Marlins take mix of vets, rookies into WC
In an unprecedented year in which the Marlins made a whopping 174 roster moves, the organization on Wednesday settled on the 28 for their best-of-three National League Wild Card Series with the Cubs.
By Wednesday¡¯s 11 a.m. ET deadline to announce its roster, the Marlins didn¡¯t have any major surprises regarding who would be in uniform at Wrigley Field. For the most part, the core that led them to the postseason for the first time in 17 years is intact.
There is a mixture of veterans, who will get most of the playing time, and a group of rookies. The roster features seven rookies who all made their MLB debuts this year.
Shop for postseason gear: Per MLB Pipeline, all seven of those rookies rank highly on Miami¡¯s Top 30 Prospects list: right-hander Sixto S¨¢nchez (No. 1), infielder Jazz Chisholm (No. 4), left-hander Braxton Garrett (No. 7), first baseman Lewin D¨ªaz (No. 8), left-hander Trevor Rogers (No. 9), outfielder Monte Harrison (No. 10) and right-hander Nick Neidert (No. 11).
The Marlins have just six players with previous playoff experience: shortstop Miguel Rojas, outfielder Matt Joyce, first baseman/designated hitter Jes¨²s Aguilar, outfielder Starling Marte, and right-handers Brandon Kintzler and Yimi Garc¨ªa.
The fact there are no fans in the ballparks, manager Don Mattingly said, eases concerns about carrying so much postseason inexperience on his roster.
¡°It's the playoffs, which usually would have a lot different feeling,¡± Mattingly said. ¡°There would be media all over the place. Fans would be out there. It would be more of an electric feeling around the field.
¡°This playoff setting is different, we know it's obviously important. But it's going to be a little different, because when we walk out there, there are going to be nobody in the seats.¡±
A tough call, Mattingly said, was leaving veteran reliever Nick Vincent off the playoff roster, while carrying Garrett and Neidert.
The decision to go with two extra long relievers like Garrett and Neidert was made after Jos¨¦ Ure?a sustained a fractured right forearm on Sunday.
This browser does not support the video element.
The Marlins had been planning on moving Ure?a from the rotation into the bullpen.
¡°The Jos¨¦ injury puts some balls rolling, and we had to do some things differently than we originally planned,¡± Mattingly said. ¡°Obviously, the fact there is no extra-innings rule now, you may get to the 11th and burn through your 'pen. You may have to have some guys you can hand the ball to. That kind of pushed Brax and Neidert into the equation.¡±
Roster turnover underlined the entire season for the Marlins, which was smacked with a coronavirus outbreak in the first series of the season. In all, 18 players tested positive for COVID-19.
From Day 1, the front office was tasked with piecing together the roster, and the organizational depth was severely tested. The Marlins used 61 total players, and only five stayed on the active roster from the start of the season to finish: Aguilar, third baseman Brian Anderson, and right-handers Brad Boxberger, Kintzler and Pablo L¨®pez.
¡°In a three-game set, honestly, you're going to go to your [bullpen] quicker,¡± Mattingly said. ¡°Like Yimi and Kintz, you kind of ask more. Kind of like we did in the last few games to clinch. We'll use our relievers like that. It's important [that] everybody you bring out has some type of role.¡±
This browser does not support the video element.
Here¡¯s the Marlins¡¯ full, 28-player Wild Card Series roster:
Pitchers (13): Sandy Alcantara, Sixto S¨¢nchez, Pablo L¨®pez, Trevor Rogers, Brandon Kintzler, Braxton Garrett, Yimi Garc¨ªa, Brad Boxberger, James Hoyt, Richard Bleier, Ryne Stanek, Nick Neidert, Stephen Tarpley
Catchers (2): Chad Wallach, Jorge Alfaro
Infielders (7): Jes¨²s Aguilar, Jon Berti, Brian Anderson, Miguel Rojas, Garrett Cooper, Jazz Chisholm, Lewin D¨ªaz
Outfielders (6): Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte, Matt Joyce, Lewis Brinson, Monte Harrison, Magneuris Sierra