Miami Marlins Rumors: Derek Dietrich in mix for second base job?

One of the biggest mysteries for Miami Marlins in the 2014 season was figuring out why the team seemed to give up on second baseman Derek Dietrich so quickly.

His defense left much to be desired this year, but his bat would have been a sight for sore eyes in an offense that has struggled to put runs on the board for much of the second half. A potential reason for Dietrich’s defensive woes came at the end of Spring Training, when a bad hop on a grounder caused a ball to strike him on the face.

Dietrich’s banishment to the minors this season and last has been attributed by Marlins fans to the fact that he played a role in the Tino Martinez fiasco from a year ago. Rumors had it that Dietrich was passed over as a September call-up last season because Loria was still upset his good friend had been banished from Miami due to his transgressions.

Dietrich was not among the Marlins called up this September, either. This prompted fans to wonder if they had seen the last of Dietrich as a Marlin. Hold on my friends, there is a chance Dietrich could be the Marlins second base man next season, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

The options at second base aren’t great: Sign a mediocre stopgap from a weak free agent list (Emilio Bonifacio, Mark Ellis, Kelly Johnson, Brian Roberts, Rickie Weeks, Nick Punto, Ramon Santiago); trade for one; or have Derek Dietrich (.228, five homers in 49 games), Donovan Solano (.254) and Kike Hernandez compete for the job.The Marlins are optimistic Dietrich has overcome his defensive problems earlier this season. “It’s an offensive performer we’ll make room for,” Hill said.

While the .228 average for Dietrich is certainly not a pretty sight, the rest of his numbers paint a picture of him being a much better player. His 103 wRC+ (weighted Runs Created+) would have been 5th on the team among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances. That number would have likely gone up as he improved on his .270 BABIP as well.

Dietrich’s .158 ISO (Isolated Power) also would be a dramatic improvement over the popless Donovan Solano the Marlins are running out there every day.

Dietrich’s Triple-A numbers suggest he does not need much more time in the minors. He slashed a .317/.391/.610 line with a .431 wOBA and 7 home runs in just 92 plate appearances.

Solano has not cut it offensively at second base this season and the Marlins are in clear need of an improvement. Luckily for them, they have a more than capable guy ready to take over in Dietrich for the 2015 season and beyond.