Marlins players and story lines to focus on over the final two months of the season
The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and the Miami Marlins look almost identical to what they did before it.
The only players gone are a pair of relievers in Anthony Bass and Zach Pop.
But with their playoff hopes essentially gone — Miami enters its series finale against the Cincinnati Reds 10 games under .500 at 47-57 — the focus now is shifts to development and identifying the pieces that can help the club in the future.
“Once it’s all said and done,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said, “your objectives are to play the best baseball you can play and make sure your club’s playing right. And depending on where you’re going, what do you want to find out? What do you want to know that you don’t know going forward?”
Here are a few of those things the Marlins hope to find out moving forward.
Sandy Alcantara’s Cy Young chase
The Marlins’ ace enters his start Wednesday against the Reds as one of two pitchers with a sub-2.00 ERA (1.99, second only to the Astros’ Justin Verlander and his 1.81 ERA) while leading the majors with 149 1/3 innings pitched. He should still be the frontrunner to be the first Marlins pitcher to ever win a Cy Young Award as long as his production doesn’t teeter off down the stretch.
The rest of the rotation
The Marlins opted to keep Pablo Lopez instead of dealing him at the trade deadline. The hope now is he stays healthy — an issue for him in the second half of seasons — and continues to produce as the No. 2 in the rotation. Braxton Garrett has flourished since the start of June (3.03 ERA with 44 strikeouts against eight walks in 35 2/3 innings over six starts), Jesus Luzardo returned Monday after a nearly three-month IL stint and Edward Cabrera could be back soon, too. And will things finally click for Trevor Rogers once he’s off the IL with a lower back injury?
JJ Bleday’s development
The Marlins’ 2019 first-round pick should be getting close to everyday reps the rest of the way this season. He’s held his own defensively so far in center field, already posting two defensive runs saved through his first 85 innings according to Fangraphs. He’s still adjusting to big-league pitching — Bleday enters Wednesday with a .184 batting average, .567 on-base-plus-slugging mark and 35 percent strikeout rate through his first 40 plate appearances — but his at-bats have looked professional for the most part to this point even if the results haven’t shown up yet.
Lewin Diaz (and first base reps in general)
The Marlins want to get an extended look at Lewin Diaz in the big leagues. They know his defense is Gold Glove caliber at first base but need to see if he will produce enough offensively to be an everyday starter.
But with neither Jesus Aguilar or Garrett Cooper dealt at the trade deadline, the Marlins are in the same situation they’ve been for quite some time now: Two veterans blocking Diaz’s path.
So how does Mattingly balance the workload among the three?
“It’s gonna be a little bit tricky,” Mattingly said. “I’ll have to have some conversations with [general manager] Kim [Ng] on what she really wants to see out of that.”
The rest of the young guys
Outfielders Jesus Sanchez and Bryan De La Cruz have gone through their lumps over their first full MLB seasons. Will they be able to show enough over the final two months to prove they can provide value to the club long-term.
Nick Fortes, meanwhile, has seen steady playing time while splitting catcher duties with Jacob Stallings. Could he carve out a larger role long-term?
Players returning from injury
The Marlins’ injured list is long. Some guys like pitchers Max Meyer, Cody Poteet and Jordan Holloway are out for the year. Others like second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. and outfielder Jorge Soler will be out long-term with a brief appearance at the end of the season viewed as a best-case scenario. And now Avisail Garcia is on the IL with a left hamstring strain
Others, like utility man Jon Berti, third baseman/outfielder Brian Anderson and relief pitcher Cole Sulser, could return soon.
How bullpen roles shake out
With Miami trading Bass and Pop to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, that leaves a pair of bullpen roles open. Tanner Scott will likely remain the closer and Steven Okert stays as one of the Marlins’ primary setup men. Beyond them, Anthony Bender will get a chance to work his way back into the high-leverage rotation. Dylan Floro, Miami’s closer at the end of 2021, will get more chances, too. And watch out for guys like Huascar Brazoban getting more high-leverage reps as well.
The prospects
Could the time be coming for extended looks at Jerar Encarnacion? Peyton Burdick? Maybe one of the Marlins’ burgeoning reliever prospects like Andrew Nardi? Opportunities to get a glimpse at the future are there.
And in the minors, how Eury Perez finishes off his second season in professional baseball is a major development to watch.
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