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Quick Stats
C - Kyle Skipworth - 77 AB, .234/.314/.468 (.781), 4 HR, 9/25 BB/K (Greensboro)
C - Brett Hayes - 46 AB, .239/.265/.370 (.635), 1 HR, 1/7 BB/K (New Orleans)
1B - Logan Morrison - 40 AB, .300/.383/.600 (.983), 2 HR, 6/6 BB/K (New Orleans) DL
2B/SS - Emilio Bonifacio - 55 AB, .273/.298/.382 (.680), 2/15 BB/K, 2/1 SB/CS (New Orleans)
3B - Matt Dominguez - 68 AB, .206/.325/.368 (.693), 1 HR, 12/17 BB/K (Jacksonville)
3B - Jake Smolinski - 80 AB, .225/.289/.350 (.639), 1 HR, 7/20 BB/K (Jupiter)
CF - Isaac Galloway - 61 AB, .213/.294/.295 (.589), 4/14 BB/K, 2/2 SB/CS (Jupiter)
CF - Scott Cousins - 62 AB, .210/.292/.290 (.582), 1 HR, 7/13 BB/K, 2/0 SB/CS (New Orleans)
OF - Mike Stanton - 77 AB, .338/.490/.805 (1.295), 10 HR, 22/22 BB/K (Jacksonville)
OF - Bryan Petersen - 79 AB, .304/.396/.380 (.775), 1 HR, 9/15 BB/K, 1/1 SB/CS (New Orleans)
Greensboro Grasshoppers (A Ball)
C - Kyle Skipworth (20 years old, 2008 first round pick)
2009 (A) - 264 AB, .208/.263/.348 (.612), 7 HR, 18/81 BB/K
April 2010 - 77 AB, .234/.314/.468 (.781), 4 HR, 9/25 BB/K
So, it goes without saying Skipworth has been a major disappointment since he was drafted. He has not hit, all defensive reports have been skeptical at best, and he’s been hurt. However, he is 20 years old, and he’s a catcher. The position that takes the longest to develop in the minors for an assortment of reasons, like having to work extra time with the pitchers, getting less game time experience because he has to rest more, etc. This was understandably going to be a slow process and going to take 5+ years.
This was hands down, the best month of Skip’s young career. Yes, he still batted .234 and yes, he stilled whiffed in 1/3rd his AB, but he also walked 9 times which was half his overall total from 2009 and his average did creep up incrementally. Also, the power has shown up. In addition to the 4 HR, he also hit 6 2B, where he hit a combined 15 2B/3B in 2008. Additionally, all of this damage has been done against right handers (.849 OPS/.586 vs LHP) which stays true to him being left handed.
It’s way to early to start thinking about long term projections because of his level and sample sizes, but this was an encouraging month. Hopefully, those numbers start to creep up in May and we start seeing why this guy was considered a top 15 overall prospect heading into the 2008 draft.
But as a sidenote, it’s important to know what a league average catcher is. Sorting 2009 catchers with 250+ PA, the # 17 catcher, Shoppach, hit .214/.335/.399 (.734). That’s a pretty “ugly” average starting line, and really shows you the lack of hitting talent at catcher these days. That kind of looks like Skip’s line right now does it? Maybe it stings not drafting a superstar with your first rounder, but if Skip can turn into a .250/.325/.425 player, that plays average defense (which he should, and defense will be reported as new scouting reports emerge this summer), and splits higher versus RHP, that ain’t so bad and is absolutely our longterm catcher.
We will see what happens, but I am cautiously optimistic. He is still really young and can spend all year in GBO, all next year in Jupiter, all the next year in Jacksonville, and still be 23 years old (Maybin’s current age) hitting the AAA/MLB level. Skip has plenty of time even if there are red flags.
Skip is pretty much the only sure fire hitting prospect in Greensboro, but there are two other guys that are interesting right now.
