Who Was the Miami Marlins Worst Pitcher in 2019?

There was a lot of competition for the title of “Worst 2019 Miami Marlins Pitcher,” but there was one who was a cut above (below) the rest.

With a team that posted a 57-105 record through the 2019 regular season, it’s no wonder that the Miami Marlins had several pitchers posting well-below replacement level numbers. Of the 26 total players to throw a pitch for the Marlins this season (including backup catcher Bryan Holaday), 10 of them graded out with below replacement level figures. Before digging into the “also rans,” which pitchers weren’t half bad? Parenthetical figures reflect this season’s WAR output.

Sandy Alcantara (2.9)

The undisputed ace of the staff with an all-star level second half of the season, Sandy Alcantara will enter the 2020 campaign as the heir apparent to the Opening Day start. Seven of his last 10 starts this year were “Quality Starts,” as he struck out 58 in 69 1/3 innings while holding opponents to a 1.039 WHIP.

Caleb Smith (1.8)

Caleb Smith‘s 2019 footprint was roughly opposite Alcantara’s. Smith started the season with above average numbers and closed the season on a down note. Over his last four starts, he posted a 7.32 ERA and walked nearly as many (11) as he struck out (12).

Zac Gallen (1.3)

Zac Gallen will go on to become “the one who got away,” joining fellow Miami Marlins expatriates as Luis Castillo and Chris Paddack. In only seven starts for the Marlins, he ranked third on the team with his WAR total. Miami traded him to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Jazz Chisholm.

Jarlin Garcia (1.3)

Jarlin Garcia‘s 2019 featured a drop in WHIP from 1.318 last season to a 1.105 figure this season. At 141, his ERA+ topped the Miami Marlins by a wide margin.

Trevor Richards (1.2)

Trevor Richards was 7-21 over parts of two seasons pitching for the Miami Marlins, but don’t let that fool you. His 233 K’s over 238 1/3 innings with the team give him an 8.8 career K/9, or just outside the Marlins top 10 all-time. Since joining the Tampa Bay Rays, he’s gone 3-0 with a 1.200 WHIP and 4.8 strikeouts per walk issued.

Other Miami Marlins Pitchers Above “Replacement Level”

Tyler Kinley (0.8), Jordan Yamamoto (0.8), Nick Anderson (0.5), Pablo Lopez (0.4), Austin Brice (0.4), Sergio Romo (0.3), Elieser Hernandez (0.2), Kyle Keller (0.2), Jeff Brigham (0.1), and Brian Moran (0.1).

Vote on who you think is the worst, here.

So, who’s left? The following 10 pitchers all graded out below replacement level with the WAR metric. For comparison’s sake, a team made up of “replacement level” players would post a 47-115 record over a regulation MLB season. Click the link below to read on.

Josh Smith (-0.1)

LHP Josh Smith only faced 21 batters in his Miami Marlins career, but struck out half as many as he allowed to cross the plate. In only 4 1/3 innings, he gave up four earned runs on three hits and three walks before getting claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds.

The Marlins had initially also claimed Smith off waivers from the Cleveland Indians, just two weeks prior to the end of the season. I guess 4 1/3 innings were enough for them to make a determination on the future of the 30-year-old southpaw.

Jose Quijada (-0.3)

Jose Quijada‘s slow and steady rise through the Miami Marlins minor league affiliate feeder system could only end with an invitation to the big-league club. With 10.9 K/9 collectively at three levels of the minors from 2016 through 2018, there was nothing left for Quijada to prove at the Triple-A level.

In 29 2/3 innings at the big league level with the Marlins in 2019, Quijada struck out 44 for a truly prolific whiff rate of 13.3 K/9. Unfortunately, he also registered a 1.787 WHIP by walking 26 and allowing 27 hits. For his troubles, he was 2-3 with a 5.76 ERA with a 7.66 FIP and a 74 ERA+, all truly frightening numbers.

Jose Urena (-0.3)

After holding down the Opening Day starter role for the second season in a row, Jose Ureña posted a 4-10 record as a starter / reliever for the 2019 Miami Marlins.

After opponents slashed .289/.343/.463 off Urena in 13 starts through the first half of the season, the Miami Marlins used him as a reliever post-injury. In 11 relief appearances, that already questionable slashline ballooned to .318/.362/.545.

What is Urena’s role going forward? I think a good question is, “Will Urena have a roster spot?”

Drew Steckenrider (-0.3)

Drew Steckenrider‘s season was greatly shortened after only a month. In his 14 1/3 innings, he only surrendered a 0.977 WHIP – all-star level, right? Unfortunately, six of the nine hits he allowed were over the fence, or 3.8 per nine innings of work. That level of ineptitude is unsustainable for such a gifted arm as Steckenrider, and I look for him to bounce back with a solid 2020 campaign.

Ryne Stanek (-0.4)

When the Miami Marlins got Jesus Sanchez from the Rays for Trevor Richards and Nick Anderson, Tampa Bay also included reliever Ryne Stanek in the deal. Stanek had been solid in three seasons with the Rays, striking out 171 in 142 innings for a 10.9 K/9 rate, along with a 1.225 WHIP.

After the deal, Stanek’s K/9 rate actually increased to 11.8, but his WHIP also went up by almost a third, to 1.688. He walked 19 while pitching for the Marlins, over only 21 1/3 innings. Billed as a possible closer on down the line, Stanek has to show more than he did in a doomed last-third of the season.

Robert Dugger (-0.6)

Robert Dugger joined the Miami Marlins rotation for seven turns to close out the 2019 campaign.

Dugger’s second start was truly outstanding, with seven strikeouts, a walk and three hits surrendered in a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Aside from that 73 GameScore effort, however, his other six starts yielded an average GameScore of 39.

Dugger, who is still regarded as the number 23 Miami Marlins prospect, finished at 0-4 with a 5.77 ERA and 25 K’s in 34 1/3 innings. He’ll need to tap into some of that magic he showed against the Reds this upcoming Spring Training if he wants to stick in the rotation.

Adam Conley (-1.1)

Once upon a time, Adam Conley was a promising young starter for the Miami Marlins. Then, in 2017, the wheels came off, and he finished the year with a 6.14 ERA.

Repurposed as a reliever in 2018, Conley’s results were encouraging. A WHIP of 1.086 along with 50 K’s in 50 2/3 innings had many thinking this could be the Miami Marlins closer of the future.

Unfortunately, for the second time since joining the Miami Marlins, Conley turned in a haphazard pitching line over a full season. A 1.731 WHIP, a 2-11 record, and a 6.53 ERA point to a former starter who will probably not have a place on the 2020 version of the team.

Wei-Yin Chen (-1.1)

Wei-Yin Chen was guilty of the same WAR rating as was Conley, but cost 16x as much.

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By far the Miami Marlins best-paid player, Chen’s utility was the worst of any pitcher on the team – and they still have to pay him $22 million next season. He’ll be going into the fifth year of a five-year, $80 million deal next year, and the Marlins seem hell-bent on getting their money’s worth.

In 2019, Chen racked up a 6.59 ERA and a 1.537 WHIP, and at no point resembled a major-league talent.

But what do you do with a guy who is not any good at starting, isn’t good enough to close in any-leverage situations, and is only passable enough to burn innings in blowout losses? A good team doesn’t have room for a pitcher of Chen’s current pedigree, and the Miami Marlins will not be a good team until they trim the chaff from the roster.

Thanks for reading. Tune in next time for more of the Marlins best, and worst.