#17
The Miami Marlins have some of the most exciting talent in all of baseball on their roster. Can their stars stay healthy and produce a better season on the field in 2023?
#23 - 4th in NL East
MIH - Jazz Chisholm Jr.
MIP - Jesus Luzardo
PTW - Max Meyer
2022 Results
#22 - 63-93, 4th in NL East
Highest WAR (Position) - Miguel Rojas
Highest WAR (Pitcher) - Sandy Alcantara
The Marlins 2022 season can be summed up in one word: Sandy. Sandy Alcantara emerged as possibly the best pitcher in all of baseball (if not the best, at least the biggest workhorse) and wrapped up the season with a Cy Young and a top 10 MVP finish. With that said, the Marlins ran into two problems in 2022. They were in one of the most competitive divisions in all of baseball, and the rest of the roster couldn't keep up with Sandy. Alcantara had an 8.0 WAR season, but the next best player had only a 3.0 WAR season (Pablo Lopez). The players in 4th and 5th on the team in WAR (Jon Berti, Jazz Chisholm Jr.) only played 102 and 60 games respectively. If guys who only play half the season put together your most productive seasons, it's hard to have a productive season.
Additions / Subtractions
The biggest move of the offseason for the Marlins is manager Don Mattingly moving on and replaced by rookie manager Skip Schumaker. In terms of the roster, the Marlins made some fascinating moves that rode the line between building the big league roster and moving on from big league talent. They traded shortstop Miguel Rojas to the Dodgers. The traded starter Pablo Lopez to the Twins for last year's AL batting champ Luis Arraez. They traded J.J. Bleday to the A's for A.J. Puk in an exchange of former phenoms in need of a change of scenery. They signed a crew of veterans that includes starter Johnny Cueto, reliever Matt Barnes, infielders Yuli Gurriel, Jean Segura, and Jose Iglesias. It was a very active offseason for sure.
Most Important Hitter
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
I said he was the Marlins most important hitter in 2022, but it might be even more important in 2023. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a budding superstar that is quickly becoming one of the more recognizable faces in baseball. His style and flash have turned enough heads to make him the cover athlete for this year's MLB The Show even though he has barely played 200 career games. He was an All Star in 2022, but injuries held him to only 60 games. Now, with the acquisition of Luis Arraez, Jazz is not only trying to stay healthy, but he's planning on doing it at the new position of centerfield. This season will be a big season for Jazz as he tries to prove that he deserves the notoriety he has garnered, and also that he can anchor the Marlins lineup and locker room.
Most Important Pitcher
Sandy Alcantara
It's easy to say the reigning Cy Young Award is going to be his team's most important pitcher, but this is especially the case for the Marlins for several reasons. Like I said earlier, Sandy Alcantara was the Marlins last season. He also threw over 200 innings for the second season in a row. In fact, in 2022 he threw 23 more innings than any other pitcher in baseball. Alcantara is a work horse and built like an old school pitcher, however this workload tends to wear down an arm pretty quick. If the Marlins are going to have a successful season, Alcantara needs to throw 200 innings again. The question is if his arm can withstand that innings load again.
Prospect to Watch
Eury Perez
Pretty soon, Alcantara will be joined by an electric phenom. Eury Perez is only 19 years old (turns 20 in April) and is just about ready to make an impact at the big league level. At 6'8" 220 pounds, Perez can touch triple digits with his fastball while featuring a full 4 pitch mix. Ranked the 13th best prospect in MLB, if he continues to dominate at every level, the Marlins might have a second coming of their current ace.
2023 Prediction
4th in NL East
It's hard to think of a 4th place divisional finish as a step forward, but that's the best the Marlins can hope for in 2023. I think they actually might benefit the most of any team having the balanced schedule this season. In 2022, over one-third of the Marlins schedule was against the Mets, Braves, and NL champ Phillies. The new schedule drops that number to less than one-fourth (39 games instead of 57). They have a good chance at finishing the season around .500, which will be good for 4th at best with the superteams in front of them. It feels like they are building the roster the right way though.
Fearless Prediction
Sandy Alcantara will win a second straight Cy Young.
Alcantara's arm might break down at some point, but not this year. If he stays healthy, a second straight Cy Young should be easy for Sandy to get simply because of the high workload while remaining dominant. No one pitches like he does anymore. It's a bad start if he only goes 7 innings. He wants a complete game every time out. Alcantara had 6 complete games in 2022. The next highest was 2. If he is able to throw 200 innings again, the Cy Young will be in Miami again.
No comments:
Post a Comment