ATLANTA — Don Mattingly has shown his frustration more than once during this season of growing pains.
“We’re getting our ass kicked by everyone, basically,” the Marlins manager lamented after Miami’s Fourth of July loss to the Nationals.
Well, everybody but the Phillies, Donnie … but we’ll get to that later.
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Despite the Marlins’ tough 33-55 first half, Mattingly has offered much more praise than displeasure for his young players’ efforts.
“Even the last day (before) the (All-Star) break when people are trying to get out, guys kept playing,” Mattingly said following the Marlins’ 4-3 loss to the Braves on Sunday, their 12th one-run loss of 2019.
The Marlins are approaching the July 31 trade deadline as sellers but are inclined to protect their most controllable assets unless a contender makes a very appealing offer, say, for one of their starting pitchers.
Their rotation, ranked seventh in the majors with a 3.92 ERA, continues to be the team’s strength, and rookie Sandy Alcantara is experiencing his first trip to the All-Star Game this week in Cleveland.
While the rest of the team takes a break before hosting the Mets this weekend, let’s hand out some team awards and look at a few highs and lows from the first half.
MVP: Miguel Rojas
Mattingly voiced his support for Rojas earning a trip to Cleveland, even as a utilityman. While Alcantara was ultimately chosen by the commissioner’s office, many in the Marlins clubhouse regard Rojas as the team’s first-half MVP.
After four years playing mostly as a reserve, Rojas put together a strong June at the plate (.347/.416/.465) and has emerged as Miami’s best defensive player. Rojas’ team-high 14 defensive runs saved ranks second in the majors among all qualifying shortstops behind only Arizona’s Nick Ahmed (15).
Despite hitting a career-best 11 home runs in 2018, Rojas changed his approach this offseason in hopes of making more contact. The power numbers have dwindled, but Rojas enters the break hitting a career-best .295, which ranks fifth among all qualifying shortstops, and has been proficient in the leadoff spot (.322/.363/.435 with 10 doubles and 13 RBIs in 124 plate appearances).
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The 30-year-old Rojas could attract some trade interest before the deadline for his defense and versatility. But the Marlins value those qualities in Rojas, who would enter his final year of salary arbitration in 2020, and his presence can continue to help a young team through the next stages of the team’s rebuild.
Cy Young: Caleb Smith
None of the team’s starters is a legitimate contender to win the real Cy Young, but Smith had the longest first-half stretch of dominance in the rotation before he was sidelined by a hip issue.
He more than likely would have been the team’s All-Star had he stayed healthy.
Don’t believe me?
Tell whoever put Smith on a promo poster of the Midsummer Classic outside Progressive Field.
All-Star banners are up in Cleveland. So… who’s gonna tell them? pic.twitter.com/yj2Ueg77k9
— Kelsey Wingert (@KelsWingert) July 8, 2019
Among the Marlins’ original five starters this season, Smith still has the best ERA (3.50), the best K-BB% (23.7) and is tied for the most strikeouts with Trevor Richards (88) despite pitching 27 fewer innings.
Smith has been rumored as a potential trade piece, but just like every other controllable starter, the Marlins would have to be blown away by an offer to diminish the pitching depth they have built the past 18 months.
Silver Slugger and Comeback Player: Garrett Cooper
Cooper gets both accolades since he’s been the club’s best hitter and the biggest feel-good story.
Not only did Cooper come back from an injury-plagued 2018 season, but he has already had a comeback within this season after a calf strain kept him out of action until early May.
Cooper, who played in a combined 27 games in 2017 and 2018, is hitting a team-best .306 with eight home runs (two grand slams) and a team-best .848 OPS in 208 plate appearances.
The 28-year-old first baseman/right fielder is a major reason the Marlins have been a respectable 23-24 since May 17 following their horrific 10-31 start. His return to the lineup and proficiency in the two-hole woke up a comatose Marlins lineup that scored only 105 runs in its first 41 games.
Gold Glove: Brian Anderson
I easily could have put Rojas here too considering his defensive numbers, but since he already won MVP, let’s spread the love.
Anderson’s hitting numbers overall have been underwhelming (.251/.336/.421) despite leading the team with 11 home runs. Defensively, though, Anderson has shown his value both at third base and in right field.
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Anderson leads all National League third basemen with nine defensive runs saved according to FanGraphs and is tied for the major-league lead with Oakland’s Matt Chapman.
Anderson has not committed an error and has three assists in 23 games playing right field.
Rookie of the Year: Harold Ramírez
Despite enduring his first real slump recently (4-for-28 since June 30), Ramírez was the find of the first half after several others failed to earn a regular spot in the outfield.
Ramírez, whom the Marlins signed after he was cut from the Blue Jays last offseason, hit .316 with a .765 OPS and 18 RBIs over his first 42 games.
Ramírez’s challenge will be to adjust as pitchers get a better feel for how to pitch him. Ramírez’s walk percentage ranks in the bottom four percent in the majors, and he has struggled against offspeed pitches (.214).
Biggest surprise: Jordan Yamamoto
From being told on a bus bound for Birmingham, Ala., that he was instead headed to Miami to shutting out the St. Louis Cardinals twice in consecutive starts, the 23-year-old Yamamoto has been the biggest eye-opener of the first half.
