Opening-day roster is filled with plenty of question marks
Mattingly expects team to improve during season.
MIAMI — When Jose Urena throws the first pitch against the Chicago Cubs today, nearly a quarter-century after knuckleballer Charlie Hough inaugurated the franchise, the Marlins are hoping to wipe the slate clean.
“This is a white board that we just start off blank,” said Don Mattingly, who is entering his third season as the Marlins manager. “So, guys that were here in the organization before, or the way things went or happened, or how things were handled, erase it, because this is the way it’s going to be moving forward.”
The team has been reshaped yet again by the new owners and with an inexperienced young roster expected by many to finish among the worst teams in baseball, present-day expectations are bleak.
The Marlins have 13 players who are on an opening-day roster for the first time.
They already have seven players, including projected starters J.T. Realmuto, Dan Straily, Martin Prado and JT Riddle, on the disabled list with injuries that may force them to miss varying amounts of time early in the season.
The team’s starting rotation is spearheaded by Urena, who battled just to make the roster a year ago before a solid first year as a full-time starter (14-7, 3.82 ERA).
The lineup lost a combined 114 home runs and 337 RBIs with the departures of Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich. And with Realmuto, one of the best young catchers in baseball, also out, proven offensive sources are scarce outside of first baseman Justin Bour and second baseman Starlin Castro.
Could rookies such as outfielder Lewis Brinson, who could turn into a hometown favorite, and third baseman Brian Anderson and their crop of young athletes turn the corner quicker than expected?
“That’s our goal this year, to surprise some people,” Brinson said. “We have our own expectations in this locker room. Our goal is to go out there and win as many games as we can.”
This roster could look much different even within the next couple of months as it gets healthier and promising prospects such as pitcher Sandy Alcantara, outfielder Magneuris Sierra, second baseman Isan Diaz and others begin to make their way to the majors.
“I don’t know if I really want to set expectations for the whole season,” Mattingly said. “You never know where you’re going healthwise or what’s going to happen. But I expect us to be competitive. I expect that we should be a club that gets better as the season goes along with more experience.”