What if...?
With Opening Day only 3 days away, Marlins fans can dream
What if the Marlins again win more than 70 percent of their one-run games?
What if they get a full, healthy season out of Jazz Chisholm for the first time in his career?
What if Eury Perez, Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera all rebound quickly from spring training injuries, return to the rotation without missing much time and give the Marlins close to a full, healthy season worth of quality innings?
What if Trevor Rogers stays healthy for an entire season for the first time in his ML career and pitches like he did in the first half of 2021?
What if Tanner Scott performs for 6 months the way he did for the final 2 months of last season and gives Miami a lock-down 9th-inning ace?
What if, in year 3, Avisail Garcia begins to perform at a level befitting his 4-year, $53 million contract?
What if a full season of Jake Burger and Josh Bell provides enough production to make up for the loss of 36-home run slugger Jorge Soler to free agency?
What if Tim Anderson, by many measures the worst offensive player in MLB in 2023 with the White Sox, bounces back and the Marlins finally find—at least for one season—a shortstop who makes all the routine plays and provides major league-average production at the plate?
What if Nick Fortes + Christian Bethancourt = even a fraction of the offense the Marlins have lacked behind the plate since they traded J.T. Realmuto to the division rival Phillies prior to the 2019 season?
What if Jesus Luzardo builds upon his 2023 performance and pitches something like a top-of-the-rotation starter for a full healthy season in 2024?
What if Andrew Nardi reprises his breakout 2023 season out of the bullpen and a couple of other unheralded arms emerge from Miami’s relief corps to take a similar step forward?
What if Anthony Bender makes a strong return from Tommy John surgery and picks up where he left off in 2021 and 2022?
What if Luis Arraez sparks the lineup by becoming the first player since Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera (2011-13) to win 3 straight batting titles?
What if converting A.J. Puk into a starter after he made every appearance of his first 4 big league seasons as a reliever proves to be a stroke of brilliance?
What if Ryan Weathers finds the strike zone?
What if Sixto Sanchez stays healthy and recaptures the glory he enjoyed for part of the 2020 season?
What if the Marlins are in the mix in July, and Bruce Sherman removes the governor he placed on new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix upon his hiring and allows him to take on significant salary to improve the club at the trading deadline?
What if several expected NL playoff contenders fall flat the way the Mets, Padres and Cardinals did last year, opening a path to October for others?
What if Marlins fans are drawn to loan Depot park in unprecedented droves because they can now blow their horns and bang their drums and provide one of the great home-field advantages in the sport?
It could happen, right?
That’s not asking for too much if you’re a Marlins fan, is it?
Ah, springtime…when every baseball fan can dream.
While you’re here…
Your feedback is always appreciated. Hit the “LIKE” button below if you enjoyed this post.
Learn more about one-on-one play-by-play coaching from Glenn Geffner via Zoom at GlennGeffner.com.
That would be a miracle. But that’s what would have to happen for the Marlins to
contend.
Indeed - dreaming and Spring Trainings go together.