Offishial news, 3/29/21: Standards for 2021 success; Marlin of the Month vote

Fan standards for this season

Good friend Danny Martinez posed this to the Marlins Twitter crowd and I’d like for many of you to weigh in as well.

What would make the 2021 Marlins “successful” in your eyes? And how does that standard compare to what you originally envisioned for the fourth year under new ownership?

Some early responses featured below:

Choose Marlins’ spring MVP

Throughout the 2021 regular season, Fish Stripes will be conducting polls to select the Marlin of the Month. Fans will have four finalists to consider based on statistical production, signature moments and whatever other intangibles matter to you.

We’re introducing this concept with a bonus spring training award. Sandy Alcantara, Anthony Bender, Garrett Cooper and Trevor Rogers are the finalists. Read here to learn more about their cases and to see all of the honorable mentions.

Walk-off links

Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

• Iconic University of Miami and Florida Atlantic University coach Howard Schnellenberger passed away Saturday morning. He was 87 years old.
• The baseball community recently lost Twins bench coach Mike Bell. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is among the countless individuals who knew Bell well from their years they spent together in the Diamondbacks organization. Bell was just 46.
• The Marlins completed their Grapefruit League schedule with a blowout win over the Mets. Poor Mike Montgomery (5 ER in 2.2 IP) was promptly released a few hours later.
• It was a fierce competition initially, but no surprise, Kim Ng announced that Jazz Chisholm Jr. beat out Isan Díaz for the major league second base job.
• The latest episode of The Offishial Show will be released this evening. Instead of the usual solo show, I’ll be joined by Ethan Budowsky to make a final Marlins Opening Day roster prediction. You can find it in the podcast section of our website or subscribe to Fish Stripes wherever you get your pods.
• The Marlins vs. Rays game on Friday night—Pablo López and Ryan Yarbrough are the probable starters—will be featured on MLB Network.
• I joined the In The Tank podcast to preview the matchup and review many of Miami’s key offseason activities and spring developments.
• My thanks to Fish Stripes readers and staff for their participating in our 2021 Marlins Hall of Fame voting process. We will announce the results on Sunday.
• Austin Peay State University alum catcher David Martinez has inked a free agent deal with the Fish. He’ll presumably report to Jupiter for minor league spring training in the coming days.

@davidam24/Instagram

• The Marlins received an equity stake in Bally Sports Florida (h/t Robert Garcia). Forbes reports that they were “having problems getting a new cable deal done” on their own and needed MLB to intervene to finalize it.
• The Marlins will recognize South Florida youth baseball/softball players during every game broadcast this season! Parent and legal guardians can nominate their children here.