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MIAMI -- Today's rookies have the makings of being tomorrow's franchise players.
No strangers to developing talent from within, the Marlins have a long legacy of producing homegrown superstars. A couple of examples are Josh Beckett and Miguel Cabrera, two centerpieces on their 2003 World Series title team.
Currently, the club features three rookie position players who have the makings of being cornerstone performers for years to come. Mike Stanton, Logan Morrison and Gaby Sanchez are all seizing their opportunity and gaining valuable experience now, which should only make them even more impressive by the time the Marlins move into their new stadium in 2012.
Wes Helms, who came up in the Braves system, remembers the excitement in Atlanta when Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones were breaking into the big leagues.
"I love it. I love organizations that bring up those kinds of players," said Helms, a veteran on a youthful Florida squad. "Right now, I see that with this team. These are organizational guys, and they've proven to be good ballplayers. This is a situation where they can take off and be with the team for years to come.
"So when people think of the Marlins, they'll think of this core group, like they did with Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, when they were in Atlanta. When you think of the Marlins, you're going to think of this core of players."
Perhaps they aren't all household names just yet. But all three are showing they can have highly productive careers.
The player with the most upside is Stanton, a monstrous 20-year-old who is 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds.
A former football and basketball standout, Helms calls him "The Terminator." All business and full of focus, Stanton's pure presence on the field is eye-catching. During batting practice this past week in San Diego, he clanked a ball off the video scoreboard, beyond the second deck in left field.
Promoted from Double-A Jacksonville on June 8, Stanton already has nine homers and 30 RBIs in 45 big league games. He has been out of the Southern League for seven weeks, yet he still paces the league with 21 homers.
So combined in professional baseball this year, Stanton reached 30 homers before Aug. 1.
"You just keep on going. We've still got two more months," said Stanton, who may hit the baseball as hard already as anyone in the game. "That's all you can do. If you're going to sit on numbers, you're not going to move forward."
Compared to Hall of Famer Dave Winfield because of his size and the fact he played three sports, Stanton has as much raw talent as any prospect in the game.
Rarely has a Marlins player created so much awe as Stanton, who has 38 hits in the big leagues -- with 21 of them being for extra bases. He had a string of 10 consecutive extra-base hits snapped when he singled on Sunday at San Diego.
"Honestly, he's like something from a machine," Helms said. "Something that a computer created. It's really something you don't see every day. It's really a different animal. The only person I've seen hit the ball as hard as him on a line is Gary Sheffield, back in his prime."
An impressive athlete in his own right, Morrison is a 22-year-old who is 6-foot-3, 235 pounds. The left-handed-hitting left fielder was recently in the Futures Game during the All-Star break. He entered the season ranked 25th on MLB.com analyst Jonathan Mayo's Top 50 Prospects list. Stanton was third, behind Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg.
The prowess of Stanton, however, continues to amaze Morrison.
"It makes me wonder how I got so highly touted," said Morrison, who was promoted to the big leagues from Triple-A New Orleans on July 27. "This guy is unbelievable. He has the most raw power that I've ever seen. He has a great approach, being 20 years old.
"I've been told this. I haven't been able to do this yet. But when he learns how to hit home runs, it will be fun to watch. Because those balls he hit off the wall [in San Francisco last week] will go out."
At San Diego last Friday, Stanton blasted a ball off the second deck facing in center field.
"Unexplainable," said Dan Uggla, the Marlins all-time home run leader with 144. "I'm not going to even try to explain it any more. I'm just going to sit back and watch."
If their careers progress as they are now, Morrison projects to be in left field with Stanton in right field for the foreseeable future.
First base is being anchored by Sanchez, who is having a season worthy of NL Rookie of the Year consideration.
Carrying three rookie regulars may not be the conventional way to make a late-season playoff run, but the Marlins are giving their rookie trio time to develop as they maintain an outside shot at the postseason. Thus far, there haven't been many instances where their inexperience has proved costly.
"These players are here because they deserve to be here," manager Edwin Rodriguez said.
Sanchez has been a steady performer all season. The Miami native won the first-base job in Spring Training. Then, he was in competition with Morrison.
When the Marlins traded Jorge Cantu to Texas on July 29, they did so partly to create an opening for Morrison.
The plan was to ease Chris Coghlan -- last year's NL Rookie of the Year -- from left field to third base. That idea didn't come to fruition because Coghlan tore the meniscus in his left knee, and he is on the disabled list.
Morrison was actually brought up to fill in for Coghlan in left field, but now Helms has been handling the position.
"Ultimately, we wanted to move Chris to third and have LoMo [Morrison] in left," Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said. "Now, LoMo is in left and we're quite happy that he's here. You all got a taste of what type of player he is and what type of player he can be."
The additions of Morrison, Stanton and Sanchez to a team that is building around Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla has the Marlins optimistic of their chances to compete now and in the years to come.
"We have our eye on this season, and an eye on future seasons," Beinfest said. "I think you can see a lot of the parts that will be big parts of this ballclub into the future. Whatever we do has an eye towards the future, but by no means do we want to just shut down this season and move on."
