Exploring Marlins’ options at shortstop. And how their top five picks in ’22 and ’23 did
The Marlins are expected to try to upgrade at shortstop this offseason, but that might be easier said than done.
The free agent class is mediocre, and there’s no clear-cut solution via the trade market.
Joey Wendle seems unlikely to be re-signed after hitting just .212.
Jon Berti had a very good year offensively (.296), but the Marlins seem to prefer him in a super utility role, playing four, five or six days a week at multiple positions.
Wendle made 107 appearances at shortstop, and Berti made 64.
Berti appeared in 41 games at third base, 19 in the outfield and 15 at second base.
But Berti could find himself playing primarily shortstop again, by default, because of the middling free agent shortstop class.
There might be only one free agent who would be an upgrade over Berti: Amed Rosario, who hit .256 (just .301 on base) with three homers and 18 RBI in 48 games for the Dodgers.
Los Angeles acquired him in late July from Cleveland, where he hit .265 (.306 on base) with three homers and 40 RBI in 94 games.
Rosasio, 28, hit .283 with 71 RBI in 153 games for Cleveland in 2022. Spotrac.com puts his market value at $6.4 million.
There’s also Gio Urshela, who hit .299 (.329 on base) with two homers and 24 RBI in 62 games for the Angels. His season ended in June with a pelvis fracture.
Urshela hit .285 with 13 homers and 64 RBI in 144 games for the Twins in 2022. He’s probably better at third base than shortstop, but a Berti/Urshela pairing would be decent.
There’s also Enrique (Kike) Hernandez, who hit .231 with 11 homers and 61 RBI for the Dodgers and Red Sox this season, but he has always been best in a Berti-type, multiposition utility role.
There’s Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who hit .232 with six homers and 47 RBI in 113 games for the Yankees. He played 138 games at shortstop for the Yankees in 2022 and committed 15 errors, and New York decided to play him mostly in the outfield this past season and he had better success in that role.
There’s longtime veteran Elvis Andrus, who hit .251 (.304 on base) with six homers and 44 RBI in 112 games for the White Sox. He played 52 of those games at shortstop. At 35, he’s a stopgap option.
As for the rest of the free agent class, it’s dismal. Nick Ahmed and Paul DeJong are coming off awful seasons offensively. Brandon Crawford is in steep decline and no longer an appealing option; he hit .194 in 93 games for the Giants this season.
Tim Anderson could be available if the White Sox bypass his $14 million option, which is certainly a good possibility after he hit .245 (.286 on base) with 25 RBI and 13 steals in 123 games.
There are two internal options beyond Berti (if the Marlins move on from Wendle):
1). Garrett Hampson, who hit .276 (well above his .241 average) in 93 games, including 30 at shortstop, where he played well defensively. He also played second, third and all the outfield positions.
2). Jacob Amaya, acquired from the Dodgers for Miguel Rojas last offseason, hit .252 (.345 on base) with 15 homers and 65 RBI in 128 games at Triple A Jacksonville. The Marlins say he is big-league ready defensively, though he committed 14 errors in 118 games at shortstop.
Jordan Groshans, acquired from Toronto during the 2022 season, previously played shortstop but worked at only third base and first base this year at Triple A Jacksonville, where he hit .244 (.339 on base) with six homers and 60 RBI in 125 games.
Xavier Edwards, who hit .351 at Triple A and impressed in his Marlins cameo, likely isn’t a full-time shortstop option. He played only four games at shortstop at Jacksonville this season and 88 games at shortstop in four minor-league seasons. He could play there if needed but probably isn’t an everyday shortstop.
Baseballtraderumors.com mentioned this with regard to the shortstop trade market:
“Everyday shortstops tend to be highly valued and aren’t easily surrendered. The Orioles and Guardians have plenty of young infielders, but the best ones would likely be close to untouchable, leaving the Marlins to choose from unproven options. Ha-Seong Kim has been moved to second base by the Padres signing Xander Bogaerts, but he is having a quietly excellent year and likely wouldn’t come cheap.
“He’s also only a short-term solution, with 2024 being the final guaranteed year of his contract. Players like Vaughn Grissom, Maikel Garcia and Tommy Edman are theoretical trade candidates since they are blocked on their respective clubs, but they don’t have to be traded since they can each be moved to other positions. Even if anyone in this group is available, the Marlins would likely be competing with other clubs in need of shortstop help, such as the Giants or Dodgers.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ Here were the final numbers for the Marlins’ top five picks in the 2023 Draft:
First-round pitcher Noble Meyer: Allowed 9 hits and 3 runs, with 9 strikeouts in 7 innings at Single A Jupiter.
Second-round pick Kemp Alderman, the Mississippi outfielder: Hit .205, with a .286 on base average, with one homer and 15 RBI in 34 games at Single A Jupiter.
Third-round pick Brock Vradenburg, the first baseman from Michigan State: Hit .236 (.368 on base) with one homer and 10 RBI in 34 games at Jupiter.
Fourth-round pick Emmett Olson, the left-handed pitcher from Nebraska: Allowed a run in 1 ⅔ innings in rookie league, after posting a 4.50 ERA in 15 starts at Nebraska in the 2023 college season (with 80 strikeouts in 82 innings).
Fifth-round pick Andrew Lindsey, the right-hander from Tennessee: Allowed six hits and four runs in 4 ⅓ innings of rookie league.
▪ Here were the final numbers for the Marlins’ top five picks in the 2022 Draft:
First-round pick Jacob Berry, the former LSU third baseman: Hit .227 (.278 on base) with four homers and 37 RBI in 79 games at High A Beloit, then .248 (.301) in 28 games at Double A Pensacola. But he had 20 errors in 72 games at third base between the two levels. He played 19 games at first base.
Second-round pick Jacob Miller, the former Ohio prep pitcher: Had a 4.70 ERA in 14 starts at Jupiter.
Third-round pick Karson Milbrandt, the right-handed pitcher from the Missouri prep ranks: Had a 5.33 ERA in 12 starts in Jupiter, then a 4.60 ERA in 11 starts at Beloit.
Fourth-round pick Marcus Johnson, the right-handed pitcher: Was traded to Tampa Bay in the Xavier Edwards deal.
Fifth-round pick Josh White, the right-handed pitcher from the University of California: Had 2.38 ERA in 15 games and four starts in Jupiter, then a 4.65 ERA in 15 games and five starts at Beloit.
This story was originally published October 11, 2023 at 11:57 AM.
