The Miami Marlins are fielding a reputable team this season, but they could be much better. What ails them is nothing that a few plane tickets from Jacksonville cannot cure.
MIAMI -- Heading into Friday night's opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, the beginning of a 10-game home stand, the Miami Marlins are sitting at 15-16 on the season. They had just finished up a six-game West Coast swing that saw them go 3-3 against the San Francisco Giants and the two-time defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
There is still room, a lot of room, for the young Marlins to improve. They can start by calling up some prospects that give them a better-than-even-money opportunity to outplay the veterans.
The Marlins' Triple-A affiliate, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, won the national championship last season. It is hard to believe a team that has had as much success at the highest non-MLB level, can have so many liabilities at the major-league level.
The biggest defensive liability for the Marlins is behind the plate. Agustin Ramirez and Liam Hicks divide the duties catching the Marlins' pitching staff. While both excel at the plate, neither can get the job done behind the plate when throwing out opposing runners or blocking errant pitches.
To Hicks' credit, he is the first major-league catcher to record at least 28 RBI before May 1. The Marlins also have a winning-record when Hicks is wearing the catcher's gear. Hicks belongs at first base, and Connor Norby should be used as a utility infielder with his ability to competently play first and third.
Norby's problem is that he cannot hit. Norby was also caught stealing on his last nine attempts.
Enter Joe Mack, who was sent to Triple-A after a slow start to spring training and is the Marlins' catcher of the future. He has the mitt and the bat. The Marlins need to bring him back to Little Havana and let him show his skills on a daily basis.
Mack is the third highest-ranked Marlins' prospect. Aside from going 3-for-3 against Durham, he has shown tremendous discipline at the plate. He leads the team with 20 bases on balls.
At third base, the Marlins have been largely going with Graham Pauley. The Marlins are 10-9 with Pauley in the lineup. Pauley has only two multi-hit games on the season. He also drove in more than one RBI once this season.
Center fielder Jakob Marsee is an offensive liability. Entering the game Friday night Marsee was hitting below the Mendoza Line at .178. He has three homers and 12 RBI. Wednesday afternoon against the Dodgers, Marsee was a putrid 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
Jumbo Shrimp center fielder Ethan O'Donnell is primed to take Marsee's spot. It is not a matter of "if," but a question of when. In O'Donnell's last time out against the Durham Bulls, he went 2-for-4 with a homer and a run scored.
The Marlins should put Kyle Stowers in left field, where he started Friday night, O'Donnell in center field and Owen Caissie in right field.
Hicks can move to first base and Ramirez can serve as the designated hitter. Both bats stay in the lineup and the Marlins have their power, but Mack can protect the pitchers from behind the plate and also give them more pop against opposing pitchers.
Javier Sonoja should be the everyday third baseman. He won the Gold Glove last season as a utility infielder. His presence in the field sparkles and he drove in the winning run against the Dodgers on Wednesday with two outs. His presence at the plate is improving.
The Marlins also have two outstanding young pitchers in Jacksonville in left handers Robby Snelling and Thomas White. They should be taking over the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation for Chris Paddack and Janson Junk, respectively. Snelling ranks fourth in the International League with 35 strikeouts.
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