Miami Marlins: A shortened season would add excitement to MLB

How exciting would it be to see a shorter MLB season where teams like the Miami Marlins have a chance to make the postseason in 2020?

If the Major League season is shortened and teams like the Miami Marlins and other basement dwellers find success over a shorter amount of time, what will that say about leveling the playing field for every team in baseball?

Travis Koch of Call to the Pen here on FanSided.com brings up a good point about this great game.

“The coronavirus may force a shortened MLB season in 2020. Could shortened seasons become the new norm if ratings prove off the charts?” he writes.

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In theory, the absence of sports in a world that is fighting a world pandemic is small potatoes compared to what is happened over the past couple of weeks, but the love of the game and sports abroad have impacted how fans have adjusted to changes to a safer environment. When baseball returns and the Marlins take the field once again, there is a good chance it will be during a shortened season with more to play for in a quick amount of time.

“So, it seems Major League Baseball fans have begrudgingly opened their minds to an inevitable shortened 2020 season,” Koch adds. “Heck, at this point we all have our fingers crossed that any version of a season transpires. My concern is that a shortened MLB season occurs and the game’s key decision-makers become sold on the idea of diminishing future seasons.”

The Marlins haven’t had much success in the past two seasons, winning 64 and 57 games. At one point in 2019, Miami was 10-27 and facing one of the worst times in team history. Things are a bit brighter in South Florida as a repeat of last year’s depressing seasonal outcome should not repeat itself.

But can these Marlins, a team that was 12-6-2 in Spring Training baseball, come out of the gate after the time off from the field and shock the world?

This also speaks to what David Hill was saying when he wrote about the possibility of one or more teams shocking MLB to make the playoffs. If it can happen, why not the Marlins?

The Marlins added lumber to the middle of their lineup and had a solid beginning of camp where prospects left lasting impressions on the coaching staff and front office. More is expected from veteran players this year. Brian Anderson, Isan Diaz, and Jorge Alfaro are all being counted on to increase their production from 2019.

The organization has been blessed with what they have seen prior to the work stoppage from Jerar Encarnacion, Edward Cabrera, and Robert Dugger. Players have been assigned to minor league camp and the Marlins affiliates. Now, everything is about waiting out the process to get back to playing the game – only after it is safe for everyone to take the field.

How many games teams get in before the postseason is still up in the air.

“Major League Baseball is staring down an uncertain future, with the season projected to start anywhere from Memorial Day weekend to the middle of July. While the league says that they are looking to play a full season, that is seemingly impossible given weather constraints,” writes Koch.“If the worst-case scenario happens, and the season begins in July, then the season may be shortened to 80 to 100 games. A half-season certainly seems plausible, with the final three months of the regular season used to determine the postseason.”