All things considered, the 2014 Miami Marlins were a bit of a surprise. Sure, they were never truly a playoff contender — especially after Jose Fernandez tore his UCL in mid-May and needed Tommy John surgery — but they hung around .500 for much of the season. Coming off a year in which they lost 100 games, there may actually be some reason for hope on South Beach.
Preseason Prediction: Miami is, at best, the third-best team in the NL East. No one is going to confuse them with the Braves or the Nationals, but are the Marlins much worse than the Mets or Phillies? I don’t think so. Realistically, these three clubs will be contending for the bottom three spots in the division, and I wouldn’t be shocked at whatever order finish it – but Miami will be in the mix with New York and Philadelphia as opposed to miles behind them. (Joe Lucia, February 10th)
What Went Right: Giancarlo Stanton had the best season of his young career, hitting .288/.395/.555 with 37 home runs and 105 RBI in 145 games before his season was ended when he was hit in the face with a pitch. He joined Gary Sheffield as the only players in Marlins history with a 35-100 season, and had he not seen his season ended prematurely, he would’ve had a good shot at chasing down Sheffield’s team record of 42 home runs. Even with missing the last few weeks of the season, Stanton should finish high in the NL MVP voting. Oh, and he’s still only 24.
Casey McGehee also resurrected his career after a season in Japan. He didn’t hit for the power he did during his years in Milwaukee (there’s a bit of a difference between the launching pad that is Miller Park and the cavernous wasteland in Miami), but he did show strong on-base skills and drove in a surprising amount of runs while hitting cleanup as many teams pitched around Stanton.
22-year-old Christian Yelich and 23-year-old Marcell Ozuna also put up very solid seasons, and combined with Stanton, they make up one of the most exciting young outfields in baseball.
What Went Wrong: You’ve seen the NL wildcard race. If Fernandez doesn’t get hurt, there’s a good chance the Marlins end up being a legitimate wildcard contender. Without him, Miami’s pitching staff struggled, putting up the fourth-worst ERA in the National League — only Chicago, Arizona and Colorado were worse. The Marlins found themselves turning to the likes of Randy Wolf and Brad Penny to fill innings throughout the course of the season.
The signing of Jarrod Saltalamacchia also hasn’t worked out as well as hoped. Coming off a year in which he hit .273/.338/.466 for Boston, Salty has struggled with a sub-.700 OPS while hitting around .220 for much of the season. His contract isn’t back-breaking — he’ll be owed $15 million over the next two seasons — but knowing the Marlins’ history, that might make him a trade candidate.
Most Surprising Player: McGehee was a surprising 26-year-old rookie when he burst onto the scene with the Brewers in 2009. He fizzled after a few good seasons, and by the time he was 30, he couldn’t find a job in the majors. A standout year in Japan (.292/.376/.515, 28 home runs in 144 games) got him a second chance in the States, and the Marlins signed him for just $1.1 million. McGehee turned out to be one of the biggest bargains in baseball, improbably finding himself on the All-Star Final Vote ballot. He slowed significantly in the second half, but it could be argued he was Miami’s second-most valuable player in the first half (when he hit .319/.386/.391) behind Stanton.
Most Disappointing Player: It’s a little unfair, but it doesn’t get more disappointing than Fernandez going down after just 8 starts. Not only did it suck seeing another one of baseball’s most exciting young pitchers go down with an elbow injury (possibly robbing us of a real race for the Cy Young award), but it effectively ended Miami’s postseason hopes in May.
Remember when David Samson said last year that the Marlins would make the playoffs in 2014 and we all laughed? He was almost right! At the very least, with Fernandez the Marlins would’ve been a solid bet to post their first winning season since 2009. Instead, they’re ending the season without Fernandez and Stanton in the lineup, are headed for a 5th straight losing season, and will be without Fernandez for the first couple of months next year, too.
The Future: Despite their young ace having to work his way back from Tommy John surgery, things may be looking up for the Fish in the near future. Henderson Alvarez posted a sneaky-good season, and they picked up Jarred Cosart in a midseason deal with Houston. Those are three pretty good, cheap, young starters who will be under team control for more than a couple years (at least until they hit arbitration and become too expensive for ownership). The Yelich-Ozuna-Stanton outfield is also a ton of fun, the bullpen is solid and the NL wildcard picture will probably still be a mess next year. If they can make some upgrades to the infield and keep their heads above water until Fernandez gets back, it’s not totally crazy to think the Marlins could be back in the postseason soon.
