Viewed from afar, the Miami Marlins’ series against the San Diego Padres this weekend will likely be viewed as a benchmark for a team that currently has the worst record in the National League. The Marlins lost their second straight series after dropping three of four games to the Cincinnati Reds earlier this week.
Of course, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker knows he’s paid to win baseball games, but the second-year captain said Saturday night that the results on the field couldn’t disappoint him.
“There’s no doubt they’re playing their best against one of the best teams in the National League,” Schumaker said Saturday. “I can’t really get upset about the fight. I know it’s a loss, I understand that. We’re paid to win games, so I completely understand that. But when you lose and the other team feels that on the other side, I think that’s a good thing.”
Despite losing the series, the Marlins were competitive all weekend. The first two games ended in extra-inning losses for Miami, and the third game came within inches of the tenth inning. But luckily for the team, Ha Seong Kim’s would-be home run was ruled a ground-rule double and George Soriano was able to strike out the last batter to secure a 7-6 victory.
For Miami, the improved performances of the starting lineup, highlighted by Edward Cabrera’s seven-inning shutout on Friday, certainly gave cause for optimism for the future. But it’s Jake Burger’s hitting power that is turning heads around the league.
The 6-2 hitter hit 7 of 12 home runs in this series, hitting a home run in each game. The former White Sox player has hit 12 home runs since the All-Star break, which is the most in MLB.
Burger may not be the hitter he was in the second half of the 2023 season, when he had a .303 batting average with nine home runs in 53 games. But according to Schumaker, there’s no reason Burger can’t be one of the best hitters in baseball.
“I think he’s hitting 30 to 40 home runs a year,” Schumaker said. “I think this is just the beginning of a really good career.”
The good news for Miami is that Burger is under the team’s control for three more years, meaning he won’t be a free agent until 2028. His slugging is especially valuable to the Marlins, who ranked 27th in MLB in total home runs before Sunday’s game.
Before the All-Star break, Burger struggled to replicate his success from the end of the 2023 season, as he finished .225/.265/.370. In previous weeks, however, he has attributed his recent power surge to a return to a looser and more athletic approach to boxing, rather than his previous mechanical approach.
“I always think back to that off day in Cincinnati, right before the All-Star break,” Burger said. “I saw a certain thing with my hands that made me realize what I needed to do. The next day in Cincinnati, I made four out of five shots. I kept that hand motion while also working with (John Mabry) on holding my butt and making sure I was in the right position.”
Schumaker has also put Burger in successful positions by making him the DH so he doesn’t have to move his feet as often.
“I like giving Burger days off,” Schumaker said Saturday. “If you look at the numbers after an off day or playing as a DH and then playing the next day, he’s pretty damn good.”
While Burger did his damage in the early innings, he also delivered for the Marlins in the most crucial moments. On Saturday, after the Marlins blew a 7-3 lead early in the eighth inning, it was Burger who tied the game 8-8 with a solo hit to right field. In Sunday’s game, Burger’s single in the seventh inning brought in another run, as Jesus Sanchez hit a home run in the next at-bat to extend the Marlins’ lead to 7-4.
“I think in those moments you have to slow down even more,” Burger said. “In those situations you feel the adrenaline, you feel the crowd. You almost have to be more bored than the pitcher, in the sense that you don’t try too hard and you relax and calm down.”
Burger’s hitting resurgence probably won’t last long. But if he can avoid extended dry spells like the one he experienced earlier this season, the former White Sox infielder could very well become a future All-Star for Miami and a building block for the Bendix era.
