What Marlins First-Round Pick Says About Their Long Term Vision
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The Miami Marlins are playing great baseball with the team they currently have. However, they are also focusing on the future for the shortstop position after selecting Jacob Lombard.
A Tale of Two Talented Shortstops
Otto Lopez is the top guy for the Marlins shortstop position. There's no denying that. He's having the best season of his career. The 27-year-old made his first All-Star appearance and was an integral part of Miami's success.
The organization understands that there's a possibility that he might not be a Marlin for the long haul. The business of baseball is the real deal. Lopez is currently playing on a one-year contract worth $810,000. The Marlins can't tell if Lopez will duplicate this same performance for the next three to five years, but they control his rights until he becomes a free agent in 2030.
Another adjustment the Marlins might make is to trade him in the future instead of letting him walk away. The best way to put it is that Lopez is the face of the shortstop position. Lombard is the future of the shortstop position. Lombard is 18 years old, and the organization will focus on developing him the right way and not rush him to the big leagues.
Lombard seems like the total package for the shortstop position that intrigues the Marlins. He's a five-tool player with the capability of hitting 25-30 home runs every year and earning some gold gloves. It took Lopez a couple of seasons in the big leagues for him to find his stride. Lombard might be a player who can make an immediate impact once he gets the call to the big leagues.
Lombard's confidence will be sky high, and it helps because he comes from a baseball family, which all began with his father. He's a Miami kid and made his commitment to the Miami Hurricanes. Lombard and the Marlins are looking like the perfect marriage on paper. Let's see what the future holds.
As for Lopez, he's slashing .334/.368/873 with 127 hits, 9 home runs, and 45 RBIs this season. Lopez is on pace to hit at least 20 home runs if he doesn't get hurt. His career high is 15 home runs. He's 55 RBIs away from reaching his first 100-RBI season.
Lopez deserved to be an All-Star. All the hard work paid off. He must keep the momentum going for the second half if the Marlins want to compete for a postseason berth. The Marlins are 52-45, trailing the Braves by four games for first place in the NL East.
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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.