Hello and welcome to the first edition of the Miami Marlins fun index! The first edition serves as an introduction to a fun idea from Mario DeGenz of Purple Row, the Colorado Rockies arm of SB Nation. He came up with the idea for a fun index in 2021, first grading the postseason games and then extending this project to each and every game the Rockies played in 2021.
I came across his Fun Index series earlier this week and was really intrigued. The Marlins’ 2022 season has been one of the more disappointing ones in recent memory. After a painful loss in which Tanner Scott gave up a three-run walk-off home run to Philadelphia Phillies’ backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, I tweeted that the Marlins lead the league in heartbreaking losses. A bunch of other sad Marlins fans seemed to agree.
So, I’ve decided to attempt a Fun Index for the 2022 Marlins season. Mario did all the heavy lifting with his initial scoring system, so all the props for the idea and foundation go to him.
I’m going to adapt it here and there with some of my own ideas, but I also want to hear from our readers! You’ve spent countless hours watching Marlins games, so I’m sure there are times you mutter, “oh no, not again.” What are those scenarios? Let’s add them to the index! I’d also love to hear about the things you think make baseball fun! Let’s add those to the index, too.
First, here’s Mario’s original idea and scoring system for his 2021 Rockies Fun Index:
Every game starts out with a default score of 50/100 (another aesthetic change I made from before), and certain things that happen during a game can add or deduct points to the score. The final score is put on a scale of x/10 for ease of use, and the system is designed so a game can gain as many points as it can lose, to balance out the scale. I’ve made the scores a bit more detailed than before, so I’d recommend even the people who are familiar with the Index to look over the events.
Positive Events
- SP goes 9+/8+/7+/6+ IP: +30/+20/+15/+10
- 6 or less combined pitchers used: +20
- 7-8 combined pitchers used: +10
- Game lasts under 2 hours/under 2.5 hours: +20/+10
- Extra-innings: +10
- Final score difference is 1 run/2 runs/3 runs: +15/+10/+5
- 4 or more lead losses or changes: +20
- 2-3 lead losses or changes: +10
- Walk-off: +15
- Go-ahead run scores in 8th or later/7th or later: +10/+5
- 4 or more stolen base attempts: +15
- 12 or less combined strikeouts: +10
- Both SP get a decision: +5
Negative Events
- Opener: -30
- SP goes 2 IP or less/3 IP or less/4 IP or less: -20/-15/-10
- 14+ combined pitchers used: -20
- 10-13 combined pitchers used: -10
- Game lasts over 4 hours/over 3.5 hours: -15/-10
- Final score difference is 8+ runs/7-6 runs/5-4 runs: -15/-10/-5
- No lead loss or change: -10
- Go-ahead run scores in 2nd or earlier/3rd/4th: -15/-10/-5
- 25+ combined strikeouts: -20
- 20-24 combined strikeouts: -15
- No stolen base attempts: -10
- Neither SP gets a decision: -5
Using Saturday’s Marlins win as an example, Mario’s scoring method would give it a 70/100.
- Default of 50/100
- Positive events: SP goes 8+ IP (+20); 6 or less combined pitchers used (+20); game lasts under 2.5 hours (+10); final score difference is 3 runs (+5); both SP get a decision (+5)
- Negative events: Go-ahead run scores in 2nd or earlier (-15); 20-24 combined strikeouts (-15); no stolen base attempts (-10)
His method wasn’t team specific, but mine will be. I’m trying to quantify the heartache of 2022 Marlins fandom. Thus, I’ll adapt the scoring to add points when the Marlins do something good and subtract when the team does something bad.
One thing that has been so painful to watch is the Marlins’ lackluster offense and their inability to score runs. This has led to so many—37, to be exact—one run losses. My main inkling is to make an adjustment to reflect that aggravation, although I’m not exactly sure how yet.
This is where I need your help!
If Marlins Twitter is any indication, we’ve suffered through a ton of painful at-bats and dumb decisions that everyone saw coming (except for the people within the organization itself).
Is there anything that Mario left off his Rockies’ scoring system that you think I should add for this Marlins version? What does this team do well that isn’t already captured by the events listed above? Is there anything the team does that really grinds your gears that I should keep track of, perhaps immediately subtracting 50 points for every time J.P. Arencibia utters his dreadful frozen pizza line?
Leave a comment on this article, a reply on the @fishstripes tweet, or reach me directly at @NicoleCahill_. Who knows, this season might be more fun than we thought, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Fun Index turns into a Not Fun Index.
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