Javier Sanoja has gone from being labeled a utility player to looking like one of the Marlins’ most reliable everyday bats.
Inside the clubhouse at loanDepot park, there’s a taped-up photo of assistant hitting coach Chris Hess holding Sanoja’s head in place. It’s a small reminder of the work behind the breakout: better posture, less drifting off the ball, and a swing that’s staying on plane more often.
According to hitting coach Pedro Guerrero, that simple adjustment has made a real difference.
“[A reason Sanoja is] impacting the baseball a little bit harder or consistently is the fact that his posture is a little bit better,” Guerrero said. “He's not so upright.
You see at the end he kind of goes like this [makes motion] right before the pitcher delivers the ball. So that's the one thing that they've been working on.”
That work has turned into a daily game in the cages. Hess and Sanoja compete using Incrediballs, with Hess changing grips and mixing up pitches from sliders to fastballs. Sanoja has to recognize what’s coming and stick to the plan.
“They have a little competition every day, see who wins, and if he chases or doesn't hit it right, Chris gets a point,” Guerrero said. “If he does hit it right, and it's a good decision, or he takes the ball, he gets a point. So they kind of have fun with it every day.”
The result has been a more disciplined hitter. Since Aug.
1, Sanoja is batting .349/.387/.543 with eight doubles, one triple, five homers and 22 RBIs. He has eight walks and 11 strikeouts.
Among Major Leaguers with at least 130 plate appearances in that 35-game stretch, his 1.5 fWAR is tied for 14th with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Wilyer Abreu, and it sits just 0.1 behind Bryce Harper, Elly De La Cruz, Pete Alonso, Cal Raleigh, Alejandro Kirk and Jackson Chourio.
Before that stretch, Sanoja was hitting .265/.304/.390 with 21 doubles, two triples, three homers and 35 RBIs in 93 games. He also had 23 strikeouts and 16 walks.
The plate discipline numbers back up what the eye test suggests. From Aug. 1 through Wednesday’s game, Sanoja posted a 68.4% zone-swing rate and a 36.4% chase rate. Through July 31, those numbers were 64.9% and 39.9%, respectively.
“I would say my discipline is helping me the most,” Sanoja said via interpreter Luis Dorante. “Obviously, in Minor League Baseball, I was playing every day, but here is a different game, right?
You have to be more prepared, be more specific of where you're going, what you're going to do every day. But it will be this discipline.
“It just puts me to a different level every day, and then I just want to do more so they can continue putting me in the lineup.”
That sharper approach has also helped him do more damage despite his 5-foot-7 frame. Sanoja has already set a career high with eight homers, and his .770 OPS ranks fifth among current Marlins with at least 100 at-bats.
“He certainly is impacting the ball at a better rate this year,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “And he's still young.
He just turned 24 years old, so it's just a really good player. A guy that can go play really anywhere on the field and play it at a high level, and offensively you know the ball is going to get moved forward, and he seems now as he's gotten out there he's earned the right to play every day because that's just how he's performed.
I couldn't pull for Javi any harder because he's always ready and he's a gamer.”
Defensively, Sanoja is also making noise at third base. He entered Wednesday tied for second in the Majors with five outs above average at the hot corner, where he became the regular over the summer while Graham Pauley and Leo Jiménez saw occasional starts.
With Xavier Edwards sidelined, Sanoja has also bounced between second and third depending on the opposing pitcher’s handedness. Even so, he has moved around less than he did a year ago. His 2025 Gold Glove-winning season has included most of his work at third base (105 games), with additional time at second base (16), right field (14), left field (10), shortstop (10), pitcher (five) and center field (three).
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