Miami Marlins at San Diego Padres: Three Stories To Watch

Will Hechavarria Hit?

Lastly, the Miami Marlins will be trotting out their full strength lineup for the first time this season Friday night. That in itself is a story to track. But considering the time the staff here at Marlin Maniac has taken to discuss the shortstop position of late, I’m going to direct your attention to one man: Adeiny Hechavarria.

Player A: .200 BA, 1 RBI, .238 OBP

Player B: .143 BA, 1 HR, 3 RBI, .133 OBP

Player C: .289 BA, 2 RBI, 1 SB, .364 OBP

Unfortunately, the Marlins defensive wizard is the first player on this list. At the plate, the team has gotten far more dramatic impact from the combination of the other two players. J.T. Riddle, Player B, is still a raw product, and probably projects more as a serviceable utility guy than a long term answer at the position.

Think more Andy Fox than Alex Gonzalez.

However that rawness means there is upside, and being best suited as a backup player doesn’t mean he couldn’t hit 10 HR either. In Hechavarria’s best year, he hit 5. With Martin Prado and Dee Gordon in the fold, the team probably could handle a drop off in defense if it translates to an uptick in offense.

The real challenge comes from Player C, Miguel Rojas. Riddle put up technically worse production in a comparable number of at bats to Hechavarria. Rojas has blown both out of the water despite having logged twice the number plate appearances.

In fact, Rojas has had only ten less at bats than budding All-Star J.T. Realmuto. Despite having to deal with the distraction of playing multiple infield positions in relief of Hechavarria and Prado alike, Rojas is on track for a career season.

Next: Lineup Changes Coming

At the end of the day, the Marlins are best served by Hechavarria staying in the starting lineup. Keeping Rojas remaining in the super-utility role. Rojas and fellow multi-purpose Marlin Derek Dietrich help the team mask that glaring lack of organizational depth of theirs.

Provided, of course, Hechavarria can return to being at least a .260 hitter. But if 2016 proves to the new normal, that story will change in a hurry. And if it does, expect to see someone stepping up to the trade block.