Jose Torres - 53 AB, .302/.406/.321 (.727), 8/9 BB/K - International signing SS. Is 20 years old, struggled mightily in Jamestown last year, but has the raw defensive/speed tools the scouts love. Will follow him, but he is a flyer as of right now. His ceiling is a slap hitting defensive SS.
Marcell Ozuna - 25 AB, .160/.222/.280 (.502), 2/10 BB/K - International signing OF, did well in the GCL last year (.863 OPS), but hasn’t played since April 13th. He could be in extended spring training, or hurt. Information is very tough at this level of competition and for prospect. But when he reemerges, he is another flyer to watch.
Jupiter Hammerhands (Advanced A+ Ball)
3B - Jake Smolinski (21 years old, 2007 Second Round Pick of Washington Nationals)
2009 (A) - 279 AB, .283/.379/.448 (.827), 7 HR, 38/45 BB/K
April 2010 - 80 AB, .225/.289/.350 (.639), 1 HR, 7/20 BB/K
Smolinski was acquired in the Willingham/Olsen deal. Originally a SS, he has been tried at 2B, 3B, and LF. It appears at this time, the Marlins are grooming him at 3B. Hopefully he can stay there and not have to move to the OF. Smolinski had an excellent 2009 coming off a wrist injury, and very easily compares to Coghlan. Solid average, strong BB/K, and solid line drive gap power. This April was disappointing, but we can chalk most this up to sample size issues. I’m not worried. Jupiter is a brutal hitter’s environment, but he is better than this and will get the average up soon. He is arguably one of our top 5 hitting prospects. Top 7 or 8 as the low.
CF - Isaac Galloway (21 years old, 2008 8th round pick)
2009 (A) - 340 AB, .268/.293/.382 (.676), 3 HR, 12/89 BB/K, 15/9 SB/CS
April 2010 - 61 AB, .213/.294/.295 (.589), 4/14 BB/K, 2/2 SB/CS
Considered a steal at the time due to signability concerns, Galloway possessed what many felt was late 1st/2nd round talent when the Marlins drafted him. He is the classic toolsy outfielder teams overdraft in hopes of one day the whole package coming together. His 2009 as you can see, was rather lame. He has no plate discipline with that BB/K and hit for no power. Still very young, and again April sample size, but he needs to start picking it up in the plate discipline department. He will continue to be mentioned in our top 10-15 hitting prospects for at least the next two seasons based on his tools, but he has not done anything professionally yet to warrant his prospect stature. Let’s hope some coach can tweak his swing and make him more patient.
Jacksonville Suns (AA Ball)
OF - Mike Stanton (20 years old, 2007 Second Round Pick)
2009 (AA) - 299 AB, .231/.311/.455 (.766), 16 HR, 31/99 BB/K
2009 (A+) - 180 AB, .294/.390/.578 (.968), 12 HR, 28/45 BB/K
April 2010 - 77 AB, .338/.490/.805 (1.295), 10 HR, 22/22 BB/K
Stanton is the best hitting prospect in the minor leagues. It is absurd what he is doing, and a promotion to NOLA is on the horizon. Look at the insane split from 2009 AA to 2010 AA. His average has gone up, his walk rate has gone up, and his K rate has gone down (which is still very high, but with everything else you live with it). One curious split though, is he is hitting .189/.318/.378 (.697) at the road, with all of his damage coming at Jax’s home part (1.825 OPS, batting a silly .475). I’m not reading into this to much as this seems rather flukey as Jacksonville is a neutral hitting/pitching environment, but that is pretty curious how he’s done nothing in the away games and is the best hitter of all time at home. He is destroying both LHP and RHP. Not worried, just kind of weird.
