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Marlins counting on Stanton’s strength in 2017
- Updated: December 14, 2016
MIAMI — There’s a big reason why the Marlins are in the market for pitchers, not hitters.
Foremost, the organization believes its position players are a strength. So rather than switch around pieces in the lineup, Miami is hopeful that its core player will bounce back in 2017.
Giancarlo Stanton remains the most significant player on the Marlins’ roster. He’s a three-time All-Star and he won the National League home run title in 2014, but he’s struggled to stay on the field, missing substantial time in ’16 after suffering a Grade 3 left groin strain in August.
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If the Marlins are to contend, they’ll be counting on Stanton as a mainstay in the lineup.
“With Big G, it’s a matter of a couple of things,” manager Don Mattingly said recently at the Winter Meetings. “Keeping him on the field. His durability. He’s had weird types of injuries.”
The groin strain happened in mid-August, and missing three weeks played a part in limiting Stanton to just 119 games. In 2015, he played in only 74 games, missing the entire second half due to a broken left hamate bone.
Stanton’s best season was 2014, when he paced the NL with 37 homers and drove in 105 runs. But on Sept. 11 of that year, he was struck in the face by a pitch at Milwaukee, and his season was over after 145 games.
Scoring runs was an issue for the Marlins in 2016. Despite being fourth in the Majors in team batting average …
