Trying to make it make sense

Many of the Marlins' numbers were better in 2022, but the wins are up in 2023

You look at the standings, and it’s plain to see that 2023 is different for the Marlins.

76 games in after last night’s come-from-behind 6-4 win over the Pirates, they’re 43-33, 2nd in the National League East. They stand 6 games behind the Braves, and—5 games shy of reaching the mid-way point of the season—they currently hold the #1 Wild Card position in the NL.

At this point a season ago, the Marlins were 36-40, 7 wins behind their 2023 pace. They were 4th in the division, 12 1/2 games behind the first-place Mets and 6 games out of the 3rd Wild Card spot.

But, as devoted VFTB subscriber RAGG pointed out in a message he sent me, if you compare a lot of the numbers, the clearly inferior 2022 team has a decent statistical edge, both at the plate and on the mound, through the season’s first 76 games.