Heriberto

Hernández

Hernández drew a walk to start the fourth inning and swiped second base, but the Marlins couldn’t cash him in from there. He then provided an insurance run with his 356-foot (99.0 mph EV) solo shot off of Bryan Hudson in the sixth inning. The 26-year-old outfielder is having a strong spring so far, hitting .286/.375/.786 with a pair of homers, three RBI and three stolen bases.

The 26-year-old outfielder did his damage off of Riley Cornelio in the sixth inning, with his 389-foot (109.6 mph EV) solo shot extending the Marlins’ lead to 3-0. He’s off to a solid start in Grapefruit League action, hitting .250 (3-for-12) with two RBI, two stolen bases and a 3/1 K/BB ratio. He looks poised to secure a bench spot on the Marlins’ Opening Day roster.

The Marlins really tested J.T. Realmuto today and went 5-for-5 stealing bases against him, with Xavier Edwards also collecting two and Connor Norby getting one. Hernández totaled one steal in two attempts in 87 games for the Marlins last season, so don’t expect a lot of this from him. He hasn’t stolen more than seven bases in any season since his pro debut in 2018.

Marsee hasn’t generated a ton of fantasy hype this offseason despite hitting .292/.363/.478 with five homers and 14 steals in a 55-game big-league debut late last year. The 24-year-old speedster doesn’t strike out a ton and boasts the on-base ability required to occupy the leadoff spot long-term. He’s come off the board right around 150th overall in NFBC drafts since the start of February, which makes him a top-30 range fantasy outfielder with 15-homer, 30-steal upside. Here is the full lineup: Marsee (CF), Agustín Ramírez (C), Christopher Morel (1B), Griffin Conine (RF), Connor Norby (3B), Heriberto Hernández (LF), Javier Sanoja (2B), Maximo Acosta (SS) and Ryan Ignoffo (DH).

This would seem to be a bit short-sighted since Ramírez has a quality bat and was one of the worst defensive catchers in baseball during his rookie season. He posted a -12 Fielding Runs Value on Statcast and was 63rd out of 63 catchers in Statcast’s Caught Stealing Above Average after throwing out only eight of 76 possible baserunners. De Nicola reports that the Marlins are now considering Eric Wagaman, Heriberto Hernandez, or Connor Norby as internal options at first base.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine night off for the 25-year-old outfielder. Agustin Ramirez will function as the designated hitter for the Marlins on Thursday while Liam Hicks functions behind the plate, opening a spot in the lineup for Graham Pauley to draw a rare start at first base. He’ll bat ninth against Walker Buehler and the Phillies on Thursday.

Hernandez victimized Phillies’ closer Jhoan Duran for a one-out, game-tying, 380-foot solo shot in the ninth inning that made it a 3-3 ballgame. He also reached on an infield single to open the 11th inning, setting the stage for Xavier Edwards’ walk-off sacrifice fly. The 25-year-old outfielder has done a nice job in his limited action with the Marlins, slashing .269/.344/.441 with 10 homers, 43 RBI and one stolen base through his first 279 big league plate appearances.

The 25-year-old outfielder tagged Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal for a 354-foot (100.1 mph EV) solo shot in the second inning that increased the Marlins’ early lead to 2-0. He also singled in the fourth and scored on a two-run double by Javier Sanoja. Hernandez then led off the sixth inning with a walk and rode home on Joey Wiemer’s three-run blast. He’s now slashing .264/.332/.423 with eight homers and 37 RBI in 247 plate appearances with the Marlins on the year.

Ramirez has struggled as of late, and the Marlins will give the 24-year-old a break. Heriberto Hernandez is the designated hitter for Wednesday’s contest, and Liam Hicks will start behind the plate.

It’s a rare off day for Stowers against a right-handed starter — Brayan Bello in this instance — as he attempts to work through a frosty stretch at the dish since August 1 where he’s batted .228 (13-for-57) with two homers and 17 strikeouts over a 15-game span. It’ll be Heriberto Hernandez in left field with Derek Hill taking over in center field.