Kyle Stowers Paced Top 5 Marlins in Wins Above Replacement in 2025
In this story:
The Miami Marlins made very real progress in their goal to build back from near the bottom of the MLB standings toward pa layoff position in 2025.
After winning just 62 games in 2024 and finishing last in the National League East by nine games, the Marlins approached the .500 mark as they wound up finishing 79-83 this year. That allowed them to overtake the Washington Nationals and even finish ahead of an Atlanta Braves team that entered the year with World Series aspirations.
The improvement didn't happen in a vacuum, it was the result of some really strong seasons from young players that the team hopes can form the nucleus of a winning core in the future. Here are the five players who produced the most value for the Marlins in 2025, as judged by Baseball Reference's wins above replacement calculation.
1. Kyle Stowers, Outfielder - 3.6 bWAR
Stowers, who was acquired in a major 2024 trade with the Baltimore Orioles, was far and away the breakout star of the season for the Marlins. After looking lost at the plate in his 50 games with Miami in 2024, he developed quickly into one of the more fearsome hitters in the National League.
He led the team in bWAR despite appearing in just 117 games (26 and 22 fewer than the next two players on this list, respectively), and he racked up 25 home runs to go with an impressive .288/.368/.544 slash line as well as his first career all-star nod.
2. Otto Lopez, Shortstop - 3.5 bWAR
Since debuting with the Marlins in 2024, Lopez has been a perfectly solid shortstop. Last year, he finished with 2.6 bWAR with a strong bat and solid baserunning. This season, he was even more valuable despite a backslide at the plate.
Lopez slashed just .246/.305/.368 in 2025, but his defense and baserunning made him a strong value at a premium position on the diamond. If his bat bounces back to 2024 levels (.270 batting average) in 2026, he'll be one of the most valuable under-the-radar players in all of baseball.
3. Xavier Edwards, Second Baseman - 3.2 bWAR
The other half of Miami's middle infield checks in at the third spot on this list, as Edwards was nearly as valuable as Lopez and Stowers. Like Lopez, the 25-year-old who was acquired from Tampa Bay actually regressed offensively this year, but still produced more value than he ever has.
Another solid defender who is a plus baserunner, Edwards slashed .283/.343/.353. He racked up 27 stolen bases and finished in the 77th percentile in outs above average defensively, according to Baseball Savant.
4. Edward Cabrera, Starting Pitcher - 2.8 bWAR
Ever since he flashed with a 3.01 ERA in 14 starts in 2022, the Marlins and their fans have been waiting for a complete, strong season from Cabrera. He delivered in 2025, making 26 starts to the tune of a 3.53 ERA.
He set a career high with 150 strikeouts in 137.2 innings of work, and he cut back significantly on free passes, going from 4.7 walks per nine innings in 2024 to 3.1 (a career low) in 2025. With three more years of team control attached to him, the Marlins could opt to shop him to add more young talent or keep him as a piece they can build their starting rotation around.
5. Ronny Henriquez, Relief Pitcher - 2.3 bWAR
At just 25 years of age, Henriquez proved to be a force out of the bullpen for Miami in 2025. He wasn't the team's primary closer, earning just 7 saves in 69 appearances, but he was the team's most effective reliever.
Henriquez allowed just 18 earned runs in 73 innings for a 2.22 ERA, and he struck out 98 batters for a K/9 rate of 12.1, the highest on the pitching staff among players who made more than 10 appearances.
