[MLB The Show 19] Miami Marlins Iron Man

[coachmac75]

Miami Marlins iron Man





The MLB the Show ''sim experience'' Blueprint

I started playing the show quite recently (The Show 15) and was a complete beginner. Initially a football fan I became on past few years a real baseball fan. I play both The Show and OOTP.

Since SD stopped supporting the online franchise I play exclusively offline franchise. And I think for the better. With MLB The Show 18 I took a step making The Show my ''main'' game and playing around 140 user games with the Oakland Athletics.

In reality Online Franchise was awful. Reality is it is impossible to organise a 162 games season with 30 users. Madden online franchise benefits from short 16 games NFL seasons, baseball is a different story.

The Show online franchise did not feature any proper schedule, no fatigue, no real financial, no real FA management... Leagues played inconsistent seasons where the ten most active guys played 25 to 30 games, the next ten 15 to 20 and the bottom 10 between zero and five. All of that with impact on player development etc... The experience was really not there if you like Sim ''franchise'' mode.

With MLB The Show 19 I decided to pause my A's franchise and start another one. I initially started to play with Marlins using a rule which had me either playing or quick managing. I have to say that it was a total failure. I could not get into it.

In the meantime Cyclomaniac posted a new roster. And I did start to pay attention to something i never considered before: directional hitting.

I have to say it totally changed my view of the game. For me now it is obvious, there is a blueprint for MLB The Show which is summarised by the following rules:

• Of course we play Franchise mode only and with a team to build.
  
• We cannot consider anything else than iron man: we play every pitch of every single game.
  
• We cannot use a roster which does not rework totally players ratings with a solid method (such as old OSFM hybrid and today Cyclomaniac Sim project) because any other roster is absolute garbage. That means porting current game to MLB the Show 20 until another decent roster is made. Period.
  
• We will go directional hitting and (still) pure analog pitching.

At the moment I go with Armor and Sword sliders and HOF for both hitting and pitching.

Each game will be streamed, and I will comment some videos, but... in french. Because no one talks MLB The Show in french. So...

Why Directional hitting

I have to say that i was a firm and only user of zone hitting snice I started playing MLB the Show.

But I did see that all ''sim'' players playing franchise use directional hitting. And all for the reason of making players ratings matter more.

Now, I was convinced with my first story with Marlins. I had Riddle with poor hitting being the best hitter with 320s avg.Enough of video game stuff

But it is more than that. With directional hitting there is naturally more focus on baseball IQ/concepts vs pad skills so yes it is actually possible to enjoy 162 games with Marlins.

Directional offers a way to focuis on baseball things. To focus on base running more, to develop a real gameplan for each at bat based on:
* hitter/pitcher handness (of course) but much more than that,
* with player ratings getting more important
* and, of course, hitting style being key (pull, push...).

I tested with Spring camps I am all for it now.

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Why playing with Marlins ?

There is no bigger challenge than Marlins nowadays in the MLB. So I am looking to see if i can realistically make that team competitive in the NL East.


Rules and setup

Games approach

Spring training will be optional: on need basis i will decide to play or not to test players.

Regular season and eventual PO: every pitches of every game will be played.

Trades

• Trades only for players OTB in season
• No trade for high profile prospects from non winning team / rebuild team even if the cpu put them on the blog
• No shop player around trade.
• Special rule: Wei-Yin Chen cannot be traded (because he is trash and no one wants to eat his salary IRL).

Prospect and draft
No push of any prospect before their 20/21 years
Draftees will play a year at least in minor

Contracts players extension will be subject to max between

• player sal + 20%
• player pos avg
• player desired contract

(Pos = min salary in M/year)
RP = 6.9
DH = 7.8
CP = 8.3
C = 9.4
3B = 11.7
SS = 12.5
2B = 12.5
LF = 12.7
CF = 12.7
RF = 15
1B = 20
SP = 22

Players edit

Using Armor and sword rules.

Quote:

1. I make position edits based on needs and profiles all the time. There are no consequences for doing this. 2. I'm allowed to trade 1 for 1 between a pitcher's durability and their stamina, but only during the off season. This can coincide with a position edit (RP to SP for example). 3. All players must be allowed to regress without edits if they are having a bad year. 4. For players under 34, I'm allowed to counteract regression, but only if they are having a good year. 5. For players under 36, I'm allowed to counteract half of the regression, but only if they are having a good year. 6. For players of any age, I'm allowed to counteract regression using a trade system, where points from one attribute are traded into another in order to keep it up. This can ONLY be used to counteract regression, cannot be used to boost an attribute higher then where it started the year at. Points taken from Durability are worth double, but it also costs double to keep Durability up.

