Ely Sussman
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Jorge Soler being sued for causing fan injury with throw into stands
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
Days away from presumably opting out of his Miami Marlins contract and testing free agency, Jorge Soler is dealing with an unwelcome distraction. Soler and his former team, the Atlanta Braves, are co-defendants in a lawsuit filed last Wednesday in Cobb County Superior Court in Georgia. A fan attending Game 3 of the 2021 World Series is said to have suffered an "extensive and excruciating injury" and is holding Soler partially responsible. Soler was playing right field for the Braves that night. Upon completing mid-inning warmups entering the top of the fifth, the suit alleges that he threw the ball in the direction of Mayra Norris with "great force, speed, and intensity." The ball's impact caused multiple fractures, a right eye edema and infra-orbital abrasion. The attorney representing Norris, Susan B. Shaw, provided this photo documenting the injuries: "When people go to a game, they for sure 'assume the risk' of going to a sporting event," Martin I. Berger, co-owner of Miami's Berger & Hicks law firm, explains to Fish On First. "So, the issues here are what was 'reasonable' on everyone’s part," Berger continues. "The Braves will most likely settle. But is there a claim, sure...No one is taking advantage of anyone and no one is shaking anyone down." The suit includes six counts, four of which apply to Soler: negligence, punitive damages, loss of consortium and expenses of litigation (the other two apply only to the Braves). "I do not think the claim for punitive damages has any weight," Berger says. This situation bears some similarities to a 2022 lawsuit filed against the Los Angeles Angels when a child suffered head injuries due to an errant warmup throw. The player who threw that ball, Keynan Middleton, was not a co-defendant like Soler is, though. It should go without saying, Soler's free agent stock will be completely unaffected regardless of how this matter gets resolved. There is zero reason to suspect that he had any intentions to do harm—upon completing their warmup throws, it's common practice across Major League Baseball for fielders to throw balls toward fans seated nearby, as Norris was in this case. Soler is still under contract with the Marlins, due a $13M salary in 2024. However, he's coming off an All-Star season and has the right to opt out of the deal in pursuit of a larger guarantee. He has until the fifth day after the World Series to make that decision. Read the full lawsuit below: 23.10.25 - Norris - Complaint - FiledDownloadPhoto by Harry How/Getty Images -
Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, containing detailed articles about a wide variety of players. The FOF staff analyzes the individual impact that each of them had and what it means for their future with the organization. This installment focuses on infielder Joey Wendle. 2023 TimelineFebruary 10—announced as team's starting shortstop entering spring trainingApril 4—placed on 10-day injured list (right intercostal strain)April 26—sent on minor league rehab assignment to Jacksonville Jumbo ShrimpMay 7—activated from 10-day injured listSeason stats: 112 G, .212/.248/.306, 47 wRC+, 2 HR, 7 SB, -0.8 fWAR (age-33 season) For better or worse, the Marlins had continuity at the shortstop position for the previous half-decade thanks to Miguel Rojas. When an offseason trade sent Rojas to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wendle was supposed to play a major role in filling the void. He wasn't up to the task. Wendle was off to an 0-for-8 start at the plate during Miami's season-opening homestand when he injured himself in batting practice. That kept him out for a month. Then it took him another month to record his first multi-hit game of 2023. Wendle's struggles coincided with a fiery hot streak from Jacob Amaya, who was serving as Triple-A Jacksonville's regular shortstop. The prospect acquired from the Dodgers in exchange for Rojas, Amaya reached base safely in 17 of his first 18 May games, slashing .418/.481/.746 (203 wRC+) during that period. https://fishonfirst.com/at-the-ballpark/marlins-prospects-jacob-amaya-interview/But by the time that Amaya finally got called up in mid-June, Wendle had straightened himself out. He feasted during the Marlins' homestand against the atrocious Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals—went 9-for-21 in those six games—and used that as a springboard. Wendle found himself in the lineup against practically every right-handed starting pitcher. Amaya was optioned back down to Jacksonville after only four games, with Jon Berti taking over the small side of the shortstop platoon. Wendle had a track record of good production against righties while he was with the Tampa Bay Rays. His Marlins debut of 2022 was mildly disappointing in that department (.266/.297/.374, 87 wRC+). This season, he plummeted to a new low. Opponents found that Wendle could be beaten with offspeed pitches (changeups and splitters). Last season, 11.3% of total pitches thrown to Wendle were offspeed pitches. This season, offspeed usage nearly doubled to 20.6%. He did not record a single hit against an offspeed pitch from July 16 through season's end. https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/cd046790-89aa-438d-82d9-70a6304fb447.