Fish Stripes is excited to introduce a new “Marlin of the Month” tradition! We will choose four finalists based on statistical production and signature moments, then open the polls here on fishstripes.com and our Twitter account (@fishstripes). The leading vote-getter will be recognized in the site’s awards section.

As crazy as it was, the Marlins didn’t have a good July. They lost 15-plus games for the second month in a row and fell to last place in the National League East division. But regardless of that, there were some good, productive individual performers who refused to quit on the team.

Your Marlin of the Month options for July, in alphabetical order...

Finalists

1B Jesús Aguilar (July: .294/.368/.541, 6 HR, 24 RBI in 25 G)

Aguilar kept smashing opponents with his power. As the big man of the lineup, the first baseman knocked six out of the park and led the team in that category and in runs batted in. He was second in hits and posted a strong, team-leading .910 OPS. Aguilar had four games of at least three RBIs and three contests of four ribbies (all three won by Marlins).

RHP Dylan Floro (July: 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 12 K in 9.0 IP)

Floro was dominant as heck in terms of avoiding base hits and striking hitters out. He won once, got two holds, and surrendered only four hits and one unearned run. The bad thing is he gave up five walks, but he registered 12 punchouts. The 30-year-old did his best to present himself as an attractive trade target for contenders, but the Marlins ultimately decided to keep him through the deadline.

CF Starling Marté (July: .315/.412/.411, 1 HR, 7 RBI in 20 G)

Now an Athletic, Marté finished his Marlins stint as an on-base machine. Before the trade, the veteran Dominican racked up 23 hits across 20 games. Besides hitting four doubles and taking eight walks, Marté stole 10 bases in 11 attempts and scored 17 runs to lead the team in both categories.

SS Miguel Rojas (July: .292/.330/.385, 1 HR, 5 RBI in 25 G)

No one on the team had more hits (28) or doubles (6) in July than Rojas. He struck out only 15 times and even swiped five bags. July was only a continuation of a good overall year by the Venezuelan shortstop, who owns a 2.3 bWAR.

Vote below...

Honorable Mentions

• Garrett Cooper—only played in 14 games, but absolutely crushed it. Three home runs, seven RBIs, 10 walks, and a 1.111 OPS.
• Zach Thompson—despite losing his two decisions, Thompson pitched pretty well. Gave up seven earned runs and struck out 16 hitters in 20 ²⁄₃ innings.
• Anthony Bass—it’s true Bass lost twice, but he put up a 1.64 ERA over 11 relief innings.

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