Mervis continues breakout start to 2025 with birthday bash?

MIAMI -- Remember that episode of “The Office” where Dwight Schrute hung up a banner that read “It is your birthday”? Marlins designated hitter Matt Mervis personified that moment on Wednesday night at loanDepot Park.

A stoic Mervis rounded the bases and entered the dugout to cheers following his latest long ball, which came on his 27th birthday. The only indication it was a special occasion was the balloons and decorations at his locker inside the clubhouse.

“It's work, it's my job,” Mervis said. “Obviously, I'm happy to do it, but I don't think that the lack of expression is -- I don't know -- I'm excited on the inside, but I typically express the negative more than the positive, which maybe I should work on.”

Though Mervis mashed his sixth home run of the season, the Marlins dropped their second straight to the D-backs, 6-2. He is tied for the fourth-most homers in the Majors with superstars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Mike Trout.

With his latest tater, Mervis became just the second player in franchise history to go deep six times through his first 13 games with his new ballclub, joining Derrek Lee (1998). He has accounted for six of Miami’s 12 long balls, with Otto Lopez the only other Marlin with multiple home runs this season.

This type of production is exactly what president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and the front office had in mind when they acquired Mervis as a change-of-scenery candidate over the offseason.

“We just told Matt we really believed in him as an offensive player, and he's had a track record of performing in the Minor Leagues, and has had sporadic opportunities at the Major League level,” manager Clayton McCullough said.

“We believed that there was, kind of, what we're seeing now, his potential that he had and that belief in that and give him an opportunity to go out there and go through some struggles. If you do, kind of just stick with it. I think we're hoping to continue to get a good version out of Matt. We kind of believe this is what he's capable of.”

With Miami trailing 1-0 in the fourth, Mervis crushed right-hander Brandon Pfaadt’s 0-2 curveball and deposited it over the right-field wall for a leadoff homer. At just 1.25 feet above the ground, it is tied for the sixth-lowest home run hit by a Marlin since Statcast began tracking in 2015. Mervis has had a penchant for connecting on pitches below the zone in 2025, launching others at 1.47 and 1.48 feet, respectively.

“I think that it's new for me,” Mervis said. “I've been able to slug the bottom of the zone, but not below the zone, throughout my career. But again, the body position, just making sure I'm staying over the ball, keeping my direction through the middle, just lets the bat stay through that part of the zone longer.”

Mervis credits the help of hitting coach Pedro Guerrero and assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon in his ability to do damage with those pitches. They have guided Mervis’ consistent routine and game preparation, setting him up for positive results.

“I think it's a lot about confidence and movement with Matt,” Guerrero said. “A lot of credit to Derek Shomon. He's put him in a really good spot for him to be successful, and I think just continuing to believe that he's a really good hitter. I think the trust and confidence that we're just pushing and Derek doing a great job, like pushing and building that trust with him.”

What stands out most is Mervis’ 38.1 percent rate of pulling balls in the air, tied for the fourth-highest mark among qualifying players entering Wednesday. That is an increase from 17.2 and 22.2, respectively, from 2023-24.

“A lot of body position and I think I mentioned earlier, my issue is when I get tall and rotational, the bat's in and out of the zone really quick,” Mervis said. “I've known that, but I haven't known how to fix it on a deeper level, and [Derek’s] really good at using his eyes to see how the body's moving, how the kinetic chain works, and makes it easy for me to understand.

“I think that's just a product of having good movements. That's when I'm at my best is when I'm pulling the ball hard in the air. There's hits to be had to the opposite field and lower line drives, but if I'm going to do damage, it's typically pull side.”