This season started with promise for the Miami Marlins a year after they improved by 15 games from 2013 to 2014. There was again hope for baseball in South Florida. Ace Jose Fernandez would eventually return from Tommy John surgery, and slugger Giancarlo Stanton was fully recovered from taking a fastball to the face near the end of last season.
Hope faded quickly, though. The Marlins were swept out of the gate by a downgraded Atlanta Braves team and eventually lost 11 of their first 14 games to fall eight games out of first place two weeks into the season.