How Can Recent Marlins Signing Modify Game to Fit Traditional First Base Mold?
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The Miami Marlins have been put in a somewhat fascinating position when it comes to their infield for 2026. With their decision to let Troy Johnston walk, they had a major position of need at first base, which needed to be filled rather rapidly, whether that be internally or otherwise.
They had discussed a few options regarding current infielders moving positions or getting more reps there, but ultimately, they decided to go with a signing instead.
Recently, the Marlins agreed to a one-year deal with Christopher Morel, with the expectation that he will be playing first base for them next season. The deal has not been announced by the Marlins. This is an extremely interesting choice, given Morel has not played first base in his MLB career, nor in his minor league days. So, he will be learning on the fly how to do so.
Marlins, OF Christopher Morel reportedly agree to 1-year deal, per multiple reports including MLB's @CDeNicola13. pic.twitter.com/qWVriDhJpo
— MLB (@MLB) December 12, 2025
On the bright side, Miami brought in a new infield coach, Blake Butler, this winter, which should help Morel quite a bit, as Butler has been a pretty highly renowned coach in the minor leagues. Additionally, his experience in the infield as a whole may help him out, as he has been rather productive in the field so far in his career.
How Has Morel Performed Previously in the Infield?
Just taking a look into his infield experience as a surface-level analysis, in his Major League career, Morel has played second base, third base and shortstop. At second base, he had five errors in 577 innings (.985 fielding rate), at shortstop, he had two errors in 101 innings (.957 fielding rate), and at third base, he had 14 errors in 759.2 innings (.938 fielding rate).
The further he gets from first base, the worse his fielding percentage gets, and the more errors he commits on average. This should bode well for him playing at first, though, as it is clear that his control over distance is less than optimal. While he has good arm strength, as is indicated by a 93rd percentile grade in that specific category according to Baseball Savant, his arm value and range both are lacking, which is expected given the baseline numbers.
When getting into his outs above average on responsible plays, his most notable successes came at straight up second base, or shading towards the first base side. Having a less optimal range may make a more controlled position end up working out for him, and hopefully, as time goes on and he has a near full offseason to work on it, he can be a reliable option for the Marlins in 2026. A lot of that will just come down to focusing on his ability to scoop and utilize agility to get to the assists.
