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Miami Marlins
2011 Record: 72-90
Pythagorean Record: 72-90
Pending Free Agents: IF Greg Dobbs, IF Jose Lopez, SP Javier Vazquez
Prospects on the Verge: 3B Matt Dominguez
Building For: Their new stadium, so long in coming
Strengths: Power, youth, the new park
Biggest Holes: Centerfield, second base, ownership, health
Targets: SP C.J. Wilson, SP Hiroki Kuroda
The Plan: The Marlins' season was crushed by injuries, as their best players, starting pitcher Josh Johnson and shortstp[ Hanley Ramirez, combined to play less than a full season, and Ramirez was limited in the time that he did play. The hope is that both will return healthy and effective in '12, and combine with Mike Stanton, Anibal Sanchez and glove man Dominguez to form the core of a contender that will fill the new downtown ballpark. It's not a bad plan, but it is high risk -- Johnson has never been healthy for more than about 18 months at a clip, and Ramirez's left shoulder injury just adds to the questions about him. Did Ramirez peak at 25, or can new manager Ozzie Guillen get him back into the best-player-in-baseball conversation?
The team needs Ramirez, because without him, it's terrible up the middle. John Buck is a career backup stretched as a regular behind the plate; there is no second baseman or centerfielder at the moment, although Emilio Bonifacio will probably lay claim to one of the positions heading into next year.
Bonifacio's .360 OBP was a mix of BABIP fluke and improved walk rate, but I have a hard time seeing a player with a 23 percent strikeout rate and Bonifacio's lack of power sustaining the .296 BA that drove the OBP. He, like Buck, is a good bench player stretched in an everyday role.
The real issue is whether the Marlins will use the projected bump in revenues to add a free agent. Gaby Sanchez is an asset at first base, but signing Fielder or Pujols would free him up for trade bait to add a centerfielder. A starting pitcher such as Wilson is a nice fit, as Wilson is more a mid-rotation guy and would slide in behind Johnson on this team, and there's an argument that Wilson's stuff would be better suited to a bigger park in the NL than anywhere else. What the Marlins have to avoid is the big mistake; last year's deal of Maybin to San Diego for two middle relievers was a complete waste of a valuable asset. Do that again, and no amount of new venues will help them get back to contention.
2011 Record: 72-90
Pythagorean Record: 72-90
Pending Free Agents: IF Greg Dobbs, IF Jose Lopez, SP Javier Vazquez
Prospects on the Verge: 3B Matt Dominguez
Building For: Their new stadium, so long in coming
Strengths: Power, youth, the new park
Biggest Holes: Centerfield, second base, ownership, health
Targets: SP C.J. Wilson, SP Hiroki Kuroda
The Plan: The Marlins' season was crushed by injuries, as their best players, starting pitcher Josh Johnson and shortstp[ Hanley Ramirez, combined to play less than a full season, and Ramirez was limited in the time that he did play. The hope is that both will return healthy and effective in '12, and combine with Mike Stanton, Anibal Sanchez and glove man Dominguez to form the core of a contender that will fill the new downtown ballpark. It's not a bad plan, but it is high risk -- Johnson has never been healthy for more than about 18 months at a clip, and Ramirez's left shoulder injury just adds to the questions about him. Did Ramirez peak at 25, or can new manager Ozzie Guillen get him back into the best-player-in-baseball conversation?
The team needs Ramirez, because without him, it's terrible up the middle. John Buck is a career backup stretched as a regular behind the plate; there is no second baseman or centerfielder at the moment, although Emilio Bonifacio will probably lay claim to one of the positions heading into next year.
Bonifacio's .360 OBP was a mix of BABIP fluke and improved walk rate, but I have a hard time seeing a player with a 23 percent strikeout rate and Bonifacio's lack of power sustaining the .296 BA that drove the OBP. He, like Buck, is a good bench player stretched in an everyday role.
The real issue is whether the Marlins will use the projected bump in revenues to add a free agent. Gaby Sanchez is an asset at first base, but signing Fielder or Pujols would free him up for trade bait to add a centerfielder. A starting pitcher such as Wilson is a nice fit, as Wilson is more a mid-rotation guy and would slide in behind Johnson on this team, and there's an argument that Wilson's stuff would be better suited to a bigger park in the NL than anywhere else. What the Marlins have to avoid is the big mistake; last year's deal of Maybin to San Diego for two middle relievers was a complete waste of a valuable asset. Do that again, and no amount of new venues will help them get back to contention.
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