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/0f1d9bfd-d0c9-4b0e-b289-3562c5dbfd0a.mp4https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/ea74285a-6cae-44b7-a34c-6adadce67d1e.mp4Pitchers kept attacking Wendle low and in. He couldn't make contact with those pitches as often as he used to. Wendle's strikeout rate soared from 13.5% in 2022 to 21.1% in 2023, the biggest increase among all National League hitters with at least 300 plate appearances in both seasons, according to FanGraphs. Joey Wendle's whiff% by zone, 2022 vs. 2023 | Baseball SavantThe Marlins gradually reduced Wendle's role beginning in late August. With Berti and Garrett Hampson both doing well and capable of manning shortstop themselves, the 33-year-old was benched altogether for the final two weeks of the regular season (he didn't start any of their final 10 games with playoff implications). With all that being said, let's not omit Wendle's contributions with the glove. He played more innings at shortstop in 2023 (754 ⅓) than he had in his previous seven MLB seasons combined, and he held up solidly. He was at his best on backhand plays, generally making accurate throws to compensate for a lack of arm strength. Wendle accrued six defensive runs saved at shortstop and minus-two Statcast run value. Personally, I split the difference and saw him as slightly above average. Although that wasn't enough to make up for the absence of Rojas, it justified keeping him on the roster. Future with the MarlinsFormer Marlins general manager Kim Ng was a big advocate of Wendle throughout her tenure. Even had she been retained, I doubt there would have been an appetite to offer the free agent anything more than a minor league deal. Wendle rebounding to his career averages in 2024 wouldn't move the needle enough offensively for a Marlins team that just scored the fewest runs in the National League. The crop of free agent shortstops is extremely weak, "headlined" by Amed Rosario, and the Marlins are thin on assets that could be used in trades without weakening another area of their major league roster. Fascinating dilemma for the new head of baseball operations. Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images -
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Marlins Podcast Episodes Monday's AFL/winter ball notes: Playing right field, Dane Myers (LIDOM) had his best offensive performance of the winter ball season. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, stolen base and outfield assist. His Gigantes del Cibao improved to 7-2, the best record in the league.Elsewhere around baseball, the Rangers took World Series Game 3 despite losing Max Scherzer to a back injury and Adolis García to left side tightness. Corey Seager blasted a 421-foot home run, boosting his postseason OPS to 1.093. Aaron Judge (Yankees) won the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award. Alex Cobb (Giants) is undergoing hip surgery today that will cause him to miss part of the 2024 season. San Francisco's starting rotation depth is dangerously thin for a team that's sorta trying to contend.Not exactly a sexy pitching matchup for Game 4: Andrew Heaney vs. a Joe Mantiply-led bullpen game. The Rangers are 9-0 in road games this postseason.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. The latest installments cover Yuli Gurriel and Joey Wendle. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.My newest tracker reports on the Marlins' off-the-field organizational changes entering 2024. Plenty of subtractions so far. Still waiting on the additions.Brian Dunleavy of Marlin Maniac ranks Sandy Alcantara, Luis Arraez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. as the three "scariest" Marlins players, meaning those who are most feared by their competitors.Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic covers the rise of Absolutely Ridiculous innovation for Athletes (ARiA), which creates baseball player accessories like gloves and sliding mitts. Chisholm was an early adopter and has since become the company's director of culture.Photo by ashlyncarmela/Instagram -
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Troy Johnston Full 2023 Season Highlights
Ely Sussman replied to Ely Sussman's topic in Miami Marlins Talk
Agreed. I'm also curious to see what he'd look like in LF occasionally. He was an outfielder before converting to 1B and added more agility this past year than he used to have. It's easier to get him on the roster if he is usable in multiple spots. -
This page is updated year-round with Marlins job listings: https://www.teamworkonline.com/baseball-jobs/miamibaseball/miami-marlins But you usually won't see the high-level executive positions there. The search process for those is handled differently.
