Uncustomed Heroes of 2022: Marlins

 

So, to recap:

-Phillies- won the pennant this year.

-Braves- won the World Series last year

-Nationals- won the World Series a few years ago

-Mets- won 101 games this year.

-Marlins....also exist.

It's gotta suck for this team. Yes, they made the playoffs in 2020 and won a crucial wild card series against the Cubs, spinning them into non-competitive oblivion, but the Marlins seem to be one of the teams that benefitted the most from that extended playoff schematic in 2020. Yes, there's also another NL East team that arguably benefitted even more from the extended playoff schedule this year, but at least they have the money to build on it. The Marlins made the playoffs while dirt broke, then when asked to repeat, they really couldn't.

2022 was another year of amusing but listless baseball in Miami. The team has been built around Brian Anderson and Miguel Rojas, and the former has lost his versatility while the latter is entering his mid 30s. Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez had incredible seasons, but who knows how long they'll stick around. 

And Trevor Rogers, after an incredible rookie season in 2021...felt the fatigue of that incredible rookie season and struggled with arm issues all year. In 23 starts, Rogers had a 5.47 ERA and had a 1.5 WHIP. It's not a damning season, as Rogers still is young and factors into the rotation's future plans, along with the eternally-injured Sixto Sanchez [I guess the Phils were right to trade him away?].

2023 Prediction: Once Rogers fully recovers from the injury, he'll give an improved performance. Not sure if it'll be a full season, but it'll aid things tremendously once people start leaving.

Oh yeah, Avisail Garcia was a Marlin this year. I hate that it's such an afterthought. He's kinda been like that the past few years, suiting up for the the Brewers and Marlins and failing to really make an impact with them, and all this after some great, contact-friendly years with Chicago. This year, Garcia hit .224 with 35 RBIs and 8 homers in 98 games. Positively thrilling.

2023 Prediction: Avisail seems to alternate between great years and banal years, so next year he might be a ton better. Not sure how it'll help this team, but it'll do something.

Another 'oh yeah, he was with this team' guy for Miami, Jacob Stallings. Stallings came into his own in Pittsburgh as an underrated contact-hitting catcher, and then he was traded to Miami and hit .223 with 77 hits as a younger guy fought him for the position. Not exactly the season he wanted for his big come-up year.

2023 Prediction: Will be Nick Fortes' backup by the end of the year.

As Jesus Sanchez came to prominence, it took a lot more for Bryan de la Cruz to stay in the picture fighting for outfield playing time. At the very least, de la Cruz took part in an interesting statistical phenomena- thanks to Jorge Soler getting injured, all three primary outfielders for the Marlins ended the year with 13 home runs, including de la Cruz, Soler and Sanchez. 39 combined home runs, which is a number Soler could outdo singlehandedly in his prime. It's a good sign that de la Cruz can hit for power like that even if he mostly was a backup. 

2023 Prediction: This is a hot take...I think one of the Marlins outfielders is gonna leave the picture and de la Cruz is gonna have his fullest, and best, season to date.

Behind Alcantara, Lopez, Rogers and Cabrera was Jesus Luzardo, still trying to prove himself after being dealt from Oakland in exchange for Starling Marte. Thankfully, Luzardo's 2022 was strong throughout, with the youngster hitting a 3.32 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 18 starts. With Rogers' health uncertain and Garrett lower on the depth chart, Luzardo aims to factor into the team's opening day rotation plans.

2023 Prediction: I think Luzardo's gonna have the fullest and most consistent year of any Marlins starter. Get ready.

The Marlins' relief specialist of choice this year, in the absence of Anthony Bass, was Tanner Scott, himself fetched from Baltimore before the start of the year. Scott struck out 90 and notched 20 saves in 67 appearances. I'm glad he worked up to a bigger role with this team, because he's always been pretty sharp.

2023 Prediction: Lower ERA, but I don't know if he saves for the whole year.

As discussed, I think Jacob Stallings is gonna be backing up Nick Fortes next year. Fortes, who was teased at the end of 2021, got 72 games behind the plate, and sported a 1.3 WAR thanks to solid defensive numbers and 9 home runs as well. Fortes seems to succeed in both categories, which is a needed skill for Marlins catchers in the wake of Realmuto's trade. 

2023 Prediction: Fortes, by the end of 2023, will be on the list of solid B/B+ level catchers that don't get enough credit.

