This is a preview of the Joe Sheehan Baseball Newsletter, an e-mail newsletter about all things baseball, featuring analysis and opinion about the game on and off the field from the perspective of the informed outsider.
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Over the past five years, the Marlins have poured so much draft capital into pitching, with mixed results, that they’ve had to assemble a lineup through trades and free-talent pickups. Of the team’s top ten hitters, just two were originally signed or drafted by the Marlins -- utilityman Javier Sanoja and catcher Joe Mack. Otto Lopez, who leads the NL in batting, was a waiver claim in 2024. Catcher Liam Hicks was a Rule 5 pick in 2024. Corner outfielder Heriberto Hernandez was a minor-league free-agent signing, also in ’24. Xavier Edwards, Griffin Conine, and Esteury Ruiz were all acquired in trades for, effectively, nothing. The two biggest moves Peter Bendix has made, dealing Trevor Rogers and Edward Cabrera, returned a 2025 All-Star in Kyle Stowers and a 23-year-old rookie with a 101 wRC+ in Owen Caissie.
The Fish are posting the third-highest flyball rate and fifth-highest walk rate in franchise history, both taking big leaps over last year. They’ve raised their pulled-flyball rate from 17% to 19%, jumping from 23rd to 14th in that category. It’s as if they crammed a decade of modern batting instruction into one offseason.
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