Four games into this mercurial Miami Marlins 2016 campaign the deficiencies that will inhibit this NL East club from reaching the postseason are clear. However antithetical to years past this is a team with the ability to put runs on the board, jump started by their speed pervasive throughout their lineup.
2016 Miami Marlins Driven By Speed
The Marlins organization’s last World Series conquest was back in 2003 with a 4-2 win over the New York Yankees on the event’s 99th anniversary. The wild card team was built around the speed of lead off man Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo batting second with Derek Lee and Juan Encarnacion also having the ability to swipe a bag or 21. The 2016 incarnation of the Miami Marlins has many of the same traits of having depth in speed, despite that speed not being directly translated into stolen bases.
Dee Gordon was by far the best second baseman in baseball last season garnering a Gold Glove, a Silver Slugger, winning the batting title in the NL and leading the league in stolen bases. The middle infielder’s speed is beyond my meager explanation however his league-leading 58 stolen bases were not without their valleys. The All-Star went 58 for 78, or 74.4 percent, which was good enough for 183rd in MLB. With Martin Prado and Christian Yelich often hitting behind him in the lineup he was given more of an opportunity to steal bases as both take a lot of pitches, unlike Marcel Ozuna who will be proceeding him to start this season.
The bulk of the Fish’s order lies with the second to fourth batters with the young and latent Marcel Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton. Ozuna, who spent 33 games in AAA last season attempting to regain his swing, does not often have his underrated and ubiquitous speed not brought to light. Directly due to the fact he has a tremendous amount of strikeouts and is a power hitter, often hitting doubles and home runs when he does make contact. With the likes of Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton hitting behind him this season I’m not sure, even when he does get on base, he’ll be running much, if ever. The 25-year old’s career high in stolen bases at any level is 17 in single-A.
Former 23rd overall pick Christian Yelich’s, who coextensive to some parts of last season is batting third on the team’s lineup card at least through the first games of the season, speed is well documented. The 24-year old has a career .367 OBP however only has 42 stolen bases through 335 games as a direct bi-product of preceding Giancarlo Stanton whether hitting second or third. Last season the Gold Glover stole 16 bases in 126 games, his career high is 21.
The organizational black hole at catcher was filled last season by J.T. Realmuto who showed promise with solid pitch framing and defense behind the plate, contrary to Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who the Marlins had signed in free agency a year prior. Antithetical to most catchers Realmuto is one of the most quick players on the Marlins roster. While not stealing more than eight bases in his rookie campaign, he was fourth in the National League in triples with seven, one less than Dee Gordon. Playing in one of the largest ballparks in baseball, that also saw the equally athletic Adeiny Hechavarria hit six triples, undoubtedly somewhat tainted those stats.
The 25-year old perfectly embodies the speed present in the Marlins lineup. While not as flashy as the 58 stolen bases Dee Gordon recorded in his career season, the inconspicuous speed throughout the Marlins lineup in the form of Ozuna, Yelich, Realmuto, Hechavarria and even on a certain level Stanton, form a solid base for which the Marlins can build around offensively for years to come.
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