Marlin Maniac RTD 12/2: Marlins 2016 Wrap and Looking Ahead

Hey there Marlin Maniacs.  After a long hiatus, the Marlin Maniac Round Table Discussion (RTD) is back.  I, for one, am very excited to have people to talk to again. Let’s talk some Marlins.

Once a week, the staff here at Marlin Maniac sits down to pull some questions out of a hat that concern everyone’s favorite baseball team.  The answers?  While those get pulled from somewhere else, we list them below for your enjoyment

Avid readers are fully encouraged to submit questions they’d like to see the staff discuss via Twitter, Facebook, or in the comments.  They are also encouraged to come up with a better title than Miami Marlins RTD.  But until that day of deliverance, let’s get to the Round Table Discussion.

More from Marlin Maniac

• Miami Marlins news: Another target gone
• Why didn’t the Miami Marlins sign JDM?
• Miami Marlins rejected Boston‘s trade offer
• Miami Marlins are pursuing Michael Conforto
• Miami Marlins need to spend to win

In What Area Do The Marlins Need The Most Improvement?  

Sean Millerick: They need to score more. Obviously the rotation took a severe blow with the passing of Jose Fernandez. But no available pitcher comes close to matching him, and even before the accident, prospects of bolstering the 2017 rotation with a capable No. 2 seemed far fetched. The market was just that poor. If the 2017 Marlins are going to be successful, they’re going to have to do it by piling up a lot of runs. The talent is there- Miami posted the fourth best team batting average in the game last season, and this side of the Winter Meetings anyway, looks to be returning the entire starting group. However, that same squad was just 27th in runs scored. If that isn’t fixed, it won’t matter who’s pitching.

Austyn Varney: It has to be starting pitching. Due to the heartbreaking loss of Jose Fernandez, an already struggling rotation was turned into one of the worst in the league. The Edinson Volquez signing is a step in the right direction, but it is just that, one step of many. Looking forward, the Marlins need to acquire some quality young arms that can be brought up through the farm system. Without any aces in free agency this year, that will have to be addressed through trade or will have to wait until another season. This rotation does have some potential long-term, but without a perfect job from management and the coaching staff, it could easily crumble.

David A. Marcillo: The Marlins need the most help with their starting pitching. Even before the loss of Jose Fernandez, the Fish were going to need a lot of rotation help. Now, they may be looking at one of the worst starting five in the league. They could also use a better shortstop, but the Marlins seem enamored by Adeiny Hechavarria despite almost all statistics showing him as one of the worst players in baseball.  

Kyle Rowley: The clear cut answer for me is starting pitching. I’ve seen the Marlins linked to interest in elite relievers such as Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman, but they won’t help when the starters are being pulled after four innings. The Jose Fernandez tragedy decimated an already weak rotation that will be relying on Wei-Yin Chen to perform much better than last year. The team will need to tread the line of being responsible with their money and not overpaying an average starter (like they did with Chen, by the way), but they do need to make moves on the rotation. 

Joshua Alfonso: Pitching, the offense of this team should be a strength heading into 2017. The signing of Volquez will help but this team is still without a definitive ace at the top of the rotation.