Marlins starting rotation has never been so reliant on lefties

[Ely Sussman]

At least for the early portion of the 2024 season, southpaws are projected to start the vast majority of Miami's games.

In society at large, only about one of every 10 people are left-handed. Baseball isn't representative of the entire population, though. While throwing righty is a pre-requisite for playing second base, third base, shortstop and catcher, all other positions welcome a diversity in handedness.

Batters can track a righty's pitches from the mound to home plate with greater clarity when standing on the opposite side of the plate. To counteract that, every MLB team uses lefty arms to reclaim the platoon advantage in some of those situations.

During the 2023 season, 48,691 of 184,110 total MLB plate appearances (26.4%) involved left-handed pitchers. The Miami Marlins were especially lefty-reliant. Braxton Garrett and Jesús Luzardo were constants in their starting rotation. Several of the club's most-trusted relievers also operated from the left side. Overall, lefties combined to work nearly half (45.7%) of their plate appearances.

After coming up just shy of setting a handedness-related franchise record last year, the Marlins could shatter it in 2024.

Garrett, Luzardo and various other southpaws combined to make 71 starts in 2023. The Marlins' single-season record is 72 starts made by lefties, according to Stathead, set by the 2007 Fish and matched in 2008. That looks extremely beatable this season, in large part due to injuries.

Nearly half of last season's Marlins starts went to right-handers Sandy Alcantara (28 starts), Edward Cabrera (20), Eury Pérez (19) and Johnny Cueto (10). Alcantara is expected to miss all of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery rehab, while Cabrera and Pérez will miss an undetermined amount of time with arm injuries of their own. Cueto's major league career appears to be over. Even Miami's most-used opener, JT Chargois (five starts), is going to be on the IL early on.

Who will fill in for them? Primarily lefties A.J. Puk, Ryan Weathers and Trevor Rogers. Puk is making the transition from reliever to starter and I'm very optimistic about how he'll handle his new role. Weathers is a former first-round draft pick who the Marlins acquired from the San Diego Padres last year. Injuries limited Rogers to only four starts in 2023.

Barring any additional health hiccups during the final week of Grapefruit League action, the Marlins' Opening Day rotation will include Luzardo, Puk, Weathers and Rogers. The fifth and final spot will likely go to a righty such as Max Meyer or Bryan Hoeing, but Garrett (shoulder soreness) is on track to be stretched out as a starter by mid-April. Looking beyond the 40-man roster, lefties Patrick Monteverde, Devin Smeltzer, Kent Emanuel and Luis Palacios could potentially be called upon for spot starts over the course of the season.

In case you're curious, the all-time single-season record for left-handed pitcher starts by an MLB team is 127 by the 1983 New York Yankees. While I don't foresee the Marlins challenging that mark, they could plausibly reach triple digits. Coincidentally, the 2018 Boston Red Sox were the last team whose LHPs made 100-plus starts, and they rode those arms to a World Series title.

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[THOMAS JOSEPH]

Informative article, Ely. Although it's not in the cards, I figure, perhaps the stars are aligning to at least consider Bauer. Sherman and Bendix may not want the heat. Still, many people have changed their minds (or at least moderated their views) about Bauer as additional information, including the last lawsuit settlement, has emerged. Such a signing would put the spotlight on the Marlins - something that rarely happens - as well as adding a darn fine pitcher who is ready to pitch immediately (apparently). It would be the proverbial middle finger to the almighty Dodgers and to MLB, which is fantastic. Perhaps Bauer may be so appreciative of the opportunity that he would sign on to a team option year, adding more value for the Marlins as the injury situation smoke clears. I was against Bauer myself, however, I am convinced that his values, such as we know them, do not automatically deserve disqualification from his profession.