The Unsung Heroes Behind the Marlins’ Recent Success

When looking at talent across the league, the Miami Marlins are often an afterthought for many fans of the game. This is understandable, considering the Marlins are made up of a lot of unfamiliar names and young players. Despite this, they’ve been one of the best stories in the last few weeks, as this rag-tag team is coming off a tremendous winning streak.

Although their winning streak was snapped last week, the Marlins won eight straight, surprising fans of the game everywhere. They did a great job at using their weapons to the best of their abilities, with some of the least familiar names pulling the most weight.

This could be seen on both sides of the ball, with top performances coming at the plate and on the mound. The team’s winning streak wouldn’t have been possible without these performances, and it’s time we fully appreciate just how good these players have been for the team.

Who are some of these players? What has made them such impactful assets for the Marlins? Let’s take a closer look at the faces behind their impressive streak and try to better understand the surprising success of the Miami Marlins.

Stats updated prior to games on July 6.

The Offense’s Unexpected Heroes

While the Marlins have often been defined by their pitching recently, it’s the offense that’s stolen the spotlight during this surprising run. A lineup that once struggled to produce consistent runs has suddenly found its rhythm, with several key rookie bats stepping up in a big way.

Whether it’s timely hitting or unexpected breakouts, Miami’s surge at the plate has been impossible to ignore.

Kyle Stowers: Trade Acquisition Turned All-Star

When examining the offense a little more closely, the first name that stands out is outfielder Kyle Stowers, who has blossomed into one of the team’s brightest stars this season. The Marlins loved the look of Stowers when they dealt former All-Star starter Trevor Rogers to the Orioles for him, and he’s been worth every ounce of that return so far.

Stowers has played in nearly all of the team’s 87 games while being the heart and soul of the offense all season long. The 27-year-old has slashed .283/.355/.519 with 16 homers, a 140 wRC+, and 2.1 fWAR.

He’s also really honed in on and improved his quality of contact, which has taken a huge stride this year. His barrel rate currently sits at a phenomenal 19.7%, an improvement of close to 9% in the span of a season. Stowers has also paired this with an elite hard-hit rate, average exit velocity, and other batted-ball metrics.

As was announced last night, Stowers will join the National League team in Atlanta as the Marlins’ representative at the All-Star Game.

A Pair of Rookie Catchers

As you continue to look through the top offensive performers for the Miami Marlins, two other key names really jump out: Agustín Ramírez and Liam Hicks. Both of these players are catchers, and they’ve been big parts of the offense.

In a weaker rookie class in the National League, Ramírez has given himself a chance to win the ROY with how he’s hit so far. In 63 games since his promotion, he’s slugged 13 homers while also posting a 105 wRC+, flashing some elite power.

Ramírez was the main piece in the return for Jazz Chisholm Jr. at last year’s trade deadline, and he looks like he could be a very good major leaguer. His raw power should only continue to develop as he ages, which would make him a menacing hitter for opposing pitchers to face.

Liam Hicks has also been very good since debuting earlier this year, as he’s been a strong performer for the offense for 57 games now. Across this span, he’s hit four homers and slashed .276/.369/.428 with a 124 wRC+, ranking him near the top of the team’s offensive leaders.

Hicks has been one of the better stories for Miami this year, as he was a Rule 5 pick last December and has since turned himself into one of the most important pieces of this offense. It’s not often you see a Rule 5 pick play this big of a role on their new team, but Hicks has been incredibly valuable.

A Trio of Veterans Pulling Their Weight

The other three offensive pieces that really jump out when looking at this team all have one thing in common: They’re multiple years deep into their big league careers, and they’re enjoying a lot of newfound success.

The first of these three players is outfielder Dane Myers, who has found a lot of success in his third big league season. He was pretty solid for the team last year when he posted a 113 wRC+ across 44 games. So far this year, he’s built on that brief breakout.

Myers has already played in more games than he previously had for the Marlins, and he’s slashed .291/.345/.401 with a 109 wRC+ and recorded 1.1 fWAR in the process. He’s also hit four homers, the most he’s hit in a big league season yet. He’s been a really solid breakout piece for the team, helping boost the offense in a big way.

Although they’ve trended more towards being league-average overall, we can’t ignore the impact Otto Lopez and Jesús Sánchez have had on this team.

Lopez currently ranks second on the team in fWAR, as he’s been nearly a two-win player so far this year. If he continues at this pace, he’ll set a new career-high for fWAR, a huge development for the Marlins.

Sánchez is in the midst of what could be his final few weeks with the Marlins, as he could be an interesting trade piece at this year’s deadline. Despite the outside pressure from trade rumors, he has been a slightly above-average hitter, which is plenty good enough for the Marlins.

Being able to rely on Sánchez more and more has been a key part of their winning ways, and if he keeps this up, it won’t change anytime soon.

