Marlins and Rays: Same state, different present

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Marlins and Rays are living two very different moments.

Florida has always been divided into two.

For most of us that live in the South, anything past West Palm Beach is almost another state.
In sports, rivalries have emerged crossing that line.
FSU and UM play every year in each sport what can be highlighted as the most bitter of the rivalries in our state.
In professional baseball, Florida is a young adult and this type of rivalry doesn’t exist.
Tampa and Miami were the two cities picked by Major League Baseball for its expansions.
The Marlins came to the league in 1993 along with the Colorado Rockies.
The Rays began to play in 1998 along with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Marlins advanced to the postseason for the first time in 1997 and ended up winning the World Series in a thrilling seven-game series walk-off by Colombian shortstop Edgar Renteria against the Cleveland Indians.
The Rays entered the league while their southbound neighbors were the kings of the league, just four years after playing their first game in the stadium with the thousand names.
In 2008 they won the American League Championship Series beating the Boston Red Sox and then lost the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
In that regard, the Marlins have been more successful.
Miami has won two World Series, while Tampa is still looking for their first one.
However, Tampa fans should be more proud of what they are seeing from their team than what people in Miami are.
Neither of the two teams has a solid fanbase. In fact, the number of fans for both franchises in really sad.

Especially for the Rays, who have been putting a great product on the field.

Last season, they won 90 games and failed to make the playoffs, behind two incredible teams.

Tampa as an example for Miami

Are the Rays an example for the Marlins?

Maybe.

The Rays have managed to build competitive teams to compete in one of the most complicated divisions in baseball.

Playing against the Yankees and Red Sox more than thirty times per year makes it harder than any other divisions.

David Price, Evan Longoria, Nathan Eovaldi, Chris Archer, and company are just some of the names that have left the organization via trade or free agency.

However, they have found a way to build competitive teams without big names.

Blake Snell is a superstar now. He won the Cy Young in 2018 and is the face of the organization.

But who else is there?

Homegrown talent. And a mixture of factors…

Check their lineup for the first game of the series against the Orioles.

Nothing impressive, but they are the best team in the majors.

What can the Marlins copy?

Tampa has the best pitching in the league so far with a pitching staff mostly composed by players that came through their farm system and some arms acquired in the international market.

The Marlins have the 21st best ERA in MLB. But we’re not going to talk about Wei-Yin Chen here.

Pitching has been fine so far. Besides that guy…

They’re young and they’ll be better as they continue to grow as Major League Baseball pitchers, and not just flame throwers.

Smart free agency and trades

The Rays have had a much better eye when it comes to free agency and getting the best out of regular players.

This year, they added Cuban utility Yandy Díaz, who never received a real opportunity in Cleveland and outfielder Avisaíl García, and somehow have revived players like Austin Meadows.


Young players that have not performed in other places, do well in Tropicana Field.

The Marlins have brought mostly veterans trying to have them as an example for the young guys.

However, they have not performed on the field, and have actually taken some playing time from the younger players available in the roster.

Cameron Maybin, Curtis Granderson, and even Ichiro (mostly a marketing move at that point), have been some of the names that have not fulfill the expectations.

What is it about the Rays that Marlins are not picking up?

It’s worth a look up north for the fish…

 

Alejandro Villegas is one of our contributors of Cinco Razones Podcast, the only podcast in Spanish in the Five Reasons Sports Network. Check Cinco Razones clicking here.

 

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