Florida Marlins Need to Improve to Compete

Yesterday was the start of the All-Star break, and that has given 30 teams a respite of what has been three grinding months of baseball. This gives time for everyone to evaluate where 30 teams stand.

The Marlins enter the All-Star break with a 46-44 record, and trailing the Phillies by four games in the NL East. Not much was expected out of the Marlins when the season started so everyone has to be satisfied with what the Marlins have done.

Talk about the impressive start by the Marlins, but they benefited from playing the Nationals to start the season, which inflated their record. To their credit, they did what they have to do which is beating an awful team and win all of their meetings so far, which is hard to do.

Eventually, the Marlins were going to be where they were projected to be when everything evened out, and this is where the Marlins are. It's hard to be disappointed with where the Marlins are, and it could be much worse right now.

For the Marlins to improve, there are many things that have to be answered.

The Marlins have many question marks in their starting rotation after Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco, and it's hard to figure out the team's offense and their bullpen at times.

The back end of the starting rotation has to get better if the Marlins have legitimate NL East aspirations. The Marlins can't be in a situation when it's Johnson and Nolasco and pray for rain.

A third and fourth starter need to emerge real soon. The hope is that Chris Volstad figures it out since he has the potential to be a reliable starter, but often times, he has been marred with control problems that brings inconsistency in his starts, which is the norm of a young starter.

Sean West has been sent to the minors after struggling in recent starts, and he has not been the same pitcher that he was when he was first called up. Who knows if he is ready to pitch in the majors?

Larry Beinfest is going to have to find a way to get a starter in the trade deadline, but do the Marlins have enough to satisfy other teams? It's a good bet Beinfest will try to create that magic, but there are many teams that are still contending as a result of parity in baseball so deals may be hard to make.

The Marlins have to hope the bullpen will be set for good with Kiko Calero and Leo Nunez coming back from injuries, and that Burke Badenhop, Brian Sanches, and Dan Meyer continue to keep up their good work in the last few weeks. An efficient bullpen makes a difference between a contender and a pretender.

The offense revolves around Hanley Ramirez, which he has to do everything for the Marlins to win. As great as Ramirez is, he can't do it alone.

Guys like Dan Uggla, Jeremy Hermida, and several others need to do better than they have shown so far this season. They need to be more consistent at hitting.

What the Marlins need to do is know how to execute with runners in scoring position and play better defense. Often times, they look like they don't have a clue in these types of situations, and that has to change.

Say this about the Marlins. They play hard, and they never quit, which is why they have many comeback victories this season.

There is room for improvement when looking at the young talent that this team has from hitters to pitchers. Can these guys improve in a hurry?

We'll find out the answer in the coming months ahead.

Right now, it's going to be tough for the Marlins to win the division with the Phillies hitting their stride, and like the Marlins, they can be even better.

Unless the Marlins figure it out fast, the Phillies could be running away in the division, and leaving the rest in a cloud of dust.