Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara adds record to his resume

Now that he has thrown more innings than any other Marlins rookie pitcher, what is next for Sandy Alcantara?

One record down, another one to go for Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara. The flame-thrower continues to move into the franchise’s record books, following his last outing. With two starts left in the 2019 season, will he add another accomplishment to his resume?

"Per MLB.com, “Alcantara reached a franchise milestone on Wednesday afternoon at Chase Field, setting Miami’s club record for innings pitched by a rookie. The 24-year-old, who is making a case to enter 2020 as the team’s ace, logged 5 2/3 innings, though he yielded five runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks in a 5-4 loss to the D-backs.“Alcantara is now at 184 1/3 innings this season, topping the 180 2/3 thrown by Scott Olsen in 2006.”"

I know we have talked about other players and stories that have caught our attention this season. The growth of Alcantara, who was pegged as the ace of this staff from the moment he was traded from St. Louis with other minor leaguers for outfielder Marcell Ozuna, is something I have enjoyed watching.

It’s hard to write about players on a daily basis and not root for their success. Alcantara has all the makeup of a front-line MLB starter, but consistency and control have been an issue since he touched the rubber in South Florida. Now, as the season comes to an end, the franchise is seeing the fruits of his labor and have a solid foundation to work with next season.

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Now that the rookie innings pitched record is in his trophy case, can 200 innings be achieved in a short amount of time? Right now, he has two starts remaining and 15 2/3 inning to go. It’s possible, but we shouldn’t count on it happening. Then again, Alcantara has pitched some gems this season, including two complete games.

Would there be enough magic from the youngster to cap off a productive season despite his win-loss record?

"“I feel really good about that,” Alcantara said. “I come from the Dominican Republic, and I got ready there in the offseason to come here and compete. I want to finish strong. I’ve got two starts left. I want to finish healthy and give 100 percent.”"

Alcantara is making a strong case to be the Marlins Opening Day starter in 2020, a position we all thoughts would belong to Caleb Smith at the midway part of this season. Now, with Alcantara shinning, it’s a strong consideration – one the coaching staff and management will have to make in March.

That’s still a long way away.

No Marlins starter has reached since 200 innings pitched since Mark Buehrle (202 1/3) did it in 2012. Alcantara hopes to have that opportunity.