Reflecting on the following BOLD Marlins predictions made by Ely Sussman and Aram Leighton prior to the 2021 regular season:
- Trevor Rogers finishes top three in NL Rookie of the Year voting (Aram)
- Anthony Bender leads Marlins in saves (Ely)
- Corey Dickerson earns NL All-Star selection (Aram)
- Marlins defense ranks No. 1 in Major League Baseball (Ely)
- Pablo López ranks top five in NL earned run average (Aram)
- Pablo López receives NL Cy Young award votes (Ely)
- Marlins pitching staff ranks top three in NL team earned run average (Aram)
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. hits 20+ home runs (Ely)
- Griffin Conine wins Marlins Minor League Player of the Year (Aram)
- Kameron Misner wins Marlins Minor League Player of the Year (Ely)
Enjoy Episode 135!
- Rogers has been a slam-dunk NL ROY finalist since June. He’s doubtful to win the award due to missed time and reduced effectiveness down the stretch, but the All-Star southpaw should slot in second behind Cincinnati’s Jonathan India.
- Bender also put together a strong rookie campaign (2.63 ERA, 3.22 FIP, 0.4 WPA in 54.2 IP). Unfortunately, he didn’t get an extended opportunity to claim the closer’s role, buried behind veterans Anthony Bass, Yimi García and Dylan Floro. He enters Friday with only three saves (García compiled 15 prior to being traded).
- Dickerson’s 2021 rate stats are eerily, unfortunately similar to those we posted in 2020. With diminished power, he’s more or less a replacement-level player and the Marlins deemed him expendable when Jesús Sánchez raked his way up to the active roster.
- Even the most charitable analysis of the Marlins defense wouldn’t put them among the top 10 MLB teams. Trading away Starling Marte and Adam Duvall definitely hurt, as did the extended absence of Brian Anderson. Jorge Alfaro and Jazz Chisholm Jr. were worse than I projected in that aspect of the game. So was Garrett Cooper.
- López was arguably having the best season of his career until a rotator cuff strain got in the way.
- Ditto
- Marlins team pitching has been above-average by NL standards. However, they’re not in the same stratosphere as the Dodgers, Giants and Brewers.
- Chisholm has homered 15 times. There are only 16 games remaining. This looks like a just-miss.
- Although Conine has struggled with the transition to Double-A, his 36 HR and .860 OPS are award-worthy. The only Marlins prospects who could potentially rob him of the hardware are Troy Johnston and Peyton Burdick.
- Misner needed a couple months for everything to “click” for him. He is clearly, in my opinion, a better bet to succeed in the majors than Conine, but his stats this year—12 HR, 26 SB, .788 OPS—have him on the outside looking in at the Marlins Minor League Player of the Year conversation.
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