Miami Marlins Picked to Finish Third

With Spring Training quickly approaching, various analysts and sites are starting to prepare for their 2014 predictions. Here at Marlin Maniac, we are no different, but we are going to hold off a little while longer to present them to you. Today we are bringing you the predictions from a writer for MLBlogs.com, Alden Gonzalez. Alden mostly focuses on the Angels, but occasionally turns his attention to the rest of the league. It appears that Miami has apparently done something that has caught his eye.

Gonzalez has predicted a National League East finish of third place for the Marlins. He believes the Nationals will finish in first, followed by the Braves. Philadelphia and New York round out the rest of the division. This is pretty high praise for the Marlins. Remember, this team lost 100 games last year and while finishing ahead of the Mets and Phillies may be more of an indictment about how bad their teams are, it is refreshing to see the Fish getting a little bit of love. I do want to emphasize the “little bit” portion of the last sentence.

"They’re an ownership and financial mess, but somehow the Marlins have done what they’ve always done — accrue young, talented pitching."

Ok, so it’s a bit of a backhanded compliment, I’ll still take it. The reality of the situation is that Miami has collected quite a few desirable young players, and the rest of the league is beginning to take notice. Numerous Marlins’ players were included in the preseason prospect rankings for MLB, and of course we have the reigning Rookie of the Year!

It might be a stretch for the Marlins to finish third in the division this year, nevertheless, Miami is improving, and that is something that we can all be happy about.