How the 2025 Miami Marlins have used their speed and athleticism to their advantage

Peter Bendix's Miami Marlins has maintained a clear player type during his rebuild in South Beach. Whether it be Devyison De Los Santos, Agustin Ramirez, Matt Mervis, Kyle Stowers, or others, the new-look Fish have prioritized building a future around mashing home runs.

However, the fast start to the 2025 MLB season has included another (somewhat unexpected) team-wide trait: speed! We knew that Xavier Edwards had elite base-stealing ability. However, the rest of the Marlins' depth chart once seemed void of major speed.

While the club ranks in the middle of the pack in stolen bases, the athleticism of Miami's young core has lept off the screen. Edwards is clearly a major threat despite his slow start. Otto Lopez has shown incredible burst as both a defender and a baserunner.

Additionally, the outfield trio of Stowers, Derek Hill, and Dane Myers have all flashed game-wrecking foot speed. While none have impacted the stolen base potential in a major way, the quickness has been on full display defensively.

Many of the players in Miami's starting lineup have also been dangerous advancing on the base paths. A bloop single has proven to be enough to allow the young Fish to advance from first to third, or from second to home. This has placed pressure on opposing teams.

Pitchers feel the strain to mitigate any type of contact. Defenders know that a simple error could be especially costly against the Marlins.

This team-wide advantage also has a clear path toward continued growth. Prospects including Dillon Head (70), Starlyn Caba (60), Andrew Salas (55), Javier Sanoja (60), Echedry Vargas (55), Andres Valor (60), and Andrew Pintar (60) all have speed grades above 55 (on a scale of one-to-eighty). Add in athletes such as PJ Morlando and Maximo Acosta, and the future is indeed bright.

This potential for needle-moving speed, in combination with the aforementioned sluggers, gives the Miami Marlins a fascinatingly well-rounded core. This is welcome news for a franchise historically known for solid pitching and poor hitting.

Perhaps, the Miami Marlins are truly on their way to a proper future in 2025 and beyond. If Bendix can hit on a reasonable number of his prospects, the Fish have a versatile block on which to build their franchise's next era.