Marlin of the Month: April 2022

The Marlins had an exciting month of April, getting 12 wins out of 20 games (12-8 record). At some point, everything just clicked for them in terms of pitching and hitting. We have four names for you to consider for Marlin of the Month honors.

Fish Stripes is renewing this article series for 2022! 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.

Your options for April, in alphabetical order...

Finalists

2B Jazz Chisholm (April: .298/.344/.667, 4 HR, 15 RBI in 16 G)

Chisholm battled for his playing time, but whenever manager Don Mattingly trusted him to take the field, he was electric. He led the Marlins in triples (3), home runs (4), runs batted in (15), stolen bases (4), and extra-base hits (10). Among qualified Marlins hitters, Jazz ranked first in batting average (.298), slugging percentage (.667), and OPS (1.011).

CF Jesús Sánchez (April: .282/.346/.493, 3 HR, 12 RBI in 19 G)

Sánchez struggled in late April—going 2-for-18 since the 24th day of the month—but was a game-changer in the first two weeks of the campaign. From April 8-23, Sánchez averaged .340/.386/.623 with a 1.009 OPS along with two doubles, two triples, and three four-baggers. The 24-year-old registered nine ribbies over that span.

RHP Pablo López (April: 0.39 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 23 K in 23.1 IP)

López was arguably the best pitcher in baseball throughout April. The 26-year-old right-hander spent April as the leader in ERA (0.39) in MLB. López got three wins, didn’t allow a home run, surrendered 1.5 BB per nine, and only one earned run across 23 ¹⁄₃ frames on the mound. In addition, López limited the opposition to a .161 batting average and a .410 OPS. He was named the NL Pitcher of the Month.

RHP Sandy Alcántara (April: 1.78 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 20 K in 25.1 IP)

Alcántara was everything the Marlins could have hoped for from their ace. Despite having received poor run support, Sandy looked great during the first month of the season across 25 ¹⁄₃ innings. He registered three quality outings and didn’t allow more than two earned runs in any of his four starts. Alcántara was the Marlins’ leader in innings and quality starts. His great performance in April featured a four-hit, zero-run, eight-inning gem against the Cardinals, in which he took a no-decision in a 2-0 loss. (Alcántara’s start on Sunday took place after the calendar flipped to May—do not allow it to influence your vote.)

Vote below:

Honorable Mentions

• Jesús Luzardo—Registered a 1.08 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 20 ¹⁄₃ innings. His pitching was good enough for a 3.10 ERA.
• Anthony Bass—He developed the talent the Marlins envisioned when they signed him in January, punching out 11 batters across 11 innings of five-hit ball with two earned runs (1.64 ERA). Bass only walked two and stranded every inherited baserunner.
• Joey Wendle—Slashed .304/.371/.446 with five doubles and one homer, eight drove in, five bases on balls, nine runs, and four steals.