How have Miami Marlins’ starting pitchers looked? Here’s one catcher’s perspective
Chad Wallach, the Miami Marlins’ backup catcher, has mostly gone through his spring training in relative anonymity.
But his role, like starter Jorge Alfaro, has been pivotal over the past month.
Wallach has had a first-hand view of the Marlins’ young-yet-talented starting pitching staff’s growth over the course of this spring. He has caught everyone except for Sixto Sanchez at least once in Grapefruit League games, including being behind the plate on Sunday for Trevor Rogers’ five dominant innings.
“I think as a whole, every guy’s just going out there and attacking the strike zone,” Wallach said. “They’re all really believing in the stuff that they have. They know they can go get outs in the strike zone. They don’t have to nibble around. They’re attacking guys. That’s everything we want out of them.”
And while spring training stats should be taken with a grain of salt in most circumstances, it’s hard to look at how the Marlins’ starting pitchers have performed and not have a sense of optimism.
▪ Sandy Alcantara, Miami’s Opening Day starter for the second consecutive season, has allowed just two unearned runs over 12 2/3 innings with 19 strikeouts against seven hits and eight walks in his four spring starts.
▪ Pablo Lopez, set to be the No. 2 starter, has walked one batter in 13 2/3 innings and is developing his breaking ball to add to his arsenal that includes a four-seam fastball, sinker, cutter and changeup.
▪ Elieser Hernandez has 12 strikeouts against one walk in 8 2/3 innings over three starts, not including his four innings of work in an intrasquad game in which he recorded 11 strikeouts.
▪ Sanchez threw three perfect innings against the Nationals on Saturday in his second spring start and has allowed just three baserunners in 4 2/3 innings. He should get one more start, likely stretching out to four innings, on Thursday.
▪ Rogers has been dominant his last two starts, striking out 11 while walking just two in nine innings of work. He was at his best on Sunday, carrying a no-hitter through four innings. His lone blemish was a Jeremy Pena two-out, two-run home run in the fifth on a high fastball.
▪ Nick Neidert, who has faced only the Astros in his four appearances this spring, threw seven shutout innings before running into trouble in his most recent outing, giving up three runs over 1 2/3 innings.
While all six are 25 years old or younger, Alcantara, Lopez and Hernandez are all heading into their third full MLB season.
“We’re a little more experienced than it looks,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “We think it’s good. They have good stuff. They have stuff to keep the runs down. We are pretty confident with it. If we can stay healthy within that rotation, we feel we are going to be pretty much in every game and give ourselves a chance to win.”
All that Jazz
Jazz Chisholm, who is competing with Isan Diaz to be the Marlins’ everyday second baseman this season, continues to impress at the plate as spring training nears its conclusion.
Chisholm turned on an Enoli Paredas fastball in the sixth inning and sent it 415 feet and over the right-field fence for a two-run home run. According to Statcast, the ball had an exit velocity of 109.8 mph off the bat.
Chisholm, who also had a bunt single in the eighth inning, now has five hits, including two home runs, over his last 10 Grapefruit League at-bats.
“He’s hit a couple of bombs here lately,” Mattingly said. “He just seems relaxed at the plate. That’s just Jazz.”
TV Time
FOX Sports Florida (rebranding to Bally Sports Florida in the coming days) will televise Monday’s Spring Training game between the Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. from Jupiter’s Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.
FOX Sports Florida color analyst Todd Hollandsworth will call the game in a split broadcast booth along with FOX Sports Midwest play-by-play announcer Dan McLaughlin and color analyst Rick Horton. Hollandsworth will be on-site in Jupiter. McLaughlin and Horton will call the game remotely from St. Louis.
This story was originally published March 21, 2021 at 4:49 PM.
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