Top Reasons To Be Excited About The 2015 Marlins
With Spring Training just days away, baseball is starting to creep back into the minds of fans across the country. Down here in South Florida, the Miami Marlins gave their followers a lot to be excited about during the winter months and there is a steady buzz surrounding the team. Unlike in 2012, when the Marlins signed a lot of big names while trying to sell tickets, Miami did it right this time around and is building a strong team the right way.
Though opening day isn't until April 6th, once Spring Training gets started the month of March will go by quickly. The Marlins have a lot of new faces to mix in with their growing young core, and it certainly appears that they have a very good chance to contend for a playoff spot. Before pitchers and catchers report on Friday, let's take a look at the top reasons to be excited about the Marlins in 2015.
Pitching Rotation
There's a good chance that the Marlins will have one of the best rotations in the National League this season. Newly acquired starters Mat Latos and Dan Haren are both top of the rotation guys and should chew up a lot of innings if they stay healthy. They'll be complimented by youngsters Henderson Alvarez and Jarred Cosart, both of whom are expected to take a step forward in their development. Alvarez has the stuff to be a top-tier starter and the 2014 All-Star could very well become a force to be reckoned with this season. Rounding out the rotation will be Tom Koehler, who had a solid year in 2014, and let's not forget that Miami's number one pitcher, Jose Fernandez, is expected to join the rotation in mid-to-late June.
Balanced Lineup
The Marlins lineup features one of the best power hitters in the game right now in Giancarlo Stanton. They also have a few of the better up-and-coming hitters, like Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich. The foundation was already in place when the offseason began, but a few key additions have turned Miami's lineup into a well-rounded, formidable group of hitters. Putting speedy Dee Gordon at the top is going to pay huge dividends (we'll get to that shortly) while slugger Michael Morse will provide true protection for Stanton and give manager Mike Redmond some flexibility with how he wants to organize his hitters. Another new Marlin, Martin Prado, can be plugged in almost anywhere in the batting order and is as solid at the plate as he is in the field.
Strong Defensive Unit
In 2014 the Marlins had an overall solid year in the field, but there were a couple areas that needed an upgrade. The biggest of those was second base, where a platoon of players did what they could but a true answer was never found. Miami fixed that with the acquisition of Gordon, who's speed covers a ton of ground in the infield and outfield, allowing guys like Stanton and Ozuna to play a few steps deeper and protect their pitchers that much more. Both of the aforementioned outfielders have cannons for arms, and the third outfielder, Yelich, is coming off of a Gold Glove season. The infield undertook a serious makeover, with only one player returning from a season ago. Adeiny Hechavarria is a future Gold Golver and one of the most underrated shortstops in baseball, though that may very well change this season. Prado and Morse are both upgrades at third base and first base, respectively.
SpeeDee Gordon
Of all the new Marlins making their team debuts this spring, Gordon may have the biggest impact on the team. With all the talent hitting behind him, its extremely likely that Gordon is going to score lots and lots of runs. He led the majors in stolen bases last season, an area that the Marlins struggled mightily. Gordon, on his own, stole 64 bases while Miami, as a team, stole 58. In all the areas that Gordon excels, they fall perfectly into the Marlins needs.
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