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Enjoy top plays from Miami Marlins first baseman Troy Johnston! Johnston earned Marlins Minor League Player of the Year honors for his brilliant age-26 season with the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. In 134 games played, he slashed .307/.399/.549 (145 wRC+) with 26 HR and 24 SB. He also had 116 RBI, which led all of Minor League Baseball in 2023. The Gonzaga University product fell all the way to the 17th round of the 2019 MLB Draft. He's been the most productive hitter in the Marlins farm system ever since. With nothing else to prove in the upper minors, Johnston is poised to make his major league debut at some point next season. Where would you rank Johnston among the top prospects in the Marlins organization? -
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I should've also mentioned: Jon Berti finished runner-up to Mookie Betts for the Fielding Bible Award for multi-position players.
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Offishial news, 10/27/23: Friday start times; Johnny Almaraz; Jack McKeon
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
Marlins Podcast Episodes Thursday's AFL/winter ball notes: 3B Jacob Berry went 1-for-5 with a home run, C Paul McIntosh went 1-for-4 and LHP Dale Stanavich blew a save and took the loss for the Peoria Javelinas. Dane Myers (LIDOM) went 1-for-5 with an RBI.The Marlins website is now updated with the scheduled start times of every 2024 home game. This fully confirms that first pitch for Friday games has been pushed back to 7:10 p.m.—in recent years, typical Monday-Friday night games had 6:40 p.m. starts. Seems like a logical change to me. The later start time gives fans a better chance of seeing the entire game once they're done navigating traffic around the ballpark, and with the implementation of the pitch clock, the final out will still be recorded before 10:00 p.m. on most nights. Elsewhere around baseball, the Red Sox officially hired Craig Breslow to be their chief baseball officer. Hopefully, that will accelerate the Marlins' job search. Jack McKeon retired from his Washington Nationals special adviser position. He won a 2019 World Series ring with them. McKeon had been in professional baseball since 1949!The latest included our World Series predictions. I'll tell you mine here: Rangers in six games with Marcus Semien earning MVP honors. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here! https://fishonfirst.com/la-pop/Pictured atop this article, old friends Nathan Eovaldi and Zac Gallen will toe the rubber for tonight's Game 1 of the Fall Classic. The Diamondbacks made it thus far in spite of Gallen, who allowed nine runs (all earned) in 11 total innings over the course of his two NLCS losses. Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. The latest installments cover Andrew Nardi, Garrett Hampson and Trevor Rogers. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.We posted the revised FOF Top 30 prospects list earlier this week. This table illustrates how players rose and fall from where we previous ranked them in July. I found lots of similarities between the D-backs and the World Series-winning Marlins of 20 years ago.https://fishonfirst.com/history/comparing-2003-marlins-2023-diamondbacks/Joe Frisaro reports that Johnny Almaraz quietly joined the Marlins' scouting department and has made a great impression on his colleagues, so much so that some of them want him to be considered in the franchise's front office executive search. Almaraz's career has included gigs with the Reds, Braves and Phillies. At the very least, he figures to be a candidate for Miami's vacant director of amateur scouting position, having run the MLB Draft in Philadelphia as recently as 2019.Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors writes an offseason outlook for the Marlins ("Whoever is eventually hired to make the baseball decisions in Miami will have quite a to-do list").Regardless of lottery results, the Marlins are set to hold the 19th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. It will be the lowest first-round draft position for the Fish since 2010, though that worked out pretty well: they took Christian Yelich with the 23rd pick that year.Fish Army asks what would it take for you to stop being a Marlins fan. The most common response is "relocation," but there's an interesting range, including fans who are close to decommitting and others who insist they're locked in for life no matter what the team does.Photos by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images and Kyusung Gong/Icon Sportswire -
