The best hitting philosophy for the Miami Marlins Part 2

The Miami Marlins are changing our hitting philosophy. It appears that we’re moving away from focusing on power and moving to a more small ball oriented approach. This should lead to us pursuing players who fit that mold. It begs the question of whether it’s the right move. This is part two with part one here. Which strategy has led to more World Series wins in the last 21 years? I decided to analyze this in a simple way: home runs = power oriented team and average and stolen bases = small ball.

Which hitting philosophy benefits the Miami Marlins the most?

2010 San Francisco Giants: They were slightly above average in home runs (162), an average batting average (.257) and were tied for last in stolen bases (55). Based on their hitting it’s actually a miracle they won the World Series.

2011 St. Louis Cardinals: They were slightly above average in home runs (162), top five in batting average (.273) and a bottom two team in stolen bases (57). They were closer to being a small ball team.

2012 San Francisco Giants: They were LAST in home runs with 103, top 5 in average (.273) and above average in stolen bases (118). Small ball team.

2013 Boston Red Sox: Top six team in home runs (178), top two in batting average (.277) and top four in stolen bases (124). They were well-rounded offensively.

2014 San Francisco Giants: Below average in home runs (132), above average in batting average (.255) and bottom two in stolen bases (56). They don’t fit either label.

2015 Kansas City Royals: Below average in home runs (139), tied for second place in average (.269) and top five in stolen bases (105). Small ball team.

2016 Chicago Cubs: Above average in home runs (199), above average in batting average (.256) and below average in stolen bases (66). They don’t fit either philosophy.

2017 Houston Astros: Second in home runs (138), first in average (.282), above average in stolen bases (98). They were well-rounded cheaters. 

2018 Boston Red Sox: Above average in home runs (208), first in average (.268), third place in stolen bases (125). They were closer to being a small ball team.

2019 Washington Nationals: Above average in home runs (231), top 5 in average (.265) and tied for third place in stolen bases (116).

2020 Los Angeles Dodgers: First place in home runs (128), above average in batting average (.265), below average in stolen bases (29). This was a home run otiented team.

2021 Atlanta Braves: Third place in home runs (239), average in batting average (.244) and below average in stolen bases (59). They were closer to being home run oriented.

2022 Philadelphia Phillies or Houston Astros: Philly was in sixth place (208) and Houston in fourth in home runs (214). Both were above average in batting average (.253 for Philly and .248 for Houston). Philly was fifth in stolen bases (105) and Houston average (83). Neither fits.

Most teams were either complete offensively or just didn’t fit either category. Out of the ones that did, 3 were home run oriented and 6 were small ball teams. A change in approach does seem smart for the Miami Marlins.