Any good team has to be "strong up the middle." That might not be the best wa

y to describe last year’s 2B’s and SS’s Jonathan Villar Jersey , but it’s not out of the realm of possibility, either."WhiteFanposts Sections News & RumorsAnalysisPodcastsProspects & DraftGame CoverageFull ArchiveMasthead Social Marlins Players on TwitterFish Stripes on InstagramMarlins Media Members Fish Stripes Best of 2018 Marlins StoriesScheduleRosterStatsCommunity Guidelines StubHub 鉁昅iami Marlins Analysis2018 Season Review: Middle InfieldersNew,12commentsAny good team has to be “strong up the middle.” That might not be the best way to describe last year’s 2B’s and SS’s, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility, either.at 63% below average offensively. But it’s worth noting that the game total here is misleading; over those 111 games, Rivera accrued just 160 plate appearances, meaning that he was often used as just a pinch hitter. It’s so hard for players to produce without consistent playing time. Still, Rivera did come through with two walk-off hits for the Marlins this season. Your browser does not support HTML5 video.Looking ForwardBarring any injuries or trades, Marlins fans can count on seeing JT Riddle and Starlin Castro up the middle for the Fish again, with Miguel Rojas peppered around the diamond as needed. If he plays the whole year, 2019 will be JT Riddle’s last year of total team control; Spotrac and Baseball-Reference both have him qualifying for arbitration as a Super-Two in 2020. Given the injury trouble and the lack of offensive production, Riddle shouldn’t see a substantial raise over the league minimum in 2019. 2019 will also be Starlin Castro’s last guaranteed year on his seven-year contract. The Cubs built into that contract a club option for 2020 http://www.brewersfanproshop.com/authentic-orlando-arcia-jersey , but given that the Marlins will likely be calling up and acculturating their new wave of prospects then, it’s hard to say with confidence that the option will be picked up. Castro will have to prove his value in 2019 to earn the $16 million paycheck; otherwise, he’ll have to test the free agent market. Miguel Rojas will be an Arb-2 player in 2019. While he earned just over a milly last year, he should get a decent raise in 2019. Brock Holt, another super-utility, earned $2.25 million in his Arb-2 year in 2018. On the other hand, shortstops Jordy Mercer and Jose Iglesias had very comparable seasons to that of Rojas before earning Arb-2 salaries over $4 million in 2017. If Rojas’ agents can convince an arbiter that he is primarily a shortstop (which shouldn’t be hard to do, given his defensive prowess there), Rojas can find his way into a relatively substantial bonus for 2019. Miguel Rojas Arb-2 CompsPlayerPlatform YearPY GPY PAPY AVGPY OBPPY SLGPY wOBAPY 2BPY HRPY SBPY OFFPY DEFPY fWARArb-2 SalaryPlayerPlatform YearPY GPY PAPY AVGPY OBPPY SLGPY wOBAPY 2BPY HRPY SBPY OFFPY DEFPY fWARArb-2 SalaryPY=Platform YearThe fourth middle infielder position is very much in the air right now. Yadiel Rivera will have to show some pop in Spring Training if he wants to spend his nights on Miami Beach instead of Bourbon Street. Three names threaten his job security.Deven Marrero and Dixon Machado are two veteran utility-men who were extended minor league contracts with spring training invites. Both players accrued just under 0 fWAR in 2018 in a little under half a season’s worth of games. Machado has the slight advantage as far as most-recent performances go, but overall, there is nothing to get excited about here. Both of these players will need to catch a second wind if they want to occupy meaningful posts for the Fish.On the contrary, Isan Diaz is a name you should get excited about. The second biggest incoming name in the Christian Yelich trade Jhoulys Chacin Jersey , Diaz projects to take over at second base after Starlin Castro’s contract is up. Prospects Live compares Diaz to Marlins Legend Dan Uggla, predicting him to be a “three-true outcomes, bat-first keystone player” with a high floor and a ceiling as high as his K rate will allow it. Right now, Fangraphs places him as the best prospect in the system, while Prospects Live has him at third, Baseball Prospectus ranks him at fourth and Baseball America moves him down to eighth. After tearing up Double-A in 83 games with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Diaz didn’t exactly make the jump to Triple-A; as a Baby Cake, he posted an OBP/SLG/wOBA of .281/.358/.285. With that said, the 22 year-old has showed signs or promise in the Puerto Rican Winter League, where over 24 games, he has accrued a weighty AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS slash of .301/.362/.422/.783. Look for the Marlins to take their time with Diaz in Triple-A and let Rivera, Marrero Alex Wood Jersey , and Machado duke it out for the fourth spot, until Diaz becomes ready to learn the Jedi Way from Starlin Castro in The Bigs.There always seems to be room for improvement in the middle infield. Next season is no exception; everyone has something to prove. It’s not too late for Starlin Castro to step up as a leader on the field and in the dugout. It’s not too late for JT Riddle to live up to his prospect hype and become a solid, all-around shortstop. And it’s not too late for Miguel Rojas to prove his worth as a full-season, everyday position player a la Javy Baez. If these players want to be included in the future of this club, it starts next season. They will have to overcome the struggle of platooning and getting inconsistent at-bats to show that they are worthy of permanent roles with the Marlins.Statistics and information courtesy of Fangraphs.com, Baseball-Reference.com, Baseballprospectus.com, and Spotrac.com. Morning news and notes for Friday, November 9. 2018"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections NewsAnalysis & EditorialsCleveland Indians prospects & minor leaguesGame RecapsTransactionsMorning news and notesLindor and Ramirez win the Silver Slugger awards againNew,144commentsMorning news and notes for Friday, November 9. 2018ByTyler Griffith@tgriffith1992Nov9, 2018 Zack Cozart Jersey ,7:00am ESTShareTweetShareShareLindor and Ramirez win the Silver Slugger awards againKen Blaze-USA TODAY SportsHappy Friday, everyone!Tribe news6 NL first-timers among Silver Slugger honorees | MLBThe NL had some fresh faces take home the honors this year, but the dynamic duo of Lindor/Ramirez once again took home Silver Slugger awards for SS and 3B. This is the first time that a pair of Indians players have won the award in back-to-back seasons since Roberto Alomar and Manny Ramirez did it in 1999-2000.30 best power prospects -- 1 for each team | MLBYou want dingers? Look no further than Bobby Bradley, who has now hit at least 23 home runs in each of his first four professional seasons.Cleveland Indians RHP Dan Otero allows 3 runs as MLB All-Stars defeat Japanese team, 9-6 | Cleveland.comDeath, taxes, and a member of the Indians’ bullpen giving up multiple runs in an inning.Around the leagueMLB will be voting on a new term for Manfred. I have a few.MLB is also going to work on cracking down on technology-assisted, in-game sign stealing. You know, I know a team that you could start with.Mike Zunino is headed to Tampa Bay.I kind of wish that the Red Sox were this savage.Where will Manny Machado land?