If I asked you who the best team in baseball has been in the month of June, who would you pick?
Most people would probably say the Dodgers, Yankees, or Braves. All three would be wrong.
A team many people viewed as a bottom feeder has surged to the top. The Miami Marlins are 10-2 in June, and in their last outing, Max Meyer outdueled Paul Skenes on national television.
The Marlins are doing things differently. As Brad Pitt said in Moneyball, “If we try to play like the Yankees in here, we will lose to the Yankees out there.”
Most MLB teams have fully leaned into advanced analytics. Power over average. Home runs over contact. Starters pulled after four or five innings because the numbers say most pitchers struggle once they face a lineup for the third time.
The Marlins have gone the other way. They have embraced old school baseball.
So how have they done it?
Miami is last in the MLB in home runs, but that has not stopped this offense from producing. The Marlins currently have the MLB batting average leader and hit leader in shortstop Otto Lopez, who is hitting .340 with 97 hits. His partner in the middle infield, Xavier Edwards, is hitting .299 with 79 hits.
Those two have quickly emerged as one of the best middle infield duos in baseball. Both have over 10 stolen bases and more than 40 runs scored. Miami may lack power, but the Marlins make up for it by getting on base and putting pressure on defenses. Once they reach base, they get aggressive. That approach has helped them lead the majors with 81 stolen bases.
You cannot talk about the Marlins’ offense without mentioning rising star Liam Hicks.
Hicks came out of nowhere. He was supposed to be the backup catcher behind Agustin Ramirez, but he quickly took the job after hitting .315 with seven home runs in his first 30 games of the season. He has cooled off since then, but he has still become a steady bat who does not strike out much and consistently barrels the ball.
On the season, Hicks is slashing .277 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs. He is on pace for a 30 home run, 100 RBI season, something the Marlins have not had since Giancarlo Stanton won MVP in 2017.
Hicks has since moved to first base to make room for another catching star who has emerged, Joe Mack. Mack has been one of the Marlins’ top prospects for some time, and since getting called up, he has not disappointed. In 29 games, he has already thrown out 11 runners trying to steal, putting him near the top of baseball. Every game, it feels like someone wants to test his arm, and every time, Mack makes them pay. The bat still needs work, even with him taking Paul Skenes deep, but defensively, he already looks like one of the best catchers in the game. If he can become even an average hitter, he could be the Marlins’ catcher for a long time.
Since Mack took over behind the plate, Miami’s pitching has also taken a major step forward.
Max Meyer has been the breakout name. With a 2.80 ERA and a 7-0 record, he is pitching like one of the best arms in baseball. But the bigger story may be everyone else who has stepped up over the last month.
Sandy Alcantara is still the workhorse Marlins fans love, but May was rough for him. In June, he has looked much more like his old self, going 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. If he keeps this up, the one two punch of Meyer and Alcantara could become dangerous very quickly.
Closer Peter Fairbanks has had a rough season. An ERA over six is never acceptable for a closer, but Miami seems determined to stick with him. For most of the year, his ERA sat above eight. Since Mack took over at catcher, it has dropped to 4.76. There is still work to do, but the stuff is nasty, and the Marlins are clearly hoping he can continue trending in the right direction.
Through Eury Perez’s injury, along with several other pitching issues, another arm has stepped up: Tyler Phillips.
Phillips has become something of a utility pitcher for Miami. He has closed out games, started games, and gone five or more innings when needed. The Marlins continue to find different ways to get him involved, and it is working. The 6-foot-5 right hander has posted a 1.86 ERA with two saves and a win, helping stabilize a rotation that has dealt with plenty of turbulence.
Now, for the first time in a long time, Marlins fans should expect this team to be buyers at the deadline and push for the playoffs.
This team can make serious noise if it keeps playing this way. It will not be easy. The division is tough, with the Braves and Phillies looking like World Series contenders and the Nationals exploding out of nowhere. The task ahead is difficult, but the Marlins have done this before.
They just have to keep swimming.