Nate Karzmer

The Marlins were just nine outs away from ending the nightmare start to their 2024 season before everything came off the rails, yet again. On a day that could've been a fresh start for the Miami Marlins, Thursday's game in St. Louis featured the same themes that have kept them winless more than a week into the 2024 season. The Marlins held leads of 4-1 and 5-3, but after a five-run seventh inning from the Cardinals, they could not mount a comeback and dropped the first game of the series by a score of 8-5. This loss puts Miami at 0-8, and after the Mets walked off the Tigers this afternoon, they're left as the only winless team remaining in MLB. Busch Stadium was buzzing at a rate even higher than usual as the Cardinals and their fans celebrated their home opener. As a member of the 2011 World Series-winning Cardinals team, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker got arguably the loudest ovation as the teams were introduced for pregame introductions. Schumaker handed the ball to Ryan Weathers, hoping to bounce back after a disappointing first start against the Pirates where he went four innings, allowing seven hits and three earned runs. Weathers' final line for his second start was better: 5 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, 1 HR, 85 NP. The young lefty's second start was overall more encouraging than his start from last weekend, as he showed his ability to get out of a few intense situations with RISP. Weathers used his fastball and sweeper 64 times out of the 85 pitches he threw, with his fastball topping out at 98.2 mph and his sweeper registering six swings-and-misses. de10217f-f610bd1c-e4ddfdcf-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 The Cardinals got the scoring started with an Iván Herrera solo home run to left field in the bottom of the second inning, with Herrera depositing only one of eight sinkers that Weathers threw into the seats. The Marlins offense that put up just three runs in their last two games took only two innings to respond this time. The response came from none other than childhood Cardinals fan and St. Louis native Jake Burger. With multiple family members in attendance for his Busch Stadium debut, Burger launched a 403-foot homer off Cardinals starter Lance Lynn. Members of the Burger crew that were in attendance were shown on the broadcast absolutely loving the moment. The fun wouldn't end there for Burger, either, as in the next inning following a Josh Bell two-run blast, Burger made it back-to-back homers. While his first one was off a low-and-in sinker, his second was off a fastball, this time up and in. Miami jumped out to yet another lead early in a game, this time up 4-1 in the top of the fifth. However, anybody who has watched this team just a week into the season knows that the issue has not been getting leads in most games: it has been holding them. It only took the Cardinals about ten minutes to get two of those runs back after a throwing error from Luis Arraez and timely hitting from who else but Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. In top of the sixth, newly acquired Tim Anderson essentially produced a run on his own, hitting a single, stealing second and scoring on a wild pitch to give the Marlins a run back. The next six outs were smooth sailing for both sides, before it was the Cardinals' turn to swing the stick for the bottom of the seventh. Sixto Sánchez came into relief for Anthony Bender with just nine outs left to finally end the disaster that has been the first week of the season. What ensued, however, was just that. After getting Victor Scott II to fly out, Paul Goldschmidt reached on another error from Arraez. As is usually the case in baseball, it came back to bite the Marlins. The Cardinals got back to back hits to chase Sánchez out of the ballgame and bring the game to within one. Skip Schumaker turned to usually reliable Andrew Nardi—who has not been his 2023 self, along with the rest of the Marlins—with runners on first and second. Unfortunately for Miami, Nardi did not start his turnaround today. On the first pitch of his outing, Cardinals 2B Nolan Gorman took a sinker to the right field line, tipping off Jesús Sánchez's glove and rolling to the wall, putting the Redbirds up 6-5. Nardi allowed two more hits before getting out of the inning including a Masyn Winn triple. The Cardinals took an 8-5 lead, leaving the Marlins with just six outs to save themselves from an 0-8 start. Instead, the Marlins went down in order in both the 8th and 9th, losing 8-5 and cementing themselves as the first team since the 2016 Minnesota Twins to start a season 0-8. Those Twins are also the last team to start a season 0-9. The Marlins have an off day Friday before resuming the series on Saturday at 2:15 EST. Trevor Rogers toes the slab for Miami, with former New York Met Steven Matz doing the same for St. Louis. View full article

