As a city, Miami has had a lot going on in the last few weeks. Two of the city’s other teams have made it into their respective finals. Meanwhile, the Marlins have done surprisingly well despite playing in a tough division that has made many star-powered moves. Miami is currently 2nd in the NL East, two games behind Atlanta. They are also two games up on the 3rd place Mets. The Marlins are a good team that might make the postseason.
The Marlins Are A Good Team
Arraez’s Quest For .400
Certain things that only happen once in a generation generally get massive attention. Luis Arraez is currently hitting .401 in June. The last time a player hit .400 for a season was Ted Williams in 1941. Comparing the two hitters isn’t entirely fair. Arraez is a complete contact hitter with 17 extra-base hits, and 15 are doubles. Williams had 37 home runs when he hit .400 with 33 doubles.
🔥After a 2-for-4 night, Luis Arraez is now batting .401! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SzwXq4cOgP
— MLB (@MLB) June 7, 2023
Batting average isn’t the most exciting stat on the sheet these days. In the days of guys hitting moonshot after moonshot, the singles hitter is a dying breed. He gets hits and gets on base in a way that has been long forgotten. Arraez is a pure hitter, someone who finds a hole and gets on base. It’s a dying skill in the modern game, that ability to make an impact no matter the situation.
The storyline will carry on for a few more weeks, maybe months. The chase at history might get more fans into the ballpark. Miami is doing well collectively as a sports town at the moment. The Marlins should be able to capitalize on this. Batting the average side, the team has at least this milestone going for it.
Jorge Soler Has Found The Power Stroke
Last year Jorge Soler hit 13 home runs in 72 games. This year he has 17 in 58 games while having five straight games with a home run. Miami signed the Cuban-born slugger after he won a World Series MVP with The Braves in 2021. The first year was a rough one for him. Hitting .207 with 13 home runs isn’t how you want the first season with a new team to be, especially after winning a World Series.
Many need to catch up to the expectations of a new contract. Soler has always possessed the light tower power. He led the league in home runs back in 2019. This year with the Marlins, he looks like the feared power hitter is back in full force. The guy is someone who has the can’t-miss at-bat potential.
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All of his offensive numbers are trending up towards his typical numbers. High power numbers across the board. He is slugging over .500 again this year and is up among the leaders in home runs. The .247 average is honestly a bonus. With his high power numbers, teams are likely okay with a lesser batting average.
Looking Ahead
The scary thing about the Marlins is how 2022 Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara hasn’t been in that form yet. He’s had a bit of a down year in 2023 with a 2-5 record and an ERA over-5. Sandy gets things going with the hitters that this lineup has. The Marlins could make a push to win the division. On top of using some of the talents on the farm to another pitcher to help Sandy.
A few other teams in the division have yet to perform. The Mets and Phillies have both had struggles. The Mets especially have had World Series expectations going into the season. A .500 record is different from where they want to be. The older staff has battled injuries all year long. The Phillies have missed signing Trea Turner thus far, on top of missing Bryce Harper. Both should be getting better in the second half of the season.
The National League East will be a fight to the finish. There are now 4 teams who could win the division. Miami hasn’t won a division in its history. However, they have two World Series from a Wild Card birth. As long as the storylines above continue, they should be a team on the radar of all baseball fans.
Photo Credit- Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned- Luis Arraez, Ted Williams, Jorge Soler, Sandy Alcantara, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper
