Ely Sussman

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's road series against the Atlanta Braves. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) C Agustín Ramírez 1B Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez RF Owen Caissie (L) DH Connor Norby LF Javier Sanoja 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Max Meyer Click HERE to download the full game notes (preview below)

The Miami Marlins have played solid ball early in the 2026 season, as reflected in their 9-8 record and positive run differential. But it hasn't consistently felt that way. During each of their first two visits to northern cities, the quality of their play has eroded in all facets, from hitting and pitching to baserunning and fielding to simple decision-making. Coincidence, or is there something to be said for Floridians being adversely affected when they encounter a climate dramatically different from their own? How have the Marlins performed historically when playing in cold conditions? Here's what I found. For starters, we have to establish what qualifies as "cold weather" for the Marlins. The baseline temperature at loanDepot park with the roof closed is 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Stathead allows users to search for games based on their first-pitch temperature, so I ran a query of all games in franchise history that were at least 15 degrees colder than the LDP standard (57°F or lower). That produced a sample of 185 games, including at least one from every Marlins season with the exception of 2020, when COVID delayed Opening Day until the summer. When playing ball at <57°F, the Fish have an all-time record of 78-107 (.422 winning percentage). They've gone 1-3 in the cold so far in 2026, playing two such games apiece against the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. Using first-pitch temperature is not perfect. What about when it's slightly above 57° as a night game gets underway, but the majority of the game (including its highest-leverage moments) take place under "cold" conditions? Stathead found an additional 44 Marlins night games between 58°-60°—their record was 19-25 (a comparable .431 W-L%). For context, the Marlins have an all-time .461 W-L% overall, which is a 75-win pace over a typical 162-game season. When it's cold (based on my original parameters), they perform at a 68-win pace. Is that statistically significant? I don't think so. The gap would be smaller if we counted cold postseason games. The Marlins are 6-2 in those, with one of those victories being the 2003 World Series clincher. But the biggest variable to adjust for is location. Every cold game in Marlins history has been a road game. The franchise's road winning percentage (.421 W-L%) is practically identical to its cold winning percentage. The Marlins could potentially be battling cold conditions again on their next road trip, which begins with three games at San Francisco's Oracle Park (April 24-26). The following trip includes a visit to Target Field in Minneapolis (May 12-14). View full article

Looking like another full week without Stowers, unfortunately

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's road series against the Atlanta Braves. In three previous starts against the Braves, Eury Pérez has struggled to the tune of a 12.19 ERA. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Agustín Ramírez C Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez RF Owen Caissie (L) 1B Connor Norby LF Heriberto Hernández 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Eury Pérez Click HERE to download the full game notes

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (three-game series) 2. Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) Recent history tells us that the Miami Marlins are difficult to predict, but that won't stop us from trying. Welcome to a new season of Prediction Time. Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring the prognostications from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF SuperSubs Parker Heyser and Robert Hanson currently sit atop the 2026 leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Grant Holmes (ATL) on Monday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Reynaldo López (DET) on Tuesday RHP Chris Paddack (MIA) vs. RHP Bryce Elder (ATL) on Wednesday The Marlins rank 10th in MLB with a 103 wRC+ and 17th in MLB with a 4.07 FIP. They are 3-7 in their last 10 games and have a 1-5 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Maximo Acosta (10-day IL), Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Christopher Morel (10-day IL), Esteury Ruiz (10-day IL) and Kyle Stowers (10-day IL). The Braves rank third in MLB with a 123 wRC+ and sixth in MLB with a 3.58 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 6-3 record at home this season. The following Braves players are on the injured list: Joe Jiménez (60-day IL), Ha-Seong Kim (10-day IL), Sean Murphy (10-day IL), Spencer Schwellenbach (60-day IL), AJ Smith-Shawver (60-day IL), Spencer Strider (15-day IL), Hurston Waldrep (15-day IL) and Joey Wentz (60-day IL). View full article