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8 similarities between the 2023 Diamondbacks and 2003 Marlins
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
I'm not trying to convince Miami Marlins fans to root for the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. On the contrary, it's natural to be envious of the D-backs making it this far. They got what was generally considered the "easier path" through the 2023 National League postseason field. Moreover, their pitching staff is headlined by former Marlin Zac Gallen, who takes the mound for Arizona in Game 1. It's nonetheless fascinating to draw parallels between the latest NL pennant winner and the one that brought South Florida its latest World Series title 20 years ago. Here's what they have in common... Closely removed from non-competitiveness—Citing financial issues, the Marlins notoriously ripped apart their roster on the heels of winning the 1997 championship. They plummeted from 92 victories to 54 in 1998, a .333 winning percentage which still stands as the worst single-season mark in franchise history. However, some of the prospects acquired via their fire sale became key contributors to the 2003 squad, and tanking in '98 earned them the second overall MLB Draft pick in 1999, which was used to select eventual postseason hero Josh Beckett. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are only two years removed from a 52-110 record. The vast majority of their roster has turned over since then thanks to outstanding player development, augmented by some aggressive trades.Projected for mediocrity—According to SportsOddsHistory.com, oddsmakers set the Marlins' win total prop at over/under 74.5 entering the 2003 season. The D-backs faced nearly as much skepticism (over/under 75.5). FanGraphs initially gave them about a 15% shot to make the postseason and barely a 1-in-100 chance of reaching the Fall Classic.Quirky home ballpark—"Quirky" is putting it politely. During their '03 run, the Marlins were tenants of the football stadium with an ever-changing name (known as Pro Player Stadium at the time). It wasn't long after hoisting the trophy that they began loudly campaigning for a venue to call their own. Arizona's Chase Field is a glorified airplane hangar. More than a quarter-century into the franchise's existence, it's overdue for renovations. Those would have been completed by now if ownership were willing to pay for it rather than holding out for public assistance.Veteran closer added at trade deadline—Neither of these teams were the best versions of themselves by midseason. The D-backs in particular spent July in a free fall and needed to shake things up come deadline time. Ugueth Urbina solidified the back end of the Marlins' bullpen, though they had to part with a three-player package, headlined by future perennial All-Star Adrián González. Paul Sewald likewise forced Arizona to ship three guys out of town. He's done everything possible to justify the cost of acquisition, putting up zeroes throughout the postseason. The D-backs have won 25 of the last 26 games that Sewald has appeared in (regular season and postseason combined).Snuck into postseason as lowest NL seed—The Marlins were the NL Wild Card team back in the days when each league had only one. In 2023, postseason seeding was still undecided entering the season finale, but a Diamondbacks loss locked them into the third Wild Card spot and sixth overall seed in the Senior Circuit. Major League Baseball has made tweaks to the postseason format through the years to minimize the amount of rest and number of home games that low-seeded teams receive. What they're finding out