Kyle Stowers And The Surging Marlins Are Making A Playoff Push

Forbes

8 hours ago

It's time to rethink our preconceived notions of the Miami Marlins. No one thought much of them following last year's 62-100 finish or their 25-41 start to the 2025 campaign, but they've won 30 of their last 44 games to climb back to an even .500 record.
Last night's 7-3 victory over the New York Yankees was significant for the franchise historically, beyond merely bringing their record up to 55-55. It culminated their first sweep of the Yankees since their inception, and with an overall 25-24 record against New York—not including their 2003 World Series victory—they're the only team in MLB history with a winning record against the Yankees.
Miami resides in third place in the National League East, 7.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies, and they trail the San Diego Padres by six games for the final wild card spot. They have a lot of ground to cover over the final 52 games of the year to make the postseason, but they're one of the hottest teams in baseball right now. Not long ago, it seemed like their playoff window wouldn't open until next year, but they could pry it ajar ahead of schedule.
Leading the assault is outfielder Kyle Stowers, who has emerged as one of the best hitters in the game. He ranks third in the league in OPS+ (158, indicating his total offense is 58% above average), fourth in slugging percentage (.575), fifth in batting average (.296), and sixth in home runs (25).
When Stowers was originally acquired last July from the Baltimore Orioles along with Connor Norby for Trevor Rogers, no one thought he could become one of the sport's premier sluggers. In 117 games and 340 plate appearances from 2022 to 2024, he hit .208/.268/.332 with just six home runs.
Not only did he make his first All-Star Game this year, he has been on fire since the start of the second half, hitting .314/.400/.765 with six home runs in 14 games. Not a bad return on investment for a player earning $768,200 who won't become arbitration-eligible until 2027 or reach free agency until 2030.
Other than Stowers, the main catalyst behind their sudden surge has been their pitching staff. Edward Cabrera, who throws one of the hardest changeups in baseball, has taken a leap forward with his ability to spot his pitches this season. He has a 3.24 ERA over 19 starts and 100 innings.
Eury Pérez rejoined the rotation in June after missing more than a year following Tommy John surgery. The 22-year-old phenom was one of the hottest pithing prospects in baseball a few years ago. After four rough starts to shake off the rust, his last six outings have been phenomenal, in which he has a 1.06 ERA with only 15 hits allowed in 34 innings.
The Marlins made just one big move at the trade deadline, sending outfielder Jesús Sánchez to the Houston Astros for prospects. That isn't the kind of trade that springboards a borderline contending club into the playoffs, but they called up young outfielder Jakob Marsee to take his place. He already had 14 home runs and 47 stolen bases in Triple-A, and recorded three doubles, a triple, and four walks in 12 plate appearances in the series against the Yankees.
The Miami Marlins have had a lot of lucky breaks, and they'll need to to keep their luck rolling—such as by getting big contributions from unexpected players like Marsee—in order to make the playoffs. Whether or not they can get there, they've put MLB on notice that they're one good offseason away from making noise next year.