The question is, when do you bring him up? Developmentally, even though he is abusing AA, the smart thing to do is to keep him there another 100 PA (to get over 500 at the AA level), then promote him to AAA and let him get at least half a season (250ish PA) there for him to continue working on his contact rates. Despite all the power, the K’s are very high and he needs to continue to see better pitchers and better breaking stuff before being thrown into the fire in the bigs. It’ll only help him, and won’t hurt him. He is going to have to do a lot of on the job training, like Heyward currently is with the Braves, but the Marlins don’t necessarily need him at the MLB level yet with Maybin, Coghlan, Ross, Carroll, and potentially Petersen in front of him. They should let him abuse the minors for a few more months, then see how the contending looks in late July/August and see if he needs to come up or not. You only call him up to play everyday. You do not call him him and ‘Gaby Sanchez’ him on the bench like the Marlins did last year with him. Stanton is not making our breaking the 2010 season - that’s still up to the Starting Pitchers. That’s important to remember when thinking about a Stanton call up. He’s still 20, let him play everyday in the minors to work on the contact. Financially, it makes no sense to call him up before the middle of June for Super2/Arbitration purposes.
3B - Matt Dominguez (20 years old, 2007 First Round Pick)
2009 (AFL) - 48 AB, .188/.227/.396 (.623), 2 HR, 2/9 BB/K
2009 (AA) - 97 AB, .186/.292/.320 (.612), 2 HR, 14/24 BB/K
2009 (A+) - 381 AB, .262/.333/.420 (.753), 11 HR, 38/68 BB/K
April 2010 - 68 AB, .206/.325/.368 (.693), 1 HR, 12/17 BB/K
His 2009 in Jupiter is a little better than that stat line looks because his final two months he was absolutely blasting the league, and using park factors (because Jupiter is a terrible hitters environment) pumps his line to much more respectable totals. He should be in AA right now. The Marlins are being aggressive, but the promotion was warranted. The results have so far been disappointing, but he is very young and it’s reasonable for him to struggle. What I find encouraging is, even though he striking out a ton, he is walking at a good clip so he has some idea of what is going on at the plate. That average needs to massively climb and he needs to start hitting for power, but those should come with time. Dominguez is also rated as a well above average defensive 3B longterm, so even with less offensive production from him, he could still become an extremely valuable baseball player. He started very slow in 2009 also, so again, let’s see where the sample size lies at the end of next month before getting disappointed.
Brandon Tripp - 62 AB, .323/.408/.548 (.957), 2 HR, 7/15 BB/K. Tripp is getting old, 25, for AA so he really needs to keep this up. He played at Cal St. Fullerton, one of the top College Baseball programs, and was originally drafted by the Orioles in the 12th round in 2006. He has bumped around the minors for a few years, but he might be kind of cool if he keeps this up. He is a lefty, very toolsy, splits much higher versus RHP, and is relatively patient and will take a walk. His issue has always been contact. Very high K rates his entire career. If he can keep that down, he could start moving away from fringe MLB prospect, to a real one. Best case scenario is probably a platoon/bench outfielder taking care of right handers.
Osvaldo Martinez - 85 AB, .318/.408/.376 (.785), 12/14 BB/K. Is a SS, turns 22 in a few days and was an 11th round pick in 2006. Was not so great in Jupiter last year (.254/.323/.321), but he will take a few walks, steal a few bases, and could turn into a slap hitting bench middle infielder. Just a flyer prospect to watch but good start to the year.
New Orleans (AAA)
1B - Logan Morrison (22 years old, 2005 22nd Round Pick, Draft and Follow)
2009 (AA) - 278 AB, .277/.411/.442 (.854), 8 HR, 63/46 BB/K
April 2010 - 40 AB, .300/.383/.600 (.983), 2 HR, 6/6 BB/K
Morrison is currently injured due to a collision and has a bone bruise on his shoulder. No timetable for his return. His 2009 was coming off some sort of wrist/hand combo injury, and he performed well. His BB/K rate is amazing, and this should translate positively to the bigs. The only question is, is he going to develop more power as he fills out. Scouts think yes. It’ll be very interesting to see how the Marlins use Morrison and Gaby Sanchez in 2010 and 2011. In the short term, let’s hope Morrison is not severely injured and he comes back in the next few weeks and continues to pound AAA pitching.