Though the Marlins are only one of two teams in MLB to have an 0-4 record, there were bright spots from their first set of 2024 games. Coming off a postseason berth and facing a Pittsburgh Pirates team that finished with 86 losses last year, the Miami Marlins looked to start off 2024 right where they left off and carry the momentum into the new season. What ensued over Opening Weekend, however, was quite the contrary. Miami was swept in a four-game set, blowing sizable leads in the first and last games, while getting essentially shut down in games two and three. The Marlins are now 0-4 for the first time since 2001, leading to some disgruntled fans not even a week in to the season. However, aside from the fact that there are 158 games to be played, multiple Marlins had a stellar start to their 2024 campaign in addition to encouraging trends opposite of last season. Jake Burger and Josh Bell keep on hitting When Miami acquired Burger and Bell last August at the trade deadline, they had arguably the best stretches of their career the second they arrived in South Florida. Through the first four games of 2024, they are picking off right where they left off, both currently leading the team in OPS amongst qualified players. Jake Burger, especially, is scorching hot, slashing .438/.444/.500 with only two strikeouts, which is arguably the most important part of Burger's hot start, to kick off the season. In addition, he drove in a run in all four games, the new longest streak of his career. Josh Bell is also looking like his late 2023 self, slashing .286/.474/.831 with a double. What sticks out to me most about Bell is the number of walks he has taken. His 8.9% walk rate following the trade last year was lower than any full season of his career. Fast-forward to now, just four games and 19 plate appearances into the season, Bell already has four walks (21.1 BB%). The entire series, the 31-year-old was dragging out at-bats and showing his improved plate discipline, leading to good results. Declan Cronin makes stellar first impression On the two-hour FOF Live special before Opening Day, our panel discussed which relievers could be used in high-leverage situations, other than the proven Andrew Nardi and Tanner Scott. Our panel answered with Anthony Bender and George Soriano, and expressed little confidence in a lot of the new faces or fringe pieces in the 'pen. A few hours later, however, in the tenth inning on Opening Day, Skip Schumaker turned to newly acquired Declan Cronin in a massive spot. In what was supposed to be ideally one inning of work, Cronin put on a show through three intense innings, allowing only one hit and an unearned run while striking out three. Cronin leaned on his slider the most, throwing it 20 times out of 32 pitches and getting six of his eight swinging strikes with it. While he undeservedly got the loss, Cronin showed his levelheadedness along with his filthy slider and sinker topping out at 96.1 mph. Cronin also threw an inning in Saturday's game, allowing zero runs yet again. Unfortunately, Cronin was sent down to Triple-A Jacksonville to make room for Vladimir Gutierrez in an exhausted Marlins bullpen just hours after that appearance, yet he will almost certainly be back soon after showing what he is capable of. Jazz Chisholm Jr. continues to be a game-changer Finally, Opening Weekend showed everyone just how much a healthy Jazz Chisholm Jr. can impact this Marlins team when he is healthy. On the offensive side, in just his first plate appearance of the season, Jazz drew a nine-pitch walk and flew around the bases to get the Marlins first run on the board. Just a few innings later, he smoked a double into right center at 100.8 mph off Pirates ace Mitch Keller and came around to score yet again, this time from second, showing off his 92nd percentile sprint speed. In the Sunday matinee, he blasted a 424-foot, first-inning grand slam into the right-center field seats for Miami's first long ball of the year, off a lefty, no less. ie78tz.mp4 What has impressed me most from Jazz, however, has been his play in center field. Another offseason of working with Jon Jay and getting accustomed to the position more and more is paying off every game, as evidenced by his stellar 89th percentile fielding run value. Chisholm used his speed to make incredible diving plays in games one and two of his sophomore season in center. The obvious concern and issue for Jazz has been his health, as every full season since his debut has been cut relatively short due to injury. Just four games into the 2024 season, though, he is showing all of the baseball world how dangerous and dynamic he is if he can stay on the field. View full article

A former top prospect with the Twins organization, Gordon has made a strong first impression on the Marlins this spring. On the first FOF Live show that aired after the start of spring training, I was asked about some of the Miami Marlins players I would be looking out for on the major league side of things and what storylines I would be following throughout late February and all of March. I touched on Tim Anderson and the shortstop dilemma, but focused on how eager I was to see how the Marlins outfield would look heading into Opening Day, and the player I said “I was most excited to see” not just regarding the outfield, but overall. was the newly acquired Nick Gordon. I believed that a fresh start and being around manager Skip Schumaker’s culture would be extremely beneficial for the 28-year-old former top prospect. So far, Gordon is taking his new opportunity