2020 Miami Marlins: The Future of Magneuris Sierra

Magneuris Sierra has made the most of a September callup.

When Magneuris Sierra rejoined the Miami Marlins after a season with the Triple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes, expectations were likely low after a lukewarm start to his Marlins career in 2018.

In 54 games last year, Sierra hit just .190 with three doubles, six walks, and 39 strikeouts. He was also less than overwhelming defensively, with four errors in 106 chances. Understandably, Sierra split most of the 2019 campaign between the Baby Cakes and the Double-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. In 129 combined games, he hit .275/.312/.387 with 33 stolen bases, nine triples, and seven homers.

On September 3rd, the Miami Marlins recalled Sierra after the close of the minor league season (and of an era in New Orleans). Since then, Sierra’s been nothing short of a revelation at the major league level. Sure, it’s only a 14-game sample size, but he’s hitting .324 with two outfield assists and no errors. Having Sierra as a possibility at the major league level allows the Marlins additional wiggle room considering some of the recent difficulty filling the positions with viable talent.

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Brian Anderson is solid in right field, but the Miami Marlins should be looking to leave him at third base. Harold Ramirez seems to be a good gamble for the longer-term in right field (or left). With Sierra in center, the Marlins can plug in Austin Dean, Jesus Sanchez, Monte Harrison, or even Jon Berti in left. Adding to that, the Miami Marlins are not lacking talent at any level in the minor league feeder system.

Sierra is just speed incarnate, as you can see in the highlight above. His sprint speed, measured by Statcast at 30.5 feet per second in 2017, is all the way down to 29.7, but that’s still in the top two percent of the major leagues.

If Sierra’s short look can hold for a longer term, he could become a fixture in center field for the Miami Marlins. Look for them to give him every chance to stick.

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