'It's no secret': Defensive improvement is a must for these 2 Marlins

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.

Run prevention.

It’s a phrase Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix used during the Winter Meetings to explain one way the club could win more games in 2024. It encompasses more than the pitching staff, which finished with the eighth-highest fWAR in the Majors; it includes those backing up the guys on the mound.

According to FanGraphs, the Marlins finished with the Majors’ second-worst defensive runs above average (Def), ahead of only the White Sox. The metric takes into account value relative to positional average (fielding runs) and positional value relative to other positions (positional adjustment). Despite that ranking, Miami made the postseason and was in the middle of the pack (tied for 16th) in runs allowed.

At last week’s media day, two players -- left fielder Bryan De La Cruz and third baseman Jake Burger -- brought up defense as their primary focus this offseason. While both were key contributors in the box in 2023, they struggled to make a positive impact out on the field.

De La Cruz, who finished second in homers (19) and first in RBIs (78) for the club, had -9 defensive runs saved and -8 outs above average in left field last season. His -10 fielding run value was second worst among left fielders with at least 1,000 innings, better than just Chicago’s Andrew Benintendi, per Baseball Savant.

The root of De La Cruz’s defensive issues is a combination of not getting good jumps (-0.5 feet vs. average) and lacking range. Of the four components that go into outfielder jump -- jump (-0.5), reaction (-0.1), burst (-0.5) and route (0.1) -- only his route figure fell into the Major League average range. On plays going to his left (toward the gap, where he'd have to cover the most ground), his -9 OAA was tied with Kiké Hernandez for the worst of any fielder.

“Honestly, I think the proof is out there,” De La Cruz said via interpreter Will Nadal. “It's no secret what I need to improve. It's something that I spoke to my agents as well. They helped me out, told me what I need to improve in order to become a better baseball player. It's something that's out there. It's no secret.”

So the 27-year-old De La Cruz trained in the Dominican Republic, sometimes alongside teammate Jesús Sánchez and White Sox outfielder Eloy Jiménez, hoping to improve everything from knowing where to go in his pre-pitch setup to reading the ball off the bat. He estimated spending 70-80 percent of the winter working on defense and baserunning.

“For me, both positions are pretty similar in that sense,” De La Cruz said of the corner-outfield spots. “I just think I didn't have enough game time previously in left field, and I think having that experience now is going to help me for the future.”

At the hot corner, Burger saw his defensive metrics worsen from the White Sox (-2 OAA in 163 opportunities) to the Marlins (-6 OAA in 182 chances) following the Trade Deadline move. He had trouble going to either side, with -3 OAA on plays to his right and -5 OAA on plays to his left.

“Just a lot of first-step stuff,” Burger said. “I always felt like my first step was a little late. So just kind of working on that, and making sure that I'm on time and not late getting to the ball. That's been the main focus.”

Since November, Burger has been taking ground balls on a daily basis in Nashville, Tenn., with Royals and A’s first basemen Vinnie Pasquantino and Ryan Noda, respectively, as well as Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe.

“We kind of look at each other as brothers,” Burger said. “We know how to push each other's buttons all the time, but [we] also know how to motivate each other and make sure we're all working hard and all going after that goal. You won't hear the end of it [if you boot a ball]. I actually started it, so I can't be too upset, but we blow like a really loud whistle and basically call a foul if you miss [the ground ball], and it's really embarrassing, so it's always good fun.”