Statistic shows how badly Marlins miss former Cy Young winner

Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara. Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Wild statistic shows how badly Marlins miss former NL Cy Young winner

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Aug 1, 2024 4:37 PM ET

The Miami Marlins rank last in MLB in quality starts (20) by a wide margin, trailing both the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics, who are tied for second from the bottom with 27.

The starting rotation was expected to regress in 2024 following last September's crushing injury news that former NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara would undergo Tommy John surgery and miss the entire year.

With former top-10 draft picks Max Meyer (2020, third overall) and Ryan Weathers (2018, seventh overall) joining 2021 All-Star Trevor Rogers in the group of arms though, few would've predicted just how badly things would go without Alcantara.

The Miami Marlins have 20 quality starts this year.
Sandy Alcántara had 23 in 2021 and 24 in 2022.
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) August 1, 2024

Weathers leads the Marlins with six quality starts but was placed on the injured list with a left index finger strain in early June and hasn't returned yet.

Jesus Luzardo is second on the squad with four quality starts but was also put on the IL in June, due to a lumbar stress reaction. He was moved to the 60-day IL on June 23.

Rogers (three quality starts) paces Miami in games started (21), innings pitched (105 1/3) and strikeouts (85) but was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline. Meyer has shown flashes of promise in 2024, but the organization has prioritized limiting the 25-year-old's workload and he's made only four MLB appearances this season, recording two quality starts.

The Marlins have missed Alcantara immensely in 2024 but should have him back and healthy for next spring.

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

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