There were lots of rookies popping up towards the end of the year. I'm choosing to leave out people like Jordan Groshans and Jerar Encarnacion, but how about 2nd base prospect Charles LeBlanc, who, yes, is from Laval, outside Montreal, thanks for asking. LeBlanc got 48 games to take the middle infield, and he hit .263 with 11 RBIs, 4 homers and 4 steals.

2023 Prediction: If Jazz Chisholm starts the season healthy and surging, LeBlanc may get released. If not, he may...well, he may still get released, I see him as a holdover guy. But regardless.

And then there's longtime Marlins prospect J.J. Bleday. The good news? Bleday can hit for power, with 16 RBIs and 5 homers in 63 games. The bad news is he's looking a bit one-dimensional in his first year, striking out a ton and only hitting .167. Then again, Aaron Judge looked one-dimensional in 2016, so who are we to judge?

2023 Prediction: Will not have room in this outfield initially, but could get a lot more playing time in the second half and may have enough to really take off this time.

Tomorrow, a few members of a Mets team I genuinely thought was gonna go far this year.

Brew Better Believe It

 

The Bucks are in the finals, the Brewers are in first. Some really impressive developments going on in Milwaukee all around.

For one thing, Willy Adames coming to town has completely turned this team around, as I figured it would. Only Luis Urias and Avisail Garcia have more RBIs than Adames has amassed in his 41 games in Milwaukee, and that's pretty impressive. Also, the rest of the lineup is beginning to come around, with Narvaez still hitting very much for average, Garcia with 51 RBIs and a team-leading 15 home runs, Jace Peterson and Tyrone Taylor jumping into starting roles and impressing in recent weeks, and Christian Yelich beginning to get back to where he left off in 2019. There are still some minor holes thanks to injuries to Kolten Wong, but this team is definitely heading back to a fuller, more consistent lineup, and it's gonna last them a while.

There's not much new to report with the pitching, because it's still awesome. Woodruff, Burnes and Peralta are still all absolutely on this year, and have made a damn near impenetrable three-man lead for the rotation. Adrian Houser and Eric Lauer aren't bad either, they just have higher ERAs. Also, how the hell can you compare to those three? They all have around 120 Ks, the highest ERA is Burnes' 2.41, and Woodruff and Peralta both have 7 wins. Also, the bullpen is still awesome, but that's honestly a given. I'm kinda surprised Hunter Strickland washed up here, he was doing great in Tampa, got traded to LA and sunk, then not even a month later gets purchased by the Brewers. Essentially he was the hidden fifth piece of the Adames trade. And, no joke, he still hasn't allowed a run in MKE. Nice.

What does worry me about this Brewers team is that they can be very streaky, and their opening rise in wins was followed by a steep drop-off with losses. They're not a gradual team right now, they're all or nothing. Hopefully with Adames, they've found enough of a sweet spot to keep rolling. Because right now, everyone else in the division is at least 7 games behind them, and that's the steepest drop-off in a division right now. For a division that was very recently up in the air, the Brewers have made it a foregone conclusion, but remember...we're only at the halfway point. The die could turn again very soon.

Coming Tonight: Another homegrown talent for Houston.

Avi's Second Act

Normally, a trade to the Tampa Bay Rays after a decent-sized career in one city is a way of saying "well, it was fun while it lasted."

I mean, I think of Grady Sizemore, Wade Boggs, Carlos Gomez, Greg Vaughn, Johnny Damon AND Manny Ramirez, people like that who've made the most of their accomplishments, and are just out of real options, so they go to the Rays because, like, what's the worst that could happen? And there's varying results. Boggs at least had some fun career moments before fizzling out. But he's one of the few that's made something of it. Hell, if it weren't for this week in Queens, I would have called it Gomez' death rattle.

And going into this season, I thought Avisail Garcia would start as a starting DH/outfield piece in Tampa, lose playing time gradually and end up DFA'd by July. Because I, as well as other sportswriters, incorrectly judge Avi as a one-dimensional power hitter. And while he can hit for power, his contact abilities, when they pop up, are just as good. They popped up in 2017 in Chicago, and they're sure as hell popping up now.

