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Miami Marlins Morning Catch: Giancarlo Stanton Feels Marlins Need Major Changes

By Ehsan Kassim

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Good morning, Marlin Maniac readers and welcome to Morning Catch, the daily morning news and notes column from MarlinManiac.com about your Miami Marlins.

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Miami Marlins management feels the team is a player or two away from being contenders next season. While I’d agree with that premise, I’d argue the Marlins are two top-of-the-line players away from being borderline contenders.

It seems Giancarlo Stanton may be on the same page as me, as he told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald he feels the team needs majors changes:

"“We need a lot of changes,” Stanton said."

Pretty damning statement from a player that just signed a major contract with the team, in hopes to bring the playoffs to Miami.

There are plenty of question marks surrounding the pitching staff for the Miami Marlins, going into 2016. Their top two pitchers, Jose Fernandez and Henderson Alvarez, have missed much of the season due to significant injuries. Beyond those two, the team has an array of fringe 4/5 starters, none of which are very reliable in the long-run to fill in for Fernandez or Alvarez, in case of injury.

The team also has question marks at first base, third base, catcher, and center field. Dee Gordon is also bound to regress in 2016, so second base may not be as set as the team feels it is right now.

The Miami Marlins are far from contenders, as their 51-76 record suggests. As Stanton points out, the team needs a lot of changes.

More Miami Marlins News Around the Web:

What is the future of the Marlins outfield? – Eric Karabell, ESPN Insider

The Miami Marlins weren’t likely to win the World Series this season regardless of what their outfield achieved, but it’s a bad sign when 41-year-old Ichiro Suzuki is the outfielder who’s played the most games for the club this year. Left fielder Christian Yelich returned from his second disabled list stint of the season Tuesday with several hits, center fielder Marcell Ozuna is back to handling center field, and we’re told that in roughly a week the awesome Giancarlo Stanton could again be roaming in right field. These fellows were 24th, 29th and third among outfielders in ESPN average live drafts, but only one is among the top 50 outfielders on the Player Rater.

Stanton is the obvious star, still within range of winning the National League home run title despite missing more than two months with a wrist fracture and still among my top 10 overall selections for 2016 drafts. Fantasy owners should get him back for the final weeks of September, but be realistic. It’s a hamate fracture, which are relatively common and easy to fix, but while I’m no Stephania Bell on injuries, I do know that recovery from any hand or wrist woes comes with the risk of delayed power return, and Stanton has reported continued discomfort during his rehab. I don’t doubt he returns in early September, but those relying on him bashing another eight home runs should be cautious. Any further sign of distress and Stanton should be shut down. The Marlins have little to gain except attendance. If you can somehow still trade in redraft formats, I’d steer clear of Stanton. (Read More Here)

Miami Marlins in difficult position to improve roster – Michael Jong, Fishstripes

There is a discussion about the differences between the thoughts the Miami Marlins have on their roster and the thoughts Marlins star Giancarlo Stanton has on the team around him. On the one hand, the Marlins think they are very close to a contender despite their near-100-loss pace in 2015. From the Miami Herald article that sparked the debate:

"“The record, in our mind, doesn’t change the evaluation,” [team president David Samson] said. “It’s hard not to believe [you have a playoff-contending core when] you have one of the top three pitchers and one of the top three position players in baseball on one team. That’s hard to find. We may be the only team that has that.”Marlins president/baseball operations Michael Hill said: “You look at those position players. You’re talking about 23, 23, 25, 24 — young players who are going through the ups and downs of a major-league career. There’s no less confidence in any of them.”"

The Marlins believe they have a true core present for contention. We will debate that tomorrow, but it stands as the reason why the Fish think they are just “a piece or two away” from playoff standing. (Read More Here)

Moving Fences In Would Be Right Call For Miami Marlins – David Miller, Rant Sports

News coming out of the Miami Marlins part of the MLB world suggests that the team is considering moving the outfield fences in next season. This should be the easiest decision the Marlins have had to make since they had to decide whether or not Giancarlo Stanton had power potential. They should absolutely move the fences in, and they might also want to think about doing away with all the odd gimmicks in the wall during the process.

Maybe it was just a phase designers of MLB stadiums were going through at the time, or maybe the problem was architects having free rein to design an outfield wall. “We can’t just have it arc from one foul pole to the other,” they must have said to one another. That would be far too simple.

Thankfully, after years of losing records and hundreds of would-be homers dying in an opposing outfielder’s glove on the warning track, the walls appear be on the verge of changing. (Read More Here)

Marlins’ unlucky 13th starter Narveson pounded by Pirates – Craig Davis, Sun-Sentinel

It takes more than a little bad luck for a major league team to go through 13 starting pitchers in a season still in progress.

The has been the case with the Marlins’ injury-ravaged rotation. They tied a franchise record Wednesday when Chris Narveson became the 13th pitcher to start for them this season.

As badly as Narveson’s first start since 2012 turned out in a 7-2 shellacking by the Pirates, they may be calling on No. 14 unless some of the injured hurlers return soon. (Read More Here)

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