The Miscellany News

For nearly two decades, the Miami Marlins, formerly the Florida Marlins, have failed to make me care about baseball in South Florida—and not because of a lack of effort on my end. While I dragged my family to numerous games throughout my childhood, my hometown Major League Baseball team lacked what other South Florida teams had. The Miami Heat has starpower and championships. The Marlins have not won a World Series since 2003 and are still infamous for trading away players right before they blossom into stars. Even the Miami Hurricanes collegiate football and basketball programs were outdoing them with passionate pageantry from their fans and an occasional conference title for the Hurricanes men’s basketball side. Marlins Park, now named LoanDepot Park, is rarely at capacity. Its usually closed roof robs fans of gorgeous Miami night skies and the feel of summer baseball in the fresh air that draws fans to other ballparks across the country. Since winning the World Series in 2003, the Marlins have been abjectly disappointing. Such a reputation is one the team is now hard-pressed to escape and one that has caused me to distance myself as a fan. 

Last season, however, the usually-neglected Marlins gave me something to root for. I started paying attention around the All-Star break in July. The Marlins had managed to rattle off numerous impressive, hard-fought wins. Luis Arraez and Jorge Soler had been selected as All-Stars. So, I started paying more attention. I began watching Marlins games multiple times a week and found myself being pulled to professional baseball more than I ever had been. I knew the Marlins’ pitching was led by the 2022 National League C.Y. Young award winner Sandy Alcantara, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of talent that supported Alcantara in the Marlins’ pitching rotation. Eury Perez, only in his first season in the big leagues, looked destined to one day win a C.Y. Young himself, as he dealt a wide variety of well-placed and high-velocity pitches that few opposing hitters seemed to get any kind of a read on. Jesus Luzardo—a homegrown Southern Floridian—and Braxton Garret were also having breakout seasons on the mound. In the bullpen, Andrew Nardi emerged as a stout setup man for Tanner Scott, who was also enjoying a breakout season as the Marlins’ closer. On the offensive side of the ball, Arraez was leading the league in batting average, while Soler flirted with a 40 home run season. The addition of Jake Burger and Josh Bell at the trade deadline had the Marlins offense producing more than it had in past years. 

Inevitably, the team slumped immediately after the All-Star break and saw its lead in the Wild Card rankings rapidly vanish. Still, the Marlins managed to salvage their season and make the playoffs for only the fourth time in franchise history. It was not always pretty, but perhaps that is what made them so endearing to me as a newly interested fan. The 2023 Marlins were fun. They rallied in the ninth inning to win numerous crucial games. They won other important games on the back of their pitching. They even made their indoor park feel lively as their improved and persistent play motivated more fans to come watch them in-person. When their season ended in October, I was legitimately excited for the 2024 season to arrive. I even bought a jersey. The Marlins had brought me all the way back.

Sixteen games into the 2024 season, they have quickly crushed my hopes for their future. Maybe I should not have been surprised. The off-season saw the Marlins part ways with general manager Kim Ng, who had been largely responsible for the roster moves that had revitalized the Marlins. Ng was replaced with Peter Bendix, who hailed from the Tampa Bay Rays, an organization famed for winning on a low budget. Unsurprisingly but still disappointingly, Bendix stayed true to form as the Marlins pinched pennies all off-season. Jorge Soler signed a lucrative contract with the San Francisco Giants and the Marlins did effectively nothing to replace his production. Sandy Alcantara was forced to receive Tommy-John surgery on his right elbow and was lost for the season. Still, I still foolishly had hope. 

The Marlins opened their season at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are a solid foe but far from elite. After starting the first game with an onslaught of runs, the Marlins bullpen gave up the lead and the offense subsequently flatlined. Fifteen games after Opening Day, not much has changed. The Marlins are 3-13. 

Before it even started, the Marlins 2024 season ended. My fandom has been forced into apathy. I still check their scores and tune in to catch the occasional couple of innings. I will even inform my friends of their rare wins with a bit of genuine excitement. I still hope for the future. For now, that is all I get to do.