Marlins’ One-Two Pitching Punch Is Quietly Climbing MLB Rankings
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The Miami Marlins' pitching staff is clearly led by Sandy Alcantara. The former Cy Young Award winner didn't have his best season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the latter half of the season showed promising signs for him as he heads into the 2026 season.
While the Marlins did move both Ryan Wethers and Edward Cabrera this offseason in trades to make room for the younger pitchers on the roster to get a chance, Miami still possesses a dominant one-two punch at the top of the rotation.
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Behind Alcantara is youngster Eury Pérez, who also had a minor setback season in 2025 after missing 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery himself. He pitched to a 4.25 ERA, however, and showed he could be a dominant force in the rotation in 2026.
Alcantara/Pérez Crack MLB One-Two Punch Rankings
All of these statistics were considered when MLB.com's Jared Greenspan ranked these two as the 22nd-best one-two punch in Major League Baseball entering the new season. Why rejoice about being the 22nd-best? Well, it's because they're on the up and up again, and shouldn't be overlooked.
The beauty of the Marlins having these two as their one-two punch for 2026 is that both have tremendous upside. Alcantara has proved what upside he has, as before he was injured, he was a top pitcher in the game.
Pérez, on the other hand, is still very young. At 22, turning 23 at the beginning of the season, he has a ton of untapped potential. His size on the mound and his lack of walking batters will only continue to work in his advantage.
Pérez limited batters to an average of under .200 last season. However, when batters did make contact with him, they often hit the ball hard. His fastball run value was in the 85th percentile in Major League Baseball last season, according to Baseball Savant. Additionally, he recorded a whiff percentage of 28.4, placing him in the 74th percentile.
Alcantara was hit around much of last season, but one thing he did improve upon as the season neared its end was getting hitters to roll over the baseball. Baseball Savant notes that Alcantara was in the 72nd percentile in ground ball percentage, listed at 46.6.
Both are under team control this season, as Alcantara has a club option for 2027. If these two can prove they can lead the staff and help Miami land more wins, the franchise should try to lock down Alcantara for a few more seasons to pair with Pérez.
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Dominic Minchella is a 2024 Eastern Michigan University graduate with a BA in Communications, Media, and Theatre Arts and a Journalism minor. He covers Major League Baseball for On SI and spends his free time watching games and sharing his insights.