2024 Division Outlook: NL East
By Sam Holstine
Miami Marlins
Key Additions
- C Christian Bethancourt
Key Loses
- DH Jorge Soler
- INF Joey Wendle
- RHP David Robertson
- 1B Yuli Gurriel
The Miami Marlins made the postseason last year, but got bounced by the Phillies in two games. Entering his second season at the helm, Skip Schumaker looks to get this team back into the playoffs, but has a steep road ahead of him. The Marlins roster is not too deep, and the injury bug has already attacked their squad.
The Marlins lineup features some strong hitters, headlined by Luis Arraez. The former batting champ and elite contact hitter will leadoff for the Marlins again. Josh Bell, Jake Burger, and Jazz Chisholm Jr., project to follow Arraez in the lineup as three guys that can be run producers. The issues with those three names is the fact that while they can be great offensive contributors at times, they can also go frozen cold with the bat at other times and create a hole in the linuep. Jesus Sanchez and Bryan De La Cruz are two outfielders the Marlins hope to see some improvements from, as while the duo have each shown their fair share of talent, they have also shown massive inconsistencies. Veterans Tim Anderson, Nick Gordon, and Christian Bethancourt wrap up Maimi's lineup, one that projects to be in the latter half of the league in terms of production.
First four-hit game of the year for Luis Arraez, and this one is his prototypical shot through the left side of the infield.
— Alex Krutchik (@AlexKrutchikFOF) April 7, 2024
4-for-5 with a triple and 3 runs pic.twitter.com/XPziB5zEqx
Where Miami has shined in recent years is their rotation, as they have churned out a Cy Young award winner in Sandy Alcantara, along with a number of strong pitching weapons. Unfortunately for Miami, the injury bug has already struck their pitching staff. The aforementioned Sandy Alcantara, along with Eury Perez, Edward Cabrera, and Braxton Garrett all started the season on the IL, with the first two already being ruled out for the season due to Tommy John surgery. The latter two, Cabrera and Garrett, both hope to rejoin Miami's rotation in the next few weeks. That leaves Miami's rotation in an interesting spot as of right now, as four of their five starters are actually southpaws. Jesus Luzardo, who turned out a very strong season last year, is ready to return as the ace of the staff. A.J. Puk is attempting to turn into a starter, who looked great in Spring Training, but unfortunately those results did not carry over into the regular season. Ryan Weathers, the former top prospect in San Diego's system, is hoping to get himself right this year, along with Trevor Rogers. Max Meyer, a top Miami pitching prospect, is getting his first taste of the Major Leagues this year and hopes to be another pitching weapon churned out off the Miami lab. Overall, between those that are healthy and those that are not, the Miami has a great mix of pitchers to work together for the 2023 season, but will the pitching be able to overcome a rather lackluster offense? I think not.