The Florida Marlins finished the first half strong
The Florida Marlins finished the first half on a 5-game winning streak as they are starting to respond to “new” manager Jack McKeon. The Marlins are 11-8 (57.9%) under McKeon. The Marlins finished the first half of the season in last place in the N.L. East with a 43-48 record which has them 14 games behind the Phillies. The Marlins are also 10.5 games behind the Braves in the Wild Card race. Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impact in the first half of the season for the Marlins:
Team MVP: No one in baseball has more raw power than 21-year old righty swinging RF Mike Stanton. He’s streaky but when he’s on, he hits everything hard. Stanton has played in 85 games for the Marlins so far this year and he is 77 for 302 (.255 avg, .842 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 18 homers, 51 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Stanton has whiffed 96 times so far this year so he has a lot of holes in his swing, but he has carried the team quite a bit this year offensively.
Biggest Surprise: 32-year old lefty swinging 3B Greg Dobbs was just supposed to be a pinch hitter for the Marlins this year but they have needed him more than that and he has responded well. Dobbs has played in 75 games for the Marlins so far this year and he is 63 for 215 (.293 avg, .718 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 2 homers and 21 RBIs. In his first seven years in the majors prior to this year, Dobbs had never batted more than 324 times in a season.
Biggest Disappointment: 27-year old righty swinging shorstop Hanley Ramirez has been the best hitter on the Marlins every year he has been on the team until 2011. Ramirez has played in 73 games for the Marlins so far this year and he is 64 for 265 (.242 avg, .706 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 8 homers, 37 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. The Marlins are hoping for Ramirez to have a big second half as he has a lot better since Jack McKeon has taken over as the manager.