week.”

He’s been steady so far. Jackson made his first start with the Marlins on Monday, helping Jesus Luzardo win his first game with his hometown team in his Marlins debut.

On Tuesday, he helped Neidert to his first career MLB win.

“Every day that you get, you get more comfortable,” Jackson said. “You get more experience. You settle into working with guys, settle into the process, the way everything goes. That’s the biggest thing. I definitely feel like I’m getting a lot more comfortable and just getting reps and seeing guys. Just definitely try to feel that experience.”

As for Jackson’s home run?

“Off the bat, I kind of had a feeling,” Jackson said. “I’ve felt that feeling before, and it was definitely a big weight off the shoulders.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. to COVID-19 IL

The Marlins placed middle infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the COVID-19 related injured list prior to Tuesday’s game against the Mets. Chisholm was exhibiting symptoms prior to the game, according to a source.

Infielder Deven Marrero was added to the 40-man roster and active roster to replace Chisholm. Players on the COVID-19 related injured list do not count against a team’s 40-man roster, which is why a corresponding move did not have to occur to add Marrero to the roster.