Fish On First LIVE discusses the status of Marlins pitching prospect Robby Snelling. With the club having secured control of him through the 2032 season, how much longer until he debuts in the majors? View full video

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the third and final game of Miami's road series against the Detroit Tigers. It will take a win to avoid being swept for the first time in 2026. Starting Lineup RF Austin Slater C Agustín Ramírez CF Jakob Marsee (L) SS Otto Lopez LF Heriberto Hernández 1B Connor Norby 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Deyvison De Los Santos 3B Javier Sanoja P Sandy Alcantara Click HERE to download the full game notes

The Miami Marlins didn't exactly attack the 2025-26 offseason with an urgency to turn themselves into contenders. Should the team take a step forward and qualify for the playoffs, it will be largely because their youngest players improved organically. Meanwhile, the acquisitions from outside the organization lacked both imagination and quality. You could argue that the Marlins would've been better off retaining an even higher percentage of last year's squad. It begins with the starting rotation. Anticipating the 2026 debuts of top pitching prospects Thomas White and Robby Snelling, the Marlins traded away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers to the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, respectively. Infuriatingly, Cabrera would seemingly open every season with some kind of injury. This has been an exception. Through five starts with the Cubs, he's been available and consistent. Cabrera has posted a 2.73 ERA and 3.63 FIP while averaging six innings per outing. The Cubs have won all but one of his starts. The 28-year-old right-hander is also uncharacteristically controlling the running game to an extent. Two would-be base-stealers have been thrown out on six attempts, compared to only four on 39 attempts last season. The Marlins did their best to spoil Weathers' home debut as a Yankee on April 4 (3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K). However, the left-hander wriggled off the hook thanks to offensive support from his teammates. Weathers has turned the page on that to help propel the Yanks to the American League's best record. He owns a 3.21 ERA and 3.39 FIP in six starts with 33 ⅔ innings pitched. He's on pace for career-bests in both strikeout rate (29.2%) and walk rate (5.8 %). It's easy to project how the Marlins would be better off had they kept either Cabrera or Weathers. They'd be occupying the rotation spot that currently belongs to free agent signing Chris Paddack (6.38 ERA and 4.63 FIP with losses in all four of his starts). Those trades brought back a total of seven prospects to Miami. Only one of them, Owen Caissie, is expected to have a significant major league impact this season. Thus far, that impact has been negative—Caissie has been MLB's most strikeout-prone hitter, with overall contributions that are slightly below replacement level. Caissie is five years younger than Troy Johnston with significantly more raw power. His long-term ceiling is higher, but that does not guarantee he'll ever reach it, and there's no comparison between them production-wise right now. Waived by the Marlins following the conclusion of the 2025 season, Johnston has settled in nicely with the Colorado Rockies. Splitting time between right field and first base, he's slashing .315/.371/.449 with a 119 wRC+ and 16 runs batted in. The most eye-popping rate stats among former Fish belong to Joey Wiemer. Discarded for cash considerations in November, he's slashing .320/.414/.580 through 22 games with the Washington Nationals, generating 0.9 fWAR to practically match his career total from the 2023-25 seasons. Wiemer is running circles around the right-handed-hitting outfielders that the Marlins have used instead, Heriberto Hernández and Austin Slater. Here are quick hits on each of the other players who finished the 2025 regular season on the Marlins 40-man roster and wound up with different organizations: - Dane Myers (Cincinnati Reds) is on the small side of a center field platoon. Facing predominantly lefties, he has slashed .263/.404/.341 (118 wRC+). An encouraging sign moving forward: he is chasing pitches outside of the strike zone at approximately half of his career rate. - Working as a middle reliever, George Soriano (St. Louis Cardinals) has a 4.76 ERA and 4.54 FIP through 12 appearances (11.1 IP). He's done well in terms of limiting hard contact, surrendering only one home run for his new club. - Freddy Tarnok asked out of his contract to pursue a rotation job with Japan's Hiroshima Carp. He has logged 28 innings pitched in five starts with a 3.86 ERA and 23.3 K%. - Valente Bellozo (Colorado Rockies), Victor Mesa Jr. (Tampa Bay Rays), Christian Roa (Minnesota Twins), Josh Simpson (Seattle Mariners), Eric Wagaman (Twins) and Jack Winkler (Houston Astros) are playing at the Triple-A level. The best performer of the bunch has been Mesa (.323/.417/.565, 2 HR and 157 wRC+ in 16 G), though he is currently injured, as was the case all too often in recent seasons. View full article

