Pre-spring training Marlins mailbag: Potential breakouts, trade chips, fan support & more

[Kevin Barral]

Fish Unfiltered—Episode #68

With Miami Marlins spring training fast approaching next week, Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout provide an overview of the 2025 non-roster invitees, then open up the Unfiltered mailbag to talk position battles, potential breakout prospects, trade deadline scenarios, fan support and more.

Thank you to Allie, K, Marcel J. Sparks, Parish, Sportsman, Vicent, Vik and Zach (and many others who we didn't have time to get to) for their mailbag submissions.

Find Fish Unfiltered on the Fish On First YouTube channel, our new-look Apple Podcasts channel and wherever else you get your pods. FOF's audio programming also includes The Offishial Show, Swimming Upstream, Big Fish Small Pod and more.

Isaac predicts that the Marlins Opening Day lineup will be: SS Xavier Edwards, 3B Connor Norby, LF Jesús Sánchez, DH Jonah Bride, 1B Matt Mervis, CF Dane Myers, RF Kyle Stowers or Griffin Conine, 2B Otto Lopez and C Nick Fortes.

Kevin has the same prediction except with Conine in LF and Sánchez in RF.

Their breakout prospect picks for the 2025 season are Jared Serna (Isaac) and Graham Pauley (Kevin).

Follow Kevin (@kevin_barral), Isaac (@IsaacAzout) and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com.

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[Slacker Mills]

Matt Mervis in the opening day lineup? Things can never be quite that bad.

Connor Morby playing and battinig second? Impossible. You can't plant a sub-.300 OBP guy in that spot. Norby is why you have a number 8 hole. Otto Lopez is the right guy to hit second. He proved that in August and September of last seasoon.

Agree that Conine and Sanchez should never start vs a lefty. Derek Hill and Sanoja are both capable platoon guys.

This team needs to emphasize running and more running.

[BMK3]

WOW.    Those line-ups are awful.  Everyone has to be able to put the ball in play, know how to bunt and run like hell.  I have never liked being Goliath. I have always preferred teams that are more like David and overperformed but even David had a slingshot. Where's my slingshot?

[One Regend]

5 hours ago, Slacker Mills said:

Matt Mervis in the opening day lineup? Things can never be quite that bad.

Connor Morby playing and battinig second? Impossible. You can't plant a sub-.300 OBP guy in that spot. Norby is why you have a number 8 hole. Otto Lopez is the right guy to hit second. He proved that in August and September of last seasoon.

Agree that Conine and Sanchez should never start vs a lefty. Derek Hill and Sanoja are both capable platoon guys.

This team needs to emphasize running and more running.

I agree with not putting Norby in the 2-hole. 2 hole needs to be guys who are good at getting on base.

But 8-hole? I can see dropping him to 5th or 6th, but 8th? That is wasted RBI potential if I have ever seen one.

[rurrusuno]

On 2/4/2025 at 11:28 AM, Slacker Mills said:

Matt Mervis in the opening day lineup? Things can never be quite that bad.

Connor Morby playing and battinig second? Impossible. You can't plant a sub-.300 OBP guy in that spot. Norby is why you have a number 8 hole. Otto Lopez is the right guy to hit second. He proved that in August and September of last seasoon.

Agree that Conine and Sanchez should never start vs a lefty. Derek Hill and Sanoja are both capable platoon guys.

This team needs to emphasize running and more running.

Well said. Right now, I'd trust Jonah Bride a bit more for that starting first baseman role. Otto Lopez is a better contact hitter to put in the 2 spot. This team is going to hit the least amount of homers so they need to prioritize getting the ball in play in any way and stealing bags.

My Opening Day lineup prediction:

SS Xavier Edwards

2B Otto Lopez

3B Connor Norby

DH Jesus Sanchez

1B Jonah Bride

LF Kyle Stowers

CF Dane Myers

RF Griffin Conine 

C Nick Fortes