This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
MIAMI — The messaging has been consistent since last December’s Winter Meetings: Run prevention is a cornerstone for the Marlins’ organization in order to have sustained success.
Since Miami expects to frequently play tight ballgames, everyone from president of baseball operations Peter Bendix to manager Clayton McCullough highly values things like baserunning and defense.
“It starts with the pitching, but the defense plays a big part in that,” McCullough said in early August. “And that is not only guys make the plays that you have the chance to, the positioning comes into it, not giving up extra bases. …
“It’s a combination of we have some skilled defenders as well that are prepared very well and appreciate and understand how important collecting outs is to winning Major League games.”
This marks the first time since 2017 (Dee Strange-Gordon, second base; Marcell Ozuna, left field; and Giancarlo Stanton, right field) that the Marlins have had as many as three Gold Glove finalists. From 2018-24, Miami had just two position players named finalists: Miguel Rojas (twice at shortstop) and Brian Anderson (third base).
Things began to turn this season on May 30, when McCullough announced that Miami would solidify its defense by having Edwards and Otto Lopez swap positions. Edwards, who began 2025 as the shortstop but graded out poorly, was rehabbing from a left mid back strain. In his absence, Lopez had undertaken shortstop duties.
McCullough didn’t foresee it taking long for Edwards to be reacclimated to the position he had predominately played since 2019 during his time in the Minors. He wasn’t wrong.
In 814 1/3 innings at second base, Edwards finished second (nine) behind the Cubs’ Nico Hoerner (14) in outs above average and defensive runs saved (12 to his 17) with 511 2/3 fewer frames. Lopez also thrived at short, recording four OAA and seven DRS.
“On the defensive side of things, he has seamlessly transitioned over to second base, been outstanding there, showed off his athleticism,” McCullough said of Edwards in early August. “Him and Otto have really played well off of each other. It’s nice to have two very athletic defenders in the middle of field that can make the rangy plays.”
Added infield coach Tyler Smarslok: “He’s always just looking to find outs in big spots that you can go get them. I think for him, it’s just been a repertoire for him over the course of his career. And we talk about high-IQ plays all the time, but I think it’s something that comes pretty natural for him.”
While Stowers split his time at all three outfield positions, he recorded two defensive runs saved (tied for fourth) and -1 outs above average (sixth) across 76 games (541 2/3 innings) in left. His defensive production stemmed in large part from his arm value (81st percentile, 2) and arm strength (88th percentile, 91 mph). Of Stowers’ six assists, five came from left field — tied for fourth most in the NL.
The 23-year-old Sanoja was one of 10 Major Leaguers to appear at seven positions during the 2025 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, and he did so as a rookie. It marked the fifth time in franchise history a Marlin played seven or more field positions in a season. The only spots he didn’t man were right field and catcher.
Here is a breakdown of Sanoja’s advanced metrics at each spot:
First base: 0 DRS (one inning)
Second base: 5 DRS, 1 OAA (208 2/3 innings)
Third base: 4 DRS, 1 OAA (255 2/3 innings)
Shortstop: 0 DRS, -2 OAA (75 innings)
Left field: 0 DRS, 0 OAA (156 1/3 innings)
Center field: -2 DRS, 0 OAA (79 innings)
“To see him at his young age, with his relative inexperience as a professional player, to be a jack of all trades, to fill in at every position, to play above-average defense at every position, that’s incredibly hard to do,” Bendix said following the season. “He’s not getting consistent reps, right? He’s not out there playing a certain position every single day. One day he’s at second base, one day he’s at third base, one day he’s in left field. And that he’s so good at each of those positions is a testament to him. That was really fun to see. And it really helps, essentially, our roster, because it allows him to fill in in a lot of different places.”