No strangers to developing talent from within, the Marlins have a long legacy of producing homegrown superstars. A couple of examples are Josh Beckett and Miguel Cabrera, two centerpieces on their 2003 World Series title team.
Currently, the club features three rookie position players who have the makings of being cornerstone performers for years to come. Mike Stanton, Logan Morrison and Gaby Sanchez are all seizing their opportunity and gaining valuable experience now, which should only make them even more impressive by the time the Marlins move into their new stadium in 2012.
Wes Helms, who came up in the Braves system, remembers the excitement in Atlanta when Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones were breaking into the big leagues.
"I love it. I love organizations that bring up those kinds of players," said Helms, a veteran on a youthful Florida squad. "Right now, I see that with this team. These are organizational guys, and they've proven to be good ballplayers. This is a situation where they can take off and be with the team for years to come.
"So when people think of the Marlins, they'll think of this core group, like they did with Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, when they were in Atlanta. When you think of the Marlins, you're going to think of this core of players."
Perhaps they aren't all household names just yet. But all three are showing they can have highly productive careers.
The player with the most upside is Stanton, a monstrous 20-year-old who is 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds.
A former football and basketball standout, Helms calls him "The Terminator." All business and full of focus, Stanton's pure presence on the field is eye-catching. During batting practice this past week in San Diego, he clanked a ball off the video scoreboard, beyond the second deck in left field.
Promoted from Double-A Jacksonville on June 8, Stanton already has nine homers and 30 RBIs in 45 big league games. He has been out of the Southern League for seven weeks, yet he still paces the league with 21 homers.
So combined in professional baseball this year, Stanton reached 30 homers before Aug. 1.
"You just keep on going. We've still got two more months," said Stanton, who may hit the baseball as hard already as anyone in the game. "That's all you can do. If you're going to sit on numbers, you're not going to move forward."
Compared to Hall of Famer Dave Winfield because of his size and the fact he played three sports, Stanton has as much raw talent as any prospect in the game.
Rarely has a Marlins player created so much awe as Stanton, who has 38 hits in the big leagues -- with 21 of them being for extra bases. He had a string of 10 consecutive extra-base hits snapped when he singled on Sunday at San Diego.
"Honestly, he's like something from a machine," Helms said. "Something that a computer created. It's really something you don't see every day. It's really a different animal. The only person I've seen hit the ball as hard as him on a line is Gary Sheffield, back in his prime."
An impressive athlete in his own right, Morrison is a 22-year-old who is 6-foot-3, 235 pounds. The left-handed-hitting left fielder was recently in the Futures Game during the All-Star break. He entered the season ranked 25th on MLB.com analyst Jonathan Mayo's Top 50 Prospects list. Stanton was third, behind Jason Heyward and Stephen Strasburg.
The prowess of Stanton, however, continues to amaze Morrison.
"It makes me wonder how I got so highly touted," said Morrison, who was promoted to the big leagues from Triple-A New Orleans on July 27. "This guy is unbelievable. He has the most raw power that I've ever seen. He has a great approach, being 20 years old.
"I've been told this. I haven't been able to do this yet. But when he learns how to hit home runs, it will be fun to watch. Because those balls he hit off the wall [in San Francisco last week] will go out."
At San Diego last Friday, Stanton blasted a ball off the second deck facing in center field.
"Unexplainable," said Dan Uggla, the Marlins all-time home run leader with 144. "I'm not going to even try to explain it any more. I'm just going to sit back and watch."
If their careers progress as they are now, Morrison projects to be in left field with Stanton in right field for the foreseeable future.
First base is being anchored by Sanchez, who is having a season worthy of NL Rookie of the Year consideration.
Carrying three rookie regulars may not be the conventional way to make a late-season playoff run, but the Marlins are giving their rookie trio time to develop as they maintain an outside shot at the postseason. Thus far, there haven't been many instances where their inexperience has proved costly.
"These players are here because they deserve to be here," manager Edwin Rodriguez said.
Sanchez has been a steady performer all season. The Miami native won the first-base job in Spring Training. Then, he was in competition with Morrison.
When the Marlins traded Jorge Cantu to Texas on July 29, they did so partly to create an opening for Morrison.
The plan was to ease Chris Coghlan -- last year's NL Rookie of the Year -- from left field to third base. That idea didn't come to fruition because Coghlan tore the meniscus in his left knee, and he is on the disabled list.
Morrison was actually brought up to fill in for Coghlan in left field, but now Helms has been handling the position.
"Ultimately, we wanted to move Chris to third and have LoMo [Morrison] in left," Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said. "Now, LoMo is in left and we're quite happy that he's here. You all got a taste of what type of player he is and what type of player he can be."
The additions of Morrison, Stanton and Sanchez to a team that is building around Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla has the Marlins optimistic of their chances to compete now and in the years to come.
"We have our eye on this season, and an eye on future seasons," Beinfest said. "I think you can see a lot of the parts that will be big parts of this ballclub into the future. Whatever we do has an eye towards the future, but by no means do we want to just shut down this season and move on."
Marlins' rookie trio generating its own heat
Going to be a pleasure watching these guys grow.
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