The Florida Marlins are one of those teams that kind of flies under the radar a lot. That said, the Marlins have already won 2 World Series in their short existence and have a squad in 2011 that should be taken seriously. They have the premier shortstop in the majors in Hanley Ramirez, the 2010 NL league leader in ERA in Josh Johnson (2.30), and two quality young players in Gaby Sanchez and Mike Stanton. The question is, can the rest of the team keep up with the quality Florida core.
Projected Lineup:
- Omar Infante (2B)
- Chris Coghlan (CF)
- Hanley Ramirez (SS)
- Gaby Sanchez (1B)
- Mike Stanton (RF)
- Logan Morrison (LF)
- John Buck (C)
- Wes Helms (3B)
Projected Rotation:
- Josh Johnson
- Ricky Nolasco
- Javier Vazquez
- Anibal Sanchez
- Chris Volstad
Strengths:
Top of the Rotation: Josh Johnson was last year and is again a Cy Young candidate. He can hold his own with the heavy weights of the division like Roy Halladay and Tim Hudson. Javier Vazquez has struggled in the AL but proven himself in the NL East. In 2009 with the Braves he posted a 2.89 ERA and 238 Ks. Nolasco was a bit off last year but is a 200 K candidate this season.
Middle Infield: Hanley Ramirez is the best shortstop in the pros and far and away better than everyone else with the exception of Troy Tulowitzki. Last year Hanley hit .300 with 21 bombs after a monster 2009. Omar Infante was acquired from the Braves in the Dan Uggla trade and was a All-Star last year, hitting .321.
Weaknesses:
Bullpen: Mike Dunn is good but unproven. Randy Choate is average at best. Leo Nunez is the closer this year but certainly not one of the best in the business despite posting a 3.46 ERA and 30 saves in 38 chances. He is career 58 of 75 in save opportunities.
Third Base: In 127 games last year, 34 year old Wes Helms hit .220 with 4 HRs and 39 RBIs. He walked 26 times and struck out 76. Must I continue?
Storylines:
The second season of Sanchez: Gaby Sanchez was a stellar rookie in 2010, hitting .273 with 21 HRs and 89 RBI. Can he keep up the pace and be the run producer the Marlins need?
Johnson: Can Josh Johnson keep doing it by himself? Vazquez will help but Johnson can’t be the only reliable pitcher in the rotation, someone needs to step up.
Manager: Edwin Rodriguez is entering his first full season as a big league manager. I don’t know what to expect from him, does he even speak English?
Prediction:
84-78, 3rd Place, NL East. This team is good. In the NL West it may be able to contend for the wild card at least. In the NL East, however, the Phillies and Braves are simply too good and will beat up on the Marlins. Florida has also not really separated itself from the improved Washington Nationals. The young guys like Sanchez and Morrison need to prove that they are for real and a couple more pieces (pitchers) need to be in place before I believe in this team to contend.
Bold Prediction:
- From a reliable source not really in the know: Hanley Ramirez’s line for 2011: .310, 35 HR, 100 RBI, 20 Sb, 80 runs, MVP caliber year.
- Top 5 Cy Young finish for Josh Johnson
- 30 HRs for Gaby Sanchez
- .300 AVG for Chris Coghlan
- No more All-Star Games for Omar Infante
And Now Something Completely Different will be back tomorrow. Its late, tough. Go read about Japan.
-Max Frankel
