Like the Marlins as a whole, Adam Duvall wants to ‘continue to grow’ after strong 2020
Outfielder Adam Duvall has watched from a close distance as the team he now plays for steadily improved during the past few years. He has seen the starting pitching firsthand, (“The arms they’re running out there are not necessarily fun to face,” he said.) and the balancing of the roster between up-and-coming prospects and savvy veterans to help fill the void in the interim.
And after two-and-a-half-seasons with the Atlanta Braves and a resurgence during the shortened 2020 season, Duvall is all-in with the Miami Marlins.
The Marlins’ hope for Duvall specifically is similar to their hope collectively: That his production last year serves as a jumping off point for what he can do in 2021.
“You’re never gonna be where you want to be as far as a growth standpoint,” Duvall said. “You always want to continue to grow. That’s been the fun part about this game because I love talking baseball, whether it’s hitting or defense. I love getting better, and that’s what I want to continue to do.”
General manager Kim Ng called Duvall’s signing “an opportunity to add another quality veteran to our mix.”
Duvall’s main asset at the plate is his power potential. He has 113 career home runs and 329 career RBI over seven big-league seasons, first with the San Francisco Giants (2014), then the Cincinnati Reds (2015-2018) and the Braves (2018-2020).
“He’s one of those true power guys,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “You do want danger in there. There’s nothing wrong with a three-run home run.”
Duvall’s 16 home runs in the shortened 2020 season ranked tied for seventh in Major League Baseball. He had a pair of three-home run games within a span of eight days last season, one of which came in Atlanta’s 29-9 win over the Marlins on Sept. 9 — although he said with a laugh that the outing didn’t give him leverage in negotiations.
“We talked about how I had some success against them,” said Duvall, who hit .313 with five home runs and 12 RBI in nine regular-season games against Miami last season. “I don’t know how much that played into anything, but I’m excited to be on this side of things. I’m excited to be with this group of guys.”
Duvall, 32, is on a one-year, $2 million contract with a $7 million dollar mutual option for 2022 (or a $3 million buyout if the option is not accepted).
For the short-term at the very least, he rounds out a veteran starting outfield that includes Corey Dickerson in left field and Starling Marte in center. Dickerson and Marte, both Gold Glove winners in their careers (Dickerson in 2018; Marte in 2015 and 2016) are both in the final year of their contract with the Marlins.
“I like our outfielders,” Duvall said. “We can feel like you can put us up against anybody’s outfield. With the guys that we have out there, we’re going to defend. We’re going to run balls down and we’re going to try and keep guys from taking extra bases. That’s what you know that’s what an aggressive outfield is, I believe. We’re trying to suck the life out of the other offense.”
Barring the addition of the designated hitter, Garrett Cooper will also get occasional reps in right field as he splits time between right field and first base. Lewis Brinson, Magneuris Sierra and Monte Harrison among others are competing for roster spots as well.
“Hopefully,” Duvall said, “I can help some guys over here and hopefully they can help me. That’s how we grow as a team.”
His new manager has certainly seen his improvements.
“I think he’s definitely closed some holes up,” Mattingly said, “and really that’s what guys do is they keep getting better. They keep closing holes. So like everyone, there’s places to go to get him out, but just those holes are getting smaller and your room for error has gotten smaller.”
Duvall recognizes this personally, but also knows there’s room to grow. He called his progression as a hitter “a continuous thing.”
His latest chance to continue improving will be with a Miami team with that same goal in mind.
“That’s what I was looking for,” Duvall said. “A good opportunity on a good team with a good group of guys. ... I just thought it was a good fit.”
▪ The Cleveland Indians announced Wednesday they claimed former Marlins outfielder Harold Ramirez off waivers. The Marlins designated Ramirez for assignment last week.
This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 3:18 PM.
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