We saw some of Mesa and Maximo Acosta. If Troy Johnston failed, maybe that would've opened the door for Berry too, but he provided stability in August and September.

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the second game of Miami's road series against the Detroit Tigers. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) C Agustín Ramírez DH Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez RF Owen Caissie (L) 1B Connor Norby 3B Graham Pauley (L) LF Heriberto Hernández P Janson Junk Click HERE to download the full game notes

I have never seen anything like it. Miami Marlins prospect Jacob Berry, whose value on the field depends entirely on what he provides offensively, is always helpless at the plate early in the season. "Helpless" is a strong word, but you can check his track record—it's been warranted. Early in the 2023 season, Berry was the worst hitter in the Midwest League. Early in the 2024 season, he was the worst hitter in the Southern League. Early in the 2025 season, he was the worst hitter in the International League. Not only worst on his team, but yes, worst in his league (among players who avoided demotion to a lower minor league level). On this date last year, for example, his batting average was .097. To put this baffling trend in its proper context, I'll use wRC+. With ballpark and league factors taken into account, 100 represents average offensive production. During the past three seasons, here is how long it took for Berry to permanently surpass a 50 wRC+ (production at least half as good as league average): June 13 in 2023 June 23 in 2024 May 18 in 2025 This spring, when Berry squandered an extended opportunity in big league camp—he went 1-for-25 in Grapefruit League games—it felt like déjà vu. But to his credit, Berry is off to an uncharacteristically hot start to the 2026 regular season. The best all-around performer in the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp lineup thus far, the switch-hitter enters Saturday with a .333/.405/.472 slash line, one home run, a 141 wRC+ and nearly as many walks (five) as strikeouts (six). He also tops the Marlins MiLB leaderboard with six stolen bases. The Marlins have been very patient with Berry, playing him in an organization-high 369 minor league games since 2023, his first full professional season. Part of that is giving him every chance to make good on their $6 million investment in him, but his ability to hit hard line drives from both sides of the plate is legitimately enticing. Per Prospect Savant, he ranks in the 87th percentile among all Triple-A hitters in whiff rate this season (making contact on five out of every six swings). Berry's batted ball profile is downright sexy right now, with a higher percentage of liners (35.5%) than grounders (32.3%). Under the hood, his expected stats are fully aligned with his real-life production. This comes with a big caveat. Berry is repeating the Triple-A level, where he spent the final month of the 2024 season and all of 2025. It's common for minor leaguers to experience dramatic year-to-year improvement based on familiarity with their environment. After Berry floundered during the first quarter of last season, he hit well throughout the rest of the campaign. And yet, the Marlins never called up the 24-year-old, nor did they protect him in advance of the 2025 Rule 5 draft. He went unselected. Friday's shutout loss notwithstanding, the Marlins offense has been good in 2026 (ranking top 10 in MLB in most categories). Though they're vulnerable against left-handed pitching, Berry is significantly better against righties, so there isn't a clear fit for him on the roster quite yet. Needless to say, if his current rate stats sustain deep into the summer, he will eventually get a taste of the majors. View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the first game of Miami's road series against the Detroit Tigers. The news on outfielder Griffin Conine is close to a worst-case scenario, with surgery likely required to address the hamstring injury that he suffered on Thursday. Pregame roster moves: 1B Deyvison De Los Santos recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville; OF Griffin Conine (left hamstring tear). Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Agustín Ramírez C Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez RF Owen Caissie (L) 1B Connor Norby 3B Graham Pauley (L) LF Javier Sanoja P Chris Paddack Click HERE to download the full game notes

