Marlins and Pirates: Three Stories To Watch

Will Hechavarria Continue Hitting For Marlins? 

Lastly, now that Adeiny Hechavarria has been back for a bit. Now the time has come to revisit the offensive prowess of the Miami Marlins starting shortstop.

The big question while he was hurt was, offensively at least, would he be missed? Miguel Rojas did his best to show the answer was no.

Once he returned, the question became would Hechavarria show any signs he could produce enough at the plate? So far, somewhat surprisingly, the answer might be yes.

The star defender brings a three game hitting streak into the weekend series. That’s pretty encouraging given his 2016 struggles.

It’s the kind of production that should make Marlins fans calling for his head take notice. But it’s also the kind of production that should be rekindling interest in rival GMs.

Hechavarria is arguably the one starting position player the Marlins have that is simultaneously valuable and expendable. He certainly helps the team out, but if he can be used to bring in a better starting pitcher or an impact bat, that helps the team out all the more. Returning to his previous season form gives Miami options.

Next: Should Fernandez be Memorialized?

Either way, he’s presently the big question mark in the lineup. This series will go a long way towards determining whether or not the Fish have a shortstop controversy on their hands, even it’s just in the imaginations of the fans.

That’s all for this series. Let’s hope it goes better than the last one.