Tag Archive for: Sandy Alcantara

Recap of the 2019 Marlins

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It’s hard to recap such a negative season, but here we go.

Let’s all be honest, no one expected the team to be any good whatsoever. We expected at least a 60-win season with many ups and downs. The Marlins finished the season with a 57-105 record which was pretty much expected.

I’m sure we would’ve loved to avoid 100 losses but it is what is, it did secure the third overall pick in the 2020 draft. But then, this recap would’ve probably been similar, anyway… 

There were definitely some bright spots for the Marlins this season. Just to name a few, Sandy Alcantara started to show what he can do, Jon Berti became the perfect utility man, Harold Ramirez did great in his rookie season, and Isan Diaz started to become comfortable at the major league level. Diaz started making lesser errors and showed comfort at the plate.

Here’s a recap of the positives of the season:

Sandy Alcantara

Alcantara was voted to represent the Marlins in the All-Star Game because of his start to the regular season. His Pre All-Star stats are as follows: 4-8 record, 3.82 ERA, 70 strikeouts, and an opponent batting average of .241. After the All-Star break, he hit a bump in the road where he started to show inconsistency in his fastball command and started to walk more batters. 

August he began to turn things around, in five games started he had a 3.03 ERA in 32.2 innings pitched with a 27:12 strikeout to walk ratio. September came along and he reached another level. In six games started, he had a 2-2 record with a 2.59 ERA in 41.2 innings pitched with a 35:9 strikeout to walk ratio. September became Sandy’s best month without a doubt.

Jon Berti

Jon Berti blossomed into the perfect utility man. He can play all positions in the infield and outfield. He also showcased his insane speed on the base paths. He swiped 17 bases this year, he would’ve swiped more but he spent some time on the IL. In 73 games played, he hit for a .273 average with six home runs and 24 RBIs. Berti is a nice surprise for the Marlins, he definitely made a case for a roster spot next season.

Isan Diaz

Isan Diaz is an interesting story. He absolutely tore up Triple-A pitching and earned himself a call up to the show back in August. He launched a home run off Jacob deGrom in his MLB debut but rookie struggles kicked in early. He was having trouble making routine plays and was uncomfortable at the plate. As he gained more experience he became more comfortable and didn’t think too much while on the field. He ended up finishing the season with a .173 average, five home runs, and 23 RBIs. Not the best stat line but he did only play 49 games while being completely tensed up. It should be fun to see how he plays next year.

Harold Ramirez

Harold Ramirez signed with the Marlins during the 2018 offseason and what a great sign he is. In 119 games, he hit for a .276 average, hit 11 home runs and drove in 50 RBIs. He definitely showcased why he was formerly a Top 100 prospect when he was in the Blue Jays organization. He can play all three outfield positions and has a very decent defense. He without a doubt became a fan favorite for Marlins fans and earned a roster spot for the 2020 season.

Your 2019 Marlins were not the best but they did show improvement. They may have lost six more games this year than they did in 2018 but the pitching held its own and we got to see some rookies showcase their ability. The club next season will be more competitive than it was this year and it’s going to be more fun with more rookies making their debuts and some new faces from free agency…

We will be here to recap when they win the World Series…

What Should Marlins do With Surplus of Starting Pitchers in MLB?

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The Miami Marlins have one of the strongest starting rotations in baseball. They currently own the 7th best rotation ERA in the league, not just National League, but in all of Major League Baseball. With a 3.92 rotation ERA, they place behind the Rays, Dodgers, Nationals, Reds, Twins, and Astros. 

With the current rotation doing as well as they have, what should the Marlins do when Jose Urena and Pablo Lopez return from the IL?. Personally, I think the Marlins should trade Trevor Richards before/at the deadline. 

Between the staff, Richards has the fourth highest ERA behind Jose Urena, Zac Gallen, and Pablo Lopez. Jose Urena and Pablo Lopez have been on the injured list so they haven’t had a chance to lower their ERAs. Zac Gallen only has twelve major league innings to his name so there’s not much to go off of there. Gallen has shown a lot of promise, just needs to limit his walks.

  • Jose Urena (4.70 ERA)
  • Zac Gallen (4.50 ERA)
  • Pablo Lopez (4.23 ERA) 
  • Trevor Richards (4.18 ERA)

Let’s say Richards has been traded at the deadline, and Urena and Lopez are back from the IL, what should the Marlins do now? Well, there are now seven starting pitchers that could get a rotation spot, but there are only five spots. I say move Urena and Elieser Hernandez to the bullpen.

Urena has the stuff to be in a middle relief type of role and Hernandez already has bullpen experience so I don’t think this is a bad situation

What Could The Rotation Look Like?

Use the rotation that will give the club the best opportunity to win a game, and in my opinion that rotation looks like this:

  • Caleb Smith
  • Sandy Alcantara
  • Jordan Yamamoto
  • Pablo Lopez
  • Zac Gallen

I could make the argument that Yamamoto should be the number one starter or the “Ace” of the staff because of how amazing he has been but he only has 29 innings pitched. As a result, Caleb Smith seemed like the more obvious choice as the front of the rotation pitcher. 

