Miller Lepree

In the tale of two weeknight crowds lies the crux of an issue that has long plagued the Marlins and invited laughter from outsiders, longing from insiders. There was the eruption of cheers before first pitch on Monday night at Loan Depot Park while Tyler Phillips toed the rubber. An electric atmosphere praised by the players, lapped up like a wellspring happened upon by weary desert travelers. Of course, the nourishment was of a foreign variety: most crowds at Loan Depot aren’t there to see the Marlins. These were Scotsman in town to watch their football team in the world cup but were happy to cheer anywhere they could buy a pint.
            And then there was Tuesday’s scene: a frustrated Clayton Mccolough attempting to remind a silent crowd what has taken place, while their franchise icon, who has just broken the record for career strikeouts as a Marlin, perhaps the most innocuous and underappreciated Cy-Young winning workhorse in the league, paused for a moment of appreciation that will only be remembered for coming 60 seconds too late.
            It has long been said that sustained winning is the only way to fix the Marlins’ woes, to temper their national and local irrelevance. In a week when the crosstown Heat acquired another star, waking up from a five-year stretch of relative mediocrity that the Marlins would have considered a success, and the Panthers struck another big trade to boost their existing championship core, the Marlins are quietly building a machine of no-names capable of competitive baseball.
With all due respect to Otto Lopez and his heroic batting average, this team does not have a star, or anyone close to a household name, though such players in baseball are scarce to begin with. Paul Skeens and Jacob Misiorowski are examples of small market players becoming “face of the league” types that someone like Eury Perez, even if he played up to his potential, never will be as a Marlin. But I began to wonder, watching Sandy gaze out expectantly at the empty upper decks on Tuesday night, basking in the trademark silence surrounding his life work’s accomplishment, whether the organization even wants its players to be recognized.
The Marlins faithful have not voted a player into the All-Star game since Jazz Chisholm in 2022. Say what you will about his antics, but he was and is an attention magnet and was a fan favorite during his time in the teal…or…blue and black and (red?). Since then, the Fish have adopted a prospect-hauling mindset, dealing away anyone that will fetch a return for handfuls of anonymous teenagers. That is the model. No doubt about it. Attachment is irrelevant, and stardom is treated as an inconvenient byproduct of success. Not the other way around.
But the fact is, baseball teams are a business. And they sell hopes and dreams. The players embody those hopes. If they want to resuscitate the stadium atmosphere, sell tickets, jerseys, and win playoff games, they will eventually need to do a better job promoting their own players. Even if doing so makes their players more expensive.

Win Now or Later? Marlins Direction Continues to Confound.
By Miller Lepree
Last year, it was all but a certainty that Sandy Alcantara would be packing a bag and kissing the cavernous reverb of a daytime start at Loan Depot Park goodbye. Surely, fans had screamed their last echoes of support toward their longtime ace after he turned his season around and salvaged some trade value. Whispers of yet another deadline as sellers turned into proclamations. Eddy Cabrera was as good as gone, too. But then they stood pat, and nobody moved, aside from longtime underachiever Jesus Sanchez. They were trying to win. Or they didn’t get any offer they agreed with. Fine! So, they missed the playoffs but remained interesting. Perhaps this was an indication that they viewed their resurgent squad as “knocking on the door” or insert platitude about young team close to competing.
The offseason presented a different outlook: Cabrera was famously dealt for Owen Caissie and two other prospects. Caissie being viewed as big league ready did little to dampen fans’ expectations that this team would be expected to win, and soon, if not now. But then Ryan Weathers was traded for lower minors’ prospects. Ok. So, a win-now-ish move combined with a win-later move. That’s fine, that’s how this whole analytical approach works. Keep the farm stocked. Minor leaguers are dirt cheap. The team must capitalize on player value to ride the razor thin edge of winning and losing in this league. Weathers had value, but the team didn’t trust him. So, he’s gone for guys who can help way later.
The team famously did not sign any major league free agents until bringing in Christopher Morel, followed by marquee addition Chris Paddack on the heels of spring training. Money, meet mouth. They didn’t want to rush any prospects into starting roles, and Paddack was an indication that they were at least trying to put a serviceable big-league product out there for the first few months of the season. As of this writing on May 13th, he and his fellow major league free agent addition, Austin Slater, are no longer with the team.
They both hurt the team, and so the team ate the dead money and moved on. Some view this as “urgency” or a signal that perhaps Peter Bendix is feeling the pressure to win and will not waste time on players who are blocking someone younger, cheaper, more interesting. But the money is already spent on those guys.
In my opinion, it’s more a reflection of the paralysis this team faces within their current model: there has been no significant financial investment in any proven big-league talent since Peter Bendix took over. No extension, no real signings. Bruce Sherman's instructions are clear: win cheap. Paddack and Slater join the storied ranks of Tim Anderson, Christian Bethancourt, and Vidal Brujan. Dead weight signings only made to fill out the roster while they continue to audition young players.
Another bit of contradictory logic emerged recently with the mishandling of Augustin Ramirez resulting in his demotion to AAA in favor of the sure-handed Joe Mack.
Fans and analysts agree that Ramirez has no hope as a catcher. But the team insists he is one, and that he is going back to AAA to get better at catching and rediscover his power stroke. All while calling pitches from the dugout. It’s a frustrating ordeal to watch but perhaps will sort itself out. Maybe they'll deal him for a second baseman to replace Xavier Edwards, who is becoming expensive. Better options have emerged at both the first base and catching front, with the breakout of Liam Hicks. So, is Ramirez now expendable?
Something to keep in mind is that under the current model, any one player matters little. Every deadline, there will likely be some form of subtraction, perhaps coupled with a needed addition during the fatter years. Bendix will continue churning the roster, seeking bargain bin finds, and promoting from within. There will be no Albert Pujols. And that is likely for the best.
Nonetheless, the margin for error is credit-card thin when you consistently rely on hitting where the other 29 teams have missed.  For every Otto Lopez, there is a Christopher Morel.
Is this team ready to compete? Short answer, maybe. Long answer? Check the receipts.

