Marlins infield delivers poor defensive performance despite a win against the Mets

For the Miami Marlins, Sunday’s 4-2 win against the New York Mets was bittersweet. While the team was able to celebrate an infrequent victory, the game also revealed why the team possesses a 34-65 record, worst in the National League.

While home runs by Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jake Burger were enough to push Miami to victory, the team allowed the Mets to linger around thanks to poor infield defense.

The team tallied three errors Sunday, and it could have been four if Xavier Edwards low throw to Josh Bell wasn’t called a fielder’s choice.

All three errors were credited to catcher Nick Fortes, but poor defense was apparent everywhere on the field. The Marlins had difficulty turning double plays and getting outs on infield contact.

Two of Fortes’ errors led directly to Mets’ runs in the fourth and fifth innings by putting runners in scoring position.

“It was just one of those days [for Fortes],” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker. “Everyone is gonna have those days. On of the [errors] I think [pitcher A.J.] Puk wasn’t looking. The error on the back tag [at first base] was actually a good throw. Bell might’ve been there a tad late. So two of them were tough errors, honestly.”

Part of the issues could be attributed to a shakeup in the infield. Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards switched positions Sunday, with Lopez playing shortstop and Edwards playing second base. The fact still remains that the Marlins have been among the worst defensive teams in the league this season.

“I think it was just a weird day overall,” Schumaker said. “The fan interference call [in left-field] was a weird ruling. There was a double play that probably should’ve been turned to get [Trevor] Rogers out the fifth inning. So a couple of those mistakes honestly.”

Only three Marlins have a positive outs above average for the Marlins, which is a statistic that measures how many outs a player generates compared to the average defender. Those players are Lopez, Emmanuel Rivera and Jesus Sanchez.

After being on the injured list due to a bacterial infection, shortstop Edwards made his season debut on June 7th. While Edwards has been the team’s most consistent hitter this month, his defensive play at shortstop still leaves a lot to be desired with a -3 OAA.

Moreover, Burger and Bell have performed poorly at third base and first base respectively. At 6-2 and 230 pounds, Burger lacks the athleticism of the top defensive third baseman. Similarly, Bell lacks the catch radius needed to be an elite first baseman.

For the Marlins to take a step forward next season, defense will need to be a major priority during the offseason.

Meanwhile, with the trade deadline coming up, it appears closer Tanner Scott and Chisholm won’t be in Miami much longer. But don’t tell that to either player.

“If [you] hadn’t brought it up I probably would not even remember,” Chisholm said about the trade rumors.

“You know, you hear the fans chirping like ‘Hey, can you come here?’ But at the end of the day, in baseball if you get traded, you just got to deal with it. But if not, you know, I would love to stay in Miami.”

For the all-star reliever Scott, staying in the present helps ground him to the Marlins.

“I am where my feet are,” Scott said. “I’m in Miami and that’s where I’m at. I stay in the present rather than the future.”

But with the trade deadline less than two weeks away, Scott and Chisholm might need to start packing soon.

This story was originally published July 21, 2024 at 6:11 PM.