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Under the conditions of the unprecedented 2020 MLB season, 48 games played would mean we were nearing the finish line! This year, thankfully, the return to the traditional 162-game marathon means that we’re only just getting started. That’s good news for typical baseball fans, but especially those who root for the Miami Marlins. Despite several exciting breakout players, the team sits at 23-25 overall entering Wednesday’s game, slightly behind their 2020 pace.
How has the SimMLB market reacted to their 2021 campaign thus far? Are there still opportunities to profit off the Fish moving forward? Let’s take a look.
Last Month’s Price: $26.87
Current Price: $29.01
Create your SimBull account to trade for yourself! Enter promo code FISHSTRIPES when making your first deposit for a $10 bonus.
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With a few brief, innocuous exceptions, SimMarlins has been steadily upping its value all season, increasing 42.05% since Opening Day. That’s the third-best return among all SimMLB offerings. Early adopters must be lovin’ this.
Although the Marlins have yet to spend a day above the .500 mark this season, their plus-14 run differential is indicative of a 26-22 team. They have significantly outscored their opponents and done so with little help from veteran center fielder Starling Marte (fractured rib). Marte is in the final stages of rehabbing from his injury, projected to be reinstated from the IL next week. Elieser Hernandez is on a similar timeline and would provide a desperately needed boost to their starting rotation depth. Jorge Alfaro just made it back to the active roster and ought to represent an upgrade over Miami’s lousy catcher production.
However, general manager Kim Ng announced on Tuesday that Brian Anderson (left shoulder subluxation) is out for the foreseeable future. We’re awaiting more details about Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s right ankle sprain—he could be IL-bound again as well.
Offense is already a problem for this club even with Anderson and Chisholm available every day. They’ll be missed because the upper levels of the Marlins farm system are thin on major league-ready infielders who can actually hit. These setbacks come just as the Marlins are about to embark on a three-city, 10-game road trip.
Overall, it’s been an encouraging start to the season for a Marlins team that was widely overlooked as a 2021 playoff contender. Buoyed by great pitching and fielding, they’re showing that they have the potential to make it back to October if Anderson and Chisholm recover soon and if the front office takes an aggressive approach with prospect promotions and trades.
If you currently own shares of SimMarlins, hold onto them. If you’ve been waiting to invest, the perfect time to pounce is the second week of June. By then, the price could dip as a result of road trip struggles, but you’ll have a better feel for whether or not Marte, Hernandez and Alfaro have regained their pre-injury forms.