Jeff Mathis occupied the 8 hole in Miami for much of last season, batting an atrocious .181/.251/.284.
I predict that the arrival of Jarrod Saltalamacchia is going to have a much bigger impact on the Marlins lineup than many believe. Because of how awful Mathis was with a bat in his hand, it placed him at the bottom of the order, and it forced players like Adeiny Hechavarria to bat much higher in the lineup that they probably should have. Hechavarria batted in the lead off spot on several occasions last season, which I consider to be borderline criminal. Salty should take some pressure off these young, developing hitters in the order and provide Stanton with a little more protection. Here's what I think the lineup will look like on opening day, (without any further additions).
4. Jarrod Saltalamacchia
8. Adeiny Hechavarria
9. Pitcher
Now, with the addition of a 3rd baseman, say Juan Uribe or someone acquired through a trade, this could look a whole lot different. Hopefully they acquire somebody who can hit lead off so that Yelich can slide down into the 3rd spot and allow the middle of that order to become a little more formidable. However, even with just the arrival of Salty, you can see how much things change from last year. Assuming a bounce back campaign from LoMo (if he's not traded), the fish should be getting a lot more production out of their bats. Things could be turning around quicker than anticipated in Miami, let's hope they continue to build on this good start to the off season.
