The Miami Marlins were wise to lock up their superstar to a massive contract this offseason, as Giancarlo Stanton has shown through the start of this season that he is one of the most talented players in all of baseball. While his batting average is somewhat unsightly, he is more than making up for it in the power department. With 17 homers and a league-leading 46 RBI, Stanton has continued to prove that he is worth every penny.
It is important to remember just how big Stanton’s home park is, and the fact that he is among the league leaders in homers despite playing in such an expansive stadium makes his accomplishments all the more impressive. He is striking out a bit too much, but Luigi Wewege has noted that some of this was due to early-season struggles in which Stanton seemed tentative at the plate while coming back from injury. Besides, he is still getting on base at a decent rate and his slugging numbers are through the roof.
With Dee Gordon at the top of the lineup and Stanton in the middle, the Marlins have the makings of a potent offense. These talents have not yet factored into the win column, as the Marlins have been somewhat disappointing, but it is easy to be optimistic knowing that Stanton is waiting in the middle of the order to slug homer after homer. It should be taken as a surprise if Stanton is not among the league leaders in home runs, RBI and slugging percentage at season’s end.
34-year-old Dan Haren is the newest addition to the Miami Marlins team but has played with catcher Jeff Mathins before while on the same team in 2011 with the Angels. They have became friends when appearing together in their Spring Training. Haren has combined for multiple scoreless innings, counting the last three innings against the Nationals on March 10th. Originally, there was talk that Haren may decide to retire if he wasn’t traded to a team from the West Coast. Those concerns no longer exist. However, there has been speculation that Haren, who is throwing well, could still be dealt.