Two weeks into the regular season, the Miami Marlins find themselves in an unfamiliar spot: tied atop the National League East division. Even in such a minuscule sample, it's worth acknowledging for a franchise that for the previous half-decade had a habit of instantaneously falling out of the race. While the local fanbase can't help but feel encouraged by this 8-5 start, it is not motivating them to actually show up to loanDepot park yet. The building was mostly full for Opening Day (32,459), but hasn't even reached half of its capacity since. The Marlins rank 29th among MLB teams in average home attendance so far this season. At 11,713 fans per game, they just barely edge out the Athletics (11,503/game), who host games at a minor league ballpark. Below, I've compared 2026 to every other "normal" season of Bruce Sherman's ownership tenure. Fans were not permitted to attend games in 2020 due to COVID restrictions, and the ballpark's capacity was limited for the first half of 2021 to allow sufficient social distancing, so those seasons have been omitted. The last time that the Marlins got off to such a slow start attendance-wise without a pandemic to blame for it, José Ureña was still anchoring the starting rotation and Lewis Brinson was viewed as a long-term contributor. loanDepot park Attendance, First 10 Games of Season Year Fans/Game Opponents 2024 16,083 PIT, LAA, ATL 2022 15,058 PHI, STL, SEA 2025 14,595 PIT, NYM, WSH 2023 14,507 NYM, MIN, AZ 2018 12,062 CHC, BOS, NYM, PIT 2026 11,713 COL, CWS, CIN 2019 10,542 COL, NYM, PHI There are some legitimate excuses to consider in this case. Historically, Marlins attendance has been very strongly correlated to the day of the week. The numbers skyrocket on weekends. Last season, for example, 16 of the 17 best-attended Marlins home games were on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with the lone exception being Opening Day (which was celebrated on a Thursday). Every season from 2022-25, Miami's first 10 home games included two full weekends. The calendar has not favored them the same way this year. The only weekend series they've hosted was March 27-29 against the Colorado Rockies, who are widely projected to be MLB's worst team. After the Rockies left town, the Marlins' next opponent was the Chicago White Sox, whose roster is similarly bereft of recognizable big leaguers. On the other hand, the Marlins have been playing high-quality baseball since last summer. How is it that their fan turnout is so comparable to 2018-19 when they fielded some of the least-competitive teams in this stadium's history? If any individual Marlin has the potential to move the needle in terms of attendance, it should be ace right-hander Sandy Alcantara. Conveniently, each of his first three starts coincided with home games. They failed to capitalize on the latter two—his April 1 shutout of the White Sox was the worst-attended Marlins game to date (6,505) and his April 7 encore drew the smallest crowd of the Cincinnati Reds series (8,318). The Marlins spend the next week on the road, followed by a six-game homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals beginning on April 17. View full article

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (three-game series) 2. Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) Recent history tells us that the Miami Marlins are difficult to predict, but that won't stop us from trying. Welcome to a new season of Prediction Time. Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring the prognostications from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF staffer Kevin Barral currently sits atop the 2026 leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Chris Paddack (MIA) vs. RHP Keider Montero (DET) on Friday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. RHP Casey Mize (DET) on Saturday RHP Sandy Alcantara (MIA) vs. LHP Tarik Skubal (DET) on Sunday The Marlins rank fifth in MLB with a 113 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.82 FIP. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have a 1-2 record on the road this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Maximo Acosta (10-day IL), Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL), Adam Mazur (60-day IL), Christopher Morel (10-day IL), Esteury Ruiz (10-day IL) and Kyle Stowers (10-day IL). The Tigers rank 10th in MLB with a 106 wRC+ and 18th in MLB with a 4.03 FIP. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games and have a 2-1 record at home this season. The following Tigers players are on the injured list: Beau Briske (60-day IL), Bailey Horn (15-day IL), Jackson Job (60-day IL), Parker Meadows (10-day IL), Troy Melton (60-day IL), Reese Olson (60-day IL), Trey Sweeney (10-day IL) and Justin Verlander (15-day IL). View full article