I mean, it helps that he's got 9 home runs, but he's batting .285, is legitimately doing well as an everyday outfielder (he's got a +4 fielding average). Plus, he, Tommy Pham and Kevin Kiermaier make up one of the most consistent outfields in the majors, with all three carrying WARs of 1.5 or higher. It's the kind of thing where you worried for Kiermaier's sanity for a while, as he used to be one of the few highlights of the team, but now that the rest of the outfield's playing as well as he is, it's gotta be fun for him again.

Now, here's the problem: They're ripping through any and all of their catching options one by one. Right now their main options at backstop are Travis D'Arnaud, surprisingly healthy for now, and his .103 average, or veteran Erik Kratz and his .111 average. All other options, including Mike Zunino, Anthony Bemboom, Nick Ciuffo and Michael Perez, are all either injured or demoted. After their starting catcher nearly got the ASG starting nod last year, it's a sorry sign.

Plus, with the exception of Guillermo Heredia, the bench, which was such a sneaky force last year, is basically nonexistent. Maybe they'll promote Nate Lowe again, and he'll be of service late, but...this roster is seeming pretty thin for once, which is sad considering how prosperous this team seemed in April. They're still good, but losing some series' to the Yankees has definitely weathered them, and hopefully they can figure out how to get back to...at least Wild Card levels of success.

Coming Tomorrow- The single most ubiquitous player of the offseason FINALLY gets an updated custom.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2018: White Sox

 Another year, another failure for the South Side of Chicago. In all fairness, they weren't exactly aiming for the stars in 2018, but...I imagine they were aiming for somewhere other than 4th. Which, while not bad...is far from good baseball. Like, that's still 100 losses.

This team has already accumulated Yonder Alonso and Ivan Nova, and is making a SERIOUS run at Manny Machado. So they're quickly trying to pivot from a losing year, but...this quick-pivot strategy hasn't worked the last few times. Will it in 2019?

They'll have to find out without the help of Avisail Garcia, their trusted outfield bat, who was non tendered after a disappointing year at the plate, with only 19 home runs in 93 games.

 It was even more disappointing for James Shields, the once mighty Tampa and Kansas City ace who mustered up a paltry 7-16 record with only 150 strikeouts and a 4.53 ERA. If you want a horrifying stat- from 2007 to 2015, Shields notched ten or more wins per season. He hasn't had more than 7 in a season since.

 A sliver of hope came from Daniel Palka, a professional power hitter who led the team in home runs with 27, and proved to have more staying power than positional rivals Garcia and Nicky Delmonico. He'll definitely be a part of the picture for 2019.

A surprising breakout for Chicago was Ryan LaMarre, seen here in a throwback (though not a 50s Throwback, like another Lamarr that nobody who reads this blog would possibly have heard of), came over from Minnesota, where he was already having a breakout season. Why the Twins waived him, I have no idea, but he took his average to the Sox and ran with it, hitting 20 hits in 32 games, and allowing for some interesting outfield flexibility in the later months of the season.

Coming Tomorrow- My team, who went far enough to make me happy, but came short enough to keep me waiting.

Avisail of the Century

The AL is weird this year, man.

All three divisions just have, like, a ton of teams either trying to compete or not even trying, leaving just one team out, that's either way out in first or heavily behind in last. There's really not a middle ground.

The AL Central has one team that's completely out of the race, no real shot, and that's the Royals. The rest of the league is made up of teams that are lucky and holding court, like the Tigers and White Sox, teams that really should be heading to first, like the Indians, and teams that are just lucky to be winning this many games to begin with, like the Twins. It's all a weird, elaborate mess.

By this weird logic, the White Sox, formerly the worst team in the AL Central, are currently tied for second with the Indians...you know, those guys who almost won the World Series last year. Yeah. Them. What the hell kind of season is this?

I mean, the White Sox aren't doing too badly, as the pitching staff, even WITHOUT Chris Sale, is doing well- Miguel Gonzalez, James Shields and Derek Holland are doing a pretty nice job, and Jose Quintana may have to do a bit more work to get his ERA down. Avisail Garcia, usually the strikeout king, is sporting a HUGE batting average and playing better than ever, and even people like Tyler Saladino and Leury Garcia are doing pretty well.

Now, it's gonna take longer to get the rest of the lineup up to speed. I mean, Cody Asche, the DH, has a .057 Batting Average. There is a REASON the Phillies let go of him. It's a flawed team, but as long as they're doing well enough to stay out of last, it won't be too problematic. I'm not seeing the Sox making a serious October run, but it's looking like they'll be better than last year.

