Over the summer, the Miami Marlins decided to go out and acquire steady third baseman Martin Prado. In exchange for streaky pitcher Nate Eovoldi and prospect pitcher Domingo German.
At the time, the deal seemed like a good one for both sides and the Fish got exactly the kind of season they expected from Prado in 2015.
Martin Prado became an everyday player for the Marlins appearing in 129 games and hitting .288. Prado created exactly 100 runs for the Fish in 2015. Prado had a K% in the upper half piling up a respectable 12.3%. He was below average in BB% though, only basing on balls 6.7% of the time, a well below average figure.
All in all the Marlins got what they expected out of Martin Prado in 2015. He plays strong third base, bats consistently and does all the things you need him to do to win. The Marlins’ front office has raved about Prado’s influence on the clubhouse.
Then there’s Derek Dietrich, the lifelong utility guy who had a couple of hot runs during the course of the season. Dietrich was a solid bench piece and pinch hitter for the Marlins, appearing in 90 games, batting a respectable .256 on the season.
Dietrich did have one fatal flaw, he struck out, a lot. Dietrich stuck out in 22.5% of his at-bats, a massive number especially for a player without elite power. Dietrich was at the league average in walks, coming in with an 8.0 BB%.
There was one telling number of Derek Dietrich’s 2015 season, he created 119 runs for the Marlins. Which is a particularly impressive stat considering that he only appeared in 90 games in 2015
Going forward, both Dietrich and Prado are extremely solid options for the Marlins and both had solid 2015 seasons.
In 2016, Dietrich may just see a bit more time at the hot-corner, and you can expect the same concise level of production out of Martin Prado.
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