Others

• I take care of all actions GM and Manager
• No staff hiring outside off season
• Manager contracts - On
• Do not activate any sponsors

Setup

• Armor and Sword sliders
• HOF hitting and pitching
• Directional hitting and pure analog pitching
• Cyclomaniac roster

[coachmac75]

2019 Opener Update



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For the very first spring training we mostly practised under the new rules.
Thanks to Cyclomaniac roster our players may not be the best but at least they look like Major league players.

We just signed Ramos since he was in FA and had a ''connection'' with Miami.

Unfortunately we loss Neil Walker with a torn harmstring. So we need to see who can emerge at 1B (if someone does).

Roster Transaction Update

• Signed RP A.L. Ramos to a 3y/11.2M contract

Opening day depth chart

Miami Marlins Depth Chart - 2019

• Catcher
• J.Alfaro (R)
• B.Holaday (R)

• First Base
• N.Walker (S)*
• G.Cooper (R)

• Second Base
• S.Castro (R)
• J. Berti (R)

• Third Base
• B.Anderson (R)
• M. Prado (R)

• Shortstop
• M.Rojas (R)
• J.T.Riddle (L)

• Left Field
• C.Granderson (L)

• Center Field
• R.Herrera (S)
• L.Brinson (R)

• Right Field
• H.Ramirez (R)

• Starting Pitcher
• T.Richards (RHP)
• C.Smith (LHP)
• J.urena (RHP)
• S.Alcantara (RHP)
• P.Lopez (RHP)

• Relief Pitcher
• A.Conley (LHP)
• A.J. Ramos (RHP)
• S.Romo (RHP)
• T.Guerrero (RHP)
• N. Anderson (RHP)
• J. Garcia (LHP)

• Closer
• D.Steckenrider (RHP)

• Disabled List
• (*) 10 days
• (**) 60 days

Farm system

The farm system is not really fantastic with only SP Sanchez ranked (21th) in the top 50 prospects.

However, there are still a few players which will get special monitoring in the minor.

Miami Marlins farm system
#	PITCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
SP	Sixto Sanchez - AA	A	RHP	20	6'0	185	4F,CH,Cut,SL
SP	James Needy - AAA	C	RHP	27	6.6	230	4F,CB,CH,SL,SNK
SP	Nick Neidert - AA	B	RHP	21	6.1	180	2F,SL,CH,CB
SP	Jeff Brigham - AAA	C	RHP	26	6	200	4F,SL,CH
RP	J.Fernandez - AA	C	RHP	23	6.6	205	4F,SL,CB
RP	T.Kinley- AAA	A	RHP	28	6.4	205	4F, SL,2F
RP	B.Graves - AA	B	RHP	26	6.1	170	4F,Cut,CB,CH
#	CATCHERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
C	Will Banfield - A	B	R	18	6	195
#	INFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
2B	Isan Diaz - AA	B	L	22	5.10	185
SS	Robert Puason - A	A	S	18	6	176
#	OUTFIELDERS	POS	B/T	AGE	HT	WT	SALARY
LF	Gabby Guerrero - AA	B	R	25	6.3	215
LF	Austin Dean - AAA	B	R	25	6.1	190
LF	Harold Ramirez - AA	C	R	24	5.1	220
CF	Magneuris Sierra - AAA	B	L	22	5.11	160
CF	Victor Mesa - AA	A	R	22	6	175
CF	Monte Harrison - AA	B	R	23	6.3	220
RF	Tristan Pompey - AA	B	S	22	6.4	200

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[coachmac75]

April 2019: Road to the struggle

• Overall record 11-17
• We are 6.5 game behind the Mets whoi took the early lead in an overall weak NL East
• Nationals, Phillies and Marlins all have 11 wins in this end of April

It is not about the destination, it is all about the journey

For the very first month of that Ironman playthrough it has been (as expected) a struggle. Lots of losses, but for the most part we are giving a game to our opponents.

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The Rotation is questionable at best

Caleb Smith has been sent down already just after just 5 starts. In the late April he got replaced by Wei Chin who got a win for his debut at Citizen Bank park.

Overall we feel short of a solid veteran starter. Urena is the only pitecher in the roster with significant starting playiong time and likely it is something who we can look to address if we get the opportunity.

The bullpen got strentghen by the return of A.J. Ramos signed as a free agent to take a setup man.
For the most part the bullpen has been a pleasant surprise. Tyler Kinley goty mpromoted mid April to replace an injured Brice and managed to keep his spot in the active roster.
Romo is offering a very good leverage when called up in late innings and Steckenrider has played consistent with 6 saves asecured as closer.


