Atlanta Braves vs. the NL East in 2017: Miami Marlins

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Sep 28, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) connects for a double during the first inning against the New York Mets at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

A Highly Capable Offense, But…

It’s a darn good thing that the Marlin locked up Christian Yelich through 2021. He is clearly their best offensive performer. If Yelich can put together six months of continuous performance, there would have to be strong MVP considerations for him.

In 2016, Yelich did fade in the Summer months… .270 in August; .257 in September… but was still at .298 for the year with 4.4 WAR. He is doing most of what Giancarlo Stanton was expected to be doing regularly when inking that monster contract.

Oh, that contract… runs through 2027 and still doesn’t really “kick in” to high gear until next season when Stanton gets paid $25 million or more for every season between 2018 and 2027.

Ugh.

Sure, Stanton will hit his tape-measure shots once a week, but until/unless that 30% strikeout rate drops to 20%, he’ll never be the middle-of-the-lineup force that everyone in South Florida hoped for.

Catcher J.T. Realmuto is looking a lot more real himself, though, with 3.5 fWAR, a .303 average, and high .700’s OPS.

Besides That…

Well, I could go through every name on the field here, but the upshot is that you have several guys who simply aren’t living up to their expectations: Stanton, Marcel Ozuna (though he’s a lot closer than Stanton), Dee Gordon (who was merely mediocre after his suspension), and Adeiny Hechavarria (all glove, no bat).

If Miami if going to have a chance this season, they will need a lot more out of each and every name in that previous paragraph. They have one shot: outscore the opposition.

More from Tomahawk Take

Clearly, the weapons exist, but whether the will is there – particularly since they will be reminded each day (at least for a while) of the missing man in their rotation – that will be the question.

I’ve seen teams rally through adversity. I’ve seen teams tank in the midst of it.

This feels like the latter.

The reason for this is simply because there is little-to-no hope coming from the starting pitchers. They will all go out there and give up 4-5 runs and be replaced in the the 5th inning.

The offense can certainly provide that many runs. But (a) they will have to do so on a daily basis, which wears at a team; and (b) they were 27th in baseball in run scoring in 2016… despite all of those weapons.

Sure: if Stanton, Ozuna, Gordon, and Hech all turn the switch then they can be great… or at least entertaining as they win every game 10-8. But it will require all of them without a drop-out from those contributing the most in 2016.

Next: Getting Dressed to Kill Baseballs

In absence of that… which frankly feels more likely… this club could end up losing 90+ games. If they get off to a rough start (the Marlins open with Nationals, Mets, Braves, Mets, Seattle, Padres, Phillies, Pirates), then this could get ugly quick.

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