The hottest team in Major League Baseball right now is no other than the Miami Marlins. Miami comes into their home stand against two AL Central foes off of a 7 game winning streak, including six straight on the road.
Despite the hot streak, the Marlins still find themselves seven games under .500, and tied for 3rd in the NL East with the Atlanta Braves. Although the Marlins don't thrive off of the long ball, the offense has been clicking as of late for the Fish and propelling them to wins.
As a team, Miami currently ranks in the top 10 in average sitting around .254. Six of the seven teams ahead of them find themselves sitting comfortably in a playoff position. If it weren't for the rough start to the campaign, the Marlins might have also found themselves in a playoff position as well.
The most impressive thing about the Marlins hot stretch is who is getting it done at the right time. Looking up and down the Marlins roster, there aren't too many, if any, household names or top jersey sellers. In addition, Miami ranks dead last in team payroll with $67 million.
The team they are currently tied with in the NL East, the Atlanta Braves, has a payroll three times higher than this minuscule number in terms of overall payroll. Not only are the Marlins underpaid, but they are also very young.
Miami ranks as the youngest team in the MLB with currently just three players on the 40-man roster being 30 years old. In a sport that has often been advertised as pay to win, the Marlins are certainly defying this amidst their hot stretch as we enter the month of July.