The lineup, obviously a work in progress... but it progresses.

We lost Neil Walker in the opener with a torn harmstring. To address that blow,and an overall weakness in the roster, we signed former Orioles Hyun Soo Kim to give us a valid left handed hitter.
The lineup is doing decent with Alfaro being the main contributor.

Infield has been stable anchored by Anderson and Castro when the outfield has focused the main concerns.
Magneuris Sierra and Harold Ramirez enmerged as platoon options which pushed Lewis Brinson into the AAA and the trading block... On the past couple of weeks Garrett Cooper showed that he could deserve mroe playing time amnd eventually a higher spot in the lineup.

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Behind the bases:scouting update

We have obviously to address our needs in the close future. So our scouting staff is already analysing the possible options for the offseason free agency.

it is obviously early but we expect to be in the market for a strong hitting help from outfield corners. Pirates LF Corey Dickerson in that regards is an expected target. We do not expecft Pittsburgh to resign him with Bryan Reynolds emerging as a valid starter.

Another obvious need will be to strengthen the rotation. Looking at options compatible with our payroll we identified LHP Brett Anderson and RHP Daniel Gossett both playing for the Athletics as valid candidates... but we need some due diligence to ensure they can bring added value.

Note on sliders

After testing a few options, I have to say Armor and Swords sliders rock and i am very pleased with the outcome. Look at the stats, it looks like baseball.

Injuries

Pos	Player	Injury Note
1B	Neil Walker	Torn harmstring 1-2 Months (10 days list)

Team transactions

• Signed 1B hyun Soo Kim to a 2 years 2.4M contract
• Signed RP A.J.Ramos to a 3 years 11M contract

Team stats

2019 Miami Marlins Stats - Hitting
NAME	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG
Starling Castro - 2B	107	11	35	2	0	0	5	7	.165		.720	.327	.374	.346
Brian Anderson - 3B	104	10	27	1	0	3	7	8	.159		.674	.260	.319	.356
Jorge Alfaro - C	94	12	29	5	0	7	22	4	.317		.912	.309	.327	.585
Rossell Herrera - UT	82	9	20	0	0	3	13	5	.126		.641	.244	.287	.354
Harold Ramirez - OF	76	5	18	2	0	0	2	2	.115	1	.520	.237	.256	.263
J.T. Riddle - SS	73	3	17	5	0	2	11	5	.150		.671	.233	.287	.384
Hyun Soo Kim - 1B	66	7	17	8	1	1	12	2	.028		.722	.258	.268	.455
Garrett Cooper - OF	55	9	18	4	0	2	3	6	.098		.903	.327	.393	.509
Miguel Rojas - SS	54	2	9	1	0	0	2	6	.131		.431	.167	.246	.185
Magneuris Sierra - CF	49	14	13	3	0	1	3	9	.048	1	.791	.265	.403	.388
Martin Prado - IF	28	4	5	0	0	0	3	3	.226		.437	.179	.258	.179
Jon Berti - LF/3B	28	4	7	1	1	1	3	4	.250	1	.808	.250	.344	.464
Peter O'Brien - RF	25	0	7	2	0	0	4	2	.074		.693	.280	.333	.360
Lewis Brinson - CF	17	0	3	0	0	0	1	2	.316	1	.440	.176	.263	.176
Bryan Holdaday - C	16	1	4	1	0	1	3	0	.125		.750	.250	.250	.500
N.Walker - 1B	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	0	0	0

2019 Miami Marlins Stats - Pitching
NAME	GP	GS	W	L	SV	QS	HLD	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	ERA
Sandy Alcantara - RHP	6	6	2	3				34.1	0.0		2.10	0.52	4.98	1.17	4.46
Jose Urena - RHP	6	6	2	3				33.1	1.0		0.54	0.27	6.75	0.78	2.97
Caleb Smith - LHP	5	5	1	3				26.1	0.2		1.71	1.03	5.47	1.56	7.52
Pablo Lopez - RHP	5	5	0	3				24.0	0.3		1.50	1.50	6.75	1.42	6.75
Trevor Richards - RHP	5	5	2	3				23.2	0.7		0.76	1.14	7.99	1.56	5.32
Jarlin Garcia - LHP	20	0	1	0				20.2	0.5		0.44	0.87	6.97	0.92	1.31
Sergio Romo - RHP	21	0	0	0				16.1	0.5		0.00	1.65	8.82	1.04	1.10
Tayron Guerrero - RHP	12	0	1	1				13.1	0.0		2.03	1.35	8.10	1.50	6.75
Drew Steckenrider - RHP	14	0	0	0	6			12.2	0.3		0.71	0.00	8.53	0.39	1.42
Adam Conley - LHP	16	0	0	0				11.0	-0.1		2.45	2.45	9.00	1.36	3.27
A.J.Ramos - RHP	12	0	1	1				10.1	0.2		1.74	0.00	12.19	1.26	5.23
Tyler Kinley - RHP	8	0	1	0				9.1	0.3		0.00	0.00	4.82	0.21	0.00
Wei Yn Chen - LHP	1	1	0	0				6.0	0.1		1.50	0.00	9.00	0.67	3.00
Nick Anderson - RHP	8	0	0	0				5.1	0.1		0.00	0.00	3.38	1.50	3.38
Austin Brice - RHP	2	0	0	0				2.1	0.0		0.00	0.00	0.00	2.14	7.71

