Fish On First Staff

Special guests join the Fish On First staff in making series predictions for the three-game set between the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals. View full video

The Fish On First LIVE Marlins vs. Cardinals series preview show streams Wednesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Join us live or enjoy the replay. SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: How many games will the Marlins win in this series? Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) Our Miami Marlins series preview streams are back with new episodes leading up to the first pitch of every 2024 series opener. Special guests join Fish On First staffers to provide honest analysis of the Marlins and their upcoming opponent. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks. We'll feature them on the livestream and track your points on a leaderboard throughout the season! If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. FOF LIVE is presented by Berger & Hicks. If you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, give them a call at (305) 670-7050. You're encouraged to participate in the live chat via YouTube, Twitter or Facebook to ask questions and share your own takes. View full article

Special guests join the Fish On First staff in making series predictions for the three-game set between the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels. View full video

Marlins right-hander Max Meyer describes what it was like pitching in the majors for the first time since July 2022. View full video

The Fish On First LIVE Marlins vs. Angels series preview show streams Monday from 5:30-6:30 p.m. ET on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Join us live or enjoy the replay. SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: How many games will the Marlins win in this series? Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) Our Miami Marlins series preview streams are back with new episodes leading up to the first pitch of every 2024 series opener. Special guests join Fish On First staffers to provide honest analysis of the Marlins and their upcoming opponent. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks. We'll feature them on the livestream and track your points on a leaderboard throughout the season! If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. FOF LIVE is presented by Berger & Hicks. If you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, give them a call at (305) 670-7050. You're encouraged to participate in the live chat via YouTube, Twitter or Facebook to ask questions and share your own takes. View full article

A last-minute addition to the Opening Day roster, Jonah Bride discusses his Miami Marlins debut and the support he's gotten from his new teammates. View full video

Who's the best at predicting the outcome and top individual performers for each Miami Marlins series? Here at Fish On First, we produce livestream panel discussions during the MLB regular season counting down to the start of each new Marlins series. The final segment of the show is always “Prediction Time.” We will be tracking the 2024 results on this page with prognostications from the FOF staff, stream guests and SuperSubs. This is how the scoring system works: 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) That's a maximum of three points per series. The grand prize for the 2024 Prediction Time points leader will be a teal throwback Florida Marlins Starter jacket. FOF LIVE is presented by Berger & Hicks. If you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, give them a call at (305) 670-7050. Last series All of this season's Prediction Time segments are embedded below. {playlist} View full article

Special guests join the Fish On First staff in making series predictions for the four-game set between the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates. View full video

Opening Day prognostications from each of the people involved in FOF's Miami Marlins coverage. Just in time for the start of the 2024 season, each Fish On First staffer was asked to predict what the Miami Marlins' win-loss record will be along with the team's most valuable player. Let's cut straight to the chase, shall we? None of us foresee the Marlins improving upon their charmed 2023 campaign. Ely Sussman: 74-88 record, team MVP Luis Arraez Admittedly, there is a path for the Marlins to finish with 84-plus wins and return to the postseason. That outcome requires good health and the cooperation of the team's decision-makers. If Eury Pérez evades elbow surgery and spends the majority of 2024 in the starting rotation...if Avisaíl García is absent from the majority of Skip Schumaker's lineups...if Jazz Chisholm Jr. never lands on the injured list...if Tim Anderson's production vaguely resembles his career norms...if A.J. Puk's run prevention numbers hold steady in his expanded role...if they once again save their best work for clutch situations...if Peter Bendix resists the urge to make any more Jon Berti-like trades that flip productive veterans into far-away prospects...check all of those boxes and it'll be an unambiguously successful year at the major league level. However, my median projection is a 10-win dip from the prior season. The Marlins are largely devoid of disciplined hitters and good fielders. Their full potential at the plate won't be realized if they're constantly punting on opportunities to walk or to even get into advantageous counts. Their full potential on the mound won't be realized if their arms are backed by a defense that lacks range and situational awareness. Luis Arraez is the ultimate floor-raiser, a steady presence both on and off the field. He'll be Miami's MVP regardless of whether wins above replacement corroborates that sentiment. But my chief concern is the competitiveness of the National League. The Fish are definitively better than the Colorado Rockies and the Washington Nationals...and that might be it. In 2023, they were the beneficiary of several baffling meltdowns by talented teams. In 2024, they are more likely to finish with the NL's third-worst record than among the league's top six again. Ordered from most pessimistic to most optimistic, here's how the rest of the FOF staff envisions this Marlins season unfolding... Louis Addeo-Weiss: 71-91 record, team MVP Luis Arraez Alex Carver: 71-91 record, team MVP A.J. Puk Daniel Rodriguez: 75-87 record, team MVP A.J. Puk Kevin Barral: 76-86 record, team MVP Jazz Chisholm Jr. Mike Ferguson: 77-85 record, team MVP Jazz Chisholm Jr. Alex Krutchik: 77-85 record, team MVP Jesús Luzardo Isaac Azout: 78-84 record, team MVP A.J. Puk Laura Georgia: 78-84 record, team MVP Jesús Luzardo Hector Rodriguez: 78-84 record, team MVP Luis Arraez Danis Sosa: 79-83 record, team MVP Luis Arraez John Turlington: 79-83 record, team MVP Luis Arraez Nate Karzmer: 80-82 record, team MVP Jazz Chisholm Jr. Nick Turok: 80-82 record, team MVP Jake Burger Noah Berger: 84-78 record, team MVP Jake Burger Average record prediction: 77-85 Most popular team MVP pick: Luis Arraez View full article