The pride of his native Hawaii, Yamamoto was considered by many an “afterthought” in the Christian Yelich trade. Yet here he is in the majors while the other three pieces the Marlins got from the Brewers (Lewis Brinson, Monte Harrison and Isan Diaz) are still in Triple-A waiting for their chance.
Yamamoto became the first Marlins pitcher ever to win his first three career starts and the second pitcher since 1900 to do so while allowing seven-or-fewer hits combined.
With an ability to pitch backward and keep hitters off-balance with a high spin-rate fastball, slider, curve, changeup mix, Yamamoto has an opportunity to solidify a rotation spot if he can stay effective in the second half.
Best reliever: Sergio Romo
This one goes to Romo but with honorable mentions to Austin Brice, Jarlin Garcia and Nick Anderson.
With Drew Steckenrider hurt and Adam Conley struggling and subsequently removed from his high-leverage relief role, Romo is the only one of the club’s initial three closing options who’s had success.
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Romo has had some sporadic bad innings that have ballooned his ERA to 4.13, but he has locked up 16 saves in 17 opportunities.
That said, Brice has been one of the most dependable and durable arms in the unheralded middle-relief role. Brice, 27, is in his second stint with the Marlins and owns the best ERA (1.93) of any of the team’s relievers. As a result, he has begun pitching later in games (2.50 K-BB ratio in late and close games).
Garcia has a 1.77 ERA and has not allowed an inherited runner to score in 16 appearances since May 25.
Anderson’s 58 strikeouts rank fifth among all NL relievers, and he leads the bullpen in appearances with 39.
With Romo still the most likely player with an expiring contract to be traded, the Marlins need to use the second half to identify high-leverage options for the future.
Biggest disappointment: Starlin Castro
Yes, I know he’s hitting .378/.395/.568 over his past nine games, but if the season ended today, Castro would finish with his career-worst slash line (.245/.272/.336).
Castro, who has also grounded into a league-high 15 double plays, has been the subject of trade speculation since the start of the season, and teams have checked in with the Marlins about him in recent days, although no serious discussions have taken place.
Castro could be primed for a big second half whether he’s wearing Marlins colors or the uniform of a playoff contender.
Gutsiest player: Jorge Alfaro
Whether it’s slamming into dugout railings, getting hit by bats on hitters’ backswings or being inadvertently slapped by sliding runners at the plate, Alfaro has kept coming back for more this season. The Marlins’ young catcher has matured in his ability to manage their young staff and has shown scary power, hitting 10 home runs despite a high strikeout percentage (32.5).
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Alfaro has made the strongest throws to second of any NL catcher (87.7 mph), according to Statcast, but his pop time has dropped from last season (1.94) to this year (1.99).
Still, Alfaro’s physical tools make him one of the players with the most upside, and he has the potential to develop into an All-Star talent in the coming years.
MPP (Most promising prospect): (Tie) Sixto Sánchez and Isan Díaz
Both players stood out with strong performances at Sunday’s Futures Game in Cleveland.
Sánchez, the Marlins’ top prospect, touched 100 mph twice and averaged 99.3 on his fastball, which was second only to Blue Jays prospect Nate Pearson.
Sánchez’s three “plus” pitches give him ace and All-Star potential, and the Marlins know it as they continue to manage his usage coming off an elbow issue last season. Sánchez (58 strikeouts and 12 walks in 55 2/3 innings at Double A) could be on track to move up to Triple A before the end of the season as the team eyes a potential 2020 major-league debut.
Díaz showed off his slick fielding skills in Cleveland and has had a monster season at Triple A (20 home runs, .289 BA, .946 OPS).
Díaz is having sustained hitting success for the first time in his minor-league career, and the Marlins want to be sure he is ready before calling him up to the majors.
While the popular belief has been that such a move hinges on Castro no longer being the club’s everyday second baseman, the Marlins have considered the option of playing Díaz at third base or perhaps even in left field should they promote him with Castro still on the team. Another option is having Díaz play second and moving Castro to third.
Highs and lows
Biggest highlight: (Tie) Sandy’s two-hitter, the 11-run inning in Milwaukee
— Alcantara gave everyone a glimpse of his potential with his two-hitter against the Mets on May 19. Alcantara struck out eight and walked only one batter, needing only 89 pitches to finish off his first career complete game.
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— The Marlins piled on 11 runs in an inning for the first time in club history as every batter in the lineup recorded a hit during the fifth inning of a 16-0 rout over the Brewers.
Most embarrassing moment: The drought in Cincinnati
A Neil Walker solo home run was the only time a Marlin crossed home plate over three days (April 9-11) at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark. The series included a 14-0 drubbing by the Reds in which the Marlins were shut out by former prospect Luis Castillo.
Most satisfying moment: Sweeping (and holding their own vs.) the Phillies
… and we finally circle back to that Mattingly comment.
The disgust with the Marlins’ lack of clutch play the past week clearly clouded Mattingly’s memory of his team’s three-game sweep June 21-23 in Philadelphia. The Marlins held the Phillies to eight runs in three games. Miami has defeated the team to which they traded All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto in five of their last six games and own their only winning record (7-6) against a division foe against the Phillies.
(Top photo of Miguel Rojas: Scott Taetsch / USA Today)