One question can describe the Miami Marlins' 2014 season: What if?
Despite the absence of ace Jose Fernandez by mid-May and slugger Giancarlo Stanton in early September, the Marlins (77-85) became one of just three National League teams since 1969 to win at least 77 games a year after a 100-loss campaign. For an organization that saw the cellar of the NL East for three straight years, the Marlins had a chance at second place over the final weekend.
But what might have been? Only the Washington Nationals finished above .500 in the division. Before spring training came to a close, projected leadoff batter and second baseman Rafael Furcal landed on the disabled list. The veteran played in just nine games due to various leg ailments as the position sought stability. In Fernandez's final start before Tommy John surgery, the Marlins held a 20-16 record and a half-game lead. When a fastball struck Stanton in the face, the Marlins sat 4.5 games back in the wild-card race.
Manager Mike Redmond, who signed a contract extension through 2017 on Sunday, and his coaching staff can be credited for the club's resiliency. Those injuries didn't stop the club from remaining competitive. Miami went 35-28 in one-run games. It wasn't eliminated from postseason contention until Sept. 20. The front office stepped up to fix bullpen troubles that surfaced during the early part of the year by trading a competitive balance pick for righty Bryan Morris, who posted a 0.66 ERA in a Marlins uniform. At the trade deadline, Miami dealt top prospects Jake Marisnick and Colin Moran for pitching help in right-hander Jarred Cosart and rookie utility player Kike Hernandez.
Aside from what ifs, the biggest takeaway from 2014 is the promise of 2015. Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna combined for 69 homers and 244 RBI as one of the top-producing outfields in baseball. Closer Steve Cishek put together his second straight 30-plus save season. Righty Tom Koehler, who began as the fifth starter in the rotation, collected 10 wins, didn't miss a start and worked a respectable 3.81 ERA.
This offseason will be crucial for the Marlins, who seem to be just a couple pieces from true contention. The first order of business is trying to sign Stanton to a long-term deal. Another bat to protect him is pivotal. So is a dependable arm to anchor the staff as Fernandez aims for a return following the All-Star break.
Here's a review of the Marlins' season:
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
RF Giancarlo Stanton
Missing the final two weeks of the season likely cost Stanton his chance at the NL MVP. Still, nearly every offensive category belonged to him -- from slugging percentage (.555) to intentional walks (24). Through 145 games, the 24-year-old led the league with 37 homers, the first Marlins player to do so, and 105 RBI (a new career high). His average flirted with .300 for much of the season. More importantly, until Milwaukee Brewers Mike Fiers' fastball struck Stanton in the face, the slugger hadn't missed a game. Injuries had slowed him down over the past two seasons. These statistics support his strong case for the MVP honor in a breakout year. Stanton became a household name with his performance at the Home Run Derby. Though he didn't win, his 510-foot shot more than halfway in the upper deck at Target Field inspired GIF-worthy reactions from fellow All-Stars. After the injury, the Marlins offense produced just 46 runs in 17 games for a 2.7 average and 6-11 record. It was held to two or fewer runs 12 times. His can't-miss at-bats and lethal presence in the lineup highlight how important it is the organization signs him to a long-term deal this offseason.
3B Casey McGehee
Why did Stanton have so much success in 2014? Thank McGehee, for one. His first-half performance provided protection as the cleanup hitter. Sure, pitchers still found ways to pitch around Stanton rather than give him something good to hit. But McGehee's timely hitting -- .385 with RISP -- led the majors and kept pitchers honest during a remarkable stretch. In those 93 games before the Midsummer Classic, he drove in 53 runs with 21 doubles, a triple, just one homer and a .319 average. The 31-year-old's signing last December hardly drew any national attention. He had spent the previous season playing in Japan, where he resurrected his career on the championship-winning Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Third base turned out to be a revolving door in the 62-win 2013 season with seven different players. McGehee's quick start was a welcome surprise. His numbers did tail off in the second half -- a .246 average, three homers and 24 RBI -- but his leadership in the clubhouse spoke volumes to the cohesive group and maturation of young players. He also finished with the best fielding percentage (.979) among NL third basemen. Miami is likely to re-sign him in arbitration or for longer, especially after trading away Moran.
MOST IMPROVED
SS Adeiny Hechavarria
When the Marlins worked out the 2012 blockbuster deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, they traded a proven, four-time All-Star in Jose Reyes for Adeiny Hechavarria, a rookie with just 41 big-league games of experience. In 2013 as the everyday shortstop, he hit just .227 with three homers and 42 RBI. With a consistent approach at the plate -- going with a pitch up the middle or to the opposite field -- he bumped his average to .276 (third-highest among NL shortstops). As the eighth batter, he collected 20 doubles and 10 triples to go along with a homer and 34 RBI. Already known for his athleticism and glove, Hechavarria made a name for himself on social media for his highlight-reel plays, including a game-saving one Aug. 23 in Colorado. He finished just ahead of Atlanta Braves wizard Andrelton Simmons with a .979 fielding percentage.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Injuries
Every team goes through setbacks, but the Marlins could never quite recover from losing Fernandez to Tommy John surgery. Thirteen pitchers started a game in 2014. Brad Hand, Anthony DeSclafani, Andrew Heaney, Brad Penny, Kevin Slowey, Brian Flynn and Randy Wolf combined to go 9-19 with a 6.09 ERA. Fernandez went 4-2 and posted a 2.44 ERA through eight starts until the injury. That would have ranked fifth in the NL. Keep in mind his ERA as a rookie was 2.19, which would've been second behind Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw (1.77). When the club needed to stop a losing skid, it couldn't fall back on Fernandez being the stopper. All-Star Henderson Alvarez performed admirably with a 12-7 record and 2.65 ERA (sixth-lowest in NL), but the rotation as a whole finished with a 4.04 ERA, fourth highest in the NL.
Last offseason, the Marlins signed first baseman Garrett Jones and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to multi-year deals in the hopes they would provide both playoff experience and production to areas of need. Jones matched his 2013 total of 15 homers and even produced two more RBI (53), but he struck out 116 times. His .247 average ranked second-worst in the NL among first basemen -- in front of just Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard. He also committed a big-league-leading 13 errors. Saltalamacchia finished with career lows in average (.219), homers (11) and RBI (44) as the primary catcher. His 15 miscues led all major-league backstops. Perhaps his transition from the American League as well as the importance of handling the pitching staff affected his bat.
BEST MOMENT
When a team walks off 11 times at home, it's hard to pick one singular moment. Stanton blasted a walk-off grand slam on April 18 against the Seattle Mariners. Miami would sweep the M's, a club that battled until the final day for a postseason spot. Or how about arguably the most complete and all-around game of his career on Aug. 11 against the St. Louis Cardinals with two homers and a diving catch in the outfield (SEEN ABOVE)? The second dinger off righty Shelby Miller would've left the ballpark had the windows in left field been open. Instead, the ball hit the wall and bounced to a lucky female fan 470 feet from home plate.
Yet nothing seemed more improbable and proved to be as thrilling as Ozuna's "walk-off" assist on June 20. Playing in left field with Yelich on the disabled list, Ozuna threw out David Wright in the eighth inning. In the ninth with the tying run at third, Chris Young sent a ball to the outfield. Ozuna took a running start by standing behind it -- teammates jokingly said from The Clevelander. Off the bat, broadcasters on both the radio and TV had already proclaimed it a tie game. Ozuna's throw reached home on a line before Kirk Nieuwenhuis, preserving Miami's win over the New York Mets. It became the first time in franchise history a regular-season game ended on an outfield assist. Ozuna was the first Marlins outfielder to record two assists at home plate in 18 years.
