This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
JUPITER, Fla. -- Can you hear the soothing sound of a baseball hitting the back of a mitt?
Today marks the first workout for Marlins pitchers and catchers, meaning the backfields at the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex will be bustling. For an organization coming off a National League Wild Card Series appearance in 2023, now is the time to show what the ‘24 season can bring.
Here are three storylines to follow throughout Spring Training:
Are previously injured players ready to contribute?
Miami will need a collective effort to return to the postseason without ace Sandy Alcantara (Tommy John surgery) and All-Star slugger Jorge Soler (reportedly headed to San Francisco). Look no further than players returning from injury. All of them are talented but have missed significant time of late, so consider them question marks.
On the pitching side, left-hander Trevor Rogers (2021 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up) and right-hander Max Meyer (Miami’s No. 3 prospect) can offer starting depth. Rogers would appear to be the frontrunner to round out the rotation, while Meyer will likely be eased back into things since he hasn’t pitched in a game since undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2022. Reliever Anthony Bender (145 career ERA+) can provide another right-handed high-leverage option, something the southpaw-heavy bullpen lacked in 2023. Then there’s right-hander Sixto Sánchez, who has thrown just one inning in a game since starting NL Wild Card Series Game 2 in 2020.
On the position player front, outfielder Avisaíl García (100 career OPS+) has a 61 OPS+ in 135 games since signing a four-year deal with Miami. If he can stay healthy and regain at least that league average form, the lineup would be all the better for it. Finally, there’s utility player Nick Gordon, who Miami acquired on Sunday. After posting a 111 OPS+ in 136 games in 2022, he struggled out the gate in ’23 and appeared in just 34 games due to a right tibia fracture.
How will playing time be split at shortstop and catcher?
Miami’s two biggest areas of need entering the offseason were at these two positions. The organization somewhat addressed them, though there is still time to add outside help should president of baseball operations Peter Bendix choose to do so.
As things stand, utility player Jon Berti would likely get the bulk of the shortstop reps, as manager Skip Schumaker hypothesized during the Winter Meetings. Berti, who started both games of the NL Wild Card Series, has more MLB experience and success than Gordon, Vidal Bruján, Xavier Edwards and No. 5 prospect Jacob Amaya. In 2023, Berti hit .294 with a 103 OPS+ in a career-high 133 games while recording 1 defensive run saved (DRS) and 3 outs above average (OAA). But he has never started more than 52 games at short in a season.
Jacob Stallings and Nick Fortes were catchers 1A and 1B by season’s end in 2023, with Fortes serving as the personal catcher to left-handers Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett. After Stallings’ departure, Fortes was the lone catcher on the 40-man roster until Miami acquired Christian Bethancourt in a trade in November. Fortes had a down year offensively (52 OPS+) but thrived defensively (5 DRS). Bethancourt, who had been designated for assignment by Tampa Bay and then claimed by Cleveland in November, also struggled at the plate (a 74 OPS+) but was fine behind the dish (0 DRS). Neither enters camp as the everyday guy, so perhaps a 50/50 split is more reasonable. Handling the pitching staff remains most important at backstop for the pitching-centric Marlins; Bethancourt will need time to learn the pitchers.
What impact will the new-look front office have on camp?
This offseason has been dominated by hirings and restructuring. We’ll soon get an idea as to whether things look or feel any different under Bendix. Bringing people into the fold from other organizations -- Gabe Kapler (Giants), Vinesh Kanthan (Rangers) and Rachel Balkovec (Yankees), among others -- should provide fresh perspectives on what the organization has done well and can do better moving forward.
Meanwhile, there wasn’t much turnover on the coaching staff. With Brant Brown's departure, John Mabry received a promotion from assistant to main hitting coach. Miami hired Bill Mueller to serve as an assistant hitting coach alongside Jason Hart. Griffin Benedict, who already was on the staff, moves into the third-base coaching role for Jody Reed, who remains as the infield coach.