is this sport will always be unpredictable in tiny sample sizes.Trailed 3-2 in NLCS and had to clinch on the road—Both of these underdogs seemingly ran out of gas at the same stage of the postseason. Facing elimination, they had to go into raucous road environments and win a game, then they had to do it all over again the next night. Fun while it lasted, right? The Marlins improbably prevailed with their bats, scoring 17 runs off the Chicago Cubs over the final 11 innings of their series. The Diamondbacks relied on their arms and gloves to limit the Phillies offense to three total runs in NLCS Game 6 and Game 7.Small national footprint—Although Miami and Phoenix are surrounded by massive metro areas, they behave like small-market franchises. Most of their ballparks seats are empty throughout the summer. They're in the news far more often for losing stars than adding them. Their front offices run on modest budgets that make it difficult to contend for the postseason consistently. As a result, casual MLB fans lack familiarity with them and would prefer to see them sent home in favor of sexier brands. Just like the Fish two decades earlier—to the dismay of many—the Snakes remain very much alive. Ken Kendrick kinda looks like Jeffrey Loria—This is not a joke about how "all old, white owners look alike." Seriously, quite a resemblance, don't you think?The 2023 World Series between the D-backs and Texas Rangers gets underway on Friday at 8:03 p.m. ET. Photo by Elsa/Getty Images -
Several times throughout the year, in response to new information, recent on-field performances and player movement, the Fish On First staff revises our ranking of Miami Marlins top prospects. The table below illustrates how each player's position on the FOF Top 30 has changed from one update to the next. Any prospect who appeared on a Top 30 list over the last 12 months is included in the table, which is sorted in alphabetical order. "UR" means the player was in the Marlins organization at the time, but not a Top 30 prospect "N/A" means the player was either not with the organization or has graduated from prospect eligibility "HM" means the player was an honorable mention who just missed cracking the list Name August 2025 October 2025 January 2026 April 2026 June 2026 Maximo Acosta 11 12 15 17 UR Kemp Alderman 16 8 10 8 9 Aiva Arquette 3 4 7 7 4 Emilio Barreras UR UR UR UR 28 Nigel Belgrave 28 25 UR UR UR Keyner Benitez 15 17 21 19 22 Starlyn Caba 8 9 8 6 7 Owen Caissie N/A N/A 4 N/A N/A Cam Cannarella 17 14 14 11 5 Connor Caskenette UR UR UR UR HM Brandon Compton N/A N/A 29 25 19 Luis Cova 13 10 12 12 10 Edgardo De Leon N/A N/A UR UR 26 Deyvison De Los Santos 18 23 28 UR UR Kevin Defrank 6 5 6 4 8 Eliazar Dishmey 21 15 18 15 14 Josh Ekness 24 22 27 20 23 Drew Faurot UR 28 UR UR UR Dax Fulton 27 UR UR UR UR Payton Green UR UR UR 28 UR Dillon Head 9 8 9 9 11 Cristian Hernández N/A N/A 23 24 18 Ryan Ignoffo UR 29 UR UR UR Chase Jaworsky 23 UR UR UR UR Carter Johnson 30 UR UR UR HM Brendan Jones N/A N/A 17 14 13 Luis León UR UR UR UR 27 Dillon Lewis N/A N/A 5 5 3 Joe Mack 2 2 2 3 N/A Jakob Marsee 7 N/A N/A N/A N/A Liomar Martínez UR 27 UR UR UR Juan Matheus N/A N/A 30 29 21 Aiden May UR UR UR UR HM Adam Mazur 10 N/A N/A N/A N/A Noble Meyer 14 18 22 27 30 Karson Milbrandt 20 13 13 10 6 Gage Miller UR UR UR UR HM PJ Morlando 19 16 26 26 N/A Nate Payne UR UR UR 30 24 Andrew Salas 5 6 11 13 15 Jared Serna 22 24 UR UR UR Grant Shepardson 29 UR UR UR UR Robby Snelling 4 3 3 3 2 Santiago Solarte N/A N/A 20 18 16 Fenwick Trimble UR 20 19 16 12 Esmil Valencia 26 19 24 23 UR Andrés Valor 12 11 16 22 UR Echedry Vargas UR UR UR UR HM Brandon White UR UR UR UR 20 Josh White UR 21 25 21 25 Thomas White 1 1 1 1 1 View full article