This is a Top 10 in the league rotation, possibly even Top 5. I mean they’re already Top 7 so Top 5 is definitely doable. All the team needs now is some run producing bats and in fact, they’re on their way. A trade for a very highly regarded Cleveland Indian (I won’t say any names) may be possible this offseason if Cleveland decides to sell.

Some impactful free agent bats are also on the Marlins’ radar this offseason as well. Players eligible for free agency this offseason that could be targeted by the Marlins include:

  • Jose Abreu
  • Didi Gregorius 
  • Marcell Ozuna
  • Yasiel Puig
  • Nicholas Castellanos

It’s going to be a fun offseason and the trade deadline is only the beginning. 

Hey now, Sandy Alcantara is an All-Star

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The Miami Marlins called up Sandy Alcantara on June 28, 2018, for the first time since acquiring him along with Daniel Castano, Magneuris Sierra and Zac Gallen in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Marcel Ozuna.

One year later and he is heading to the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 9, in Cleveland.

“I feel great,” Alcantara said. “I feel really happy to get to the All-Star [Game] and represent my team and my family.”

The 23-year-old right-hander has posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 13 starts this season and is the fifth Marlins’ rookie to make it to the All-Star Game, joining Alex Gonzalez (1999), Dontrelle Willis (2003), Dan Uggla (2006) and the late Jose Fernandez (2013).

“I’m really happy for Sandy,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “He’s a kid that we feel is getting better through the course of the season, from last year to this year. We still feel like this is the tip of the iceberg for him. Hopefully, it’s one of many.”

The fans picked the starters and the players voted for the reserves. The Commissioner’s Office was tasked with filling out both the National League and American League rosters, making sure that every team had at least one representative. The Marlins are in the middle of a rebuild under new ownership that centers around starting pitching so it was only fitting that one of their best pitchers received the honor.

Alcantara’s next start is at Washington on Wednesday and would be on schedule to pitch during the All-Star Game.

Alcántara’s impressive shutout sweeps the Mets

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Sandy Alcántara needed only 89 pitches to throw nine shutout innings and complete the sweep for the Miami Marlins against the New York Mets.

Alcántara only allowed two base hits (soft liners) by J.D. Davis and only one runner reached second base, because of his own error in the eight after a chopper hit right to him that caught Starlin Castro in between him and Miguel Rojas.

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The very next hitter swung at the pitch Sandy and Chris Wallach wanted and grounded into the third double play of the night for Alcántara.

That was the only hiccup of his outing, which reminded the few fans that still follow the team how much fun is to sweep a series.

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This was his first career complete game and, of course, the best outing of his career so far.

Sandy struck out eight batters, and lowered his ERA to 4.25, winning his second game of the season, to bring the Marlins’ record to 13-31.

Just enough for Alcántara and López

The Marlins were productive enough with the few hits they got Saturday and Sunday.

Two runs for Pablo López, who was also impressive after getting drilled a week ago by the same team in New York, and three for Sandy to complete the job.

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Rosell Herrera, who got to start in center field after Berti was scratched out of the lineup an hour before the game, started things in the sixth inning with a double and then scored when Granderson hit into a double play.

The second run came thanks to Neil Walker’s double, and a great slide to avoid Nido’s tag at the plate after a Miguel Rojas fly ball to short center field.

Just enough for Alcántara, who got his third insurance run thanks to another Carlos-Peña-like journey by Curtis Granderson.

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Great pitching backing clutch hitting

Friday night’s laser show against Jacob DeGrom after getting shutout twice by the Tampa Rays got Trevor Richards his first win of the year, after several great outings that didn’t reward him.

Nick Anderson couldn’t do his job, but Sergio Romo came back again and pitched two great innings to get the save and cut the losing streak in seven.

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On Saturday we saw Pablo López going back to it, making adjustments and dominating an offense that hit him at ease on his previous outing.

Berti’s homer leading off and Brian Anderson’s clutch RBI with two outs in the third were the only support the Marlins needed that day.

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Pablo López allowed a double to open the game, and that was the only hit the Mets had against him, Tyron Guerrero and Adam Conley.

On Sunday, Sandy Alcántara did even better, allowing just two hits and getting it done all by himself.

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Three hits in eighteen innings against hitters like Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Wilson Ramos, and Robinson Canó is just very impressive.

The Marlins scored only five runs with eleven hits between those two games, but that’s what great pitching and defense do. Hide those bad spots.

Now they’ll be traveling to Detroit and Washington, two teams way under .500, to play seven games on the road.

Caleb Smith is the first one in line to pitch. You all know what that means…

Was this Callaway’s last call?

The Mets got to Miami with a 20-22 record thinking about sweeping to try to get back to the race in the National League east.

However, everything went south.

Jacob DeGrom was ambushed by the worst offense in baseball and the late comeback wasn’t enough to get the Mets a win in the first game of the season.

Then, they only had three hits in games two and three of the series.

Mickey Callaway is in a hot spot in New York now. After all, getting swept by the worst time in baseball is never positive.

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Enjoy our Marlins coverage listening to Swings and Mishes and Cinco Razones Podcast, and sometimes, The Flagship, since they now care about the fish