[coachmac75]

May 2019: MLB like run...

• Overall record 22-33 with amonthly record of 11-15
• We are last in NL East 8.5 gam,es behind Nationals
• Lots of close game but opverall our team continue to struggle

Looking for an Offense

At the end of April perception was that the lineup needed help mostly against lefties and in depth. Playing in NL it looks really important to have valid options on the bench against both handeness to basically enter the game anytime and try to take advantage with runners on base.

So Marlins signed former Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp expecting to leverage his experience to use him mostly as pinch hitter. So far he has had a pretty good start batting above .300 with an abvove .800 OPS but only 72 at bats.

Marlins completed as well a couple of trades with Pirates and Diamionbacks.bringing Chad Kihl; to play in the rotation and Jose Osuna to platoon against lefties from eitehr first abse or outfield corners.

But so far the production remains mediocre.Marlins are at the bottom end of the league in most offensive statistic including scored runs. So there ismuch mroe work needed to improve the production even if (being a realistic rebuild) we will have to likely be patient and keep evaluating our players while looking to build the roster for the next season.

Alfaro out for 6 to 8 weeks

A couple of games after Neil Walker return to the lineup (following a torn harmstring injury) catcher Jorge Alfaro fractured his shin and has been sidelined m,ost of the month and stioll expect to be absent for one more month. Before getting injured Alfaro was leading the team in home runs (8) and OPS (.939) in 124 at bats.

So getting all players in the lineup is quite important while we may still be lookin g atg eventual FA or waiver opportunities.

Draft preparation

For a rebuilding team the draft is obsviously a serious matter and subject to a lot of attention to prepare a solid draft board.

Given the farm system the Marlions could go to any position expecting to draft exclusively by value/talent. So scout reports have been managed on a day to day to ensure we could capture all information we could.

Rookies will not anyway improve the team straight away so a bit of time is as well spoent on assessing what the future off season FA pool.

Team stats

• Scored Runs - 30th (177) - Astros lead 315
• Home runs - 30th (37) - Astros lead 92
• Hitter strikeouts - 1st (320)
• SLG - 30th (.360) - Astros lead .467
• OBP - 29th (.305) - Dodgers lead .356
• ERA - 6th (3.63) - Astros lead 2.82
• Runs allowed - 3rd (204) - Astros leaad 162
• Pitchers strikeouts - 30th (356) - Astros leaad 555

Injuries

Pos	Player	Injury Note
C	Jorge Alfaro	Fractured Shin 1-2 Months (10 days list)
CF	Magneuris Sierra	Broken ankle 1-2 Months (10 days list)

Team transactions

• Signed RP Santiago Casilla to a 2 years 3.5M contract
• Signed RP Odrisamer Despaigne to a 2 years 1.3M contract
• Signed C Josh Thole to a 2 years 2.3M contract
• Signed LF Matt Kemp to a 2 years 4.8M contract
• Acquired SP Chad Kuhl and RP Tyler Lyons from the Pirates for SS Miguel Roojas
• Acquired 1B Jose Osuna from the Pirates for CF Isaac Gallloway and RP Austin Brice
• Released C Bryan Holaday. 3B Martin Prado.

