Marlins poised to be a major surprise

JUPITER, Fla. — Sports’ ceremonial first day of spring bloomed with convincing optimism here a couple of hours north of Miami on Tuesday as the Miami Marlins’ full team took the field for the first time.

I say “convincing” because to doubt the Marlins is the norm and to be genuinely excited the aberration. A ballclub coming off a 69-93 season must work extra hard to sell a turnaround year. And when that team is seemingly buried under the lavish-spending Mets, Phillies and Braves in the NL East — all playoff teams last season — well, conveying genuine optimism is a Herculean task or one worthy of an Oscar. The Marlins have done it. I’m sold. I’ll have 162 games to change my mind and quite possibly will, but, for now, at 0-0, with hope springing eternal all around me along with the perfume of newmown grass, etc., I’m buying what they’re selling. I believe the Fish have a big chance to make a major leap forward this season.

(I also believe they might improve by 15 games, finish over .500 and still not make the playoffs from that brutal gauntlet of a division, but play along. Accentuating the positive over here, remember?)

“Extremely excited about the season coming up,” principal owner Bruce Sherman described himself. “We have a Cy Young Award winner in the dugout. We have a batting champion in the dugout. Nobody wants to face our pitching staff. We can compete with anybody. My expectation is to be in the playoffs.”

I thought I heard a choir of angels singing hallelujahs from on high, but it might have been the small flock of wild parrots gliding overhead.

The Marlins came on strong in the offseason, quiet in December but big players in January, improving their roster, especially on the offensive end. They were still way-outspent by those dastardly Mets, Phillies and Braves, but, grading on the curve, against modest expectations, give Miami a B to B-plus winter.

Even as the Vegas over-under on Miami victories settles around 75 1/2 on average, everything you are about to read is a reason for Marlins fans to be hopeful in February:

A full, healthy season of Jazz Chisholm, the young, ascending second baseman- turned- center fielder, is pretty thrilling to imagine. He’s an exciting player with the electric personality to match. He drips into a room.

Reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara is the third-best starting pitcher in all of baseball by the gauge of fantasy rankings. You say he can’t possibly equal his 2022 showing? Why not?

Luis Arraez, who came in the Pablo Lopez trade, won the AL batting championship last season.

New Manager Skip Schumaker is a young-ish 43, with a pedigree of St. Louis Cardinals winning and digging into his first managerial job. He might be great. “He wants to win and he’s creating that culture,” says infielder Jon Berti of the new manager. “And there is more talent in this room than we’ve had.”

After Alcantara in the rotation, Jesus Luzardo is poised for a breakout season, free agent Johnny Cueto was a nice add, Trevor Rogers is due a comeback after disappointing, and Edward Cabrera flashed big potential last year. And top prospect Eury Perez will be called up at some point.

When Sherman said, “Nobody wants to face our pitching staff,” he sort of wasn’t lying.

Miami’s fortified bullpen “will be a strength,” General Manager Kim Ng said Tuesday, adding, “I think we as a club are ready to take that next step.”

Infielder Jean Segura is a nice addition, and returning Marlins Jorge Soler and Avisail Garcia — hugely disappointing signings a year ago — cannot help but be better.

Miami’s 2023 player payroll of $102 million as of now is not great leaguewide but $13 million over last year and the fourth-most spending in club history.

The Marlins have the ability to field a former All-Star at every field position except catcher. The roster is now full of guys who have won and/or succeeded in the bigs.

Yeah, so the Mets, Phillies and Braves were (much) bigger spenders, but you don’t always get what you paid for.

With only 162 games to change my mind, I really like where the Miami Marlins are as spring training rolls out.