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Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, containing detailed articles about a wide variety of players. The FOF staff analyzes the individual impact that each of them had and what it means for their future with the organization. This installment focuses on left-handed reliever Andrew Nardi. 2023 TimelineJuly 4—placed on 15-day injured list (left triceps inflammation)July 25—sent on minor league rehab assignment to Jacksonville Jumbo ShrimpAugust 1—activated from 15-day injured listSeason stats: 63 G/0 GS, 57.1 IP, 2.67 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, 0.8 fWAR (age 24) Andrew Nardi's excellence this past season shouldn't have come as a major shock to those who followed his minor league journey. He had a career 2.64 ERA and 3.05 FIP in the minors to earn his way to The Show in August 2022. He led all Marlins prospects in strikeout rate during that period (min. 100 IP) while frequently facing older competition. However, Nardi's initial cup of coffee threw most folks off his scent. He made 13 MLB relief appearances and allowed hits in 12 of them. Righties and lefties both OPS'd over 1.000 against him. He was terrible. By the time 2023 spring training arrived, the young lefty had already put that behind him. Nardi secured an Opening Day roster spot by dominating the Grapefruit League (8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 K). Just as he was seemingly settling in, he allowed three home runs during the final week of April (two to Cody Bellinger). The real breakout began once Nardi ditched his changeup. From May 6 onward, he threw exclusively fastballs and sliders. After making that adjustment, he surrendered only one (unearned) run over his next 19 appearances. In 48 total games as a two-pitch reliever (43.2 IP), he posted an outstanding 1.85 ERA with a 32.2 K% and ranked 15th among all MLB pitchers with a 2.44 WPA, per FanGraphs. Nardi became Skip Schumaker's go-to guy for escaping mid-inning messes. Nardi inherited 40 baserunners this season and stranded all but five of them. Only MLB relievers to strand at least 30 inherited baserunners in 2023 | Baseball-ReferenceNardi may have been outshined early in the season by A.J. Puk and then by Tanner Scott throughout the second half, but he was a massive reason why the Marlins bullpen thrived in high-leverage situations. Highlights/Lowlightshttps://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-05/07/6f0ecb1c-becd55b6-af74164c-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Records first career save to beat Cubs in 14 innings (5/7/23) https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-10/04/e1b32970-915b7d71-dec298fb-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Allows grand slam to Phillies' Bryson Stott in Game 2 of NL Wild Card Series (10/4/23)Future with the MarlinsTo establish himself as an elite reliever, Nardi needs to get a bit better against right-handed batters. That improvement could come from refining and reincorporating his changeup, or from throwing more backdoor sliders to earn called strikes early in the count. No reliever will be considered "untouchable" in the eyes of Miami's incoming baseball operations head, particularly if that hire comes from outside the organization. That being said, Nardi's performance and five remaining years of club control make him a relatively safe bet to reprise his role in the Marlins 'pen. Photo by Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves -
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Tuesday's GamesMarlins Podcast Episodes Here is our updated Fish On First Top 30 prospects list. Isaac Azout, Kevin Barral and I ranked the top talent in the Marlins farm system entering the 2023-24 offseason, with RHP Noble Meyer in the No. 1 spot.In postseason news, the Diamondbacks pulled off the upset! They defeated the Phillies on the road in NLCS Game 7 to clinch the National League pennant, only their second in franchise history. NLCS MVP Ketel Marte set an MLB record by recording a hit in his 16th straight postseason game to begin his career. After shining brightly in the NLDS, Nick Castellanos went 1-for-24 at the plate during this series with strikeouts in all seven games.Elsewhere around baseball, Craig Breslow is reportedly the new chief baseball officer of the Boston Red Sox. That resolution should allow the Marlins to kick their own job search into high gear. The Giants' official hiring of manager Bob Melvin could happen as soon as today. Melvin's replacement in San Diego