with Miami in stride and has been a standout offensively, defensively, and on the basepaths in his short time as a Marlin. Gordon, the half-brother of former star Marlin Dee Strange-Gordon, was drafted by the Twins with the fifth overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. He was the No. 3 prep player in his class, according to Perfect Game. The Twins added Gordon to their 40-man roster during the 2018-19 offseason. However, he dealt with a multitude of injuries throughout the 2019 campaign and was sidelined for the majority of the 2020 season due to a struggle with COVID-19. In 2021, Gordon finally made his debut for Minnesota. In his three years as a Twin, Gordon slashed .250/.293/.392 with 16 stolen bases, and defensively, he made impressive athletic plays at nearly every position on the field (minus-3 defensive runs saved overall). On May 17, 2023, Gordon suffered a fractured tibia, sidelining him for the remainder of that season. The Twins were willing to sell low on him, flipping him to Miami for LHP Steven Okert on February 11, just four days before pitchers and catchers reported for spring training. The move created lots of excitement from Marlins fans and inside the clubhouse alike. "Nick Gordon is my best friend," Jazz Chisholm Jr. told The Pivot podcast. Former Twins teammate Luis Arraez described Gordon as his “brother.” “I thank God for every opportunity he’s put in front of me and I will never take these times for granted. Lets get it!” Gordon said in his Instagram post the day after being traded. Over a month since the trade, the man nicknamed “Flash” has made a strong impression. Entering Wednesday, Gordon has played in 14 Grapefruit League games and taken 35 at-bats. The super utility man is slashing .314/.351/.343 with 1 double, 5 RBIs, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. Gordon has continued the trend from last season of trimming his strikeout numbers and focusing more on putting the ball in play and it is paying off. Defensively, Gordon has played primarily in the outfield, using his speed to track down fly balls and make phenomenal catches, most notably against the Astros on March 5 when he started in center and robbed Kyle Tucker of extra bases. Originally drafted as a shortstop, Gordon has additionally gotten looks in the infield and has made a few impressive plays up the middle as well. Finally, on the basepaths, Gordon is leading the Marlins with 5 stolen bases and has yet to be picked off. If Gordon can continue getting on base at the clip he is this spring, his speed can add a brand new element to the Marlins offense that will play perfectly into hitting coach John Mabry’s philosophy of contact first and moving runners over. Combine Gordon's improved hitting this spring with his established athletic ability and versatility defensively and running the bases, Gordon could have a real impact on the 2024 Marlins. For this to happen, Gordon would need to stay healthy, which has been an issue thus far in his career, as I mentioned earlier. Gordon would also need to stay consistent, which has also been an issue in his short time as a big leaguer. Gordon enjoyed a solid 2022—however, he posted a 80 wRC+ in April and May, yet followed with a stellar 127 wRC+ in June, 128 wRC+ in July, and an astounding 151 wRC+ in August. If Gordon can at least hover around the league average of 100 wRC+ and remain on the field, Skip Schumaker has an incredibly dynamic player at his disposal who can settle in a starting corner outfield spot, or play all over the field. With other corner outfielders Jesús Sánchez, Bryan De La Cruz and Avisaíl García not showing as much as Gordon has this spring, it begs the question of whether or not Gordon should be patrolling left or right field on Opening Day a week from Thursday. While what he has shown this spring might still not be enough to earn him a starting spot, I believe Gordon should receive serious consideration for the job. However, even if Gordon is not in the Opening Day lineup, due to his athleticism and speed, he will find himself on the field whether that is pinch-running or subbing in for almost nearly every position on the field. Either way, the first month of Nick Gordon in Miami has been a massive success for POBO Peter Bendix and Co. Has Nick Gordon impressed you thus far and what role do you see him playing for the 2024 Marlins? Let us know! View full article

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The two time All-Star and former AL batting champion is coming off an uncharacteristically rough 2023 and is looking to revive his career in South Florida. What should Miami expect of their new shortstop in 2024? On Thursday, amidst the plentiful rumors regarding where he will play in 2024, former Chicago White Sox SS Tim Anderson agreed to terms with the Miami Marlins on a one-year deal worth $5 million, pending physical. Because of how inconsistent Anderson has been in recent years, there are many opinions out there about what kind of player he'll be moving forward. This deal comes after a poor 2023 for not only Anderson, but the White Sox as a whole. He looked like a shell of his former self and saw career lows in slugging, OPS and home runs. Anderson's .582 OPS was