1 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:04,600 Speaker 1: Hey, you're listening to Big Fish Small Pod. I'm Andrew Wardahl. 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:08,320 Speaker 1: Today is Friday, and today the Marlins will face off 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 1: against the Nationals in Washington behind Jesus Lozardo. After last 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: night's big win against the Phillies, I know, maybe it 5 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 1: feels like an overstatement to say big win, but it 6 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 1: did feel like a major step forward. With Jordan Groshen's 7 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: first major league home run and Brian de la Cruz 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,239 Speaker 1: with an absolute monster of a blast to put the 9 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: Marlins ahead and beat the playoff contending Philadelphia Phillies. It 10 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,159 Speaker 1: felt like a team eager to play spoiler. So for 11 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 1: you ahead of this Friday night game, what I have 12 00:00:45,800 --> 00:00:48,240 Speaker 1: is a bit of a peak at the record books 13 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 1: for the Miami Marlins. Really not to dwell on the 14 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: record books. We know this year hasn't gone how really 15 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: any of us envisioned looking at like some bold predictions. 16 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: I know personally I like Jazz Chisholm Junior down for 17 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:08,400 Speaker 1: one hundred and ten runs and we're in September sorely 18 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 1: missing Jazz altogether. But seriously, this is not to dwell. 19 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 1: I want to look at the Marlins by position, like 20 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: how they have performed relative till last year twenty twenty 21 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: one to twenty twenty two. Numbers by position of winds 22 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 1: above average, a metric provided by Baseball Reference that does 23 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: like it is reminiscent of winds above replacement, but with 24 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:41,759 Speaker 1: a different like central basis around the average player as 25 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: opposed to like an like average contribution to the team 26 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: as opposed to that like replacement level average. I was 27 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: certainly surprised by what I found, and we knew heading 28 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: into this year that there were a few like key 29 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 1: areas for upgrade. We knew the Marlins wanted to prove 30 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: at catcher. They did twenty twenty one negative three point 31 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: three wins above average, again like a negative number there, 32 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: so below average by about three wins, twenty ninth in 33 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: the league, behind quite a few like passed balls by 34 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: Jorge Alfaro and low performance from the bats. So in 35 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:29,639 Speaker 1: twenty twenty two we saw an upgrade negative one point 36 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:35,520 Speaker 1: four wins above average, good for twenty fourth in the league. 37 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: Certainly worthwhile to note that like only about eight teams 38 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: have a positive number here for catcher, so there is 39 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: like some real like gravity to those like better players. Truly, 40 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: you're like JT and that was an area where the 41 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 1: team like consciously went and pursued an upgrade and found 42 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 1: an upgrade. First base in twenty twenty one there was 43 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: a negative point one wins above the average for appropriately 44 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: sixteenth in the league, just like slightly below average, slightly 45 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: below average ranking twenty twenty two, negative two point two 46 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:14,799 Speaker 1: wins above average good for twenty sixth in the league. 47 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: Quite a nose dive when the Marlins were pretty much 48 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: tacking pat with Hayes's Aguilar, Garrett Cooper, Leyman Diaz at 49 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 1: the position a second base and this is a bit 50 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: like of a more vague position really for twenty sixth 51 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one at the second base position for 52 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: the Marlins, and then this year two whole glass good 53 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: for sixth in baseball, up from negative one point three 54 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: wins above replacement that was twenty sixth in twenty twenty one. 55 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: Just diving and makes the play that one taken it 56 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: for right field a diving Jim thereby esh Chess and Junior, 57 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: so a major improvement there. So on to third base, 58 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: we have an even zero for that number currently in 59 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: twenty twenty two, eighteenth overall in baseball out of the 60 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: third base position improved from like a bit below average 61 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: performance twenty sixth overall in twenty twenty one, pretty good, 62 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 1: like improvements through the infield shortstop actually like currently like 63 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:37,719 Speaker 1: dead locked point eight win above average twenty twenty one 64 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: point eight in twenty twenty two, both good for like 65 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: eighteenth place. Really just like I see that Miguel Rojas 66 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:53,359 Speaker 1: is like a true like icon of consistency there, and 67 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: there has been like improvement all through the infield with 68 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 1: the exception of like first base. But really, like critically 69 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:06,680 Speaker 1: what we saw