is expected to come internally.Join us tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET for a new edition of Fish On First LIVE on YouTube/Twitter/Twitch that will include our World Series predictions. With chiropractic care and functional health, La Pop takes a preventative approach that optimizes wellness and quality of life for all ages. Find out more here!https://fishonfirst.com/la-pop/Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.Kevin Barral spoke to Paul McIntosh (#25 on the FOF Top 30) about his Arizona Fall League experience.Glenn Geffner's View from the Bleachers concludes that the Marlins' payroll must continue to rise in order to give the new baseball operations head a chance of assembling a competitive team in 2024.Marlins players Nick Fortes, Jesús Luzardo, Braxton Garrett and Anthony Bender(!) checked out Tuesday's Florida Panthers game. Garrett had the honors of banging the drum. Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald notes that today is the one-year anniversary of Skip Schumaker's hiring as Marlins manager. In the words of Luis Arraez, "he's the best."On this day 20 years ago, Josh Beckett's shutout of the Yankees in Game 6 clinched the Marlins' second World Series title.For Palm Beach Stories, Joe Capozzi details what made Beckett's final out so unique. The ball from that series-clinching play remains in the right-hander's home, still being held inside the glove he was using on that historic night.Photo by Victor Baldizon/Getty Images -
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Offishial news, 10/24/23: Baseball United's Marlins ties; another Game 7
Ely Sussman posted an article in Marlins
Monday's GamesMarlins Podcast Episodes Monday's fall/winter ball notes: SS Nasim Nuñez (AFL) went 1-for-4 with a walk. CF Dane Myers went 0-for-1 with a HBP.In postseason news, congratulations to the Rangers on defeating the Astros to advance to the World Series. Road teams won all seven games of the ALCS. Adolis García slugged his way to MVP honors. Dusty Baker is believed to have managed his final game, The Athletic reports. "Baker wants to remain in the game in some capacity," but understandably might prefer a lightened work schedule at the age of 74. For the first time this postseason, the Phillies lost at Citizens Bank Park, scoring one measly run against Merrill Kelly and the Diamondbacks.Elsewhere around baseball, a new professional league serving the Middle East and South Asia, Baseball United, held its inaugural draft. There are two former Marlins among the draftees: RHP André Rienzo and OF Alejandro De Aza. They were both selected by the Abu Dhabi Falcons, who are managed by another ex-Marlin, Dennis Cook (reliever from the World Series-winning 1997 team).After trading zeroes during a Game 3 pitcher's duel, Brandon Pfaadt and Ranger Suárez match up once again in tonight's winner-take-all NLCS finale.Our 2023 Marlins Season Review series keeps expanding. The latest installment covers Garrett Cooper. Check back daily for more articles from the FOF staff.The Miami Marlins Radio Network announced that they have new content on the way next month. The Marlins Hot Stove Show will be live on Tuesdays starting November 7 and "Marlins Rerun" episodes will be posted on Thursdays starting November 9.Maybe something, maybe nothing: Skip Schumaker's Twitter account has blocked several Marlins fans and multiple FOF staffers. At least a few of these blocks were put in place during the week-plus since Kim Ng left the organization. Schumaker rarely addresses Marlins fans/media in public tweets, but he's known to use the app on a near-daily basis.Photo courtesy of MLB -
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What seems clear is Bell won't be able to match the $33M guarantee he got last winter. I think there will be some kind of 2-year offer out there for him though. I lean toward him testing the market because he is a Scott Boras client. Boras isn't always right! There have been times where his aggressiveness has backfired, but that hasn't changed his behavior. Of course, Bell can reject Boras' recommendation if he's fully comfortable in Miami.
