For the entirety of the Marlins' short franchise history, the Fish have offered fans feast or famine. In their first 11 seasons in MLB, they tallied nine losing seasons; in the two seasons with records above .500, they won the World Series. They've yet to win 90 games again.
The latest story of the franchise's starvation — with emphasis on star — came with the Saturday headlines: Giancarlo Stanton — he of the barrel chest, big contract and bigger bat — will miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured wrist that requires surgery.
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And with the power leaving Stanton's chiseled arms, so too does the power leave Miami's lineup. So, too, does any chance of reclaiming 2015 as a season worth celebrating. The Marlins sit at 30-45, fourth in the NL East, 11.5 games out of the first place contention that did not seem farfetched as recently as the offseason. And now, they lose Stanton, whose 3.8 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) led the team.
Stanton isn't the first loss of a lost season. The Marlins lost a litany of starting pitchers to start the season. They lost their manager. Hell, they might have lost their minds. But the reason Stanton's absense will hurt goes beyond wins and losses, which at this point had become a foregone conclusion in Miami.
As postseason contention inevitably waned, Stanton had a chance to offer something else to Miami: history.
Stanton hits the disabled list with 27 home runs and 67 RBIs. If he would have kept his pace — and with biceps and bat speed like that, who doubts him? — Stanton would have slugged 58 home runs and 144 RBIs, numbers that slaughter single-season records of the 22-year-old franchise (Gary Sheffield's 42 HRs, Preston Wilson's 121 RBIs). A home run total that would rank tied for 10th all-time on the single-season list. That would rank tied for fourth if you're one of those Steroid Era erasers that removes Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa from the record books.
The Marlins, who even in two World Series runs have rarely had starpower, could have used the stature Stanton seemed poise to earn this season. It's one thing to sign a $325 million contract that makes history. It's another thing to make history with your bat. And Stanton had a chance. The Marlins will never fill seats, but with Stanton, at least they had an every day, marquee attraction.
Even more disheartening for the Fish faithful: The team was mere days away from finally seeing a glimpse of the future. Pitching phenom Jose Fernandez looks to return on Thursday, hopefully returning to the form that made Miami believe that had two future faces of the franchise. But now, one of those faces will watch from the wrong side of the foul line. At best, Stanton returns in early August, having missed more than 20 games and hoping his swing regains its old strength. At worst, it takes him even more time to hit like the human Hulk that he is.
And once again, Marlins fans will be asked to wait before they witness what's next. In the meantime, they must watch what is, which is another Marlins team destined for an early October offseason and another dish of optimism served up to fans with a side of "Wait 'til next year!"
Hell, no wonder they're hungry.