Miami Marlins: 5 potential 4th outfielder candidates

Jul 23, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich (21) watches a three-run home run hit by Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (not pictured) go over the outfield wall during the second inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins have been unusually active this winter. At somewhat of a crossroads for owner Jeffery Loria, the team needed to do something in order to entice franchise player Giancarlo Stanton to sign on the dotted line for the biggest extension in baseball history.

So far, the Marlins have  held up their end of the bargain, signing Mike Morse and landing Martin Prado, Dan Haren, Dee Gordon, David Phelps, and Mat Latos in assorted trades already this offseason. Needless to say, the team has decided that the strides it made in 2014 should become the stepping stone to an even brighter 2015 season.

Yet as we sit here at the turn of the year, and just a hop and a skip away from the beginning of Spring Training, the Marlins still have some unfinished business to attend to, and no, I’m not talking about the elephant in the room which is whether Haren will pitch for the Marlins this season. Rather, I’m talking about the team’s need for a fourth outfielder.

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By most measuring sticks, the Marlins will expect to have one of the best outfields in the game in 2015, a topic previously discussed here by Travis Honeycutt. With that in mind, the role of fourth outfielder  will be a strictly complimentary one, used on occasion to rest the likes of Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, and Stanton. However, the at bats will be few and far between unless an injury arises and will be mostly relegated to sparse usage and pinch-hitting appearances.

Still, flexibility could play a decent role into the Marlins decision process here, and there are still a few viable (and inexpensive) options available to Miami at this stage of the winter. We decided to focus on five targets in particular that could provide some of the aforementioned flexibility to Miami and who would ideally fit into the team’s budgetary constraints.

May 4, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Mike Carp (37) leaves the batter box after hitting a single during the fifth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Carp

Mike Carp was somewhat of the lost man as a member of the Boston Red Sox crowded outfield in 2014 and his performance showed when he posted a .198/.320/.279 in Boston with limited at-bats. He spent most of the season requesting a trade and it could be said that his uneasiness with his situation hurt his on-field production. Unfortunately, his situation actually got worse once he landed in Texas, hitting .125/.217/.125 in just 46 plate appearances for the Rangers.

That said, Carp is only one year removed from a solid reserve season with the Red Sox, when in 2013 he posted a .296/.362/.523 slash line with 9 home runs, 43 RBI, and a wRC+ of 139. Additionally, there is reason to believe that this 2014 performance was as much to blame on bad luck as it was the role he was serving, as he put up an atrocious .227 Batting Average on Balls In Play.

A career .254/.330/.414 hitter with a wRC+ 107, Carp’s 2014 season looks more like an anomaly that it does a look at what he can provide moving forward. In fact, Steamer predicts him to be closer to .238/.312/.399 with 11 home runs, 38 RBI, and 101 wRC+ in limited duty next season.

For the Marlins, Carp could be useful in a couple of roles. Having experience in both outfield corners, he could legitimately spell all three outfielders,with Yelich sliding over the center on Ozuna’s days off. Additionally, as a left-handed hitter Carp could offer a platoon mate for Mike Morse if the first baseman struggles against same hand pitching. However, it should be noted that Carp actually owns reverse splits, having hit left handers much better than right handers over the course of his career.

Sep 23, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Emilio Bonifacio (1) makes a running catch on a fly ball hit by Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Russell Martin (not shown) during the fourth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Emilio Bonifacio

Everyone loved Emilio Bonifacio when he was previously a member of the Miami Marlins, so why not bring him back? Boni gives the Marlins everything you would like to see in a reserve, in that he’s a jack of all trades, master of none.

After a down year following his trade to the Toronto Blue Jays, and subsequently to the Kansas City Royals, Bonifacio resuscitated his career with the Chicago Cubs during the first half of 2014, putting up a .279/.318/.379 with the Chicago Cubs. That made him a hot commodity at the trade deadline, landing with the Atlanta Braves for the final months of the season. However, things weren’t as sunny in Atlanta, as Bonifacio struggled to a .212/.273/.280 slash line over 41 games with the Braves.

Still, Bonifacio would give the Marlins the epitomy of flexibility, with the ability to play second, third, and all three outfield positions, Bonifacio is the perfect bench component. Add in the ability to pinch run at any stage in the game and give the team some needed speed on the basepaths, and it’s a win-win proposal. In fact, it’s something that we’ve discussed here earlier this winter.

Of course, a guy like Emilio Bonifacio is going to generate a fair amount of interest once the reserve market takes off, so his price tag and desired role may be detrimental to him joining the Marlins at this stage of his career.

Oct 3, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals Nate Schierholtz (17) hits a double in the sixth inning against the San Francisco Giants in game one of the 2014 NLDS playoff baseball game at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: H.Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

Nate Schierholtz

During the 2013 season, Nate Schierholtz finally experienced the season that many in baseball had been looking from from the outfielder for years. By putting together a .251/.301/.470 season with 21 home runs, 68 RBI, and a wRC+ of 108, he made Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer look very smart in Chicago.

However, the honeymoon bliss wore off quickly, as Schierholtz proved that full-time work allowed opponents to over-expose his flaws and he quickly fell back to Earth in 2014. Splitting the year between the Cubs and then the Washington Nationals, Schierholtz struggled to a .195/.243/.309 season last year and, as such, has become somewhat of a forgotten commodity in the market.

Teams aren’t going to miscast him as a full-time bat again, and luckily for the Marlins, they don’t need to. However, it shouldn’t go without notice just how useful he can be either. While he grades out as an above average fielder as a corner outfielder, particularly in right field, there may not be many at bats available to the the lefty. But the National League game has a need for solid pinch hitters as well, and Schierholtz carries with him a much better stick coming off the bench than he does when he’s thrust into outfield duty as well.

That said, of the five candidates on this list, he offers the least amount of roster flexibility and that makes him somewhat of a long-shot. Still, as far as bounce-back candidates, he may have the most upside of the group.

Sep 19, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets left fielder Eric Young Jr. (22) hits a RBI single against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Turner Field. The Mets won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Eric Young Jr.

To say the New York Mets and Terry Collins were a little over-enamored in Eric Young Jr. may be a bit of an understatement. While he certainly provided the team with some much needed speed (68 stolen bases over the last two seasons), he lack of thump (.080 career ISO) didn’t do them any favors. Now a free agent, Young has a chance to land with a team that could better cast him in a role that fits him.

A team like the Miami Marlins.

Much like the aforementioned Emilio Bonifacio, Young is a bit of a Jack of all Trades, capable of playing around the outfield and usable at second base in a pinch. However, it’s the speed that is really going to mean a lot to this team. Sure, the addition of Dee Gordon makes a big difference to Miami, but who would you rather have running the bases in a late game situation, Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Eric Young? I think I’d take the man with the career BsR of 21.2 thank you very much.

Outside of that, Young is a switch hitter, although he’s much better right-handed (.261/.317/.337) as opposed to lefty (.248/.321/.330). That gives him some additional flexibility as a pinch hitter if needed.

But did I mention the speed?