Miami Marlins: 5 Most Impactful Players so far of the 2021 Season

With the Miami Marlins currently sitting at 23-24 squarely in the thick of things in the NL East, there is no denying they have been good this season.

Now yes, the Miami Marlins you could argue could be better currently if it weren’t for injuries and more. However you should not takeaway from the impact that a few players in particular have had on this team so far.

Before we begin however, a few honorable mentions that just missed the list: Jesus Aguilar, Sandy Alcantara, Dylan Floro, Cody Poteet, Jordan Holloway

So let’s get right to it. Here are the 5 most impactful players of the Marlins 2021 season up to this point.

5. Miami Marlins RP Yimi Garcia

Don’t look now, but Miami Marlins closer Yimi Garcia you could argue has quietly become one of the best closers in baseball so far this season.

The 30-year old RHP is currently putting up some of the best numbers of his career so far in 2021.  Yes, he isn’t the best and most consistent closer in baseball, but there is no denying that he has been good.

After a phenomenal 2020 season in which he posted a career-low 0.60 ERA in 14 appearances, Garcia currently sports a 3-2 record with a 1.37 ERA, as well as a career-high 8 saves so far in 2021.

Garcia currently ranks 11th in baseball in saves, and has helped solidify a 8th and 9th inning duo with Floro that has been extremely impressive at times this season. Also evident by 19 K’s compared to only 4 BB’s allowed this season, Garcia is on track to put up some of the best numbers of his career.

While the Marlins could consider trading for a reliever or two as the MLB Trade Deadline draws near, this success from Garcia may allow the pure “need” for the position to decrease. If the Marlins do however opt-to acquire another closer as well, Garcia has experience in other late-inning roles in the bullpen as well, and as evident by his previous career numbers, would excel in that role as well.

Garcia has been good so far this season as Miami’s closer. Looking ahead, it will be vital to the Marlins’ success going forward this season for Garcia to continue to solidify the late innings.

4. Miami Marlins SP Pablo Lopez

There is absolutely no question that the Miami Marlins “Big 3” in the starting rotation has been nothing short of dominant. The one player in that trio that you could make the argument has been vastly underrated is Pablo Lopez.

Lopez currently displays a 1-3 record with a career-low 2.73 ERA through his first 10 starts of the season. Looking at his numbers and production so far in 2021 a little deeper however, it’s clear that Lopez is on track for the best season of his career.

Lopez currently ranks 17th in all of baseball in terms of starting pitchers ERA, and is second among all Marlins pitcher in WAR at 1.7.

When looking at Lopez’s individual starts themselves, aside from two bad-outings where he allowed 6 ERs against the Braves and Diamondbacks, he has allowed 2 ERs or less in 8 of his starts. In fact, in half of Lopez’s starts this season, he has not allowed an earned run at all.

It’s clear that Lopez is having a career season so far, building off a solid 2020 season in which he pitched just about the same sample size as he has so far in 2021. Will the success for Pablo continue? That remains to be seen.

What is known however is Lopez is continuing to develop into one of the more underrated pitchers in the game. If he continues at this rate, he might just be arguably one of the best #3 pitchers in the rotation in all of baseball.

3. Miami Marlins 2B Jazz Chisholm

Has there been no bigger spark on and off the field so far for the Miami Marlins? The big-time hits, electric base running, the endless swagger on and off field, and more, Jazz Chisholm is doing it all for the Marlins in 2021.

Chisholm currently owns a .289 batting average, along with a .352 OBP, .505 SLG, and an .857 OPS. As mentioned previously however, Chisholm is doing it all for the Marlins in 2021.

Jazz is getting on base at an incredible rate, and then making opponents pay on the base-paths as evident by his 8 stolen bases. He doesn’t just hit for contact however as Chisholm currently has 5 HRs on the season, ranking third on the team.

If you have any question as to just how good Chisholm is, and can be, well you shouldn’t. Jazz has all the abilities and potential to become baseball’s next young superstar on and off the field.

There is no denying that when looking for a specific player with a bigger impact on and off the field for the Marlins in 2021, it’s 100% Jazz.

So, we know about his impact so far, but where does this go from here?

Is Chisholm the early favorite to win the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year or someone else? That’s an argument for a different day, but there is one other Marlins rookie however that is arguably having an even better season than the Miami 23-year old 2B.

More on that later….

2. Miami Marlins SS Miguel Rojas

Where would the Miami Marlins offense be so far in 2021 if it wasn’t for Miguel Rojas? Seriously. You could make the argument that Rojas has been the most impactful player of the entire Marlins season up to this point.

Throughout the injuries of projected starters up to this point, combined with up-and-down hot streaks at the plate from a few of the Marlins regulars, Rojas has arguably been the piece that has held the lineup together.

Batting out of the leadoff spot for a majority of the time, Rojas currently sports a team-leading .280 AVG while also leading the Marlins in a majority of other offensive categories. His 45 hits are a team-high, along with being the leader in doubles, triples, and OBP most notably. Rojas also currently leads all Miami position players in WAR at 1.4.

In fact, is it too far of a stretch to say that Rojas has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball this season? Think about it, you know exactly what you’re going to get every single time Rojas takes the field.

So, is this production sustainable over the course of a full MLB season at the top of Miami’s lineup?

When looking at Rojas’ career up to this point, the 32-year old SS has had two seasons over the course of his career in which he has had over 400+ at-bats. In those two seasons, both with the Marlins, Rojas hit for a .252 AVG and a .284 average respectively.

Is it crazy to say Rojas can hit at least .280 over the course of a full season? Based on previous years, it’s really not.

Rojas continues to be a bright-spot for this Marlins offense each day. Going forward, I would expect Rojas to have near the same impact, even with changes still to come to the everyday lineup.