OF - Bryan Petersen (24 years old, 2007 fourth round pick)
2009 (AA) - 431 AB, .297/.368/.413 (.781), 7 HR, 50/66 BB/K, 13/12 SB/CS
April 2010 - 79 AB, .304/.396/.380 (.775), 1 HR, 9/15 BB/K, 1/1 SB/CS
vs RHP - 41 AB, .366/.447/.463 (.910), 1 HR, 6/9 BB/K
Petersen is a lefty and he should be useful against right handers in the bigs. He probably does not have the power to become a starting OF, but he could be a real solid 4th outfielder with his plate discipline. He can also spot in CF, and is a positive speed wise despite his rather horrendous SB totals as of late. Currently not on the 40 man roster, but he may hit his way onto the team by 2011 if he can out hit Carroll. If not, expect Petersen in AAA for the next few seasons as the Marlins have his rights for awhile. The problem for BP is, Maybin and Stanton are nearly guaranteed starting spots on this team for years, so that leaves one spot open. Cody will eventually leave for financial/performance reasons, so that leaves the in house candidates for the other spot as BP, Carroll, and Cousins. I’m ignoring Coghlan for the moment as I feel he will get to 2B or 3B by 2011 with defections of Cantu and Uggla forthcoming. We’ll see how it goes, but it’s business as usual for BP. He has hit for the past few years at every level and there is no reason to think he won’t continue to. This is a real nice organizational player to have.
CF - Scott Cousins (25 years old, 2006 third round pick)
2009 (AA) - 482 AB, .263/.323/.448 (.771), 12 HR, 42/107 BB/K, 27/9 SB/CS
vs RHP - 365 AB, .279/.336/.460 (.796), 7 HR, 35/69 BB/K
April 2010 - 62 AB, .210/.292/.290 (.582), 1 HR, 7/13 BB/K, 2/0 SB/CS
Cousins is arguably the second best defensive outfielder the Marlins have (Brett Carroll), so projection wise, this is who the Marlins want flanking Maybin and Stanton longterm. Also cool, Cousins has the next best raw power of the group where in addition to those HR, hit 42 2B/3B in 2009. Additionally, you can see the speed/steals as well. His high is probably a left handed Eric Byrnes (.259/.320/.439), but coupled with the defense, speed, and hitting right handers harder than left handers, that’s a real good player.
The problem though is the plate discipline. He strikes out a lot and it hasn’t improved at any level in the minors. His BB rates are not as strong as other players. He has the most upside of any bat in the minors not named Stanton, Dominguez, or Morrison, but he is also the most volatile because he just may not hit at all in the big leagues with his K rates. April was not good, but it’s a new level so you get a sample size pass for the month. I am hopeful Cousins starts to hit more so we can start legitimately talking about him as a future piece to this team.
C - Brett Hayes (26 years old, 2005 second round).
2009 (AAA) - 321 AB, .240/.281/.324 (.605), 4 HR, 20/66 BB/K
April 2010 - 46 AB, .239/.265/.370 (.635), 1 HR, 1/7 BB/K
vs RHP - 30 AB, .300/.344/.467 (.810), 1 HR, 1/3 BB/K
Hayes is next on the catcher depth chart. It’s hard to make positive arguments with such a small sample size, but I hope the RHP splits continue relatively the same. Hayes is arguably the best defensive catcher the Marlins have, so if he can hit right handers even a little bit, he could start getting himself into the conversation as a quality backup, or even a platoon starter. Hell if Jeff Mathis can be a platoon starter on playoff teams, Hayes can probably do that.
Emilio Bonifacio - 55 AB, .273/.298/.382, 2/15 BB/K, 2/1 SB/CS. Not really hitting here either. He’s still probably an adequate 25th man, but I think it’s plainly obvious this is not the Marlins 2B of the future as Beinfest had shockingly hoped.
