What the Miami Marlins should be wishing for as the calendar turns to 2020
It was mostly a decade to forget for the Miami Marlins.
A 707-911 record.
No winning seasons.
Two 100-loss seasons.
Jose Fernandez’s death.
Low attendance numbers.
A continuous cycle of collective mediocrity at best and downright dread at its worst.
The Marlins know they need to get better. The honeymoon phase of their latest rebuild — this time under the Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter ownership group — is starting to wane.
“We’re starting to feel like you’re getting to the top of the hill,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said, “and it’s going to be a little more gravity behind us moving forward and having an opportunity to truly start competing with teams in our division, which we know is rough with the things teams are doing and where they’re going.”
So as the Marlins turn the page to 2020 and the third season of this rebuild, here are a few things they should have on their list of New Year resolutions.
More offense
The Marlins finished last in slugging percentage (.375), on-base plus slugging (.673) and home runs (146) in 2019 while also finishing second to -last in runs scored (615).
Four regulars still on the roster from last season had batting averages above .270 in shortstop Miguel Rojas (.284), first baseman/outfielder Garrett Cooper (.281), outfielder Harold Ramirez (.276) and utilityman Jon Berti (.273).
The Marlins have signed or are in agreements on deals with three players in versatile infielder Jonathan Villar, first baseman Jesus Aguilar and outfielder Corey Dickerson who have combined for 256 home runs over their MLB seasons.
They expect Brian Anderson (.261 average, 33 doubles, 20 home runs, 66 RBI in 126 games) to take another step offensively while continuing to provide solid defense at both third base and in right field. Catcher Jorge Alfaro provides pop with his 18 home runs from a year ago, and the club is still optimistic about Isan Diaz despite his struggles during his first two months as a big-leaguer (.173 average, 59 strikeouts, five home runs, 23 RBI, 17 runs scored).
Rising prospects
The ultimate task of the rebuild was refilling a barren minor-league system with top prospects so that the Marlins could consistently churn out good players from inside the organization.
Two years in, Miami has the No. 4 farm system in MLB, according to MLBPipeline.
Some, such as Sandy Alcantara, have already made their debuts and flourished. Others, such as Jordan Yamamoto, have shown they can carve out a role. Others still, such as Diaz and Lewis Brinson, still have to prove they can belong.
And the next wave of top prospects is expected to come in 2020.
Pitcher Sixto Sanchez, the Marlins’ top prospect and the No. 22 prospect in baseball, will likely get a call-up by the midpoint of the season. Fellow pitchers Edward Cabrera (No. 6 in Marlins’ system, No. 99 overall), Nick Neidert (No. 11) and Jorge Guzman (No. 16) are likely to get their first taste of MLB action, too.
As far as position players, outfielders Jesus Sanchez (No. 3 in the Marlins’ system, No. 51 overall) and Monte Harrison (No. 5 in the Marlins’ system, No. 83 overall) will be early risers.
Keep improving the young rotation
Alcantara is coming off an All-Star season and was one of MLB’s best pitchers late, posting a 2.73 ERA (21 earned runs in 69 1/3 innings) over his final 10 starts of the season. Alcantara struck out 58 batters while walking just 18 in that stretch. He had seven quality starts, defined as giving up no more than three earned runs while pitching at least six innings.
Caleb Smith was one of baseball’s best pitchers early in the year before a hip injury sidelined him for a month and he had erratic performances down the stretch.
Pablo Lopez, when healthy, and Yamamoto can be effective starters at times and can hold the back end of the rotation intact until any of the team’s top prospects are ready for the call-up.
Get fans to Marlins Park
Miami totaled an MLB-low 811,302 fans through 81 home games in 2019, the second year of the Sherman-Jeter ownership group. That average of 10,016 fans per contest and just 198 more total fans than 2018.
The Marlins’ last two seasons account for two of MLB’s five lowest attendance totals since 1999, the other three being held by the Montreal Expos.
Jeter acknowledged the lackluster results on the field play an impact on fans’ decision to come to games. So, too, have decisions of past ownership groups that have left the fan base questioning when — or if — the Marlins will become a competitive baseball team again.
“We need more fans to come out,” Jeter said this season. “I think our ownership group has invested quite a bit in the fan experience, whether that’s ticket prices, whether it’s concession prices, whether it’s capital improvements in the ballpark. We want this to be an affordable option for the fans of South Florida, but I’d be lying to you if I said we don’t need to increase attendance.”
