When it comes to building around a player, the Miami Marlins have to think about who's the youngest player on the roster with the most potential.
A player who's showing promise for years to come. After his performance in the 2026 season, the Marlins should build around this player. He hasn't reached greatness yet. He's not in his prime, but he can turn into something magical in the next five years.
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Eury Perez celebrates with catcher Joe Mack Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The fact that Mack is already showing flashes of how great a defensive catcher he can be should be one of the motivating factors for the Marlins to bet on him. The contract extension should be placed sooner rather than later.
Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is facing an offseason with a lot of decisions to make. Mack, 23, is the right player to build around. Shortstop Otto Lopez was the team's best hitter, but he's 28 years old. The same goes for Kyle Stowers, who turns 29 in January.
Mack is the future leader of this roster after Sandy Alcantara. His resilience, attention to detail, and preparation have earned him the respect of the manager and his teammates. We see Mack becoming a top five player at his position. He brings so much positivity and confidence to the clubhouse.
Throughout this season, we haven't seen any chemistry issues between Mack and the starting rotation. It would be wise for the front office to bring in more good talent to the rotation and bullpen, especially in the bullpen. As time goes on, Mack will become more knowledgeable about controlling the game's moments. Communication and keeping the pitcher at ease is something he will get better at.
In terms of hitting, there's still more work to be done. The front office must provide a good hitting instructor, not just for Mack, but for the lineup in general. Sometimes we underestimate how important it is to have a good hitting coach on the team. The Marlins haven't had one that changed the hitters' mindset and approach since Barry Bonds was the team's hitting coach.
We need to get back into having hitters hit for average. Having a high batting average will do wonders for this team. It's not a great result to have 25-30 home runs and a .240 batting average. That's horrendous.
Mack finished the 2026 season batted .234 with a 685 OPS with 14 homers, 52 RBIs, 71 hits, 9 doubles in 105 games. With a full-length season, his numbers should go up, but the main concern is his batting average. Overall, the Marlins should build around him.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/marlins/onsi as The Marlins Player They Should Be Building Around in 2027 .