C - Kyle Skipworth - 77 AB, .234/.314/.468 (.781), 4 HR, 9/25 BB/K (Greensboro)
C - Brett Hayes - 46 AB, .239/.265/.370 (.635), 1 HR, 1/7 BB/K (New Orleans)
1B - Logan Morrison - 40 AB, .300/.383/.600 (.983), 2 HR, 6/6 BB/K (New Orleans) DL
2B/SS - Emilio Bonifacio - 55 AB, .273/.298/.382 (.680), 2/15 BB/K, 2/1 SB/CS (New Orleans)
3B - Matt Dominguez - 68 AB, .206/.325/.368 (.693), 1 HR, 12/17 BB/K (Jacksonville)
3B - Jake Smolinski - 80 AB, .225/.289/.350 (.639), 1 HR, 7/20 BB/K (Jupiter)
CF - Isaac Galloway - 61 AB, .213/.294/.295 (.589), 4/14 BB/K, 2/2 SB/CS (Jupiter)
CF - Scott Cousins - 62 AB, .210/.292/.290 (.582), 1 HR, 7/13 BB/K, 2/0 SB/CS (New Orleans)
OF - Mike Stanton - 77 AB, .338/.490/.805 (1.295), 10 HR, 22/22 BB/K (Jacksonville)
OF - Bryan Petersen - 79 AB, .304/.396/.380 (.775), 1 HR, 9/15 BB/K, 1/1 SB/CS (New Orleans)
Greensboro Grasshoppers (A Ball)
C - Kyle Skipworth (20 years old, 2008 first round pick)
2009 (A) - 264 AB, .208/.263/.348 (.612), 7 HR, 18/81 BB/K
April 2010 - 77 AB, .234/.314/.468 (.781), 4 HR, 9/25 BB/K
So, it goes without saying Skipworth has been a major disappointment since he was drafted. He has not hit, all defensive reports have been skeptical at best, and he’s been hurt. However, he is 20 years old, and he’s a catcher. The position that takes the longest to develop in the minors for an assortment of reasons, like having to work extra time with the pitchers, getting less game time experience because he has to rest more, etc. This was understandably going to be a slow process and going to take 5+ years.
This was hands down, the best month of Skip’s young career. Yes, he still batted .234 and yes, he stilled whiffed in 1/3rd his AB, but he also walked 9 times which was half his overall total from 2009 and his average did creep up incrementally. Also, the power has shown up. In addition to the 4 HR, he also hit 6 2B, where he hit a combined 15 2B/3B in 2008. Additionally, all of this damage has been done against right handers (.849 OPS/.586 vs LHP) which stays true to him being left handed.
It’s way to early to start thinking about long term projections because of his level and sample sizes, but this was an encouraging month. Hopefully, those numbers start to creep up in May and we start seeing why this guy was considered a top 15 overall prospect heading into the 2008 draft.
But as a sidenote, it’s important to know what a league average catcher is. Sorting 2009 catchers with 250+ PA, the # 17 catcher, Shoppach, hit .214/.335/.399 (.734). That’s a pretty “ugly” average starting line, and really shows you the lack of hitting talent at catcher these days. That kind of looks like Skip’s line right now does it? Maybe it stings not drafting a superstar with your first rounder, but if Skip can turn into a .250/.325/.425 player, that plays average defense (which he should, and defense will be reported as new scouting reports emerge this summer), and splits higher versus RHP, that ain’t so bad and is absolutely our longterm catcher.
We will see what happens, but I am cautiously optimistic. He is still really young and can spend all year in GBO, all next year in Jupiter, all the next year in Jacksonville, and still be 23 years old (Maybin’s current age) hitting the AAA/MLB level. Skip has plenty of time even if there are red flags.
Skip is pretty much the only sure fire hitting prospect in Greensboro, but there are two other guys that are interesting right now.
