The Marlins are going to the well one more time in the regular-season finale, and it will be their 10th different leadoff hitter of the year.
With Xavier Edwards sidelined by injury, Jakob Marsee has taken over the No. 1 spot, according to tracking provided by Fish on First. Edwards has been the club’s primary table-setter, but Miami has had to keep adjusting at the top of the order.
That matters because the leadoff role is about more than just filling a lineup card. It’s the spark. When Edwards or Otto Lopez gets on first, the Marlins tend to look different offensively, and the lineup has been at its best when Edwards is the one setting the pace.
Marsee began to find his footing in the second half, but Edwards was the steadier force in April and May. Through the end of April, he was hitting .319 with 30 hits and 18 walks, giving Miami exactly the kind of start it wanted at the top.
A lineup that opens with Edwards, Lopez and Kyle Stowers puts real pressure on the opposing starter. That’s the kind of core Miami should be able to lean on well beyond this season, and the hope is that group stays intact into 2027.
There’s also a sense that manager Clayton McCullough is looking ahead. He’s entering his third season with the team, and the handling of the pitching staff is going to matter. The Marlins need sharper decisions on when to pull pitchers and when to let them work deeper into games.
The leadoff situation, though, feels like it should settle down. Constantly rotating hitters through the top spot is not a recipe for consistency, and injuries are really the only reason Miami has had to do it so often this year. If Edwards can stay healthy, the expectation is that he becomes that regular presence again.
And the bar for him is going to rise. The Marlins need more stolen bases and doubles from Edwards, and next season he’ll have to build on what he’s already shown. He stumbled over his last seven games, hitting .167 with eight strikeouts, which only sharpens the urgency for improvement.
Miami finished without a postseason berth, and the frustration is clear. The roster has enough talent that the club should be aiming much higher than where it ended up, with a win total above 85 the standard next season.
The ingredients are there: youth, a farm system, and a group of players who can run and hit. Now it has to turn into production. Edwards, Marsee and even Owen Caissie are the kinds of names the Marlins believe could grow into All-Star-level players next year.
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Marlins Suddenly Have A Center Field Concern They Cant Ignore
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The Marlins do have alternatives if the issue lingers, with Esteury Ruiz, Javier Sanoja and prospect Cam Cannarella all in the mix for playing time. But center field looked like one of the few spots Miami could begin to stabilize around Marsee, so any offseason concern there adds a little more uncertainty to a roster still trying to sort out its next step. [Read more 🡒]