MIAMI, FL—Infielder Graham Pauley was amongst the many bright spots for the Miami Marlins this season. Multiple injuries to Connor Norby forced the Marlins to rely on Pauley more than they expected, but he took advantage of the playing time and will be fighting for the starting third base job in 2026.
“I feel like it’s been a long season, but at the same time it’s been quick,” Pauley told Fish On First prior to Sunday’s game. “I’ve had ups and downs. Early in the year, I struggled. Went back to Jacksonville, started to find my stride, came back and felt like I was playing well, and then got hurt, was out and then just now coming back to finish the season. I think it’s just been ups and downs. Overall, I’m happy with how I overcame things and continue to progress throughout the year. I think I’ve made big strides this year, both like physically and mentally.”
Pauley looked like a longshot to make the Marlins Opening Day roster until the second-to-last spring training game when Norby suffered a left oblique strain, requiring a stint on the injured list. Instead of going down to Triple-A Jacksonville, Pauley began 2025 as the big league team’s third baseman, starting 14 of Miami’s first 17 games. When Norby returned in mid-April, Pauley switched to a bench role.
In his first 28 games, Pauley slashed .210/.261/.284/.545 with five RBI. The Marlins demoted him to Jacksonville on May 29. He turned things around almost immediately—his slash line in 34 games with the Jumbo Shrimp was .260/.340/.496/.836 with seven home runs and 18 RBI. The Marlins called him back up on July 13 when Norby hurt his left wrist.
“A lot of it was mental,” said Pauley. “I think getting that confidence back, understanding that it’s the same game when I come back up here and that I can perform at this level. Made some swing changes, continued to work on defense and going into next year, I just want to continue to progress and get better.”
Pauley’s problem at the plate early on was that he was “getting too long and trying to do too much. Was trying to generate power when I don’t really need to try. I’m powerful enough when I just keep my swing simple and short.”
He boosted his slugging percentage to .450 over his final 34 games despite slowing down his bat speed. His hard-hit rate dropped, but the quality of his at-bats improved overall.
In that second Marlins stint, Pauley’s defensive impact was more noticeable as well. He demonstrated the ability to get rid of the ball quickly and make accurate, off-balance throws. In his 52 games played at third base, he posted six outs above average—best by a Marlins third baseman over the last 10 seasons—and three defensive runs saved.
“Going into this year, if you had told me that, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Pauley. “I really didn’t ever see myself as an elite defender. The work that I put in dating back to last year, towards the end of the year coming over here, and then spring training going into the season, I put in a lot of work to try to get better over there. I think it showed throughout the year. Excited to keep working on that and continue to get better.”
Pauley plans to go back to go back home, take some time off and begin hitting again towards the end of October.