Five Miami Marlins story lines to follow as the 2021 season winds down
While the Miami Marlins are not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention just yet, the reality is there. They enter Saturday 23 games under .500 and 17 games behind the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves with 33 games left on the schedule.
The focus for these remaining five weeks of the regular season turn more toward individual story lines and focal points more so than the win-loss record.
Here are five of those story lines.
▪ Jesus Aguilar and the RBI race: Aguilar has been one of the few constants when it comes to the everyday lineup and offensive success. With that, he has a chance to do something only one other Marlins player has done before.
Aguilar entered Saturday with a National League-leading 89 RBI. Should he end the year atop the standings, he would join Giancarlo Stanton as the only Marlins players to lead the the NL in the category. Stanton drove in 132 runs during his 2017 MVP season.
But to do that, Aguilar will likely need to pick up his production. He only has 27 RBI since the All-Star Break, a stretch in which he is hitting .244 with seven home runs.
Former teammate Adam Duvall, who the Marlins traded to the Braves at the July 30 trade deadline, is second in the NL with 87 RBI. Ozzie Albies (85), Nolan Arenado (84) and Manny Machado (84) round out the top five.
▪ How Brian Anderson finishes the year: It’s been a tough year for the Marlins’ starting third baseman. He’s missed time with a pair of injuries, including a two-month stretch from late May to late July with a left shoulder subluxation. He’s currently on pace for career worst marks in batting average (.244), on-base percentage (.325) and on-base-plus-slugging (.703).
But there have been positive signs as of late now that he’s been back on the field for a little over a month. Anderson has hits in each of his last five starts and a .500 on-base percentage in that span. His plate appearances are looking sharper and he’s making better contact.
“After losing time like I did, you just want to feel like you’re back in the swing of things,” Anderson said. “I feel like I’m finally getting in my routine again. ... I’m just trying to get as consistent with it as I can.”
▪ A potential glimpse at a full-strength Marlins rotation: Starting pitching was supposed to be Miami’s strength this year, but injuries to Sixto Sanchez and Elieser Hernandez the first week of the season have had the Marlins scrambling to put together five pitchers on a consistent basis. They have used a franchise-record 18 starting pitchers as a result.
They might finally get a preview of what a rotation with five big-name starters looks like over the final weeks of the season.
There’s no Sanchez, but Sandy Alcantara, highly touted rookie Edward Cabrera and Hernandez are in the rotation now. Trevor Rogers, still a contender for National League Rookie of the Year, should be back next week after missing a month. Pablo Lopez is rehabbing from a right rotator cuff strain but could potentially be back for the final two weeks of the season. Zach Thompson and Jesus Luzardo are options to round out the group as well.
▪ Bryan De La Cruz hot stretch: The rookie outfielder, acquired from the Houston Astros in the Yimi Garcia trade, has quickly made an impression on the Marlins since making his MLB debut on July 30.
The numbers: A .348 batting average, five doubles, two home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored in 26 games.
His defense has been solid, too. De La Cruz has accounted for five defensive runs saved in 218 innings in the outfield, trailing just Duvall (13) and Magneuris Sierra (seven) among Marlins outfielders this season despite far less playing time.
The 23-year-old will have another month to continue showing his long-term value.
▪ Jorge Alfaro’s versatility and steadying offense: Since the Marlins turned Alfaro from a catcher into a semi-utility player, giving him starts in left field and first base as well as behind the plate, he has also begun to have an uptick in offense.
In 21 games (19 starts) since that first appearance in left field on Aug. 3, Alfaro is hitting .297 with seven doubles, a home run and 14 RBI. His defense has been fine at the two new positions as well.
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