Coming Tomorrow- Hard-hitting outfielder for a team that's gone back down to earth since early April.

White Sox Game 6/10/15: Boxers, Butts, and Bonehead Bonifacio

The outlook wasn't good heading into the Sox game.

Which...could work for either team ending in Sox this year. But, in this case, I'm talking about the Chicago White Sox. Because, as I entered the park that the diehards still call Comiskey, and the sportscasters are contractually obligated to call U.S. Cellular, I wasn't expected to leave with a win. The team was depleted, and the guys who were hitting last year were slumping this year. Even Jose Abreu was having a down, comparatively, season.

And yet the Sox still managed to pull out a win against the 'Stros that day, which was even more phenomenal, especially considering the momentum they had that week. Hell, Carlos Correa was up with them, and he'd had some nice hits the night before. So, the oddest part was not only that the Sox won, but they essentially SWEPT one of the best teams in the AL.

So...I'm gonna show you how it went down.

These were our seats. Relatively close to the action. Close enough to catch a glimpse at Conor Gillespie, and whoever was playing left field.

The game began with a mild drizzle, which would be on-and-off throughout the first bit of the game, but would subside by the time the momentum hit.

The Sox were missing Alexei Ramirez that day, so Gordon Beckham was at short, leaving Emilio Bonifacio to play second, which, to say the least, he wasn't great at that night. Also, Tyler Flowers was out, leaving Geovany Soto, a guy who I was personally shocked to discover was still on an MLB roster, to take over.

Pitching for the Sox was Jose Quintana. Good enough pitcher, but mighty slow. The Astros started a new guy named Vincent Velazquez, who was good enough, but couldn't hold the runs long enough.

The first pitch was thrown out by a boxer that nobody in my family had heard of.

Sad to say, but the first part of the game was pretty boring. Not a lot of runs, not a lot of solid pitching, and not a lot else. The highlight was these magical butt-clouds that appeared in the sky after the rain had gone, and promptly drew more attention than anything going on on the field.

The sky-butts would have been a better second baseman than Emilio Bonifacio, who had some torrid fielding errors, and didn't hit much better. I felt pretty bad for him. Also of note- Avisail Garcia's awful base running. The guy got picked off trying to steal TWICE during the game. TWICE. Dude, stick to hitting.

Eventually something did indeed happen.

Adam LaRoche got up, with a couple men on, and knocked a nice homer into the seats, cementing a solid lead for the Sox, and having some of the productivity that the front office was wishing he'd have more of when they signed him. Fireworks went off, the crowd went crazy, and the organ lady's fingers went wild.

I noticed how dedicated some of the fans were around here. They'd been through some shit, definitely. They had to wait a while until 2005, and those years consisted of a lot of bad baseball. Heck, the fact that this had been ten years since that series was a big deal that night, as apparently they didn't want anyone to forget.

There was something about the relentlessness, even in darkness, that I admired. I went and bought a Chris Sale t-shirt while I was there, because I'm tall and thin like Sale.

After the smoke cleared from LaRoche's homer, there wasn't a ton of suspense. Geovany Soto and Jose Abreu hit home runs, Pat Neshek got clobbered, George Springer and Carlos Correa had a couple nice hits to sweeten their considerably smaller pot, and David Robertson got the save. The win was very sweet, and the game was nice to watch.

By the way, a few notes about the stadium- decent place to watch a ballgame. Nothing too eye-popping, but our seats were nice, and it seemed to be new enough to be memorable. My dad told me that this was one of the last few stadiums before Camden Yards revitalized everything. Knowing that did make sense, but I could admire a lot of it. And the food was pretty nice, too. Nice hot dogs.

The vendors knew their audience, and knew how to be memorable. One particular beer vendor went around, yelling, with a scratchy voice, "IIIIIII'VE...GOT............BEEEEEEER..." He went around several times, in the same tone, the same volume. I think he meant to make people laugh. Another vendor, obviously tired of this guy's shit, was trying to sell beer, and still heard the guy three rows away. So, he said "yeah? Well I've got colder beer."

Overall, it was a very nice game. I do think the game at Wrigley slightly edged it out, though. And I'll talk about that one tomorrow.