Marlins Seeing Power Show Up As Temperatures Rise
The Miami Marlins just finished, arguably, their best week of the season.
Going 4-2 and winning series against both the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets, Miami’s hot streak was powered by both lockdown pitching performances and timely hitting.
Extending back a bit to encompass the entire month of May, there’s a notable improvement in the team’s performance that sticks out: homers
The Marlins have hit 18 homers in just 17 games in the month of May. They had 23 homers in the previous 31 March & April games heading into the month. The team’s runs per game has risen from 3.58 to 4.29 in May while the team’s slashline is universally up, none more so than the team’s slugging (.331 to .392). This is fueling an almost 90-point increase in OPS, going from .609 to .693.
Several Marlins have dramatically picked up their performance as the mercury ticked up in the thermometer, with a trio standing out: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Josh Bell, and Nick Gordon.
We covered Chisholm the other day when talking about his return to the leadoff spot, but it’s more than just where he is in the lineup: Jazz is batting .279/.329/.471 in May, across-the-board improvements in the slash from March & April’s numbers (.239/.331/.395). Ten of his 23 runs have come in these 17 games, while he’s hit two homers and stolen three bases.
First baseman Josh Bell has rebounded in a BIG way from his disastrous start to the season: He’s raised his slash line from .181/.269/.285 to .318/.394/.524 in May, with the same number of homers (3) and more RBIs (14) in May’s 17 games than in the preceeding 31.
And while there are several position players that have stepped up their play somewhat in May, most notably Otto Lopez, Nick Gordon’s performance deserves mention. A career .244 hitter that was batting just .177 early this year, he’s put up a .313/.340/.479 line in May with seven runs and two homers while playing almost every day. He’s made 29 of his 30 starts in left field and has shown the potential of becoming an everyday player, a welcome sight given that he’s making just $900k in his first year of arbitration.
Managing Editor for Blackerby Media, covering the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins Also: Senior Baseball Writer for Auburn Daily, member of both the National College Baseball Writers Association and Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (where he won the 2023 Prospects, Minors, & College Writer of the Year award)