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the fourth and final game of Miami's home series against the Cincinnati Reds. Starting Lineup DH Jakob Marsee (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) C Agustín Ramírez 1B Liam Hicks (L) SS Otto Lopez RF Owen Caissie (L) LF Griffin Conine (L) CF Javier Sanoja 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Max Meyer Click HERE to download the full game notes

Here are the latest Miami Marlins game notes, produced by the Marlins communications department and relayed to our loyal readers. These notes apply to the third game of Miami's home series against the Cincinnati Reds. It's a rare day off for Otto Lopez. Another loss would drop the Marlins down to the .500 mark for the first time this season. Starting Lineup CF Jakob Marsee (L) 2B Xavier Edwards (S) DH Agustín Ramírez C Liam Hicks (L) 1B Connor Norby RF Owen Caissie (L) LF Griffin Conine (L) SS Leo Jiménez 3B Graham Pauley (L) P Eury Pérez Click HERE to download the full game notes

I'm glad you noted the lack of accountability from McCullough postgame, because that will stain his reputation moving forward. Even in an organization that preaches good process over good results, you're going to alienate not only fans but your own players if you don't own up to a decision that directly flipped an almost-certain win into a loss.

SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: 1. How many games will the Marlins win in this series? (four-game series) 2. Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) Once again in 2026, I will be monitoring Miami Marlins predictions from our valued SuperSubs, Fish On First staffers and livestream guests. Individual article pages like this one will be created prior to every Marlins series and featured prominently on the FOF site. Consistent participation is key if you want to win this annual contest. Submissions only take a few seconds. Scoring system A "perfect" series is worth three points: Earn one point for predicting which team will win the upcoming series Earn one point for predicting the precise number of victories for each team Earn one point for predicting the “Series MVP” who accumulated the highest win probability added (WPA) during the series as calculated by FanGraphs (could pick a player from either team) Here is a reminder of what the 2025 season leaderboard looked like. FOF SuperSub Sean Millerick currently sits atop the 2026 leaderboard, which will be updated between every Marlins series. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks on this page, or join the Marlins Discord Server and submit there. We'll feature them on the upcoming Fish On First LIVE episode and track your points throughout the season! Any picks submitted prior to the first pitch of the series opener will be counted. If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. Series preview notes Probable starting pitchers: RHP Eury Pérez (MIA) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (PHI) on Friday RHP Max Meyer (MIA) vs. RHP Andrew Painter (PHI) on Saturday RHP Chris Paddack (MIA) vs. LHP Jesús Luzardo (PHI) on Sunday RHP Janson Junk (MIA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (PHI) on Monday The Marlins rank 14th in MLB with a 99 wRC+ and 13th in MLB with a 3.96 FIP. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and have a 10-6 record at home this season. The following Marlins players are on the injured list: Griffin Conine (10-day IL), Pete Fairbanks (15-day IL), Ronny Henriquez (60-day IL) and Adam Mazur (60-day IL). The Phillies rank 27th in MLB with a 85 wRC+ and seventh in MLB with a 3.77 FIP. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have an 4-9 record on the road this season. The following Phillies players are on the injured list: Kyle Backhus (15-day IL), Jhoan Duran (15-day IL), Max Lazar (60-day IL), Zach Pop (15-day IL) and J.T. Realmuto (10-day IL). View full article

Slater's salary is only slightly above the minimum, for what it's worth. I would find the frustration more understandable if Alderman was hitting the way he's capable of in Jacksonville, but he has stumbled out of the starting gate, too.