Miami Marlins Moving Up In Recent Bleacher Report Rankings

Let’s call the most recent MLB rankings by Bleacher Report where the Miami Marlins are ranked 22nd overall progress.

The Miami Marlins moved up three spots in the most recent numbers by Joel Reuter. It is a sign of things to come for the second half of the MLB season. Miami won their past two series against the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies – two playoff contenders and will open a three-game series on the road at the Tampa Bay Rays before returning home for a two-game set against the Atlanta Braves.

If the Marlins continue to find ways to beat winning ball clubs, that ranking figures to rise even higher.

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According to teamrankings.com, Miami was projected to win 64 games for the entire season. Through 98 games, they have 41 wins.  With 64 games left on the 2018 slate, the team would need to win 23 of those contests. It’s possible if manager Don Mattingly continues to push the right buttons.

Just a side note, the website predicted the Atlanta Braves would finish fourth in the National League East.

I’m still thinking this team can pull off 70 wins. Player development and continuity have been key the past month of the season and the bullpen has looked better and more dominant, as demonstrated by the five innings of no-hit ball on Sunday versus the Phillies.

According to Reuter, Miami isn’t the worst team in the division. The New York Mets hold that distinction, ranking 24th, overall.

"While the team is still one of the worst in terms of overall record in MLB, they are getting better.  As Mike Persak of sun-sentinel.com, wrote, “Still, in a rebuilding season, Miami has avoided being uninteresting, with young players getting playing time, veterans suffering injuries, prospects making debuts and everything in between.”"

Other writers, namely Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, see this team as a franchise on the move and something for the south Florida fan base can be excited about.

"“Judged against expectations, the Miami Marlins at the All-Star break might be the best thing in town among our Big Four pro teams, which, granted, might say more about the town than it does the baseball team,” he wrote."

While there is still a building process to complete, this could be manager Don Mattingly’s best job as Marlins skipper. Tweaking the lineup for most of the first two months of the season, combined with multiple changes to the rotation and dealing with inconsistency across the board, he has been able to find a balance of late.

Next: Marlins set rotation for the second half of 2018

That could translate to an even greater move up league rankings once the second half of the season begins.