Team stats

2019 Miami Marlins Stats - Hitting
NAME	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG
2B - Starlin Castro (R)	206	21	63	11	1	0	8	14	31		.722	.306	.353	.369
3B - Brian Anderson (R)	199	15	53	3	0	3	15	18	30		.657	.266	.330	.327
UT - Rossell Herrera (S)	165	19	39	5	0	6	21	8	22		.646	.236	.270	.376
C - Jorge Alfaro (R)	124	20	40	8	1	8	23	15	15		.939	.323	.351	.589
1B - Kim (L)	123	13	30	12	1	1	16	10	10		.676	.244	.294	.382
OF - Garrett Cooper (R)	122	13	31	8	0	4	10	15	15		.759	.254	.341	.418
CF - Harold Ramirez (R)	87	5	20	2	0	0	2	2	10		.500	.230	.247	.253
LF -Matt Kemp (R)	72	7	22	3	0	3	11	6	36		.847	.306	.375	.472
CF -Lewis Brinson (R)	71	3	14	2	0	1	6	8	15		.508	.197	.240	.268
UT - Berti (R)	65	6	12	1	2	1	6	7	13		.572	.185	.264	.308
SS - J.T. Riddle (L)	149	11	42	8	1	3	20	11	27		.741	.282	.331	.409
CF - Magneuris Siera (L)	65	15	16	3	0	1	3	11	4		.721	.246	.383	.338
IF - Neil Walker (S)	60	9	14	3	1	4	10	4	11		.798	.233	.281	.517
1B - Jose Osuna (R)	48	3	11	2	1	1	4	8	6		.726	.229	.351	.375
OF - Peter OBrien(R)	40	0	8	2	0	0	5	3	4		.500	.200	.250	.250
C -Josh Thole (L)	35	3	9	4	0	0	4	0	11		.635	.257	.263	.371
C - Chad Wallach (R)	24	1	8	5	0	0	2	2	5		.741	.333	.407	.333

2019 Miami Marlins Stats - Pitching
NAME	GP	GS	W	L	SV	QS	HLD	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	ERA
Jose Urena - RHP	11	11	4	5				64.2		1.9	0.70	0.42	7.24	0.70	2.09
Sandy Alcantara - RHP	11	11	4	6				61.1		0.4	1.76	0.59	5.28	1.11	4.26
Pablo Lopez - RHP	9	9	0	7				47.0		0.3	1.72	1.15	5.36	1.47	6.13
Caleb Smith - LHP	7	7	1	3				37.0		0.4	1.46	0.97	5.84	1.49	7.05
Trevor Richards - RHP	7	7	2	4				34.2		0.9	0.78	0.78	7.27	1.27	4.41
Jarlin Garcia - LHP	30	0	1	0				30.1		0.4	1.19	0.59	7.12	1.05	2.67
Wi Yin Chen - LHP	5	5	1	1				28.0		0.4	1.29	0.96	5.46	1.11	2.89
Tayron Guerrero - RHP	22	0	1	2				27.1		0.2	1.65	0.66	7.24	1.17	4.94
Drew Steclenrider - RHP	25	0	1	0	12			24.0		0.7	0.38	0.38	7.50	0.54	0.75
Adam Conley - LHP	30	0	0	0				23.2		0.4	1.14	1.52	8.75	0.80	1.52
A.J. Ramos - RHP	24	0	1	1				20.2		0.3	1.74	0.00	10.45	1.16	3.92
Tyler Kinley - RHP	17	0	2	0				20.0		0.7	0.00	0.00	7.20	0.30	0.00
Chad Kuhl - RHP	3	3	1	1				18.2		0.4	0.966	1.45	6.27	1.07	3.38
Tyler Lyons - LHP	4	0	0	0				6.0		0.1	0.00	0.00	0.00	2.00	4.50
Santiago Casilla - RHP	2	0	1	0				2.1		0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.43	0.00

[coachmac75]

In Coach Mac there is Coach...

It is the middle of June. We loose a lot of close games in our pitch by pitch Marlins iron man (enjoyable and amazing) journey.

Following a serie of three losses at home against the Pirates, 11.5 games behind Nationals in NL East. being at the bottom in nearly all offensive catgories it is time for a deep dive review of our approach.

With Pitching, ''it is is what it is'', without personnel changes both in the rotation and the bullpen I do not believe we can do much better. We need to live with what we have and mitigate.

Now on the hitting side, I don't get the best from my players. So it is time to analyse.The beauty of directional hitting (vs zone which i used a lot in the past) is to (normally) replace pad technique by baseball intelligence players attributes. So defining a better approach at the plate is essential with a better customisation applicable to our players. Let's try.

The problem

Simple and self explained... I do not mind the last in stolen bases or home run aspect, but when it comes to on base percentage, slugging and, morover runs/game, we cannot be happy with our performance.

The process

Like Billy Beane character says in Moneyball ''it is a process''... And it has to be.

So first thing first, let's give credit to TheWarmWind who made a masterpiece article and analyse about directional hitting and hitting in general. That article makes a lot of sense from a baseball sense standpoint. So similiar to Billy Beane inspired by Michael Lewis, I willinspire myself from the great work fromTheWarmWind.