The Fish On First LIVE Marlins vs. Pirates series preview show streams Thursday from 2:00-4:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. Join us live or enjoy the replay. SuperSubs, comment below with your Prediction Time picks: How many games will the Marlins win in this series? Who will be the Series MVP? (determined by win probability added) Our Miami Marlins series preview streams are back with new episodes leading up to the first pitch of every 2024 series opener. Special guests join Fish On First staffers to provide honest analysis of the Marlins and their upcoming opponent. If you are a SuperSub, leave a comment with your Prediction Time picks. We'll feature them on the livestream and track your points on a leaderboard throughout the season! If you are not a SuperSub, please consider signing up here to support the FOF staff. FOF LIVE is presented by Berger & Hicks. If you’ve been injured as a result of somebody else’s negligence, give them a call at (305) 670-7050. You're encouraged to participate in the live chat via YouTube, Twitter or Facebook to ask questions and share your own takes. View full article

The Miami Marlins enter 2024 with a starting rotation already battered, beaten, and predominately left-handed. We take a look back through history to put this anomaly in its proper context. Louis Addeo-Weiss and Kevin Barral collaborated on the following article. The initial 2024 Miami Marlins starting rotation is set. Left-handers Jesús Luzardo, A.J. Puk, Ryan Weathers and Trevor Rogers all made the cut. At least for the early portion of the regular season, that means their rotation will be more southpaw-reliant than any other in Marlins history. Max Meyer will be the fifth starter, making him the only right-handed pitcher in the rotation. The MLB record for most starts by left-handed pitchers in a season is 127, set by the 1983 New York Yankees. Though unlikely the Marlins will match or best this mark, should starters Edward Cabrera (shoulder) and Eury Pérez (elbow) miss extended time, Miami could find themselves trotting out lefties far more than they're accustomed to. It's worth noting, too, the absence of another left-handed starter, Braxton Garrett, who will miss the start of the season due to shoulder soreness, but is on track to reclaim his major league rotation spot by the end of April. In what may best be described as baseball's "golden age" of analytics, utilizing a rotation of primarily same-handed hurlers goes against the grain of confronting hitters with "different looks" on the mound. History has shown that teams who do so in this fashion have managed to remain quite successful. Of the 27 teams since the start of the modern era (1901) to have at least 100 of their games started by left-handers, 18 of them have finished at or above .500. Five of those teams ('65 Dodgers, '73 Mets, '91 Braves, '17 Dodgers and '18 Red Sox) went to the World Series, with an additional five making postseason appearances. These teams played to a collective .532 winning percentage record. For comparison's sake, that's akin to the 2022 Philadelphia Phillies (86-76), who would go on to appear in that year's World Series Even for some of those clubs who failed to play October baseball, their rotations were effective despite frequently dealing with a platoon disadvantage. The 2015 Chicago White Sox boasted a left-handed heavy rotation that included the likes of Chris Sale, Carlos Rodón, José Quintana, and John Danks, for a South Sider's club that went 76-86, merely good enough for fourth in the American League Central. Though the pitching staff's collective 3.98 ERA ranked 14th, the club's southpaws—who accounted for 116 of the team's 162 games started—posted a far more encouraging 3.78 ERA, which would've ranked 11th in the Majors. Their 13 fWAR from lefties was 2.5 wins better than any other club. "So you're telling me there's a chance?" Yes, Lloyd, but the current-look Marlins rotation comes with numerous questions and concerns that may override the obvious talent of its members. For A.J. Puk, 2024 represents his first go-around as a starter at the big league level after spending parts of his first four seasons in the bullpen. Primarily a starter during his time at the University of Florida, Puk's last extensive work as a starter came when he made 24 starts for Oakland's High-A and Double-A affiliates in 2017. Beyond being limited to merely 18 innings in 2023, Trevor Rogers' effectiveness is in serious doubt. The former All-Star boasts a 5.26 ERA (4.32 FIP) in 27 starts since the 2022 season, and Rogers' fastball velocity has not yet been restored to his pre-injury norm. Year Tm W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9 SO/W 2022-2023 MIA 5 13 .278 5.26 27 27 0 0 0 0 125.0 132 78 73 17 51 0 125 8 0 5 556 79 4.32 1.464 9.5 1.2 3.7 9.0 2.45 Average 2 6 14 14 0 0 0 0 62 66 39 36 8 26 0 62 4 0 2 278 per 162 games 6 16 34 34 0 0 0 0 157 166 98 92 21 64 0 157 10 0 6 700 Despite an encouraging spring, the return on Ryan Weathers' early big league career has been anything but, as evidenced by a 5.88 ERA and 1.53 WHIP across parts of three seasons. Former first-round pick Max Meyer hasn't pitched since July 2022 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and the Marlins had every intention of sending him down to the minors for further refinement prior to Eury Pérez's elbow issue. Luzardo, undoubtedly the safest of the bunch, does not find himself immune to skepticism, either. His .616 opponent OPS when facing hitters the first time jumps to .727 when facing a second time, and .855 when seeing them for a third time, a mark which ranked 41st of the 46 starters to face at least 150 hitters in said spots. The Marlins will be counting on him to sustain his success deeper into his starts while also duplicating his 2023 feat of making every scheduled appearance. View full article

Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix discusses the next steps for injured pitcher Eury Pérez, how the team will make final roster decisions and much more. View full video

With injuries compounding, the Marlins’ starting pitching depth is immediately being tested. Which of these candidates is closest to earning their shot to join the big league roster? Alex Carver and Kevin Barral joined forces to produce the following article... It’s been a turbulent month for Marlins starting pitching. On top of ace Sandy Alcantara being out for the entirety of 2024 following Tommy John surgery, injuries have stricken multiple members of the projected rotation including Braxton Garrett (shoulder soreness) and Edward Cabrera (shoulder impingement). The most recent domino fell on Saturday night when it was revealed Eury Pérez, who had been dealing with a fingernail issue, had also experienced elbow soreness. The diagnosis still has not been announced as of Wednesday afternoon. Even if it is a best-case scenario, the 20-year-old’s availability for Opening Day has been wiped out. With Garrett, Pérez, and Cabrera all missing time to start the season, that leaves Jesús Luzardo and reliever-turned-starter A.J. Puk as the only remaining locks to make the Marlins’ Opening Day rotation. Both are lefties. If a move outside of the organization is not made, Miami will have to dip into its pitching depth. Here is a look at some internal candidates who should be considered in that capacity. Max Meyer The last time Max Meyer stepped foot on a mound in a regular season game was in 2022. Since then, the Marlins' 2020 first-round pick has been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Through his three appearances this spring, Meyer went seven innings where he gave up one run (unearned) off of four hits and one walk. Meyer struck out five, but was eventually optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville. With the loss of three rotation pieces, Meyer would be the best option, but when he hasn’t pitched since 2022, the Marlins would most likely want to ease him back into the swing of things before throwing him into a meaningful major league game. Ryan Weathers One of the best stories this spring has been the emergence of Ryan Weathers. Initial expectations for him in 2024 weren’t very high, but he changed opinions quickly. Through five starts thus far, Weathers has gone 18 innings pitched where he gave up six earned runs, walked four, but has struck out 21 hitters. The velocity for Weathers is what has stood out, as he has topped out at 99 mph and has typically at between 95-97 mph this spring. He's shown far more swing-and-miss potential than he did during his previous MLB opportunities. Weathers' strong spring injects him into the rotation right away as a No. 4 or No. 5 starter. The only concern is that aside from a Game 162 start, Weathers has struggled at the MLB level, so it’ll be interesting to see how long of a leash the Marlins will give Weathers. Bryan Hoeing Hoeing is a sizable 6’6” righty who was drafted and developed by the Fish. A member of the Marlins for 33 games in 2023 and an additional eight in 2022, he has a 5.48 MLB ERA. Hoeing also isn’t known for quality of stuff. Although his whiff rate did improve in 2023, it still sat at just 19%. What Hoeing does well, at his best, is generate weak contact by usage of his mid-90s sinker, the most effective pitch he throws from his extremely shortened distance to the plate. A hard guy to pick up if he’s commanding properly that attempts to work the lower half as consistently as possible, Hoeing ended last season in the 65th percentile for groundball rate. He’s looked solid in five games this spring, allowing just two earned runs in 8 ⅔ innings. He’s not a flashy guy, but he’s a grinder and a prime candidate the Marlins may need to rely upon in their Opening Day rotation. Vladimir Gutierrez Gutierrez was originally set to sign a split contract with the Marlins, but behind-the-scenes issues happened and Gutierrez settled for a minor league deal with an