Miami Marlins heart of the lineup needs help, 3 reasons why

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The Miami Marlins are in the playoff hunt and as the season moves along they need to add a middle of the order bat to make things click. Jazz Chisholm is a huge part of the offense and has only 167 at-bats this season, as compared to most top of the order players who are sitting around 370 right now. Is Jazz the answer or does there need to be more support?

Jazz is a major part of the offense and needs to be there but without him the offense is not as dynamic. Teams can pitch around him when he’s in the lineup but if Arraez and Soler are productive it makes it difficult but no one is behind Jazz to protect him in the fourth spot. The Marlins need to trade for a cleanup hitter so Jazz will get his pitches and if he’s not in the lineup they need a big run producer.

The Miami Marlins are an anomaly. They are 3rd in the MLB in hits and yet are 22 in runs with 407 while the MLB leader has 564 runs. To get into the top 10 in runs the Miami Marlins would need 54 runs, aka one more power hitter. Let’s take a look at three big reasons why they need to add that power hitter.

Reason 1 - Strikeouts

The middle of the lineup can be dangerous for teams to navigate as they try to balance living outside the strike zone to avoid a power hitter and keeping the ball down to induce ground ball outs and avoid the big inning home run. The Miami Marlins GM Kim Ng’s philosophical approach to the roster is one of contact but power hitters who have big numbers often sacrifice that stat. Two of the bigger hitters in the Marlins lineup do just that but is the trade off worth it?

Jazz Chisholm has a 31.2% strikeout rate this year but he has only 183 plate appearances. Chisholm does however have a 4.9% home run rate and has 9 home runs so far this season. I would say that he is a good trade off as he also steals bases and walks at a higher rate of 6.6% and his career average is 7.3%.

Garrett Cooper also strikes out at a high rate of 29.7% and he walks at a much lower rate of 5.3% as compared to Jazz, and his home run rate is lower at 4%. The other two mainstays at the middle of the order are Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez.

DLC has only a 23.7% strikeout rate and he has a 6.9% walk rate but his home run rate is much lower at 3.1%. Similarly, Sanchez has a 26.3% strikeout rate with a 7.4% walk rate. His home run rate is high at 4.6% but that is hard to gauge in only 200 at bats as he has had only 840 plate appearances in his career.

Reason 2 - Power numbers

The Miami Marlins are ranked 20th in slugging percentage in the MLB and 25th in home runs. Certainly we know Luis Arraez is a prolific singles hitter and so he provides plenty of opportunity to get runs as he is on base all the time. The Marlins are ranked 23rd in doubles at 156, around 20 behind other playoff teams.

Adding a player like Patrick Wisdom would bring 17 home runs, 7 doubles, and 35 RBI. Jeimer Candelario would bring 15 home runs, 27 doubles, and 46 RBI. Either of those players would greatly increase their home run total, and either of those players would rank second on the team behind Jorge Soler.

Both Garrett Cooper and Bryan De La Cruz are tied for 87th in the MLB in home runs and Soler is 7th. That’s a wide gap between their sole power hitter and the next highest. The Atlanta Braves on the other hand have 6 players in the top 29 in the MLB on their roster, which is their prime rival in the division. In order to compete in the playoffs the middle of the order needs to be addressed and Candelario is the most affordable option for the Marlins and I would go all in on him.

Reason 3 - Clutch Numbers

The Miami Marlins are ranked 21st in the MLB with runners in scoring position (RISP). The Marlins are 22nd in home runs with RISP and 15th in RBI, while ranking 7th in plate appearances. Jesus Sanchez is hitting .254 with RISP, DLC is at .245, Jazz is at .231, and Cooper at .347. To sum it up, the Marlins need another hitter in the .300+ average range and preferably one that doesn’t strike out 30% of the time, unless they have massive power numbers.

The stats that the Miami Marlins really need help with are obviously driving in runs and home runs. Any trade potential player must do those two things very well to increase the teams overall production. Since both Jazz and Cooper have had extended time on the IL this season, durability is certainly another concern they need addressed.

If either Cooper or Jazz have another stint on the IL this season that could spell disaster for their playoff hopes. That just sums up another huge reason why they need players who will have production with runners on base and late in the game. It could be a very fun deadline for the Marlins if they did go all in and add a big bat. How much better would a lineup be in a game with a big bat in the middle and therefore pushing all other players on the roster out a spot where they will get better pitches under less pressure.

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