Jonah Bride finding success from consistent playing time

MIAMI, FL—When Miami Marlins utility man Jonah Bride was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on July 4, the third-year player out of South Carolina was looking forward to translating what he learned as a member of the Jumbo Shrimp to prosperity on a big league roster. It might've taken a couple of weeks and a lot of faces from the Marlins lineup to find new homes elsewhere, but Bride has finally gotten the opportunity to play every day.

To say he's capitalized on it would be an understatement.

Entering Saturday's game, Bride has slashed .308/.438/.641 since the July 30 trade deadline with three multi-hit games, four homers and a 7/11 BB/K ratio. Marlins manager Skip Schumaker has leaned on Bride to bring pop in third and fourth spots of the order and Bride has done just that with multiple clutch base hits to start rallies or even give his team a sizable lead like he did in Atlanta a week ago.

"Just going out there every day, competing and having consistent time has been good for me and it's a testament to the coaching staff and all the guys around here" said Bride. "It's a hard game, so every day it's gonna be a grind, and if you can get some consistent time and get comfortable up there, definitely always gonna be a help."

Bride drew a walk on Saturday to extend his on-base streak to 12 games. It's the longest active streak among Marlins players.

What distinguishes Bride from most of his teammates is patience at the plate. He has swung at only 19.5% of first pitches while averaging 4.21 pitches seen per plate appearance (the team's average in 3.74).

Defensively, Bride has taken most of his reps at first base, a position he played just a handful of times a season ago. Similar to his expanded role in the lineup, the increased looks he's gotten at the cold corner have been key.

"I played a lot of first base—maybe not so much at this level, so it's definitely a work in progress with the full work and everything every day, but the guys have made it easy with the throws and stuff to first base. Just getting the reps every day, going out there with (infield coach) Jody (Reed) and getting the early work, just doing everything I can to be as good as I can out there."

Now heading into the final quarter of the 2024 regular season, Bride doesn't have a specific goal outlined. Instead, he sees it as a great opportunity to mesh with his new teammates and build momentum into next year.

"I just wanna go out there and win games with this team, continue to get to know all these new guys and have a good time and have a good vibe in the clubhouse. I think everything's been good lately. Everyone's having a good time, and we can go out there and play hard and set the tone for next year."