opt-out. With the news of Pérez, Gutierrez becomes an option to take his 40-man roster spot in the event of a lengthy IL stint. Through his four games thus far, Gutierrez hasn’t given up a run, walked two, given up three hits and struck out seven. Once a starter, Gutierrez underwent Tommy John, but has shown flashes of his rookie self and can become that No. 5 starter for the Marlins with the experience he provides. Yonny Chirinos Like Gutierrez, Chirinos signed a minor league deal with an invite to camp. Unlike Gutierrez in this case, he has more experience at the highest level. Chirinos has been in the majors for five years now, all but one of those with the Rays. Chirinos' best season came in 2019 where he gave the Rays 133 ⅓ innings, posting a 3.85 ERA, 4.44 FIP, 7.7 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and a 114 ERA+. Through his first three seasons, Chirinos had an ERA+ over 100 (league average). Although Chirinos isn’t the pitcher he once was, maybe the new opportunity in Miami can help him out and give him a chance to resemble his once-rotation-option self. He was reassigned to minor league camp on Wednesday morning. Patrick Monteverde pat Untitled.mp4 Monteverde was the Marlins’ 8th rounder in 2021 and has been pushed quickly through the minor league ranks. This past season, he enjoyed great success with the Double-A Blue Wahoos, throwing to a 3.32 ERA in 114 IP before getting a small cup of coffee in Triple-A to end the season. Though his walk rate did rise to a career high in 2023, Monteverde provided length regularly—in 16 of his starts, he made it to at least the 6th inning. Reasons for the higher walk rate can partially be attributed to the Southern League experimenting with pre-tacked baseballs then reverting midseason. Monteverde doesn’t have overpowering stuff and he is a lefty which the Marlins already have a plethora of, but his penchant for providing length, mixing speeds with a wide arsenal of five pitches, and his ability to stay on the field health-wise give him a good chance to make his debut in 2024, possibly as a member of the Opening Day roster. Darren McCaughan McCaughan came to the Marlins late this offseason after being waived by the Seattle Mariners. Having just turned 28 yesterday, McCaughan threw for just the second time this spring for the big league team. He gave up five runs in 3 ⅓ innings. He’s coming off of a 2023 campaign in the hitter-friendly PCL where he did much of the same. Repeating AAA, he had a 5.83 ERA. He gave up 30 home runs. Where McCaughan has been effective in his AAA career is limiting walks, holding his walk rate under 8% in both 2022 and 2023. At his best, McCaughan is a tricky at-bat due to his ability to command well via an extremely low arm slot. If he can keep the ball out of the air and on the ground a bit more, he can eat innings in a swing man type role. In his last option year, Miami will want to see what they have in McCaughan sometime this season. Roddery Muñoz Muñoz is another offseason acquisition after he was DFA’d by the Pirates, who he spent two weeks with in December. He was invited to his second spring training by Miami and has allowed one run on a solo homer in six innings while striking out seven and walking three. Still just 23, Muñoz owns a lively fastball up to triple digits, usually sitting 95-97. His best secondary is a slider that he can pump up to the low 90s. Muñoz owns simple velocity, but it comes at the cost of inconsistent command and control. If the Marlins can improve how the fireballer harnesses his pitches, he has more than enough youth on his side to become an effective reliever. If Miami and Mel Stottlemyre Jr. can get more out of Muñoz's nascent changeup which they have done before on multiple occasions, he could stick as a back-end starter. Though still raw, he is an intriguing piece that Miami got for next to nothing and he’s been impressive this spring. Place Muñoz, who is electric but still raw, near the back end of the list of guys the Marlins may go to on Opening Day, but don’t count him out. View full article