Five Reasons You Need to See the Marlins This Summer

After a 10-31 start to the season, the Miami Marlins had themselves a nice little June — a 13-14 June, in fact. Nothing spectacular, and a June that by any other MLB team's standards — rebuilding or otherwise — wouldn't be all that newsworthy.

Except in the Marlins case, not being newsworthy is newsworthy in and of itself. So, congrats?

In other words, the Miami Marlins are actually watchable this year. Despite losing to the Nationals last night, they're not as bad as you and everyone else thought they would be. Oh, and they're sort of a lot of fun. There are many redeeming qualities on this Marlins squad. 

The 10-31 start had all the haters puffing out their chests and saying the Marlins would be historically stinky this season. Now that they're just normal-bad, it's crickets from the peanut gallery. We're normal-bad! Eat it, haters!

Miamians can prove this summer they've taken note of the Marlins' growth. Here are a few reasons you need to get your ass out to Marlins Park and see what they have to offer.

“Marlins games aren’t fun. No one goes to them”

Miami, you’re missing out. pic.twitter.com/uNsFP8uhY2

— Danny Martinez (@all_right_Miami) June 29, 2019

5. Don't believe the hype — there's a lot of fun to be had at Marlins Park. For some reason, lost in all the chaos surrounding the team, everyone seems to have forgotten this simple fact — Marlins Park is a great place to be. It's an amazing park with everything a baseball fan could want. It's freaking beautiful inside and out. You could do a lot worse on a Tuesday night. Netflix is not going anywhere, I promise. As long as you pay the bill, it'll be there when you get home.

When the Marlins contend for a championship, Marlins Park is going to be an event destination on a nightly basis. But in the meantime, there is still baseball going on there and enjoyment to be had. You just have to lighten up a little and let the past go.

We all paid billions for Marlins Park. It's literally right there. Go have fun in it.

All of your ballpark favorites at a new price!

Introducing the 3-o-5 Menu: https://t.co/tNT6FVGItq pic.twitter.com/FpG3g62iFE

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) December 17, 2018

4. Going to a Marlins game is one of the most affordable entertainment options in Miami. Maybe you haven't heard, but Miami is an expensive city. Marlins games, on the other hand, are quite affordable compared to other places you might take the entire family.

This summer, the Marlins are running a slew of deals, including specials where fans can attend a home game for as little as $10. The cover at a dive bar in Wynwood can be more than $10. This is a great deal to see a professional sports team play.

Per the Marlins, nearly half of all available seats cost less than $25 for single games, and more than a quarter of seats are $20 or less. With the ticket price reset and the addition of the "$3 o $5 Menu," a family of four can enjoy the Estrella Jalisco Party Pass, four hot dogs, four popcorns, and four sodas or waters for less than $20 per person.

Twenty bucks apiece doesn't even cut it at the movies anymore. You can't see the new Spiderman flick for that. You can see a Marlins game and eat dinner, though.

Marlins players Harold Ramirez and Jordon Yamamoto enjoyed a Zumba class with Seniors at Marlins Park today. Check out the moves by Ramirez... https://t.co/xtO4cU8zjF pic.twitter.com/2K7w2ZBeNZ

— WPLG Local 10 Sports (@Local10Sports) June 27, 2019

3. The Miami Marlins are full of guys who actually want to be here. For all the home runs and RBI recorded by recently traded players, wins were about as scarce as they are now. Stats only go so far when the games end in losses. What has far more staying power is a roster full of players who obviously want to be in Miami, are thankful for the opportunity to prove themselves on a big-league club, and, for the most part, are playing for their professional lives in front of fans every night.

The players who should warm fans' hearts are too many to list. Harold Ramirez — a guy who wasn't even in the majors to start the season but is now one of the best hitters in the game — is an excellent example. The Marlins have a group of characters who are fighting for you every game. They haven't been paid yet. They haven't been on a magazine cover. They're one bad year away from making less money than you do.

Stars are great. But when it's obvious they don't want to be with your team and the team is constantly losing, well, that's just no fun for anyone.

Yessir

8th in MLB in Starting ERA
9th in MLB in Starting FIP
10th in MLB in Innings Pitched

Average age changes with newer guys (Yamamoto and Gallen), but they’re ~24 Y/O average.

— Danny Martinez (@all_right_Miami) July 2, 2019

2. The Marlins already have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and more help is on the way. The Marlins have one of the best pitching staffs in Major League Baseball right now. Not next year or the year after — right now in Marlins Park. You need to see it to believe it. It happened so fast, and all the credit goes to Derek Jeter and the Marlins' new owners and scouts.

A lot of teams would die for the talent the Marlins have in the bigs right now, and it's only the tip of the iceberg. Sixto Sanchez, acquired in the J.T. Realmuto trade, is the franchise's No. 1 prospect and just absolutely lighting the minors on fire. He'll be up next year at some point. The Marlins have lights-out pitching throughout their system.

The only problem, eventually, will be deciding which five pitchers should be the Marlins' starters. Hop on the bus this summer and get an early look at some of the candidates. They're playing top-flight baseball.

pic.twitter.com/hGELxRA7vs

— Luis Davila???? (@luisrdavi) July 2, 2019

1. What you'll see at Marlins Park this summer is only the beginning. Bottom line: Everyone calls Miami fans bandwagon frontrunners. Are you going to prove them right again? This is the year to get out to a handful of Marlins games to show the rest of the nation you care about the name on the jersey and the team competition into the next decade-plus, not just about a couple of overpaid players who were looking for the first opportunity to get out of Miami when the going got tough.

Guys like Isan Diaz, Victor Victor Mesa, Lewis Brinson, J.J. Bleday, Sixto Sanchez, and a slew of other prospects are on their way. This summer is a good time to get out in front of them — again, for less than the price of a movie — and see what Marlins Park has to offer before, soon enough, everyone and their mother is trying to get in.