An unexpected star emerges from a trade, dominating Miami's stats. Will his exceptional play secure a long-term future with the Marlins?
When the Miami Marlins acquired Kyle Stowers from the Baltimore Orioles at the 2024 trade deadline, Stowers wasn't even the most prominent player Miami got back in the deal.
The Marlins also got Connor Norby, who was one of Baltimore's top five prospects, and thus, it was Norby, not Stowers, whose name appeared first in the headlines.
Although Norby hasn't done poorly for himself, projecting to be one of Miami's regulars in 2025, Stowers has become not just the best player Miami got in the trade, but the best player on Miami's team, period.
He's the latest subject of "Getting to Know the Fish," a Marlins Roundtable series profiling each Miami player.
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 215 pounds
Hometown: El Cajon, California
Years in the Bigs: Four
Years with the Marlins: 1.5
Last Year: Stowers didn't even get to play the full 2025 season, suffering an oblique injury in August that cost him the rest of the campaign. But Stowers still played in 117 of Miami's 162 games, plenty of time to make an impact.
And make an impact, he did, ending the season as the Marlins' leader in basically every category.
He led the Fish in home runs (25), batting average (.288), on-base percentage (.368), slugging percentage (.544) and OPS (.912), with his OPS+ (149) leading the Marlins and being 49 points above the league average.
The only major category Stowers didn't lead the Marlins in was RBI, finishing four behind Otto Lopez. Lopez played in 26 more games than Stowers.
Stowers projects to be the Marlins' best player again this season. What happens after that is anybody's guess.
Outlook: There was talk early in the offseason about the Marlins extending Stowers, but eventually, Miami decided to wait, knowing Stowers has had only one great year thus far.
He's under club control through 2029, and ideally, he'd be in Miami for all of that time and longer.
But Stowers is 28, so unless the Marlins become a winning team -- which they plan to this season -- it might make sense to move on while he still has value.
ㅤ
Join the Community! Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news! It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.
Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!