As we kick off a new week, we head to the Sunshine State for our preview of the Miami Marlins. Last year the Fish were a surprise playoff team under first year manager Skip Schumaker. Their mix of solid young pitching and timely hitting ran out of luck against the Phillies in the Wild Card round, but it was a positive year nonetheless. They will look to repeat that success with mostly the same group as last year, making only one notable addition, shortstop Tim Anderson. Let’s dive into how this squad can succeed in 2024.

Keys to Success

1. Tim Gets His Mojo Back: Baseball can be an unforgiving sport that humbles the best throughout their careers. Tim Anderson joined that club last year as he fell off sharply on and off the field with the White Sox last season. He comes to Miami hat in hand and in my opinion primed to bounce back this year, and if he can his offensive impact could be immeasurable for a team challenged in that department.

2. Jazz Makes Sweet Music: Jazz Chisholm has been the de facto “face” of the Marlins for some time now, yet it doesn’t feel like he is playing up to that moniker. When he is going right, Miami’s number two can be rather electrifying but that hasn’t been often enough. He needs to pull it together for this team to take the next step.

3. Crockett & Tubbs: If you thought this piece would go by without a Miami Vice reference, you were sorely mistaken. The Marlins offense isn’t especially dynamic but it will be keyed by third baseman Jake Burger and second baseman Luis Arraez. Arraez in particular is the teams heartbeat, coming off of a terrific season at the plate, and he’ll need Burger to be his partner for postseason baseball to return to South Beach.

The Lineup

1. Luis Arraez 2B

2. Tim Anderson SS

3. Josh Bell 1B

4. Jake Burger 3B

5. Jazz Chisholm CF

6. Bryan De La Cruz LF

7. Jesus Sanchez RF

8. Avisail Garcia DH

9. Nick Fortes C

The Staff

1. Jesus Luzardo

2. Eury Perez

3. Braxton Garrett

4. Edward Cabrera

5. Trevor Rogers

Closer: Tanner Scott

The Prediction

81 Wins

This team likely overachieved last year on route to making the postseason, and while I don’t predict a major drop off, I think they are ultimately very mediocre. The lineup isn’t anything special, so barring a big year from someone other than Burger and Arraez, I think this group will finish around .500.

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