Top of the Line-up: Maybin, CC and Ugh....Boner

[MiamiHomer]

Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest addressed the local media on Thursday, advancing the upcoming Winter Meetings in Indianapolis.

Among the highlights were:

* Expect Marlins to be active in Indy.

* Eight internal candidates for five rotation spots: Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Sean West, Chris Volstad, Anibal Sanchez, Andrew Miller, Rick VandenHurk, Hayden Penn.

* Leo Nunez is the frontrunner to be the closer. Matt Lindstrom would have to win spot back.

* Team is prepared to lead off Chris Coghlan once again in 2010, although his speed isn't prototypical for the position.

* Alfredo Amezaga remains slowed by his microfracture surgery to his left kneecap. The hope is Amezaga will be ready for Spring Training, but that is unclear right now.

* Cameron Maybin (shoulder), Cody Ross (wrist) and Jorge Cantu (ankle) are all progressing nicely from their end of season injuries.

* Without offering specifics, Beinfest didn't dismiss the prospect of still trying to work out a multiyear contract with Josh Johnson.

-- Joe Frisaro

Via Marlins facebook page.

[Party]

So he said nothing.

[Swifty]

I love that we still think speed is the key to the leadoff spot.

Then again, these guys are a bunch of geniuses so I should just fall in the sycophantic line.

[emkayseven]

BUT ITS NOT PROTOTYPICAL SWIFT

RICKEY HENDERSON USED TO STEAL 100 BASES

anyway he said a whole lot of nothing though i wish he hadn't said what he had said about leo nunez

[Metes]

I'd suspect he propped up Nunez as the closer to better position him in trade talks

[CrimsonCane]

Couldn't the speed assertion have been Frisaro's?

[Bobbob1313]

I love that we put a guy with a .390 OBP in the leadoff spot and then batted slow as dirt Nick Johnson 2nd after we acquired him and the FO still gets ripped.

I'm not saying we have the best FO in the world, but come on. You guys are ridiculous.

[Ramp]

They didn't get ripped for Coghlan-NJ 1-2

[Bobbob1313]

Beinfest just got ripped for Frisario's piece saying he would stay in the leadoff spot despite not having "prototypical" speed.

Beinfest isn't the only guy who thinks that speed is important at the top, by the way. Jacoby Ellsbury puts up pretty mediocre OBP's for a leadoff guy and he plays for Theo Epstein's team.

Speed shouldn't be all that you have in the leadoff spot (boner), but the prototypical leadoff man should have good on base skills and have good speed. The fact that they are sticking with Coghlan there says something.

[Ramp]

Beinfest just got ripped for Frisario's piece saying he would stay in the leadoff spot despite not having "prototypical" speed.

I think you don't quite understand what was going on there. Swift and Co like Coghlan in the 1 spot. They do not care that he does not have Juan Pierre-like speed.

[lou]

I think you guys missed something that's important.

"Amezaga is expected to be healthy by spring training."

1 - Where are we going to get $1.4 million to pay him?
2 - Why would we carry two on our bench? Unless one of them starts.... not going to say his name but you know who

Fuck. Don't do it Beinfest. I've been defending you hard against Swift, and he wins summary judgment style if you put him at 2B and keep Coghlan in LF.

Don't do it!

But I mean, you'll be brilliant if he goes Michael Bourn on us and turns into a plus defensive player and stops getting picked off. But I still find this doubtful.

[Bobbob1313]

I think you don't quite understand what was going on there. Swift and Co like Coghlan in the 1 spot. They do not care that he does not have Juan Pierre-like speed.

I love Coghlan in the leadoff spot, just like they do. I understand what they are saying.

My point was that despite that he did lead off, Swift and others still found a way to criticize Beinfest for it because he (or Frisario?) said he doesn't have prototypical speed.

Guess what, he doesn't have prototypical lead off hitter speed. If Rickey Henderson is your prototypical leadoff hitter, which I think he is. In a perfect world, I think Coghlan is your prototypical number 2 hitter, and Maybin is more of a prototypical lead off guy if he gets his OBP to .350. You're looking at maybe an extra out per season between Coghlan and Maybin (assuming Maybin gets to .350 or so), so that OBP isn't that big of a deal (working with the general notion that the leadoff guy gets about 18 more at bats than the 2nd guy.)

Most GMs in baseball think you should have speed at the lead off spot. It's just people looking for another reason to rip Beinfest.

But then again, Beinfest is the worst GM ever, so I should just fall in the hater line.

[Ramp]

I still don't think you get it. We all have no issue with Coghlan leading off.

And yea, just because 25 of 30 GMs believe you need a burner at the top doesn't make it right.

I see no reason why I am not allowed to be annoyed with the fact that if given the chance to put a speed guy up top, that Beinfest wouldn't blink an eye. He'd go back to that route.

But then again, Beinfest is the bst GM ever, so I should just fall in the blowjob line.

[Beef]

Bobhasawifebob isnt saying that Beinfest is being criticized for putting Coghlan in the leadoff spot, but that he is being criticized for feeling a need to still say that the leadoff spot tends to demand some sort of prototypical speed.

Also, the crappy writer's name is Frisaro

[Ramp]

And I think Beinfest should be criticized for that (as with all managers/front offices).