Jose Torres - 53 AB, .302/.406/.321 (.727), 8/9 BB/K - International signing SS. Is 20 years old, struggled mightily in Jamestown last year, but has the raw defensive/speed tools the scouts love. Will follow him, but he is a flyer as of right now. His ceiling is a slap hitting defensive SS.
Marcell Ozuna - 25 AB, .160/.222/.280 (.502), 2/10 BB/K - International signing OF, did well in the GCL last year (.863 OPS), but hasn’t played since April 13th. He could be in extended spring training, or hurt. Information is very tough at this level of competition and for prospect. But when he reemerges, he is another flyer to watch.
Jupiter Hammerhands (Advanced A+ Ball)
3B - Jake Smolinski (21 years old, 2007 Second Round Pick of Washington Nationals)
2009 (A) - 279 AB, .283/.379/.448 (.827), 7 HR, 38/45 BB/K
April 2010 - 80 AB, .225/.289/.350 (.639), 1 HR, 7/20 BB/K
Smolinski was acquired in the Willingham/Olsen deal. Originally a SS, he has been tried at 2B, 3B, and LF. It appears at this time, the Marlins are grooming him at 3B. Hopefully he can stay there and not have to move to the OF. Smolinski had an excellent 2009 coming off a wrist injury, and very easily compares to Coghlan. Solid average, strong BB/K, and solid line drive gap power. This April was disappointing, but we can chalk most this up to sample size issues. I’m not worried. Jupiter is a brutal hitter’s environment, but he is better than this and will get the average up soon. He is arguably one of our top 5 hitting prospects. Top 7 or 8 as the low.
CF - Isaac Galloway (21 years old, 2008 8th round pick)
2009 (A) - 340 AB, .268/.293/.382 (.676), 3 HR, 12/89 BB/K, 15/9 SB/CS
April 2010 - 61 AB, .213/.294/.295 (.589), 4/14 BB/K, 2/2 SB/CS
Considered a steal at the time due to signability concerns, Galloway possessed what many felt was late 1st/2nd round talent when the Marlins drafted him. He is the classic toolsy outfielder teams overdraft in hopes of one day the whole package coming together. His 2009 as you can see, was rather lame. He has no plate discipline with that BB/K and hit for no power. Still very young, and again April sample size, but he needs to start picking it up in the plate discipline department. He will continue to be mentioned in our top 10-15 hitting prospects for at least the next two seasons based on his tools, but he has not done anything professionally yet to warrant his prospect stature. Let’s hope some coach can tweak his swing and make him more patient.
Jacksonville Suns (AA Ball)
OF - Mike Stanton (20 years old, 2007 Second Round Pick)
2009 (AA) - 299 AB, .231/.311/.455 (.766), 16 HR, 31/99 BB/K
2009 (A+) - 180 AB, .294/.390/.578 (.968), 12 HR, 28/45 BB/K
April 2010 - 77 AB, .338/.490/.805 (1.295), 10 HR, 22/22 BB/K
Stanton is the best hitting prospect in the minor leagues. It is absurd what he is doing, and a promotion to NOLA is on the horizon. Look at the insane split from 2009 AA to 2010 AA. His average has gone up, his walk rate has gone up, and his K rate has gone down (which is still very high, but with everything else you live with it). One curious split though, is he is hitting .189/.318/.378 (.697) at the road, with all of his damage coming at Jax’s home part (1.825 OPS, batting a silly .475). I’m not reading into this to much as this seems rather flukey as Jacksonville is a neutral hitting/pitching environment, but that is pretty curious how he’s done nothing in the away games and is the best hitter of all time at home. He is destroying both LHP and RHP. Not worried, just kind of weird.