(Note for TheWarmWind Ia ctually had a HR with Dietrich while hitting down with a natural swing)

My approach so far at the plate has been based on matchups (LHP/RHP vs RHB/LHB), players tendencies(pull vs push) and count to decide to use natural or contact swings. The outcome and lack of production force a review of the approach in order to bring more consistency and better rationales.

So the process is the following:

• For each player we will redefine their at bat approach.
• The approach will ignore pitching handeness, so willapply without any distinction betweenr LHP and RHP.
• The approach will continue considering pitch counts to decide between natural and contact swings.
• Being in mid June we have now enough data to better customise the approach for each hitter based on hitter profile (power vs contact), hitter tendency and hot/cold hitting zones.
• That approach is going to be documented for each hitter of the active roster to ensure a consistent application of the plan.
• .That approach willapply for 6 (in game) weeks so looking at our beautiful schedule we are June 17th and we will review the results at the end of a serie against Arizona (July 29th).
• Situational hitting (sacrifice fly, avoid doubleplays...) will still apply and be an exception to the defined approach for each hitter.

The ''Marlins customised'' approach

So the application is the following...

Let's use two samples to illustrate our expected tactical approach for the next 6 weeks.


Player focus #1: Brian Anderson

For Anderson I have to say it is a difficult exercise looking at his archetype. He is akey player with an ''everyday'' role.

• So far I was hitting pull when facing RHP and Down vs LHP.
• Contact hitter, Pull tendency.
• He is an obvious pull against RHP.
• He is difficult to figure out against LHP.
• count.

The new approach is looking to:
* vs LHP ''go 11 o'clock''whemn ahead in the count, Down when behind in the count.
* Pull vs RHP.


Player focus #2: Jose Osuna

pic upload

Traded from Pirates last month to bring a platoon power bat. We need better contribution from him given his talent against LHP.Probably a player for which wemiss more at bats for a better analysis but giving it a try...

• So far I was hitting push with him at the plate.
• Now new approach will be to approach with Push when ahead in the count.
• And ''5 o'clock'' when behind.
• And down on situational ''must hit''.

[coachmac75]

June 2019: We are getting closer... but still far

• Overall record 33-50 with a monthly record of 10-17
• We are last in NL East 15 games behind Phillies
• Still lots of close games and we are still loosing most of them. Good thing being we are most of the time competitive.
• There is no Marlins in a position to make the all star game.

Offense is progressing

The new offensive approach has slightly improved the outcome but there is still work to get the most from our players.

The best surprise has been Starlin Castro.
The former Yankee did not have a single home run by the end of May despite decent average hitting and on base. In June he had 10 homers improving his OPS from .722 to .832.
He is likely the most improved player. Castro hot streak forcing the staff to be cautious on how approaching his near future. It still looks unlikely that Miami would use the 9M option of his contract for 2020.... but if he continues to hit home runs in clutch times....

Another positive is the return of Jorge Alfaro in the lineup. With him and Derek Dietrich the Marlins now get the power bats the team has been missing from the start f the season.

On the other end there are some players whose production have dropped. Neil Walker is close to loose his starting position (and could end up in the trade block)m while Brian Anderson is missing consistency and his approach may need to be revisited.

Another interesting fact is that the real Marlins signed Matt Kemp this week. We still have to have him contributing as pinch hitter. We have yet to get production from that guy.

Urena must bounce back

On the pitching side Urena who has been Miami ace this season dropped from being second in NL ERA ranking at the begining of the month to 12th slot at the end. He is obviously in a cold streak.

However, overall the rotation starts to estab;lish itself at least for the top 4 slots. Along Urena, Alcantara and Lopez have bounced back from tough starts and Khul traded from Pittsbugh in May is doing the job.
Trouble being the usual problem for most of major leagues teams in getting a suitable 5th starter. After multiple "attempts" it is still a work in progress not to mention that so far we did not have injuries in the rotation.

The bullpen has its ups and downs, however, rookie Nick Anderson is making a splash with an impressive contribution.
The real issue is to get a reliable second lefty to play aside Adam Conley.

Marlins in the 2019 MLB draft

Miami had the 4th selection in the 2019 MLB draft.

With the 4th overall pick the Miami Marlins selected RHP Pedro Hernandez from Puerto Rico. Hernandez, 21 years old, stands at 6.5 and offers a 4 seam fastball has his main pitch. He employs two distinct breaking balls, a downer changeup and a harder slider in the low 80s. A sinker is also in his repertoire making him a valid prospect for a rotation role.

