How did this happen? Well, start by acknowledging someone who is no longer with the organization: general manager Kim Ng. It was her foresight that brought Schumaker here; she also added, either through trades, free agency, or promotion, valuable pieces like Jorge Soler (36 HRs and 75 RBIs), second baseman Luis Arraez (.354 average), and starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo (10 wins and a 1.21 WHIP). Schumaker was named NL Manager of the Year. Not a bad turnaround – however, Ms. Ng will not be around to see any future development, as she and the club came to an (alleged) mutual parting of the ways this past fall, for reasons that are still unclear. Suffice it to say egos still run – or ruin – organizations, be they Fortune 500 companies or baseball clubs. Schumaker and company now try to pick up where they left off last year, but as they used to say in those old westerns, there’s trouble a-brewin’.
Start with the loss of Soler, who opted for greener pas tures through free agency, taking with him those 36 HRs. New GM Peter Bendix (formerly of the Rays) signed SS Tim Anderson to provide leadership and punch to the offense, yet the only punch Anderson is recently remembered for came courtesy of the right hand of Guardians’ 3B Jose Ramirez, during a fight last summer. Still, he can be a solid piece to the puzzle. As for pitching, there are still more questions. Gone for this year is former Cy Young award winner Sandy Alcantara (Tommy John surgery). Reliance on the young staff took another ominous turn when phenom Eury Perez asked out of a spring training game because of “elbow soreness” (cue the panic button). Promoting A.J. Puk to the starting staff while adding veteran bats Christian Bethancourt and Nick Gordon could provide stability, but will it be enough? The Marlins play in the loaded NL East which features the Braves, Phillies and Mets.
Good luck reaching .500, but baseball is a 162-game marathon, so anything’s possible.
As for the rest of the league, here are your fearless predictions:
AL East: Rays
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Astros
Wild card: Yankees, Orioles and Rays.
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Pirates
NL West: Dodgers
Wild card: Phillies, Cardinals, Diamondbacks
Well, that’s a look at it, and hope your team brings ‘em home.
Play ball!
