How Miami Marlins Can Finalize Their Potentially Elite Rotation
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The Miami Marlins have a potentially elite starting rotation, but there's one piece missing. Entering Monday, three starters, Max Meyer, Sandy Alcantara, and Janson Junk, have a sub-3.05 ERA. One outlier is Eury Perez, who owns a 4.46 ERA.
His last two seasons were proof that he can pitch well at the Major League level, and in some cases, at a high level. The Marlins haven't reaped the benefits of being patient yet with Meyer this season, but know it's coming eventually.
He allowed just two runs over five innings against the Phillies in his latest start. Two starts before, he allowed just one unearned run and three hits over six innings of work. He's pitched well sporadically this season and has the ceiling for more.
Then we come to Chris Paddack, who is in the midst of a career year, in all the bad ways. He would own the worst ERA among starters in baseball if he qualified, but he hasn't lasted long enough in his starts to count.
He's 0-5 this season with a 7.63 ERA, owns a 55 ERA+, and pitched past the fifth inning once this season. A real nail in the coffin game occurred on Sunday, when he allowed seven runs in 2.2 innings to a severely struggling Phillies team.
It’s Time for the Marlins To Finalize the Starting Rotation
He signed a one-year, $4 million deal with Miami over the offseason, but it seems like it's time to cut ties. To replace him, it would actually be a debate. The Marlins' top two pitching prospects are thriving, and each seems big-league ready.
The Marlins Prospects That Seem Ready for Majors
The team's top prospect, and No. 14 in baseball, Thomas White, has been electric at Triple-A. He's posted a .164 batting average against, 29 strikeouts in 18.2 innings, and just 10 hits. The main concern with White is his high strikeout count, which has been high his entire career.
Robby Snelling, his counterpart and fellow southpaw, has been even more elite. Through 29 innings, he's allowed just 11 hits, a .116 average, struck out 44, and walked 15. Snelling is a year older and has nearly twice as many minor league innings as White.
Realistically, both are ready for the big leagues and seemingly could dominate right away. The tall lefties have blown through the minor leagues since high school and posted gaudy numbers. If Miami is set on making a run at the playoffs this season, it only makes sense to pull the trigger and promote one of these two young gunners.
They'll both find their way to the big leagues this season undoubtedly, it's just a matter of who is chosen first.
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Jeffrey is a sports writer located in Louisville, Kentucky, with a passion for sports, writing, and storytelling. He has hundreds of published articles across various platforms, including Kentucky Today, The Baptist Courier, FanSided, and more. Jeffrey is a senior at Indiana University Southeast pursuing a B.S. in Journalism/Media with a Minor in Writing. He has a beautiful wife, dog, and firstborn child on the way.