Marlins star's family pays for his overconfidence

Arraez won the National League batting title this year for the Marlins, becoming the first player to do so in different leagues in consecutive years. He also helped lead the Marlins to their first playoff berth after a full season in twenty years. But Arraez got a little too confident when it came time to get his parents playoff tickets.

The batting champ told reporters that his parents weren't attending the Marlins' Wild Card Series games in Philadelphia, but they were planning to go to the Division Series games in Atlanta — after the Marlins beat the Phillies. That didn't happen.

Arraez went 1-for-8 as Miami fell in two games, losing 4-1 and 7-1 in Games 1 and 2, respectively. Not only did Miami fail to reach the next round, they couldn't force a Game 3 in Philadelphia.

The good news for Arraez's parents is that their son has made the playoffs in three of the first five years of his career. The Marlins have an excellent young pitching staff, including 2022 Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, so if Miami can improve the offense around Arraez, the foundation for multiple playoff appearances is there.

The bad news is that Miami is in a division with powerhouses like the Atlanta Braves, who finished the 2023 season with 104 wins, and the reigning National League champion Phillies. Those teams also have payrolls north of $200 million, which dwarfs the Marlins' $105 million payroll. That means the Marlins are swimming upstream in their efforts to win the NL East and get a bye to the Division Series.

So while Miami could certainly be back in the playoffs, odds are that it will be as a wild-card team. This means Arraez's parents should plan on showing up for the first round in future years. Just in case.