Should the Miami Marlins give Jon Berti a shot at CF?

Neil Raymond

Jon Berti / Eric Espada/GettyImages

The Miami Marlins are looking for centerfield help, but what if the player who should start is already on the team? What if the answer for the position is Jon Berti?! Is he a good option to start or is it better to have him continue as a utility hitter instead? I wondered about his topic before and about how much value Berti can bring The Fish on the base paths, especially with the new rules in place. Should Jon Berti start in CF for the Miami Marlins?

Jon Berti should be the next Miami Marlins CF.

Jon Berti has been an elite stolen base machine who led the Majors with 41 in 2022. He batted .240./.324/.338 in 102 games and 358 AB with 4 home runs and 28 RBI. He clearly isn't much of a power threat, and does have some issues with contact, but he did bat .273/.348/.406 in 73 games and 256 AB in 2019. In fact, the main issue with Berti is the lack of playing time that the Miami Marlins has been giving him. The 102 games that he played in 2022 and 358 AB are both career highs.

There is also the matter of Jon Berti's age.... The speedster is 32 years old so that is an issue, considering he's definitely not a long-term solution at the position, but could he be an answer for a season or even two? If he can keep stealing bases, and likely even more with the new rules giving lager bases, I think hat there's s erious potential for a run-scoring machine emerging in a late-blooming Jon Berti.

I'm suggesting that Berti take over at centerfield only if Kim Ng definitely fails at acquiring a better option by trade. If she brings in a superstar CF, then obviously there's no need for Berti to be one instead. It's important to point out that he only got three starts in CF in 2022, but he did have a decent .990 Fld%. Personally, I don't think that Jon Berti will be given a shot to start in CF, but I think that he should.

Neil Raymond

Neil Raymond has been a lifelong Miami Marlins fan, with the 2003 playoff run being one of his favorite childhood memories. Neil has been called a "walking encyclopedia" for his knowledge of MLB statistics and the sport's history. He follows every game and actually invented his own statistic for player value on his side project BaseballAnalyzed.com. Writing for Fansided's Marlin Maniac since 2022, he also loves Fantasy Baseball and as such is an FSWA member. Neil also loves to travel, read and follow "Futbol" teams: Germany, Argentina, Greece, Inter Miami, Bayern Munich and NYC FC.