Well, well, well. Guess who’s back? A good number of you probably don’t know who I am, and that’s ok, so to quote Jay-Z, “Allow me to reintroduce myself." My name is Greg Monroe, and I was one of the OG writers here at The Skippers View, along with Dean and Brett. My content is primarily betting and gambling-focused, so if you are into that type of stuff, throw me a follow on Twitter @GRMbets. Anyways, enjoy the blog!
The 2023 Miami Marlins were a pleasant surprise last year, winning 84 games and making the postseason (even if they were quickly swept in the Wild Card) for the second time since their 2003 World Series victory. However, they lost a number of key players on offense this offseason, specifically slugger Jorge Solar and veterans Joey Wendle, Jon Berti, and Jean Segura. On the other hand, the Marlins were without young star Jazz Chisholm for the second half of 2023 and added Time Anderson in the offseason.
Despite their success last season, Miami has had the worst start in all of Major League Baseball in 2024, sporting an embarrassing 0-7 record and a -27 run differential. A major reason for this slow start is the injuries suffered by their starting pitchers. The Marlins entered the season with four of their six projected starting pitchers on the injured list, with ace Sandy Alcantara projected to miss the entire 2024 season. The only starters who began the season healthy were Jesus Luzardo and Trevor Rogers, with the rest of the rotation filled with no-names and career reliever AJ Puk.
While the start of the season has been bleak for Marlin fans, I see some hope. By May 1st, Braxton Garrett, Edward Cabrera, and Eury Perez are all projected to return. A fully healthy 5-man rotation consisting of Garrett, Luzardo, Rogers, Cabrera, and future star Perez is incredibly dangerous and should be good enough to carry their lackluster lineup to a solid amount of wins. In addition, prospect Xavier Simpson should return to the team around this date, adding another speedy platoon player to the lineup. I believe that the early struggles are a poor and unlucky combination of injured pitchers and a slow start from a large number of Marlin hitters.
Currently, due primarily to their horrendous start, sportsbooks are listing the Marlins total season wins O/U at 74.5 (-110). Additionally, FanDuel Sportsbook lists them as “Win 80+ games” at (+225). While I am hesitant to bet on them making the playoffs again (+400), I do think this team has the potential to get hot and avenge a few of their early-season losses. And we must remember, this is baseball. It is a long ass season. We are less than 5% into the season, and anything can happen.
Also, I have been holding onto a lot of Edward Cabrera stock since 2020, so for my sake in the group chats, I really hope he bounces back with an amazing season.
Alright, that's all. Peace!
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