National MLB Writer Names Which Miami Marlins Hitter Will Need To Replace Jorge Soler
The Miami Marlins lost a massive amount of home runs when Jorge Soler left the team via free agency.
Soler's 36 home runs in 2023 led the team by a large amount and the Miami Marlins did not do a lot in the way of free agency to add power to the lineup. Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com wrote about "eight players who need to step up to replace key departures."
Harrigan tabbed Miami Marlins third baseman Jake Burger as the main option to replace Soler's production from a season ago. Burger, who was acquired via a trade deadline deal with the Chicago White Sox last summer, the Miami Marlin had 34 total homers in 2023 (25 in Chicago and nine in Miami).
"With Soler gone, Burger’s performance could go a long way toward determining whether the Marlins are able to make another postseason push in 2024," Harrigan writes. "The 27-year-old needs to work on his plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills, but his power is legitimate, as evidenced by his 99th percentile max exit velocity mark and 98th percentile barrel rate in 2023."
Burger batted .303 down the stretch with Miami last season, mainly due to a better strikeout rate. He went from a strikeout rate of 31.6% to a career low 21.7% once he became a Marlin.
In 2024, FanGraphs' Steamer projections estimate Burger to finish with 26 homers, batting .250/.309/.458. with a 26.9% strikeout rate.
Soler signed with the San Francisco Giants this offseason. They agreed to a three-year, $42 million deal.
