NFL Tickets
The Miami Marlins have a bad hitting approach so far in 2016. They bat like they’re playing in the 1970s. They don’t take walks or strike out and that is their biggest weakness so far in 2016.
The Marlins are fifth in MLB in batting average. That puts them in rarefied air with mostly American League teams. This doesn’t translate to scoring runs, though.
The Marlins are 20th in runs scored. 20th! How does a team batting almost .270 halfway through the season rank 20th in runs scored? The first way is that they refuse to walk. They are ranked 21st in walks, lowering their OBP ranking to 10th in all of baseball. Their slugging percentage is all the way down at 17th. That demonstrates how they are Punch and Judy hitters, a lot of flare but little pop.
Only three teams in baseball have hit fewer homers than the Marlins. They are happy to slap the ball around and try to make things happen. This is great if you are willing to count on teams making bad defensive plays, but how does it work in today’s uber-athlete age? The answer is not well with Dee Gordon suspended. The Marlins have the fourth-fewest steals in MLB. To review, the Marlins don’t walk, don’t run and don’t hit homers. They are existing on good pitching, average defense and slapping the ball around the field.
They’re getting away with this thanks to three players being in the top 20 in batting average. Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Martin Prado are all batting above .300. Even catcher J.T. Realmuto has been flirting with .300 this year. Of course, the Marlins’ biggest issue may be that this is also their biggest strength from earlier in the season.
The Marlins don’t inspire fear in their opponents, as they just pitch and make contact. So far in 2016, their inability to have an effectively intimidating offense has been their biggest weakness.
Share 