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Relive all of the ups and downs of the 2023 Miami Marlins with our Fish On First Season Review, containing detailed articles about a wide variety of players. The FOF staff analyzes the individual impact that each of them had and what it means for their future with the organization. This installment focuses on first baseman/designated hitter Garrett Cooper. 2023 TimelineMay 3—placed on 10-day injured list (inner ear infection)May 12—sent on minor league rehab assignment to Jacksonville Jumbo ShrimpMay 14—activated from 10-day injured list —traded along with RHP Sean Reynolds to the San Diego Padres for LHP Ryan WeathersOverall season stats: 123 G, .251/.304/.419, 96 wRC+, 17 HR, 0 SB, 0.3 fWAR (age-32 season) Marlins stats: 82 G, .256/.296/.426, 93 wRC+, 13 HR, 0 SB, 0.2 fWAR There weren't a whole lot of spicy "position battles" to monitor during 2023 Marlins spring training, but the role of backup first baseman was still yet to be decided. Although Garrett Cooper had been a good hitter throughout the past half-decade and earned a National League All-Star selection the year before, he had repeatedly failed to stay on the field. However much you want to attribute that to fragility vs. simple bad luck, the Marlins needed to account for his perennial lack of availability. The club wanted newcomer Luis Arraez to focus entirely on second base, though at least he could cover first in emergencies. Catcher Nick Fortes got some spring reps at the position. So did Jordan Groshans and Jerar Encarnación—like Fortes, that wasn't their natural position. None of these internal options distinguished themselves, so with less than three weeks until Opening Day, the Marlins inked free agent Yuli Gurriel to a minor league deal. He showed enough during that brief trial (particularly defensively) to secure the final roster spot. Gurriel's presence allowed the Marlins to manage Cooper's workload, resting him about once per week and occasionally sliding him over to the designated hitter spot. Overall, it was the most durable season of his major league career. However, Coop's effectiveness at the plate was below his usual standards. He lacked discipline and struck out in nearly 30% of his Marlins plate appearances while walking only 5.3% of the time; from 2018-2022, those rates were 25.9% and 9.0%, respectively. He was mashing left-handed pitching (138 wRC+), but every other aspect of his offensive profile was underwhelming. Coming out of the All-Star break, it was unsurprising to see rumors swirl about the slumping Marlins pursuing lineup upgrades, but they wouldn't mess with the Cooper/Gurriel duo...right? The possibility of shaking up the first base situation began feeling very real the week before the trade deadline when Miami was reported to be one of the bidders for Carlos Santana, who was ultimately dealt from Pittsburgh to Milwaukee. Mere hours before the Aug. 1 deadline arrived, Kim Ng and her front office shook up the Marlins offense in a series of moves. They acquired Josh Bell from the Cleveland Guardians to be their primary first baseman down the stretch. Cooper and minor league reliever Sean Reynolds departed for the San Diego Padres in exchange for Ryan Weathers. As a pending free agent in the midst of an unremarkable season, Coop understandably carried very minimal surplus value. At the time, Bell's numbers were not clearly better than Cooper's, but the Marlins were richly rewarded for betting on his underlying batted ball data: Later that month, Cooper faced his former teammates when the Fish visited Petco Park. He reached base safely five times during the series (3-for-8, 2 BB). He started about half of the Padres' post-deadline games. His platoon splits were even more pronounced and he was a net-negative in terms of win probability added. The Padres finished two games back of the final NL Wild Card spot. This wasn't the kind of walk year that Cooper hoped for. That being said, he avoided significant injuries and set new personal bests for home runs, RBIs, total bases and games played. Highlights/Lowlightshttps://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-04/27/25bacd68-dd42eebf-831bd2e2-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Cooper's game-winning double completes comeback vs. Braves (4/27/23)https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-06/22/4ea363c6-703f684b-1a3adf48-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_16000K.mp4Cooper's go-ahead home run vs. Pirates (6/22/23)https://sporty-clips.mlb.com/39c144cb-44e4-47ee-8bd8-6e4690365355.mp4Cooper completes "golden sombrero" vs. Cardinals with strikeout on non-competitive pitch (7/18/23)Future with the MarlinsIt's not like Cooper and the Marlins ended things on bad terms, so there is at least a longshot scenario that involves them reuniting. For that to happen this offseason, Bell would have to opt out of his contract and sign elsewhere—there's too much redundancy in their skillsets to justify paying market rate for both. Cooper's highest bidder should be willing to go slightly above his 2023 salary of $3.9 million. Given his injury history and recent issues performing against same-handed pitching, perhaps there'd be performance bonuses in the deal based on plate appearances. Photo by Noah Berger/Fish On First -
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There's a Bob Nightengale report suggesting that the Padres will promote from within (Ryan Flaherty or Mike Shildt, who are already on their coaching staff). Should get more clarity this week. New managers are often introduced right before the World Series and seems like that will apply to Melvin.