Heriberto Hernandez: Minor League Signing to Key Offensive Asset

The final big story of the Marlins’ offense that jumps out to me is the success of Heriberto Hernández, who has dominated this year. Hernández was signed as a free agent after spending the last few seasons in the Rays’ minor league system, and he’s been one of the more surprising parts of this team.

Hernández opened the season in Triple-A, yet hit his way to the big leagues in just over 40 games. Since joining the team, he has posted a 130 wRC+ in 23 games, production that a team of this caliber could really use.

While it’s come in a relatively small sample, Hernández has been one of the better recent performers for the team. It’s still early, but, the Marlins could be looking at another breakout contributor here.

The Pitching Staff’s Surprising Dominance

The Miami Marlins have produced a few really talented young arms in the last few seasons, and so far this season, we’ve seen this begin to pay off.

From young stars like Eury Pérez to stable arms like Edward Cabrera locking things down, the Marlins’ pitching has been dominant on all cylinders. This is especially true of the bullpen, which has locked things down all year long.

Let’s take a closer look at some of these arms and what’s made them so great this season.

Edward Cabrera Is Finally Reaching His Full Potential

Over the last couple of seasons, baseball fans have been waiting for Cabrera to finally break out. It appears as though patience has paid off, as Cabrera is in the midst of his best season yet.

Cabrera has thrown 71.1 innings across 14 starts this year, and he’s been great through it all. His 3.41 ERA is the lowest mark he’s posted in two seasons, down a huge amount from his 4.95 ERA in 2024.

Cabrera has also struck out 25% of the batters he’s faced, a respectable number that’s floated around his career norm. He’s also done this while cutting his walk rate by 2%. While this may not seem like a huge difference, fewer free passes will lead to more positive results, which is exactly what we’ve seen from him this year.

Another huge part of his game has been his newfound success with his curveball, which gives him another pitch to rely on besides his devastating changeup. Opponents are posting a .188 xwOBA against the pitch, a huge improvement from the .298 mark opponents posted last season.

Cabrera still appears as though he has another level to his game he could unlock, but seeing this big of an improvement from him has been huge for the Marlins.

The Marlins’ Bullpen is Nearly Untouchable Right Now

A huge key to the success of the Marlins’ pitching staff during this stretch has been the sheer dominance of their bullpen. Usually, teams with weaker rosters struggle to string together scoreless innings late in games, but the Miami Marlins have enjoyed the complete opposite result.

Since June 22, the Marlins’ bullpen ranks second in ERA, with a mark just under 2.00. For any team, this would be very impressive, and for the Marlins, it’s been even more important for their bullpen to keep games close due to the strength of the rest of their roster. They’ve been able to battle in close games with good teams, not letting games get away from them after their starters have been removed.

The Marlins currently have four bullpen pitchers with ERAs under 2.80, with Anthony Bender‘s 2.13 ERA leading the team. It’s also not like these relievers are throwing a few innings here and there, as these four arms have combined for 129.2 relief innings in total!

If you expand the ERA requirement to 3.80, the Marlins have six arms under this mark, covering 194.1 innings all in all. If this feels like a large amount, it is. This group has covered more than half of the bullpen’s innings.

If the bullpen continues to provide such incredibly stable innings, this team will find itself in many close, winnable games.

More Key Arms

Although both of these arms have spent a lot of time on the injured list this season, Pérez and Ryan Weathers have been very good in the time they’ve been healthy.

Weathers currently ranks second in team ERA for starters with at least 20 innings pitched, just 0.01 points behind the top arm, Valente Bellozo, who has also been dominant lately. Weathers has reinvented himself as a pitcher in the process, throwing harder than ever before.

Pérez has almost as much potential as any young pitcher in the game, and he’s begun settling in since returning from Tommy John surgery. His most recent start was his best all season, as he went six innings of shutout baseball, allowing just one hit and striking out seven batters in the process.

These performances from the other arms in the rotation have meant even more when you consider the struggles of Sandy Alcantara this season. Upon his return from injury, many expected him to be a Cy Young frontrunner once again. Instead, he’s posted a 7.01 ERA across 16 starts.

Final Word: Can the Marlins Build on This Hot Streak?

After reading this close look at the success of the Marlins, you may be wondering: Is this sustainable?

While it may not be wise to project this type of winning to continue for the rest of the season, there is certainly a good, young core to build on here for the Marlins.

On the offensive side of things, Stowers has led the way, looking like a legitimate All-Star, the exact type of player you’d want to build a core around. On the pitching side of things, a rotation headlined by Pérez is going to be exciting, especially with the success of Cabrera, Weathers, and other arms.

With the Marlins currently sitting at 40-47, it’s quite unrealistic to expect a playoff appearance for the club this season. However, if their core continues to develop and mature, and if they’re able to build on the success they’ve had recently, they could return to the playoffs sooner than expected.