3 Big Overreactions From Marlins Season-Opening Sweep of Rockies
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When the MLB schedule was released, one thing that stuck out for the Miami Marlins going into the 2026 season was the first two series to begin a new year. The Marlins got the Colorado Rockies, coming off a 119-loss 2025 season, and then the rebuilding Chicago White Sox.
Both three-game series were scheduled at home. Talk about a golden opportunity to begin the season off on the right foot.
Miami did what they needed to do and they took care of business against the Rockies and dramatically swept the first series. It was a memorable start to an opening weekend and it's the first time since 2009 that the Marlins are 3-0 to begin a season. Here are three overreactions to Miami's sweep of Colorado.
3 Marlins Overreactions From Sweep of Rockies
1. Marlins Rotation Will Be Fine Without Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers
This is certainly an overreaction. There are questions surrounding the Marlins rotation beginning the season after president of baseball operations Peter Bendix traded Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers in January. Both of those deals acquired some good and impactful prospects for as soon as this season.
Sandy Alcantara was dominant in the opener against the Rockies. He needed only 73 pitches to get through seven innings, allowing four hits and one run. Only two Colorado batters saw more than four pitches in an at-bat, which tells you how good Alcantara's stuff was. He struck out five and had command of all of his pitches.
Eury Pérez was just as good on Saturday, allowing five hits and three earned runs with eight strikeouts over seven innings. He gave up three runs through four innings, but when needed, he was able to execute pitches to give his team a chance to rally. Max Meyer rebounded from a three-run first inning on Sunday and worked four scoreless innings to allow his team to rally. It was a good start for the rotation for one weekend. We'll see how things go against the White Sox.
2. Owen Caissie Is Going to Win Rookie of the Year
Ok, nobody wins an award three games into the season, but what a first weekend in a Marlins uniform for Owen Caissie. The centerpiece in the Cabrera trade with the Chicago Cubs, he was a late addition to the lineup in the opener and didn't start the final game on Sunday, but what an impact he made before all was said and done.
He went 5-for-10 over the weekend with four runs driven and a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth on Sunday for a 4-3 win to complete the sweep. The 23-year-old struggled at times in spring training, which often happens to younger players, but given the injuries that manager Clayton McCullough is dealing with, Caissie proved he's more than ready for the show full-time. This is an overreaction now, but who knows what could happen come the end of the year.
3. Marlins First Base Experiment Will Be a Bust
Bendix signed Christopher Morel as his only free agent position player over the winter. He was brought in to play first base, a position he did not play with the Cubs or Tampa Bay Rays. He learned on the fly in spring training and was all set to open the season there before a left oblique strain scratched him from the lineup a couple of hours before the opener.
McCullough moved Connor Norby to first and Miami ended up calling up prospect Deyvison De Los Santos from Triple-A Jacksonville after Friday's game. He went 1-for-2 on Sunday in his debut, but with Morel landing on the injured list, we are going to have to wait to see how this position ends up playing out.
