The Miami Marlins 2019 season is definitely off to a slow start.
With only 10 wins in 26 games, the Marlins rank last in both the NL East and the MLB in terms of record. This troubled start does not surprise most as this team has been in the middle of a massive rebuilding stage after their ownership changed which led to the trading of many of their former best players such as Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton.
These controversial trades have made way for a roster consisting of mostly new, younger players following in the footsteps of veterans Martin Prado, Curtis Granderson, Starlin Castro, and Sergio Romo. Still, as in any rebuilding team, the Marlins are facing many challenges both defensively and offensively. On the offensive side, the Marlins lineup as a whole is struggling to even get on base. Currently, the highest team batting average is held by Martin Prado, who has only a .289 average, while most other starters have averages well below that. This proves why the Marlins have only been able to generate 263 hits and 101 runs so far.
With such a small amount of runs and hits the Marlins would need superb pitching to carry them to victory, something that the Marlins also lack. Although Marlins starter Caleb Smith is having an excellent season with a 3 and 0 record and an E.R.A just above 2, all 4 other Marlins starters have E.R.A’s within the 4 range while the bullpens average E.R.A. is high above 6. On top of that, Smith is the only pitcher with more wins than losses as the four other starters have a combined 4 and 17 record.
In the end, with an average team E.R.A ranked 23rd in the league, an average team batting average ranked second to last in the league, and a league low in runs at just over 100 runs scored in 36 games, the Marlins are on track for one of their worst seasons in franchise history. As Marlins fans face a losing season once again, they can only hope that this mass rebuilding works and the Marlins reach the playoffs in the near future for the first time since 2003.