In the past few years, when thinking of the Marlins, the first thing that comes to mind is often their talented rotation. But second baseman Luis Arraez and designated hitter Jorge Soler have slowly altered the narrative with All-Star-worthy first halves for one of baseball's most surprising teams.

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While first-time manager Skip Schumaker experimented with Arraez and Soler atop the order in four of the season's first six games, that duo didn't take hold until June 1 -- in large part because of Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s absence due to turf toe.

Entering the final series of the first half, the 1-2 punch of Arraez and Soler has been a steady presence in 28 of the Marlins’ past 33 games. In those five other instances, one of the two was out of the lineup. During those 28 games, the Marlins hold a 17-11 record and have averaged at least five runs a game.

"Arraez brings the energy every single day," Schumaker said. "Win or lose, you know what you're going to get the next day out of him. The leadership, the energy -- not only the offense, the defense has been excellent. The work ethic is second to none. 

“And then Soler, I didn't realize what kind of leader he [also was] in the clubhouse. To have a bounce-back year after what he went through last year, it's been nothing but positive for me. As a rookie manager, putting those two names at the top of the order is pretty easy to do, and it's been huge for our whole team."

It's no secret scoring runs proved to be a challenge for the 2022 Marlins, who finished with the third fewest in the Majors. Pair that with the ninth-most strikeouts, and that's not a winning combination.

So general manager Kim Ng and the front office continued their pursuit of hitters to bolster the offense and to complement the pitching staff. Sixteen days after signing free-agent infielder Jean Segura, Miami acquired Arraez in a trade with Minnesota for right-hander Pablo López and prospects Jose Salas and Byron Chourio. The 26-year-old Venezuelan ended up being just the catalyst Miami had been missing.

Not only has Arraez flirted with .400 all season, but he also recorded the first cycle in franchise history in just his 12th game in a Marlins uniform. Arraez's performance made him an easy selection for his second straight Midsummer Classic, and his first as the starting second baseman.

"When you have Tony Gwynn at the top of the lineup, it helps a lot," said Garrett Cooper, who was an All-Star in 2022. "When he's getting on base at a .470 clip or whatever it is, it's just crazy. You can't say enough good things about what he's done this year. He's exceeded I'm sure everyone's expectation in the first half, and you hope to see him eclipse that .400 average at the end of this year."

Then there's Soler, the 31-year-old slugger whom Miami signed to a free-agent contract in March 2022 after capturing World Series MVP honors with Atlanta. In '21, a 95-loss Marlins club finished with the third-fewest homers in MLB during an era of baseball in which the long ball usually leads to success. But back trouble limited Soler to 72 games and just 13 homers in '22, as an injury-riddled Miami ballclub went on to lose 93 games.

Through 85 games entering Friday, Soler has gone deep 22 times. His OPS+ (135) is his highest since '19 -- when he was the American League home run champion (48). And he has cut his strikeout rate from 29.4% to a career-low 22.4% to become a first-time All-Star.

"I think even better, really," Ng said. "I would say the Soler that we saw last year was probably the guy that we envisioned. He got hurt. The Soler that we've seen this year is definitely different, and a big tribute to the hitting staff. He's been tremendous."

The duo of Arraez and Soler gives the Marlins the luxury of a retro tablesetter and a modern-day slugger atop the lineup.

"I get on base a lot," Arraez said. "I need to get on base, and then if Soler hits a homer, we score two runs. Especially [facing] Soli, they need to pitch to me, because they don't want to face Soler. They prefer I get a hit -- and then Soler homers. I feel good with that."

"Everything is wonderful, and he's always on base," Soler said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. "You see it. He's always on first base, and then I get the opportunity to connect and bring him home, make it happen."