The Miami Marlins Chronicles: Dan Straily

When the Miami Marlins acquired Dan Straily, they were banking on a starting pitcher who could eat a lot of innings.

Since joining the Miami Marlins prior to the 2017 season, he’s racked up 304. Ranking second on the club only to Jose Urena‘s 320 2/3.

Straily was a well-traveled major league veteran when he joined the Marlins via trade in January, 2017. The Cincinnati Reds traded him for Zeek White, Austin Brice, and Luis Castillo. Through Straily’s first five major league seasons, he had also spent time with the Oakland Athletics (230 IP), the Chicago Cubs (13 2/3 IP), and the Houston Astros (16 2/3 IP). He also played 191 1/3 innings for the Reds.

While Straily at the time represented a piece of the rotation puzzle that ultimately included Jose Urena, Tom Koehler, Adam Conley, and Edinson Volquez, only Urena and Straily now remain. Conley, of course, is still with the club, albeit in a much different role.

After going 10-9 and anchoring the staff with 181 2/3 innings in 2017, the Marlins well-documented selloff commenced. Straily was amongst the first on-board with the new ownership group’s plans. According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, who quoted Straily:

"Glad they’re gone. If they don’t want to be here, then good for them. They can continue their career elsewhere. I agree with what happened, all the moves they made. And I really feel that the pieces they brought in … this might flip around a little quicker [than people expect]. I’m not saying today, but things are going to flip around a little quicker than a lot of people realize, because of some of the players they were able to acquire back in those trades."

To quickly recap, the Marlins traded off Marcell Ozuna, Dee Gordon, Christian Yelich, and Giancarlo Stanton. The haul for that bunch? Jorge Guzman (number five Miami Marlins prospect), Starlin Castro, Jose Devers (12), Isan Diaz (8), Lewis Brinson (former number 1), Jordan Yamamoto (16), Monte Harrison (1), Sandy Alcantara (2), Daniel Castano, Zac Gallen (19), Magneuris Sierra, Robert Dugger (22), Nick Neidert (3), and Christopher Torres (17). Included in the bunch listed above are 10 of the Miami Marlins’ top 22 prospects, according to MLB.COM’s pipeline. And that’s not counting Brinson, who seems to have flipped a switch in the batters box despite leading the National League with nine outfield errors.

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This season, Straily has been one of the Marlins’ most dependable starting pitchers. Despite missing the first month of the season while recovering from an injury, Straily stepped into the rotation at the tail-end of April, and for the most part has kept the Marlins competitive. He’s 5-6 over 23 starts, with a 4.12 ERA and an NL average 1.300 WHIP. Despite pulling an oblique muscle in his back in his last start, Straily does not want to go on the disabled list. He’s currently listed day-to-day, and may start a few more games through the rest of the season.

As the first apparent adopter of the new regime’s gameplan, Straily has stepped forward as a leader in the Miami Marlins clubhouse. Although he’s frequently victimized by the long-ball, Miami Marlins fans can always count on him to give his best, both on and off the field.

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