The question is, when do you bring him up? Developmentally, even though he is abusing AA, the smart thing to do is to keep him there another 100 PA (to get over 500 at the AA level), then promote him to AAA and let him get at least half a season (250ish PA) there for him to continue working on his contact rates. Despite all the power, the K’s are very high and he needs to continue to see better pitchers and better breaking stuff before being thrown into the fire in the bigs. It’ll only help him, and won’t hurt him. He is going to have to do a lot of on the job training, like Heyward currently is with the Braves, but the Marlins don’t necessarily need him at the MLB level yet with Maybin, Coghlan, Ross, Carroll, and potentially Petersen in front of him. They should let him abuse the minors for a few more months, then see how the contending looks in late July/August and see if he needs to come up or not. You only call him up to play everyday. You do not call him him and ‘Gaby Sanchez’ him on the bench like the Marlins did last year with him. Stanton is not making our breaking the 2010 season - that’s still up to the Starting Pitchers. That’s important to remember when thinking about a Stanton call up. He’s still 20, let him play everyday in the minors to work on the contact. Financially, it makes no sense to call him up before the middle of June for Super2/Arbitration purposes.
3B - Matt Dominguez (20 years old, 2007 First Round Pick)
2009 (AFL) - 48 AB, .188/.227/.396 (.623), 2 HR, 2/9 BB/K
2009 (AA) - 97 AB, .186/.292/.320 (.612), 2 HR, 14/24 BB/K
2009 (A+) - 381 AB, .262/.333/.420 (.753), 11 HR, 38/68 BB/K
April 2010 - 68 AB, .206/.325/.368 (.693), 1 HR, 12/17 BB/K
His 2009 in Jupiter is a little better than that stat line looks because his final two months he was absolutely blasting the league, and using park factors (because Jupiter is a terrible hitters environment) pumps his line to much more respectable totals. He should be in AA right now. The Marlins are being aggressive, but the promotion was warranted. The results have so far been disappointing, but he is very young and it’s reasonable for him to struggle. What I find encouraging is, even though he striking out a ton, he is walking at a good clip so he has some idea of what is going on at the plate. That average needs to massively climb and he needs to start hitting for power, but those should come with time. Dominguez is also rated as a well above average defensive 3B longterm, so even with less offensive production from him, he could still become an extremely valuable baseball player. He started very slow in 2009 also, so again, let’s see where the sample size lies at the end of next month before getting disappointed.
Brandon Tripp - 62 AB, .323/.408/.548 (.957), 2 HR, 7/15 BB/K. Tripp is getting old, 25, for AA so he really needs to keep this up. He played at Cal St. Fullerton, one of the top College Baseball programs, and was originally drafted by the Orioles in the 12th round in 2006. He has bumped around the minors for a few years, but he might be kind of cool if he keeps this up. He is a lefty, very toolsy, splits much higher versus RHP, and is relatively patient and will take a walk. His issue has always been contact. Very high K rates his entire career. If he can keep that down, he could start moving away from fringe MLB prospect, to a real one. Best case scenario is probably a platoon/bench outfielder taking care of right handers.
Osvaldo Martinez - 85 AB, .318/.408/.376 (.785), 12/14 BB/K. Is a SS, turns 22 in a few days and was an 11th round pick in 2006. Was not so great in Jupiter last year (.254/.323/.321), but he will take a few walks, steal a few bases, and could turn into a slap hitting bench middle infielder. Just a flyer prospect to watch but good start to the year.
New Orleans (AAA)
1B - Logan Morrison (22 years old, 2005 22nd Round Pick, Draft and Follow)
2009 (AA) - 278 AB, .277/.411/.442 (.854), 8 HR, 63/46 BB/K
April 2010 - 40 AB, .300/.383/.600 (.983), 2 HR, 6/6 BB/K
Morrison is currently injured due to a collision and has a bone bruise on his shoulder. No timetable for his return. His 2009 was coming off some sort of wrist/hand combo injury, and he performed well. His BB/K rate is amazing, and this should translate positively to the bigs. The only question is, is he going to develop more power as he fills out. Scouts think yes. It’ll be very interesting to see how the Marlins use Morrison and Gaby Sanchez in 2010 and 2011. In the short term, let’s hope Morrison is not severely injured and he comes back in the next few weeks and continues to pound AAA pitching.
