Miami Marlins Season Preview: Predicting the NL East

Mar 29, 2015; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond (20) reacts to a called third strike as the umpire looks on at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

Baseball is back!

For Miami Marlins fans, waiting for those three magical words has been like waiting for Christmas morning. But we have finally arrived, and hope truly springs eternal for a franchise poised to make some noise in the National League.

After an exciting offseason that saw the Marlins give Giancarlo Stanton a record 13-year, $325 million deal, an extension for young star Christian Yelich, and deals that brought Dee Gordon and Mat Latos to South Florida, Miami is primed and ready to take the next step in their development. 

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But for the Marlins to take those steps, making strides in the NL East is important. While the Marlins have won two World Series titles, they have never won the division, so they’ve proven that winning the division isn’t exactly life or death. Yet you can’t make the Wild Card finishing fourth, either, so it’s time for them to show the rest of the division that there’s a new dog in the hunt.

So we’ll breakdown the entire division, with how each team can see their season go right or wrong, projections, and have a look at the early schedule. Titles can’t be won in April, but we can learn a lot early on. I tried this format on our sister site for the Heat (CHEAP PLUG!) and it seemed to go well. OK, my predication for division champion didn’t exactly work out as planned, so that might be bad news for my NL East winner.

Please enjoy our latest preview for the 2015 season, and welcome back, baseball!

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