Marlins name Alcantara Opening Day starter

JUPITER, Fla. -- Clayton McCullough on Thursday wasted no time making the easiest decision thus far in his tenure as Marlins manager: Ace Sandy Alcantara will start on Opening Day, when the Marlins host the Pirates on March 27 at loanDepot park. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET.

Alcantara, who is fully healthy after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October 2023, will receive his franchise-leading fifth Opening Day assignment (2020-23). During the first workout for pitchers and catchers on Wednesday, Alcantara looked like his old self facing hitters in live batting practice.

“Probably no secret there, but Sandy was excited,” said McCullough, who informed Alcantara on Thursday morning. “It's been a long journey coming back from last year. He was really excited. The smile on his face to get that news. So organizationally, we're very excited, and the fanbase of Miami will be excited to see Sandy take the hill for us Opening Day.”

The 29-year-old Alcantara fronts an inexperienced but talented rotation that recently welcomed veteran right-hander Cal Quantrill, who was at camp on Thursday. Righties Edward Cabrera, Max Meyer and Valente Bellozo as well as southpaw Ryan Weathers are in the mix for starting-pitching jobs.

Among qualifying Major League starting pitchers from 2020-23, Alcantara ranked as follows:

• First in complete games (10)
• Second in innings (661)
• Second in quality starts (66)
• Sixth in fWAR (14.1)
• Seventh in ground-ball percentage (52.7)
• Tied for 14th in ERA (3.13)

“It wasn't that tough [of a decision],” McCullough said. “I think Sandy was an easy one for us. And again, very happy for him for all the hard work he's put in to get himself back in position for that.”

Even though the Pirates haven't announced their Opening Day starter, there is a strong possibility South Florida will feature the Majors’ best pitching matchup to open the season. Alcantara captured the 2022 National League Cy Young Award, while phenom Paul Skenes won 2024 NL Rookie of the Year.

“It could be, and that's a nice potential Opening Day matchup,” McCullough said. “We'll bet on our guy. For baseball, with Sandy, to have your better players, your star players, back out there is good for the game, and certainly good for our fans.”