The National League East is expected to come down to the New York Mets or the Washington Nationals next year. However, the Miami Marlins may surprise both teams and make a push for the division.
Looking ahead to the 2017 season, it is easy to discount the Miami Marlins chances. The New York Mets expect their excellent young pitching staff to be healthy, which will help as they look to return tot he postseason for the third consecutive year. The Washington Nationals have a starting rotation they may be their equal, and with Adam Eaton in the fold, are taking aim at a World Series run next year.
Meanwhile, the Marlins have had the tragic loss of their ace, Jose Fernandez, at the end of last season, seemingly short circuiting any plans to contend. Although they brought in starting pitcher Edinson Volquez, and relievers Junichi Tazawa and Brad Ziegler, the Marlins are still considered to be solidly in the middle of the pack, not good enough to take on the Nationals and the Mets.
It is easy to see why. With a starting rotation that is currently fronted by Adam Conley, the Marlins simply do not have the arms in the starting rotation that other teams in the NL East possess. Even the Atlanta Braves may have a better starting rotation. However, even if Wei-Yin Chen and Volquez do not return to form, the Marlins can still contend.
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At this point, the Marlins appear to have taken a page out of the Kansas City Royals handbook from 2014. Despite not having a top of the rotation arm, all the Marlins need is to hold a lead after five innings. With A.J. Ramos having been an All Star last year, and promising youngster Kyle Barraclough in the set up role, the bullpen has plenty of depth. Bringing in arms like Tazawa and Ziegler, along with holdover David Phelps, the Marlins bullpen is five deep.
At a time when relief pitching has become a hot commodity, the Marlins have still managed to assemble an incredible bullpen. As long as their starting rotation can hold a lead through five or six innings, then the relief corps should be able to do the rest. All that is needed now if a quality lefty specialist, and the machine gun bullpen would be complete.
The key for the Marlins will be their offense. Giancarlo Stanton struggled with injuries, and was not the same player he had been in past years. However, if Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich can continue their progression, and they find an upgrade either at short or first, the Marlins offense has the potential to be explosive. With Dee Gordon setting the table and causing havoc on the basepaths, runs could come in bunches.
The Miami Marlins may not be getting a lot of attention now, but they have quietly put together a solid team for 2017. Even if they do not make another move, they have the potential to surprise a lot of people next season.
