Miami Marlins Pitchers: 2015 Team Preview

Apr 29, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) throws against the Atlanta Braves during their game at Marlins Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

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It looks like the golden arm of the Miami Marlins will be on the shelf until June.  While we wait for Jose Fernandez to fully recover from Tommy John surgery, there are still a few other nice options out there for this up and coming ballclub.

Mat Latos is an established veteran even though he is only 27.  Latos should certainly benefit from his new surroundings, but many people are wary of his declining velocity and myriad of health issues in 2014.  I trust the talented righty to figure things out and take advantage of the pitcher-friendly ballpark in Miami, which is why I featured him in my 2015 Rebound Series.

Henderson Alvarez will do absolutely nothing for you in terms of strikeouts, but he should provide you with a very nice ERA and WHIP for a fantasy stream.  I really like Alvarez’s stuff, but he does not miss bats.  He pitches to contact, and he is pretty good at executing his game plan.  There is no doubt that Henderson Alvarez has more value on the mound than in your lineup, but he could give you quality innings in a pinch.

Your first thoughts on Steve Cishek might be that he is an average closer on an average team and had an ERA of 3.21 and WHIP of 1.21.  That is not ideal for your RP spot, but I believe that a top 10 season is on the way from Steve Cishek.  I think we see big improvement in those aforementioned ratio categories as Steve Cishek continues to develop as a closer.

His career-best 11.57 K/9 and 22.9% K-BB% indicate that Cishek knows how to make batters miss while controlling the game.  Additionally, his 2.17 FIP and 2.34 SIERA also mean that Cishek should improve in 2015.  He is the rare closer who will offer surefire saves and a relative value at a position that is often full of reaches, which is why I listed him as a value pick in this article.

Tanner Bell of Smart Fantasy Baseball has created all of the projections seen in this post.  You can read about how he develops his projections here.  His projections are invaluable to this site.  You can also visit his site at www.smartfantasybaseball.com.