the lowest among all qualified hitters in MLB. The former All-Star also continued to trend down defensively. His minus-16 defensive runs saved tied for the worst total at his position. One error in particular came against the Marlins themselves on June 10, which allowed for Miami to tie and eventually win in Chicago, as I'm sure most fans remember. However, even though Anderson had a down year, the Marlins and a few other clubs needed a hole filled at shortstop. Miami made it clear that if he signed, Anderson would be the team's shortstop come Opening Day. Now that we are here, what are some realistic expectations for the 30-year-old? The biggest factor that will determine whether Anderson reaches his full potential in Miami is his health. A lot of his struggles during not only in 2023, but post All-Star break in 2022, can be attributed to injury. In 2022, Anderson dealt with a nagging groin injury that dramatically affected his play once he returned in mid-June. He slashed just .249/.287/.290, but still had good enough numbers pre-injury, which led him to be the starting shortstop for the AL in the All-Star Game. Less than a month later, though, Anderson tore a ligament in his hand, shutting down his 2022 season for good. He only played 79 games. The White Sox front office believed sidelining him for the rest of the season would be beneficial to the long-term goals that they had envisioned, but 2023 was unfortunately much of the same. While Anderson did end up playing 123 games in 2023, he accumulated knee, shoulder, forearm and neck-related injuries that certainly slowed him down once again. Combine the injuries with the mess that was the 2023 White Sox season and you get the down year Tim Anderson had. A true fresh start could be extremely helpful to get Anderson's career back on track. The issues of the White Sox front office and team chemistry during the 2023 season are well documented, and trading that environment for the culture that Skip Schumaker and his staff have built down in Miami—along with reuniting with his former teammate Jake Burger—might lift some pressure off of Anderson's shoulders. Burger and other former White Sox players have disputed rumors that Anderson himself caused any of those clubhouse problems, including pitcher Luis Giolito, who told NBC Sports Chicago in 2021: "If you were to personify our attitude, kind of what makes us a club, in one guy, I would choose Tim Anderson". In addition to the culture, Miami's new hitting coach, John Mabry, will continue to preach a contact-first approach, just like Brant Brown of last season. This could be massive for Anderson after his strikeout rate spiked from 15.7% in 2022 to 23.3% in 2023. Even when he's been successful, Anderson has had a habit of chasing too many pitches outside the zone. He has ranked in the 21st percentile or lower in that department during every season of his MLB career, according to Baseball Savant. If Mabry, his staff and new teammates such as Luis Arraez can convince Anderson to lay off more bad pitches, it could potentially elevate his play back to where Miami needs it to be. If Anderson can stay relatively healthy, embrace his new surroundings and get back to the basics as a hitter in the spacious stadium that loanDepot park is, the Marlins could expect to see a partial return to the player that he once was. I could see a slash line around his career averages of .282/.312/.422, with perhaps a tick up in OBP and a tick down in slugging. The fielding I expect to remain the same, however if Anderson isn't playing through as much pain as last season, I do not see him dropping all the way to minus-16 DRS again. In addition, I fully expect Anderson to take a leadership role in the clubhouse just like he was known for back in Chicago. What are you expecting out of Tim Anderson in 2024? Let us know! View full article

Two recently DFA'd Marlins find new homes up north. Tuesday afternoon, two players designated for assignment by the Marlins, INF Jordan Groshans and RHP Kaleb Ort, were claimed by the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, respectfully. Groshans, the former top prospect who was acquired at the 2022 Trade Deadline from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Anthony Bass, Zach Pop and Edward Duran, only played 17 games with Miami in 2022 and spent the entirety of his 2023 season in Jacksonville with the AAA ball club. In the 17 games he appeared in with the Marlins, Groshans boasted a .262/.308/.311 slash line in addition to one home run in his third career game. The Texas native is expected to compete for a roster spot on the Yankees major league team this spring. Ort, on the other hand, never appeared in a game for the Marlins organization. The 32-year-old reliever was picked up on December 1 of last year but was designated once again last week by the Marlins. Similar to Groshans, Ort will use Spring Training as an audition to be a piece of this year's Phillies bullpen. With pitchers and catchers about to report, the Marlins 40-man roster remains full. However, beginning on Wednesday, they will have access to the 60-day injured list to use for Sandy Alcantara (Tommy John surgery) and other players facing long-term absences. View full article