With the 31th overall pick (complementary Round 1) Miami selected Bryan Arrington from Minnesota is a 21 years old college prospect standing 5.11 for 188lbs.
Arrington's strength and bat speed give him well above-average raw power to all fields. He has a complicated swing that features a big hand circle in his load, so he has to be precise with his timing to make the most of it. But he has done so in college and was the top performer in the U.S. collegiate team's lineup last summer. He's an aggressive hitter who always will accumulate strikeouts as a tradeoff for his pop.
Arrington recorded stunning unning times out of the batter's box, he displays elite speed once he gets going making a valid threat on the bases and can plays a capable center field.

With their 2nd round selection the Marlins selected Pedro Mesa a 20 years switch hitter prospect from Venezuela. Mesa possesses solid speed and the instincts to play faster than that on the bases. A twitchy athlete, he has the quick feet, soft hands and instaninct to play almost any position. His arm strength may limit him to play as 2nd base when the rest while he devbelops his arm to give him a shot at a short stop job.

The other picks from the Marlins have been:

• 3rd round - RHP Deandre Briscoe, 20 years old from Florida.
• 4th round - LHB Sam Hoffman, 18 years old from Alabama.
• 5th round - RHB Pedro de la Rosa, 22 years old from Dominican republic.
• 6th round - RHP Anthony Davydoy, 21 years old from Ohio.

Team stats

• Scored Runs - 28th (290) - Astros lead 460
• Home runs - 28th (69) - Dodgers lead 134
• Hitter strikeouts - 2nd (540) - Astros lead 527
• SLG - 27th (.375) - Astros lead .463
• OBP - 27th (.316) - Dodgers lead .348
• ERA - 12th (3.72) - Astros lead 2.94
• Runs allowed - 4th (318) - Astros lead 256
• Pitchers strikeouts - 29th (582) - Angels lead 837

Injuries

Pos	Player	Injury Note
CF	Magneuris Sierra	Broken ankle 1-2 Months (10 days list)

Team transactions

• Acquired RP ian krol, 1B Derek Dietrich from the Reds for RP Tyler Lyons, CF Harold Ramirez, Sp Nick Heidert.

Players stats

2019 Miami Marlins Stats - Hitting
NAME	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	BA	OBP	SLG
3B - Brian Anderson (R)	302	24	80	7	0	4	27	29	.154	0	.659	.265	.331	.328
2B - Starlin Castro (R)	301	38	93	14	1	10	31	29	.169	0	.832	.309	.370	.462
UT - Rossell Herera (S)	235	36	62	7	0	10	26	14	.136	0	.725	.264	.304	.421
SS - J.T. Ridle (L)	232	15	54	10	2	4	24	21	.168	0	.642	.233	.297	.345
1B - Derek Dietrich (L)	213	31	64	9	0	13	31	20	.174	2	.892	.300	.366	.526
OF - Hyunn Soo Kim (L)	208	28	60	16	1	2	26	15	.092	0	.742	.288	.338	.404
OF - Garrett Cooper (R)	169	15	40	13	0	5	12	22	.130	0	.730	.237	.328	.402
C - Jorge Alfaro (R)	155	26	53	9	1	10	28	11	.259	0	.989	.342	.382	.606
LF - Matt Kemp (R)	148	13	36	9	0	3	14	12	.231	0	.665	.243	.300	.665
CF - Lewis Brinson (R)	136	9	27	6	0	1	10	12	.221	3	.533	.199	.268	.265
IF - Neil Walker (S)	122	12	29	6	2	5	21	12	.197	0	.74938	.238	.307	.443
C - Josh Thole (L)	80	10	23	7	0	2	11	12	.214	0	.848	.287	.398	.450
1B/OF - Jose Osuna (R)	75	5	18	2	1	2	6	10	.161	0	.711	.240	.337	.373
CF - Magneuris Siera (R)	65	15	16	3	0	1	3	11	.049	1	.721	.246	.383	.338
C - Chad Wallach (R)	46	3	10	1	0	0	2	6	.170	0	.560	.217	.321	.239

