Marlins to fight with good pitching and faith

MIAMI — The Miami Marlins’ first meeting with Don Mattingly this spring was short, emotional and one-pointed.

He told them they can win.

It wasn’t exactly a novelty as a leadership tactic for Mattingly, but he had a reason to deliver this message. A year ago everything went wrong with the Marlins. The team that was coming off a playoff series in 2020 plummeted to the bottom of the standings and didn’t spend a day over .500. He was virtually out of contention after the All-Star break.

That is in the past. Mattingly insists it’s not just words of encouragement or well wishes in spring training when he says he thinks things could change in 2022.

“I think we can win,” the Marlins manager said. “I think that’s the key. I’m sure they believe they can. Other than that, it’s just words. Our group believes it. Now we have to prove it. We have to execute, we have to do what it takes to win.”

For the Marlins this means hitting.

The art of good contact was a problem with the Marlins a year ago. Miami hitters had nearly 10 times as many strikeouts per game last season, the second-worst mark in the majors, and the team scored the second-fewest runs.

So they went for hitters in free agency. Jorge Soler, reigning World Series MVP, leads the group, which includes outfielders Avisaíl García and Joey Wendle, as well as catcher Jacob Stallings. They weren’t big-ticket acquisitions, but general manager Kim Ng said it was a plan calculated for sustained success.

“For fans, being on a roller coaster ride is not the best way to build a franchise or your team,” Ng said. “This is why we chose to build from the minors and add when we needed to. That’s where we are at.”

His rotation looks set to be his strength, led by Dominican ace Sandy Alcantara. Trevor Rogers was selected to the All-Star Game last season as a rookie. Venezuelan Pablo López missed half the season with a rotator cuff problem, but was activated at the end of the season in October.

The Marlins’ strength lies in their starting rotation, led by Alcántara, López and Rogers. Miami went 31-18 last year when they had quality starters, six or more innings, three or fewer runs allowed.

Alcántara signed a 56 million, five-year contract at the end of last year, and the Dominican understands that he will now have to exercise greater leadership.

Miami went 19-38 last season against teams that reached the postseason, with a .221 batting average in those 57 games. But a look at those numbers lends further credence to the argument about pitching strength. The Marlins had a 4.09 ERA against playoff teams, ranking seventh and level with World Series champion Atlanta at 4.02 against postseason teams.

Infielder Jazz Chisholm’s offensive numbers reflected the Marlins’ level last season. When he was hot, Miami was good. And when it went out, Miami too. Chisholm batted .301 for wins, .209 for losses. “I want to see consistency in Jazz,” Mattinggly said.