Do the 2026 Marlins Have an Underrated Infield Defense?
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Defense in baseball is crucial, and the Miami Marlins are doing a stellar job of putting players who can both hit and defend. A great baseball team with a strong defense pays attention to detail, limits the opposing team's scoring opportunities, gets into the proper position and communicates.
The Marlins have a solid chance to have an all-around defensive infield, and we might start seeing something brew with their current infield.
Will We Witness Underrated Marlins Defensive Infield?
Let’s take a look at the possibility of each player who will be filling in each position. At catcher, prospect Joe Mack can hit and certainly plays outstanding defense. He’s on the verge of being the talk of the town in 2026. Augustin Ramirez was their main catcher in 2025, and both players will compete, but we could also be witnessing a strong tandem at the catcher position.
26-year-old Liam Hicks might have something to say about that as well. He played 62 games at the catcher position. He’s been a designated hitter and first baseman, but catching is his bread and butter. He hit six homers, 82 hits, and batted .247 in his first year with the Marlins. Hicks has phenomenal blocking and framing skills and good athletic ability, but he must work on throwing out runners, a key component for a catcher.
Connor Norby will most likely be the starting second baseman for the Marlins. Although his strongest asset is his offense, he has the athleticism to get better on defense. He’s not a bad infielder. Norby needs more refinement at the position. He has experience playing outfield, but he has the potential to form a lovely double-play duo with Otto Lopez.
Speaking of Lopez, he’s probably the best defensive infielder the Marlins have at the moment. He can play shortstop and second base, but the Marlins could see him mostly playing the shortstop position.
Xavier Edwards started at the shortstop position, but he found success playing at second. He’s very effective and has good hands and arm strength to play the position. He’s also athletic with fast reflexes. His hard work on defense led him to become a finalist for the 2025 NL Gold Glove Award. Nico Hoerber of the Cubs took home the award.
If Edwards replicates what he did in 2025, then he would join Dee Gordon and Luis Castillo as the only Marlins to win the Gold Glove at second base.
Graham Pauley is one of the bright young talent the Marlins have on their roster. He’s 25 years old and will likely be the third baseman for the team coming into 2026. Pauley is versatile at the third base position. He has great reaction time and has the capability of making off-balance throws. Plus, he had the arm strength to do so. Aside from Lopez and Mack, he’s probably the second or third-best infielder for this team.
The first base position is the weakest one for the Marlins, who are trying to fill the void of who can be the everyday first baseman for 2026. As mentioned before, Rhys Hoskins is available for free agency.
Now, the Marlins could pull off a significant trade and land Wilson Contreras. That’s another position. If the team doesn’t go with either player, they'll have to rely on their young guys. That’s where someone like Eric Wagaman comes into the conversation. He’s 28 years old, and he can make great plays at the first base position.
Wagaman dives for the ball and can help start making double plays. He’s played 100 games at first. He’s a versatile athlete who can play multiple positions. Wagaman is not a Gold Glove contender, but if he wants to reach that level, he should study other defensive great first basemen like Keith Hernandez and Mark Teixeira.
The Marlins' 2026 infield can do something special, and they have a lot of athletic players. We are seeing a group that can be in the conversation with other great defensive infield teams in the future, and join other great defensive infield teams, such as the 1999 Mets, 1982 Cardinals, and 2013-2015 Royals. It’s a tough act to follow, but they are capable of making history starting in 2026.
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After graduating from City College of New York in 2014, Miguel created his own blog. Since 2021, he has written for FanSided, where he covered the Toronto Blue Jays, College Football and Utah Mammoth hockey team. He also wrote for Miami Heat on SI and Cleveland Sports Talk. Miguel is the creator and host of his podcast, Baseball Heat Podcast with Mike.