Defense often gets overlooked in baseball, but for the Miami Marlins and all other teams, it's a big factor in determining how many runs a team allows and prevents. 

A pitcher can look better than he is, or worse, depending on the eight players surrounding him. 

Last season, the Marlins ranked 17th out of 30 teams in defensive runs saved, and if the Fish are to make the playoffs this year, things must improve. 

Here's a breakdown of what the Marlins pitching staff has behind it. 

The Marlins couldn’t throw out the trash last season.

In 2025, of the 91 players who tried to steal on Agustín Ramírez, he only caught eight.

Of the 57 players tried to steal on Liam Hicks, he threw out six.

Those will be Miami’s top two options at catcher until prospect Joe Mack is ready.

If and when Mack gets the call, things should get better. 

He threw out 33 percent of base stealers across AA and AAA last season, which would be above the league average should that translate to the majors. Mack is celebrated for his defense, so things should get better eventually, but assuming he isn’t on the Opening Day roster, Marlins pitchers might want to keep speedsters from reaching first to begin with.

In the 1978 classic "Animal House," the university’s dean reveals that one of the students, Daniel Simpson Day "has no grade-point average."

That's how the Marlins first-base situation is -- because we just don’t know what the team has there from a defensive standpoint.

The Opening Day first baseman might be Christopher Morel, who has never played first base at the professional level.

It might be Hicks, who has only played 86 games at the position across the majors and minors (only 28 in the majors).

It could be Griffin Conine, who, like Morel, hasn’t played first professionally. 

If the Marlins are to struggle at any defensive position, first base wouldn’t be a bad one, since that's generally thought to a be a position managers "hide" players who can't otherwise defend. For now, it’s impossible to say if that will be the case.

This is where the Marlins might be the strongest defensively. Xavier Edwards was one of the best second basemen in baseball last season, finishing the year tied for second in the league in runs prevented (seven) and being third in MLB in outs above average (nine).

Otto Lopez had similar success at second base in 2024, finishing third in the league with 12 runs prevented and 16 outs above average.

Lopez only played 111 games at shortstop last season, but still finished 15th in the league with three runs prevented and four outs above average.

If the Marlins don’t win in 2026, it’s hard to see the middle infield being the reason.

Graham Pauley is an excellent third baseman.

Only two players at his position prevented more runs (five) than Pauley, who also recorded six outs above average, despite playing only 52 games at the position.

Unfortunately, his offense hasn’t matched his defense, and as a result, there’s a chance Pauley, who hits lefty, platoons with the right-handed Connor Norby.

Norby’s defense was in the red last season, with him preventing -3 runs and recording -4 outs above average. 

This ranked 31st out of 39 qualified third baseman.

So how good the Marlins are defensively at the "hot corner" depends on whether Pauley’s offense is good enough for him to win the job, and if it isn’t, how much Pauley’s defense has improved.

The Outfield was a great band in the 1980s, and Miami’s 2026 outfield could make some serious music offensively.

Miami has what should be an ideal set up: two thumpers on the corners (Kyle Stowers in left, Owen Caissie in right) and a speedster in center (Jakob Marsee).

Defensively, it’s a similar story.

Stowers was a Gold Glove finalist in left, although advanced metrics have him with -1 runs prevented and -1 outs above average.

Marsee only played in 55 games, so some of his metrics aren’t available. But his speed is evident, and that alone is expected to make him an asset in center for a long time.

Caissie has only played in 12 big-league games (all with the Chicago Cubs), but he’s thought by scouts to be above average in right field.

So are the Marlins good defensively?

Despite concerns at catcher, first base and, if Norby doesn’t improve, third base, the answer is yes.

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