The Miami Marlins should be focused on finding new stars of the future, and that means that Spring Training is where we at least get a better idea of who will get opportunities. We now have more news on a developing position battle in center field. The competition is between Derek Hill and fan favorite Dane Myers. Who will win the position? It just might be Hill?
Who will win the Miami Marlins CF job in Spring Training?
It's going to be a long season ahead, with not much to look forward to for the Miami Marlins. That said, the emergence of young players will be something hopefully fun to watch. Derek Hill and Dane Myers are two interesting players who just might show us something exciting this season.
Dane Myers is the fan favorite of the two. The 29 year old is a late-bloomer who made his debut in the 2023 season. That season, he batted .269/.286/.358, with a home run and 9 RBI in 22 games and 67 AB. He was worth -0.3 WAR, but played bad defense, receiving a -0.3 dWAR rating.
Following that up in the 2024 season, Myers batted a similar .263/.333/.442 with 3 home runs and 19 RBI, in 44 games and 95 AB. His defense received a 0.0 dWAR rating and he was ultimately worth 0.5 WAR. It left fans wanting to see what he can do in a full season. He's currently batting .300/.481/.300 in Spring Training.
Derek Hill is kind of getting slept on to be honest. The 29 year old is a former first round pick (selection number 29 by the Detroit Tigers in 2014). He batted .234/.402/.661 with The Fish last season, in 32 games and 107 AB. He hit 4 home runs and drove in 18 RBI. He was worth 0.1 WAR for that production. Currently, he's batting .233/.361/.433 in Spring Training.
Dane Myers seems to be the better overall player, but Derek Hill is better at getting on base and might ultimately have more upside. It will be fun to see which 29 year old will start the season as the center fielder for the Miami Marlins.