Christina De Nicola reports that Mike Morse should be returning to the Miami Marlins from the disabled list soon, and all indications point toward him resuming his role as Miami’s every day starter at first base. Supplanting the man who has occupied that spot in Morse’s absence is a move which is questionable at best, however. Justin Bour has demonstrated his supremacy over Morse during the stint.
The 27-year-old rookie has appeared in 45 games to this point in the season for the Marlins. In 32 of those contests he has occupied first base, starting there 28 times. Bour has also filled the designated hitter role for Miami three times this season.
In his 115 at-bats, Bour has collected 31 hits (four doubles and six home runs) for a .270 batting average. Bour has driven in 13 runs and earned 13 bases on balls. He has an on-base plus slugging percentage of .810. Through 254 innings of defensive work, Bour has committed only one error.
South Florida native Morse has rewarded the Marlins’ $16 million investment in him with less than impressive numbers. Through 128 ABs for Miami, Morse has a .211/.268/.289 slash line with 10 runs batted in. Morse has drawn a mere eight free passes compared to 39 strikeouts. Brought in as protection for Giancarlo Stanton in the clean-up spot, Morse’s two home runs do little to inspire the necessary respect. Deeper numbers reveal just how superior Bour is, however.
Fangraphs lists Bour with a .301 batting average on balls in play and Morse at just .287 for the same statistic, because Bour is making more solid contact. Bour’s weighted on-base average is over 100 points higher than Morse’s, meaning that Bour has been significantly better than Morse at finding a way to get on base when it has mattered most to this point in the season.
These two players have had nearly the same amount of time to prove themselves, and Bour has demonstrated his supremacy. Miami has much more invested in Morse, however, meaning that he will likely get the starts when he returns regardless.
While Bour sits on the bench and the Marlins continue to lose, partially due to Morse’s lack of production at the plate, it will become more obvious that Miami’s best option at first base right now is the Bour identity.
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