What Sticks Out About Isiah Kiner-Falefa

With the Winter Meetings wrapped up, the Marlins ended up making zero major league moves, but the rumor mill indicates that they may be moving closer to getting something done. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Miami Marlins are interested in Isiah Kiner-Falefa:

Free agent Isiah Kiner-Falefa, 28, is something of a hot commodity, with the Marlins and Brewers among the teams showing interest. Considering his age and versatility, a multi-year deal appears within reach.

Right away, what stands out about IKF is his elite defense at shortstop, the position he won the AL Gold Glove at in the 2020 shortened season. He was coming off back-to-back 10 DRS seasons at shortstop entering 2023.

With New York Yankees top prospect Anthony Volpe arriving to the big leagues, Kiner-Falefa went to the outfield and had a negative DRS. He only saw one game at short.

On the other hand, IKF has regularly been a below-average hitter throughout his six MLB seasons. In 2023, he slashed .242/.306/.340/.646 with six home runs, 37 RBIs and an 82 wRC+. He had an 86 wRC+ the year before, an 82 wRC+ the year before that and his overall career mark is an 81 wRC+.

These offensive struggles have occurred despite Kiner-Falefa's good contact skills. His 19.4% strikeout rate last season was worse than usual, but still in the 66th percentile among MLB hitters.

The main piece that's missing for Kiner-Falefa is quality contact. He had a 27.3% HardHit% in 2023—the league average is at 39.4%. He has never hit double-digit home runs in a season even when playing home games at some hitter-friendly parks.

Like Marlins offseason addition Vidal Bruján, Kiner-Falefa doesn't generate much bat speed. He averaged 65.6 mph on his swings in 2023, similar to guys like Yuli Gurriel (66.9 mph), Jean Segura (66.9 mph), Joey Wendle (64.9 mph) and Bruján (64.5 mph).

Kiner-Falefa uses an open stance at the plate and a high, slow leg kick.

It's hard to think of other active right-handed hitters to compare him to. From the left side, there's former infielder Eric Sogard, who was in the major leagues for 11 seasons and had similar career production.

Here are clips of both of them:

Despite his flaws, IKF is drawing interest from about a dozen teams, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Some of those suitors could use him as their main shortstop like the Marlins, while others see him as a utilityman.

Kiner-Falefa's contract could look a lot like the extensions that Miguel Rojas has previously received from the Marlins and Dodgers, guaranteeing two years worth about $5M annually. Would you want him in Miami at that price?

Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports