Fish Unfiltered: Joey Wendle on Marlins' Winning Ways

Kevin Barral and Isaac Azout are joined by Miami Marlins shortstop Joey Wendle. Topics covered on Episode 44 of Fish Unfiltered include:

• The Marlins' recent series against the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves
• Every step of Wendle's professional baseball journey
• Playing for small-market teams
• Why the Marlins have improved so much from 2022 to 2023
• Why he doesn't use batting gloves
• His clutch home run against the Marlins in 2021

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In his age-33 season, Wendle is slashing .271/.309/.381 (89 wRC+) through 53 games played. He has already started 40 games at shortstop, nearly doubling his previous high for a single season.

Wendle was also with the Marlins in 2022 when they disappointed to the tune of a 69-93 record. Here's how he explains what's made the difference in 2023:

"A lot of guys probably underperformed last year, didn't feel like it was our best year. So a lot of guys have definitely stepped up and played better.

"I think that what Skip (Schumaker) and his staff have been able to do, the expectations that they've been able to set have really kinda enhanced that and just allowed guys to feel comfortable and to play to the best of their ability. Skip comes in and he knows what he wants, he knows how he wants to do it. He's very clear, very concise, and we feel like the supporting staff around him have been on the same page since day one. You can't talk enough about how great they have been.

"I think really just the expectations that are set on us. 'We expect X, Y and Z, and this is how we're gonna get there. We're gonna help you. We're gonna give you the tools. We're gonna prepare for games like we're gonna win them.'

"I think a combination of things have led to that."

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

Our Fish On First podcast programming includes The Offishial Show, Fish Unfiltered, Fishology, State of the Fish and What a Relief. All new episodes are posted to FishOnFirst.com/podcasts. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Podbean, Megaphone or wherever you normally get your pods from.