Marlins have a handful of first base options. Exploring as spring training nears
Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First, What’s on Second” routine will forever stand among the best sports-centric comedic bits in history.
In the case of the 2025 Marlins, they know who’s on second (Xavier Edwards).
But they have no clarity about what’s on first.
While the cost-conscious Marlins had initial interest in finding an everyday first baseman in free agency, they were never going to bid for Pete Alonso, who snagged a five-year, $155 million deal with the Orioles, and they decided that none of the other free agent first basemen were worth multiyear deals.
So when position players report to Jupiter for spring training on Feb. 16, there will be a puzzle at first -- a competition with at least four candidates and potentially more.
Christopher Morel, the only position player signed by the Marlins to a deal of at least $2 million this offseason, has a good chance to play a lot at first base if he can hit. But that’s a big if.
Morel, who has never played first base in his life but will play there for the Marlins, is a career .222 hitter (.299 on base) with 74 homers and 210 RBI in 477 games.
Last season, he batted .219 (.289) with 11 homers, 33 RBI, 25 walks and 109 strikeouts in 305 plate appearances over 105 games for Tampa Bay.
He said Friday that he and the staff have done video work to improve his mechanics. And it was just three years ago that he hit .247 with 26 homers and 70 RBI in 110 games for the Cubs.
The right-handed hitting Morel is a career .230 hitter vs right-handers and .202 against lefties.
So counting on Morel, 26, to hit enough to even be a platoon player might be overly optimistic, though Marlins president/baseball operations Peter Bendix has hit on several players who became better here than they were elsewhere.
The Marlins believe third baseman Connor Norby can play first, and view him as an option there, especially if Graham Pauley makes a strong case for the third base job.
They believe outfielders Griffin Conine and Heriberto Hernandez are capable of playing first; manager Clayton McCullough already has said that Conine will take reps at first in the spring.
They know backup catcher Liam Hicks can capably play first; he logged 28 games there last season (as well as 62 at catcher and 22 as a designated hitter).
So that’s four legitimate options, and five if you count Hernandez. Asked if all five of those players are indeed serious options at first, manager Clayton McCullough said yes and also added a sixth -- prospect Deyvison De Los Santos, though he appears to need more work in the minors.
Hicks was something of a revelation as a Rule 5 pick last year, hitting .247 (.346 on base) with six homers and 45 RBI in 119 games.
A left-handed hitter, Hicks hit .256 against right-handers and .196 (10 for 51) against lefties. Realistically, he’s likely only going to play much against right-handers, and when he does, some of those at-bats will be at catcher or DH. So Hicks as an everyday first baseman seems unlikely.
Hernandez was one of many Marlins surprises last season, hitting .266 (.347 on base) with 10 homers and 45 RBI in 87 games, all in the outfield or DH. The Marlins believe he can play first.
As for Norby and Conine, they have shown enough promise offensively to suggest they’ll hit decently barring a dramatic regression. And which of those two ends up playing a lot at first could hinge on two other players: Pauley and Owen Caissie.
If Pauley - who’s an excellent defender on third - hits anything like he did last August, that would free the Marlins to use Norby more at first. (Norby also is an option in a corner outfield spot.)
The question remains Pauley’s ceiling offensively. After hitting just .200 (17 for 85) with a .258 on base percentage in 29 games before the All-Star break, he hit .250, with a very encouraging .367 on base average, in 33 games the second half, highlighted by a particularly promising August in which he hit .267 with three homers.
He closed the season in a 4 for 21 slump, but the Marlins are optimistic overall because of his work at the plate in August.
If Caissie, one of MLB’s top outfield prospects, wins a starting job alongside Jakob Marsee and Kyle Stowers, that would allow Conine to play a lot at first.
A dislocated shoulder sidelined Conine from mid-April through mid-September, but Conine’s bat has shown pop over parts of two seasons (.261, .320 on base, five homers, 20 RBI in 54 games and 175 plate appearances).
He struck out 53 times in those 205 plate appearances, but that’s an improvement from some of his minor league years. He has worked diligently to make better contact.
The best case scenario from an offensive standpoint? There are several: If Caissie crushes the ball in the spring, wins a starting outfield job and hits well early in the season; if Pauley and Norby both hit well and split third base, with Norby playing some at first; if Morel hits well enough to win the everyday job (seems unlikely); or if Norby (a right-handed hitter) and Conine (a left-handed hitter) and Hicks can combine to form an effective three-headed combo at first if Morel cannot hit.
But here’s the problem with a Conine/Norby platoon: Though he hits right-handed, Norby oddly is a career .207 hitter off lefties (31 for 150), compared to .263 against right-handers.
And Conine, a left-handed hitter, has hit lefties better in the bigs (.317, albeit in only 44 plate appearances) compared to .242 vs. right-handers.
So could a wacky reverse platoon be in play?
Either way, the Marlins need to find an answer, because De Los Santos doesn’t look ready. His power numbers dropped dramatically last season, from 40 homers and 120 RBI in 2024 to 12 and 54 last season, primarily at Triple A Jacksonville. His on-base average dropped from .343 to .313.
The strikeout totals (99 in 444 plate appearances) weren’t grotesque, but he needs to make better contact, and regain some of the power, to become a viable big-league option at some point this season.
This story was originally published February 6, 2026 at 4:36 PM.
