TheMarlinsProject

Going to be an interesting roster crunch when Stowers, Morel, and Ruiz (Acosta as well, but he will get optioned). Especially since there are a few more guys knocking on the door at AAA. BTW, Gusto was pretty solid in JAX tonight. And guess who hit his second home in two games, Mr. Deyvison (my career major league average is .500) De Los Santos.

Hicks did a lot of work at Driveline and in the weight room with targeted exercises in the off-season. It's a very small sample size but is one part of the investment into the analytics and technology. Money is being prioritized there for long-term benefit instead of signing guys like Jose Quintana. That is why it is important to not take a myopic view with what Saint Peter and company are doing. And yes the plan is to compete this year with an emphasis on long-term sustainability. The Marlins are a viable wild card/playoff contender this year. Now fix those pesky oblique injuries that have been cropping up with increasing frequency. As someone who suffers a lot from side cramping and oblique issues I have a few ideas as to why this is happening and how to minimize it in the future.

Junk just needs to keep us in the game until the bullpen comes into play. He doesn't walk many but there is not enough swing and miss. Think he is better than Paddack at this point but both are placeholders until our young studs are ready.

There wasn't really a lot of hard hit balls against Paddack and it just snowballed. Still see him as a Cal Quantrill-esque placeholder until Snelling and White are ready. The sooner they are up the better, long-term. Also, old friend Eddy Cabs was dealing tonight in his Cub debut. Another guy who looks like he might make a leap and could be a dark horse Cy Young candidate is Chase Burns for the Reds. Filthy stuff. Still too small a sample size yet to get carried away. Let's see if Junk can keep us in the ballgame tomorrow and hopefully Gus can get right batting.

Hopefully it looks different at end of year. Braxton, Snelling, and T. White all could and should be in the rotation by then.

Paddack looking like prime Connor Gillispie.

This Caissie kid might be good.

This Caissie kid might be good.

Great to see Nard-dog back!

Snelling solid in first start at AAA today. 4 ip, 1h, 1r, 2bb, 3ks.

Morel late scratch with oblique strain. Norby's first ever game at first base.

Happy Opening Day! Let's go Fish! Good to see Kyle, Hutt, and the lovely Kelly Saco again. It's like Christmas morning here.

Team Record: 84-78 Leaders in each category below (totals in parentheses) - Hits: X (148) HR: Gus (25) RBI: Gus (82) Runs Scored: Marsee (86) Stolen Bases: Marsee (52) Wins: Sandy (12) Losses: Paddack (11) Saves: Fairbanks (28) BTW the Vegas O/U is 72.5 wins.

If you didn't watch the Spring Breakout game today, do yourself a favor and watch the last play of the game. One of the all-time all-time bad umpire calls. Play at plate, out by a mile, ump just wanted to go home. Don't know if they even go to extras but that umpire needs a serious talking to, lol. Game didn't matter, but it is a jaw dropper.

Another source says an average of 4.7 pitching injuries per year. Data suggests the Marlins are league average or slightly above average. Max velocity and the pitch clock are contributing factors and injuries as well as elbow injuries are increasing every year. Adding in minors and high school/college, pitchers getting Tommy John surgery at least once is rapidly approaching 50%. The Rays had a max velocity strategy which resulted in a lot of pitching injuries and that philosophy has carried over with the transfer of management. The Dodgers and Astros actually have the most pitcher injuries in the last few years. However, both teams and the Dodgers in particular, have a lot of depth. Teams are going 10 deep on starting pitchers now anticipating injuries. Sandy, Eury, Braxton, Max, and Paddack (2) have all had elbow surgery Ronny, Mazur, and Dax Fulton (2) as well. Luzardo had one in HS and had other elbow injuries. Cabrera hasn't but had a sprained UCL, along with lots and lots of blisters. So we have definitely our fair share and it would be fair to say we are above the league average.

Here is some AI info: Key Tommy John Surgery Data: League Prevalence: 35.3% of active pitchers in 2023. Historical Trend: Surgeries rose from 27.4% in 2016 to over 35% in 2023. Team Average: Approximately 1.3 surgeries per team per year. High-Risk Scenarios: The probability of a single team experiencing 6 or more surgeries in a season is about 0.22%. Success Rate: Over 86% of pitchers return to their previous competition level. MLB.com +3 The rise in surgeries is generally attributed to increased pitch velocity and high-intensity, maximum-effort throwing. Yale School of Medicine

This is data from last year, doesn't specify pitchers. 2025 Team Potential Injury Loss (ZiPS) Team Potential WAR Loss Houston Astros 17.6 Baltimore Orioles 17.0 Los Angeles Dodgers 15.2 Boston Red Sox 14.4 Atlanta Braves 14.2 Arizona Diamondbacks 11.9 Toronto Blue Jays 11.3 New York Mets 11.2 San Diego Padres 10.5 Milwaukee Brewers 10.0 Tampa Bay Rays 9.8 Miami Marlins 9.6 Detroit Tigers 9.6 New York Yankees 9.6 Cincinnati Reds 9.1 Texas Rangers 8.8 Pittsburgh Pirates 8.7 Seattle Mariners 8.5 Kansas City Royals 7.9 Athletics 7.7 Chicago Cubs 7.3 Minnesota Twins 7.2 Cleveland Guardians 6.4 Chicago White Sox 6.4 Washington Nationals 6.4 Philadelphia Phillies 5.3 Colorado Rockies 5.2 Los Angeles Angels 4.8 St. Louis Cardinals 4.4 San Francisco Giants 4.3

Nardi pitched yesterday for the first time in forever. 1ip, 3k's.

How would you know he will be fine at first? This was his first ever game at any level playing first. He can hit for power, 37 HRs in 2023. He has too much swing and miss and if he can hit anything over .220 will be a bonus.

Morel looked pretty good defensively at first. That's my only observation from watching the game.

My least favorite Marlin of all time retired today. F U David Robertson. Here's to hoping he trips on a baseball in his living room on the way to the recliner.

Genius mo es by Bendix. Everyone save Sandy will improve. Got 5 star guys instead of college non-analytic bats. Trajectory is so upwardly stupid. LET'S GO FIsh!

guy has donthing but brilliance. you want to punch Sherman, take a number.. daddy Dix is master class.

First off, Thank you Dane. One of my favorite Marlins and always gave max effort. People forget he was a converted pitcher and actually made it to the Show was a victory in itself. Second, another Bendix masterclass. Sticking to the basic strategy of trading declining assets (age curve data indicates players start declining at age 30, Dane turns 30 next year) for improving assets (I.e. players 26 and under who will show an upward trend in stats). Third, ignore last year's stats (2025) for O'Donnell. He had a nagging shoulder injury he played through (and probably shouldn't have). When and if fully healthy he's a legit hit tool with 20/20 potential. Expect to see a repeat of AA and in improvement barring lingering injury effects. This team (and organization) is looking really good right now and should continue the upward trajectory we started last year.

Marlins and Pete Fairbanks have agreed on a contract. Should be a welcome addition to the bullpen. Let's Go Fish!