Miami Marlins Hitting Core Emerges After Strong Season

The Miami Marlins finished the 2026 season with 80 wins for the second time since loanDepot park opened in 2012. 

The second full season of Peter Bendix’s rebuild project has yielded slightly better results for the Fightin’ Fish and a step in the right direction entering 2027. The youth movement has yielded a hitting core that can stick throughout the remainder of the 2020s. 

In his third season in Miami, shortstop Otto Lopez emerged as the hero the Marlins didn’t know they had but certainly needed. Lopez led the Major Leagues with 191 hits, while batting a fitting .305 average with nine triples and 34 stolen bases. 

Joe Mack made his debut on May 4, and finished his rookie season as the Marlins' clear catcher of the present and future. After spotting the league one full month, Mack emerged as the MLB leader in caught-stealing with 26. He dared opposing base runners to steal on him and backed it up better than anyone else in the show. He started the season as the Marlins No. 4 prospect and finished seventh among rookies in home runs and RBI. 

Heriberto Hernández made the Opening Day roster due to some injuries in the outfield and was eventually sent back to the minor leagues. However, since being called back up, Hernandez went on to lead the Marlins with 25 home runs. The second-year left fielder also set career highs in runs (51), hits (102), doubles (17), triples (two), RBI (67), walks (52), and stolen bases (13) through 130 games.

Kyle Stowers was the breakout star of 2025 and while injuries hampered him at the beginning and end of 2026, he still went on to hit 20 home runs while adjusting to playing first base for the first time since college. 

Griffin Conine had dealt with injuries throughout his Marlins tenure but 2026 was the year he finally got to show his potential. In limited time, the son of Mr. Marlin went on to hit 19 home runs this season. 

The Marlins expected a lot from center fielder Jakob Marsee, especially after his introduction to the big leagues last summer. Defensively he was as advertised. Through 155 games, he finished the season as one of only two qualified center fielders to finish the season without an error. Throughout his roller coaster season, Marsee showed the plate discipline of a seasoned veteran in his first full season, leading the Marlins in walks (78), recording the most

walks by a Marlins hitter since 2017, and base-on-balls percentage (12.7).

Marsee went from a .197/.319/.295 slash line before the All-Star break to a .288/.396/.466 slash line afterwards. We’ll have to wait another year to find out which version is the real Marsee. 

The challenge for the Marlins this offseason is to find the right free agent help to mesh with their young core.