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.

With the Marlins losing 15+ games for the third month in a row, there isn’t much to be happy about. But, truth is, if it wasn’t for these performers, it could have probably gone so much worse.

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

Finalists

RHP Sandy Alcántara (August: 3.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 48 K in 39.2 IP)

It’s true Alcántara had a nightmare outing on August 6 against the Rockies, who smashed him with 10 hits (three homers) and 10 earned runs across 3 ²⁄₃ innings. But besides that one, he was absolutely brilliant, going at least seven innings and recording quality starts in his other five games. Sandy was the only Marlins’ starter to register an ERA below 4.50 in August.

C/LF Jorge Alfaro (August: .301/.318/.434, 1 HR, 17 RBI in 25 G)

This has to be among Alfaro’s best monthly performances as a Marlin...at least offensively. He led the team in doubles (8), got 25 hits, drove in 17 runs, and ended up with a .751. He was a key man in many of the Marlins’ wins throughout the month and registered 11 of his hits across seven contests from August 21-29.

OF Lewis Brinson (August: .258/.305/.461, 4 HR, 17 RBI in 25 G)

Brinson kept his revival going with another positive month. He connected on 23 hits including 10 for extra bases (six doubles, four homers). Along with Alfaro, he was in charge of driving runs in and even recorded six free passes. However, August was a rollercoaster for him as he crushed it in the first half (.365/.411/.692), but fell down to the Earth in the second part (.108/.154/.135).

OF Bryan De La Cruz (August: .384/.413/.512, 2 HR, 8 RBI in 26 G)

Fish Stripes original GIF

De La Cruz showed us his potential at the plate, leading the team in hits (33) and batting average (.384). The 24-year-old had 10 multi-hit games, including four in his final five starts. The new acquisition entered August with a .100 batting average (1-for-10) and is now hitting .354 overall. He was equally valuable with the glove, rating as a net positive according to both Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average. De La Cruz also has a strong case for National League Rookie of the Month honors.

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Honorable Mentions

• Ross Detwiler—threw seven scoreless innings out of the ‘pen, won a game, surrendered only three hits, gave up a walk, and struck out nine.
• Steven Okert—also had a good bullpen performance, striking out 13 hitters and registering a 1.17 ERA across 7 ²⁄₃ frames.a
• Jesús Aguilar—it wasn’t an overwhelming month by Agui’s high standards, yet he still hit five doubles, four home runs, drove in 15 runs, got 11 bases on balls, and put up a .796 OPS.