OF - Bryan Petersen (24 years old, 2007 fourth round pick)
2009 (AA) - 431 AB, .297/.368/.413 (.781), 7 HR, 50/66 BB/K, 13/12 SB/CS
April 2010 - 79 AB, .304/.396/.380 (.775), 1 HR, 9/15 BB/K, 1/1 SB/CS
vs RHP - 41 AB, .366/.447/.463 (.910), 1 HR, 6/9 BB/K
Petersen is a lefty and he should be useful against right handers in the bigs. He probably does not have the power to become a starting OF, but he could be a real solid 4th outfielder with his plate discipline. He can also spot in CF, and is a positive speed wise despite his rather horrendous SB totals as of late. Currently not on the 40 man roster, but he may hit his way onto the team by 2011 if he can out hit Carroll. If not, expect Petersen in AAA for the next few seasons as the Marlins have his rights for awhile. The problem for BP is, Maybin and Stanton are nearly guaranteed starting spots on this team for years, so that leaves one spot open. Cody will eventually leave for financial/performance reasons, so that leaves the in house candidates for the other spot as BP, Carroll, and Cousins. I’m ignoring Coghlan for the moment as I feel he will get to 2B or 3B by 2011 with defections of Cantu and Uggla forthcoming. We’ll see how it goes, but it’s business as usual for BP. He has hit for the past few years at every level and there is no reason to think he won’t continue to. This is a real nice organizational player to have.
CF - Scott Cousins (25 years old, 2006 third round pick)
2009 (AA) - 482 AB, .263/.323/.448 (.771), 12 HR, 42/107 BB/K, 27/9 SB/CS
vs RHP - 365 AB, .279/.336/.460 (.796), 7 HR, 35/69 BB/K
April 2010 - 62 AB, .210/.292/.290 (.582), 1 HR, 7/13 BB/K, 2/0 SB/CS
Cousins is arguably the second best defensive outfielder the Marlins have (Brett Carroll), so projection wise, this is who the Marlins want flanking Maybin and Stanton longterm. Also cool, Cousins has the next best raw power of the group where in addition to those HR, hit 42 2B/3B in 2009. Additionally, you can see the speed/steals as well. His high is probably a left handed Eric Byrnes (.259/.320/.439), but coupled with the defense, speed, and hitting right handers harder than left handers, that’s a real good player.
The problem though is the plate discipline. He strikes out a lot and it hasn’t improved at any level in the minors. His BB rates are not as strong as other players. He has the most upside of any bat in the minors not named Stanton, Dominguez, or Morrison, but he is also the most volatile because he just may not hit at all in the big leagues with his K rates. April was not good, but it’s a new level so you get a sample size pass for the month. I am hopeful Cousins starts to hit more so we can start legitimately talking about him as a future piece to this team.
C - Brett Hayes (26 years old, 2005 second round).
2009 (AAA) - 321 AB, .240/.281/.324 (.605), 4 HR, 20/66 BB/K
April 2010 - 46 AB, .239/.265/.370 (.635), 1 HR, 1/7 BB/K
vs RHP - 30 AB, .300/.344/.467 (.810), 1 HR, 1/3 BB/K
Hayes is next on the catcher depth chart. It’s hard to make positive arguments with such a small sample size, but I hope the RHP splits continue relatively the same. Hayes is arguably the best defensive catcher the Marlins have, so if he can hit right handers even a little bit, he could start getting himself into the conversation as a quality backup, or even a platoon starter. Hell if Jeff Mathis can be a platoon starter on playoff teams, Hayes can probably do that.
Emilio Bonifacio - 55 AB, .273/.298/.382, 2/15 BB/K, 2/1 SB/CS. Not really hitting here either. He’s still probably an adequate 25th man, but I think it’s plainly obvious this is not the Marlins 2B of the future as Beinfest had shockingly hoped.
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