2019 Miami Marlins Stats - Pitching
NAME	GP	GS	W	L	SV	QS	HLD	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	ERA
Jose urena - RHP	17	17	5	5				99.1		1.9	1.36	0.54	7.43	0.86	3.44
Sandy Alcantara - RHP	16	16	5	7				92.0		1.9	1.27	.59	7.53	0.97	3.82
Pablo Lopez - RHP	15	15	3	10				82.1		0.8	1.64	0.98	6.01	1.32	5.14
Chad Khul - RHP	8	8	2	2				48.1		0.5	1.30	1.30	5.21	0.93	2.61
Jarlin Garcia - LHP	45		2	1				47.7		0.7	1.15	0.38	6.89	1.00	2.68
Caleb Smith - LHP	12	8	1	3				41.2		0.3	1.30	1.08	5.83	1.49	6.48
Drew Steckenrider - RHP	40				17			38.0		0.6	1.18	0.47	7.11	0.68	2.13
Trevor Richards - RHP	8	8	2	5				37.2		0.9	0.96	0.72	6.93	1.41	5.50
A.J. Ramos - RHP	39		2	2				35.0		0.7	1.54	0.00	10.8	1.09	3.60
Adam Conley - LHP	48		0	2				34.1		0.4	1.31	1.57	8.13	0.99	2.36
Tyler Kinley - RHP	31		2	0				33.0		1.0	0.55	0.27	8.73	0.61	1.09
Tayron Guerrero - RHP	27		1	3				31.1		0.0	2.03	0.87	7.55	1.29	5.81
Wei Yin Chen - LHP	5	5	1	1				28.0		0.4	1.29	0.96	5.46	1.11	2.89
Santiago casilla - RHP	13		2	2				15.0		-0.3	3.00	0.60	6.00	1.00	4.80
Nick Anderson - RHP	15		0	0				12.1		0.5	0	0.73	8.76	1.14	1.46
James Needy - RHP	2	2	0	1				11.0		-0.0	1.64	1.64	2.45	1.18	4.09

[coachmac75]

Starlin Castro traded to Oakland

While the league is getting close to the All Star game week, the Miami Marlins made a splash move today by trading one of their main contributor to the American League. The terms of the deal have been released as:

• Athletics acquired RHP Trevor Richards and 2B Starlin castro from the Marlins.
• Marlins acquired 2B Franklin Barreto from teh Athletics.

Seating last in NL deast with 33-50 and 15 games beghind the Nationals, the Marlins are clearly seen as a seller when getting closer to the trade deadline. However, Castro was playing at a career high ranked 6th in NL batting average with an OPS of .832. So unlikely to get a lot of support from the fans.

But the fams do not run the ball club. "It is a cliche but Major league Baseball is a business. The organisation was unlikely to keep Castro next season under his current contract so the timing was looking right. Magneuris Sierra returning from injury we needed to free up a slot in our active roster. Oakland called at the right time" commented coach Marinelli.

The Athletics as landed RHP Trevor Richards who started 8 games for Miami this season posting an ERA of 5.50.

In return the Marlins lands Franklin Barreto a 23 years old prospect who has been struggling to establish himself at the Major League level.

All eyes have been on Barreto since he signed a $1.45 million deal with the Blue Jays as a 16 year old in July 2012. That scrutiny only intensified in late November 2014, when he was the key prospect in a deal that sent star third baseman Josh Donaldson to Toronto. Barreto has been challenged to play up a level. He spent his age-19 season in High-A with the Stockton Ports and his age-20 season with Double-A Midland. ''In both cases, he shook off slow starts to put together solid years'' commented Marc MacQueen the Marlins West coast head scout.

The Marlins expects to continue to develop Barreto who looks like a good complement to Isan Diaz.

[coachmac75]

Marlins score 8 runs in 7th inning to win at Sun Trust Park

Baseball is a game of attrition, there is no clock and it is not over until the final pitch of the last inning. Today game at Sun Trust Park just demonstrated it once more when Marlins down by 7 runs surprisingly rallied in the 7th inning to score 8 runs and finally win the game and the serie.

In the previous 6 innings the Marlins were totaly dominated with Acuna Jr sending the ball out of field 3 times. Marlins looked totaly lost when the 7th inning started. But it was not over yet.

Alfaro started the charge with a home run connection. and he concluded the same inning with a second long ball getting two HR in the same inning for 4 RBIs.

In between the full lineup passed by the plate and with the help oif an error from Freeman at 1st base dropping a throw from Swanson Miami scored 8 runs to get a lead and finally win the game and the serie on the road.

Could it be the start of a revolt for Miami ?

Marlins 7th inning play log

• Alfaro homered to left. 1 RBI
• Dietrich lined to right for a single.
• Walker lined to center for a single.
• Dean called out on strikes looking on a fastball.
• Riddle lined to center for a single.
• Thole (PH) struck out swining late at a fastball.
• Herrera lined to center for a single. 1 RBI
• Anderson reached first on a throwing error by Swanson. 1 RBI
• Osuna (PH) doubled to right. 2 RBI
• Alfaro homered to left. 3 RBI
• Dietrich grounded out to 1B.

This was the final game before the All Star Break, Marlins are 36-53 15 games behind the Nationals.