in the outfield was more like kind 70 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: of like like I feel like I'm reporting this as 71 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: like a person in a deep sea submarine trying to 72 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: identify like fish that like you know might be like 73 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: just like a new fish. And it's hard to like 74 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:27,240 Speaker 1: really describe exactly like what happened with this outfield because 75 00:05:27,279 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 1: like literally like just looking at like the way the 76 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:32,279 Speaker 1: roster went from like twenty twenty one to twenty twenty two, 77 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: it does seem like the Marlins just like removed a 78 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: layer of veteran outfielders and put on a bit of 79 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: a layer of veteran outfielders and then like you know, 80 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: brought up some of like the younger prospects this year, 81 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:48,560 Speaker 1: they've been really pushing them through the outfield, so like 82 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: hopefully what we see is something of like a bottom 83 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:58,480 Speaker 1: here for this like outfield positional group as far as production. 84 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 1: Right now they're twenty ninth and baseball, and in twenty 85 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: twenty one they were ten with like a slightly above 86 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 1: average point nine and like a currently well below average 87 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 1: negative six point one wins above average for that twenty 88 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: ninth in baseball. And this is totally like not to 89 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: dwell on that. Like we just like see that there 90 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 1: that like seemingly like just like gravity well of production. 91 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: That's really like catastrophic language. But I think that's kind 92 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:44,120 Speaker 1: of like funny. I just genuinely think this is wild. 93 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: I had no expectation that, like the Marlins outfield production 94 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: had like cratered such that it was a few notes 95 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,600 Speaker 1: really on that between twenty twenty one and twenty twenty two, 96 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:02,600 Speaker 1: the DH was added, so like the Marlins didn't really 97 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 1: like just move any like outfielders to the DH role, 98 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:09,479 Speaker 1: and that's where like the production came from. There wasn't 99 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 1: like some kind of like just statistical like accounting error here. 100 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: Really the DH for the Marlins was like twenty sixth 101 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: in baseball, negative one point six wins above average. Really 102 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:26,960 Speaker 1: like along with their peers in the National League East, 103 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:31,400 Speaker 1: like the Nationals, Mets, Braves all really down there. Really, 104 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 1: only the Phillies are positive there. Notably they went out 105 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:40,120 Speaker 1: and like got free agent hitters without any like pretension 106 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: of regularly fielding up position. But also like really important 107 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: to like keep tuned to like what the Marlins are 108 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: doing now because like I mean literally yesterday was a 109 00:07:54,440 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: big night for like Brian day La Cruz, who's been 110 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: on the like a pretty significant upswing since he's returned 111 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: to the majors after a bit of time with the 112 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: Da Jumbo Shrimp. I feel like I'm like switching into 113 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 1: like hype there, and I'm definitely like not, I don't know. 114 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: I don't mean to my bad. I don't want to, 115 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: like I don't persuade you one way or the other 116 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: about the Marlins. Really, I hope to just like kind 117 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:22,440 Speaker 1: of present like the stat line as it is, and 118 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:26,360 Speaker 1: currently he's hitting like like three hundred thirty three two 119 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: home runs, including like a I think, like a four 120 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty four foot home run last night. And 121 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,560 Speaker 1: it's come in like significant time, like pretty like high 122 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,080 Speaker 1: leverage at bats so far in his like again like 123 00:08:39,160 --> 00:08:44,040 Speaker 1: pretty insignificant, like twenty one played appearances since he's returned 124 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: for the Marlins. With the Jordan Grossian's home run, this 125 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,560 Speaker 1: game really got me thinking about what, like well really 126 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: like what it would take for some of these players 127 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 1: to like take that step forward to be those guys 128 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: filling in the abundance of room for production at like 129 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: first base, in the outfield at DH And yeah, that's 130 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:11,079 Speaker 1: pretty much it for the podcast today. So for now 131 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: I've been to Andrew Wardal. This is as you know, 132 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: Fish Stripes. We'll be back with you this weekend with 133 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:24,880 Speaker 1: Fish Stripes Live leading up to the game against the 134 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: Washington Nationals, Jesus Lizardo facing Josiah Gray. They'll get you 135 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 1: up on anything you need to know before first pitch. 136 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 1: But yeah, for now, I've been Andrew Riddall. Have a 137 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 1: great weekend.