Ng applauds club’s versatility so far in 2022
Kim Ng has already watched the Miami Marlins go through their share of ebbs and flows through the first month of the season.
It began with a 1-4 road trip, followed by a winning homestand, then a stretch of seven consecutive wins (including two victories apiece versus the Atlanta Braves on the road and Seattle Mariners at home) and then a losing streak.
The Marlins entered Saturday’s game in San Diego on a six-game skid. They were 12-14 overall with a 5-8 mark in one-run games.
“It started out a little bit rough just in terms of the outcomes,” the Marlins’ general manager said,
“but I think we definitely had to take a look [after the first road trip] at what exactly it is we were doing and trust that with our work, we were going to see positive results. I think that’s what you saw. We had that nice little streak going . ... At one point, we had the second-hardest schedule. I think those are the types of things that you have to look at in order to have a good feel for where you are.”
Ng spoke for about 15 minutes with a small group of reporters about a wide range of topics surrounding the club. Here are some of the highlights.
‘NOT A COOKIE-CUTTER TYPE OF CLUB’
The Marlins have relied on their versatility in multiple facets of the game.
With their position players, they have not used the same defensive lineup in consecutive games.
The same can be seen in the bullpen, with manager Don Mattingly rotating among seven key players — Anthony Bender, Anthony Bass, Cole Sulser, Tanner Scott, Steven Okert, Louis Head and Richard Bleier — in an assortment of high-leverage situations.
“One of the really interesting things about this team ... is that we’re not a cookie-cutter type of club,” Ng said. “I think Donnie has been able to really mix and match really well, whether it’s position players or whether it’s the bullpen.”
JAZZ’S ‘TALENT IS OFF THE CHARTS’
A smile appeared on
Ng’s face when the topic shifted to Jazz Chisholm Jr. The electric second baseman leads the Marlins in batting average (.321), slugging (.615), OPS (.983), home runs (four), RBI (19), runs scored (14), stolen bases (seven) and Wins Above Replacement (1.6).
“I think Jazz can do whatever he sets his mind to,” Ng said. “His talent is off the charts. He brings it just about every day. We just want to see consistency from him this year.”
One area where the Marlins are toeing the line with Chisholm, a lefthanded batter, is his presence in the lineup against left-handed pitching. He has been in the starting lineup in just two of six games in which the Marlins faced a lefty starter — and got at-bats against the starter in only one of those two outings after the Diamondbacks’ Madison Bumgarner was ejected in the first inning Wednesday before Chisholm’s first plate appearance.
Chisholm overall this season was 2 for 11 through Friday against lefties, with a double, a sacrifice fly, two RBI and two runs scored. He had been pinch-hit for twice this season when an opponent brought in a lefthanded reliever.
“There absolutely is a balance,” Ng said. “I know it’s been controversial to a certain extent, but if it was going to be one way, he wouldn’t face any lefties, but he has faced some lefties. We have to have this idea of team out there first. Whatever Donnie and the staff feel is the best thing for the club to get a W that night, that’s what we have to do.”
PLAYERS ACCEPTING THEIR ROLES
Chisholm isn’t the only position player whose duties the Marlins are trying to balance. The Marlins’ depth allows Mattingly to roll players in and out of the lineup, which lets him experiment with different lineup looks and keep players relatively fresh without having to sacrifice production.
Garrett Cooper and Jesus Aguilar are splitting time at first base, with the player not starting in the field generally serving as the designated hitter.
Joey Wendle has started at third base and shortstop. Brian Anderson has started at third base and on occasion has spelled Jorge Soler in left field and Avisail Garcia in right field. Jon Berti has started at second base, shortstop and third base and has been a defensive replacement in the outfield.
Assuming the Marlins avoid major injury, this sets up Miami to have a cast of players who all might start about 120 games instead of relying on a couple of players to be in the lineup every game. For some players who are used to being in the field every day, that took time to adjust.
“Don and the staff talked about it in spring training,” Ng said. “I think sometimes you’re not really sure what it looks like until you’re in the middle of it. I think it took a little bit of getting used to, but once we sort of got into it, we got on a roll. You saw some of the results of it and just how strong and how deep we can be on a daily basis. There’s definitely more buy-in than in the beginning.”
SLOW STARTS FOR GARCIA, SOLER
Garcia, who signed this offseason for four years and $53 million, entered Saturday hitting .174 with four RBI, three doubles, one home run and 28 strikeouts. Soler, who signed this offseason for three years and $36 million, was hitting .167 with four doubles, three home runs, eight RBI and 32 strikeouts.
While power potential is clearly there for both players — Garcia and Soler are each in the 99th percentile of the league in maximum exit velocity this season — both are among the worst in the league in strikeout rate and swingand-miss rate.
Despite that, Ng, at least publicly, doesn’t seem too concerned yet.
“These guys have track records,” she said. “There is some type of acclimation period and once it comes, it comes.”
MAX MEYER TIME COMING SOON?
While most of the talking points are about what’s going on at the big-league level, Ng very likely might have a decision to make soon regarding one of the organization’s top prospects.
Right-handed pitcher Max Meyer, the club’s 2020 first-round pick ranked as the No. 33 overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, has been dominant throughout the first month of the minor-league season with the Triple A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. The 23-year-old has a 1.72 ERA with 39 strikeouts against nine walks in 311⁄3 innings through his first six starts. Batters are hitting .159 against him.
Meyer has been adamant since spring training that he feels he is ready to pitch in the big leagues.
“I guess I would ask what prospect says he’s not ready,” Ng said. “Credit to Max and that frame of mind. We want those guys to say that. They should be saying that.”
Is that time coming? “For us,” Ng said, “we have to make sure the timing is right. This is about the long term, not about what he is necessarily doing at this one particular point in time.”
Ng also said the organization is continuing to monitor the innings of their young pitching prospects. Meyer was part of the 2020 draft class whose debuts were delayed because of the pandemic. He threw 111 combined innings between Double A Pensacola and Jacksonville last season.
“We’re pretty mindful of that,” Ng said. “All of this adds into the equation.”
Jordan McPherson: 305-376-2129, @J_McPherson1126