Miami Marlins say winning remains key after playoff berth. Do actions say the same?
As the Miami Marlins took to the field Tuesday for their first official full-squad workout of spring training, several key members of the organization hammered home they key message heading into the 2024 season.
The Marlins are coming off their first playoff appearance in a full season since winning the World Series in 2003. That ended with Miami getting swept by the Philadelphia Phillies in the wild-card round.
Despite minimal additions to the big-league roster this offseason, the Marlins are trying to find ways to build on that success.
“Winning is still the most important part of your day,” manager Skip Schumaker said.
“We have a great group of players, a lot of young talent,” added new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. “... There’s a culture that we can really build upon.”
Principal owner Bruce Sherman said his main goal was to thank the players for their effort, that he was “thrilled about the upcoming season” and that the goal is to get back to the playoffs.
Optimism always reigns supreme at the start of spring training.
But how the Marlins maintain that over the six weeks of camp and over a 162-game season will be the ultimate challenge.
“A lot of guys were not satisfied with last year,” Schumaker said. “I know as an organization, it was good to get back to the playoffs, but we didn’t want to just play two games. There was extra motivation and hopefully a different expectation this season entering the start of spring training.”
On Tuesday morning, Sherman acknowledged the Marlins “haven’t brought in any superstar name players” to keep the momentum from last season going and once again focused on the “commitment to this organization for the long term” that came with a slew of front-office hires to rebuild the organization’s baseball operations infrastructure.
Sherman also said fans should “look at the product that we have on the field and see what we do and just not measure it by a sound bite here or there” when seeing where they stand entering the season.
But that product on the field for 2024 won’t include Jorge Soler and his 36 home runs from last season after he signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. Nor will it include ace Sandy Alcantara, who is sidelined after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October. Nor does it include any true external additions to fill those roles.
Rather, the Marlins will rely on the group they have taking the next step — a full season of first baseman Josh Bell and third baseman Jake Burger; center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. staying healthy and building on a 19 home run, 22 stolen base season; bounce-back seasons from outfielder Avisail Garcia and first baseman Trey Mancini (if he makes the club as a nonroster invite to spring training); and all their starting pitchers taking another step in their development.
“I feel really good about this roster right now,” Bendix said, albeit leaving the door open for the potential to add to the roster.
How realistic that philosophy is will be determined over the next few months.
Schumaker, however, can’t worry about what moves are or aren’t made. He can’t ponder the what ifs. If he does that, he says, then he’s discrediting the players already in the clubhouse.
His goal as a manager, as the chief person around the team every day, is to make sure every player on the roster understand he is a key contributor, that he is valued.
“Part of our job as a staff is to try to figure out how to get every guy better,” Schumaker said. “We’re servants in this job and teachers. If we don’t get those guys better, we’re not doing our job.”
He laid that foundation last season and it ultimately paid off. The Marlins went 84-78, finishing third in the National League East and claiming the second of three wild-card spots into the postseason.
“He motivates the whole group,” Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez said. “He said ‘Hey, we just played in the playoffs, but it was only two games.’ He knows I hate to lose.”
Chisholm added: “We have a mission this year to get back to the playoffs and actually get further in the playoffs. Everybody being here just shows that we’re ready to do it and ready to work towards it.”
And Schumaker is already seeing the imprint remains heading into Year 2.
While Tuesday marked the first official full-squad workout, most of the Marlins’ key position players had already been in Jupiter for close to a week.
Among the group: Chisholm, Bell, Mancini, Burger, Garcia, and utility players Xavier Edwards and Nick Gordon (acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Twins on Feb. 11).
“Coming off of last year, there’s some excitement and some momentum. It shows you what kind of clubhouse we have and the staff we have,” Schumaker said. “They’re excited to come to work and I think that’s the environment you want to have. For me, for our staff or clubhouse guys, whatever you want to do, you don’t want it to feel like work. You want to have a good time. I understand there’s work involved, but you want to feel like you’re coming to a place where you can have a good time.
“Have fun, get better, and then do it again tomorrow.”
Added Bell: “We’re just hungry after last year. When you leave the ballpark with a sour taste in your mouth and everyone’s traveling in different directions, we’re itching to get back.”
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 2:50 PM.
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