Pitchers and catchers report today. So before I relish in the return of baseball and take whatever comes, I figure I'd get my hopes for the season well documented. Here goes:
         1. Aggressive Call Ups
I’m looking at you, Robby Snelling, Joe Mack, Josh White (and yes, Thomas White, too.)
Remember when Jose Fernandez made the leap from High A to the majors? That was fun. Peter Bendix & Co seem to favor a more cautious approach. Spring training will tell whether their practices border on manipulation.
I hope the likes of Janson Junk and Chris Paddack don’t get too long a leash in blocking the emergence of what could be a two-headed, left-handed monster for years to come in Snelling and Thomas White.
I hope that Augustin Ramirez isn’t forced to allow his offensive value to pass between his shin guards.
Clayton McCullough says the word of the year is “urgency”. If that’s true, let’s not block guys who have nothing left to prove.
My wild card prediction: Dillon Lewis gets a cup of coffee sometime late in 2026.
2. Three starting pitchers log 130 IP.
Last year this number sat at two. Sandy pitched 174 innings, and Edward Cabrera barely cleared 130. Look, I know the days of needing a staff full of workhorses is largely antiquated in the bullpen and 6-man rotation era. Depth is everything when it comes to the fickle world of pitching. But still, if the Marlins aspire to compete with the likes of the Phillies and Cubs, they’re going to need more out of the rotation. The Phillies were seven Tijuan Walker innings away from having five starters reach 130 innings. And all were healthily above average. The cubs had four such pitchers.
         3. A Right-Handed Hitter meets the following criteria: 120 games played, OPS+ over 100
Augustin Ramirez was the closest to meeting this seemingly arbitrary benchmark last year. He fell short with 92 OPS+. He’ll be the most likely to do it in 2026, some kind of rebirth from Christopher Morel or Connor Norby notwithstanding. Not having a consistent right-handed threat in the lineup is the kind of weakness that can creep up on a team’s postseason aspirations.
4. Caisie & Stowers “Strawberry Lemonade” combine for 50 bombs.
I’m working on the nickname. Maybe one will naturally emerge. Whatever we call them, this feels like a lot to ask,  given Stowers' history and Caisie’s complete lack of big-league experience. Both should get the opportunity to play most days this season. It felt like everything went right for Stowers last year, aside from the injuries, and he ended up with 25 bombs. If the two can hit 50, I think that bodes well for the team’s offense.
5. Eury Perez gets the Sandy Treatment.  
I saw some iPhone footage in a post from Kevin Barral (was it him? I think so) of Eury looking heavier and throwing absolutely effortless gas. It was all I needed to see. Extend this man. Do it before opening day. As drawn out as the will they/won’t they trade Sandy thing has been, I don’t see them re-upping on his next contract. That money would be wiser to spend on someone like Eury, who is much younger and has the chance to be even better. Though I’ll go on record and say that I’m in favor of extending Sandy, too. I’m just not completely delusional.
What do you want to see in 2026?