How the Miami Marlins can Improve from Within: Position Players

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Sep 26, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Enrique Hernandez (12) shakes hands with third base coach Brett Butler (2) after hitting a grand slam in the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals in game two of a baseball doubleheader at Nationals Park. Miami Marlins defeated Washington Nationals 15-7. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Just one season removed from a 100-loss season, the Miami Marlins finished their 2014 season with 77 wins, a 15-game improvement from last year. While the season should be seen primarily as a success, there will be a small faction of fans that will be upset that this current Marlins squad won’t be playing in October.

Fortunately for the team and their fans, the Marlins have the makings of a roster that could contend for the same wild card spot they are chasing next season, without going outside of the organization to make a move. To do that though, the Marlins would need to be wiser about their players and play them in the correct spots and not waste their ability.

We will first take a look at how the Marlins can configure their roster, using their current 40-man roster and others currently in the organization. The team will need to use their best players and be willing to platoon them at times.

First up, the position players. We know that the outfield is not going to be a problem for the Marlins next season, with Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna, and MVP candidate Giancarlo Stanton patrolling the outfield. That is granted Stanton is not traded in the off-season. So we’ll gloss over the outfield in this discussion.

Short stop is also not a strong point for the Marlins, but it’s unlikely the team even considers replacing Adeiny Hechavarria any time soon. The team is extremely high on him, for some reason. The team and a faction of the Marlins fanbase believe that Hech is an upper echelon short stop, which is far from the truth.

Here’s how the Marlins can improve the rest of their position players:

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