RIP16

Orange Petri dishes in AP biology.

Sorry, don't mind me, I am just brainstorming.

Giancarlo is like a mini Mark Mcgwire. Or is it the other way around? Don't mind me, I'm just brainstorming.

HITTER. I didn't say weight lifter or homerun hitter or arm wrestler or football player. Prado is a better hitter than Stanton, 1/2 the Marlins are a better HITTER.

I miss Arnsberg. He was vastly underrated. He developed so many young pitchers for the Marlins (Beckett, Burnett, Penny, Willis, Pavano).

Say what you want but Cantu I would say is a better hitter than Stanton. Even if he is healthy his 162 game average is 102 rbi. He has only 1 100 rbi season. Jorge Cantu played 3 years with the Marlins (2 full years). 100 rbi and 95 rbi. Ok here is what I think could help Stanton. Instead of smashing 500 ft homers every swing, try to just make solid contact. He has so much natural power that he doesn't need to swing 100% to have a homerun. With him his focus should be on hitting the sweet spot and swinging say 90-95% instead. He will have much better bat control and make much more contact. I think his average would sky rocket along with his rbis and homeruns. But he won't get his 475 ft laser beams. He is so strong he doesn't need to swing so hard to hit it out. They all count the same as long as it goes over the fence.

Well, it's all relative. 20,000 people in any one place is generally a massive concentration of human life. But in a brand new baseball park when the average attendance league wide is say 35k is not very many people. Edit: Looked up average attendance. Marlins at 21k (27th/30) and league wide is 30k. So, 27/30 is relatively "empty".

TV ratings might go down slightly, but attendance won't change. South Florida is an ADD town, most people here would rather do something else (party, bowling, movies) than sit through a 3 hour baseball game. At home, the food is cheaper, the view is good, and it's free, so fans prefer to watch at home. The team used the excuse of the weather ruining attendance in the old stadium but that's bull. Heck, even with Lebron, Heat fans showed up late to games and left early when the "game is over". Even in the playoffs. The ADD atmosphere is also influenced by "place to be" vibes, and Marlins Park will never be the "place to be" except during a championship run deep into the playoffs. Being stuck in a baseball stadium for 3 hours feels more of a burden to baseball fans in South Florida, especially with so many other options including watching the game on TV.

You are ok too. I have been watching the Marlins since "in the win column" on WAMI when I was in elementary school and I do tend to judge and assess players on emotion (unfortunately). I guess watching UM losing to FSU is giving me a lot of frustration too. No need to apologize either on all sides, it's all cool... .... .... But Stanton does swing at a lot of pitches in the dirt still.

I wasn't ranting against Stanton. And I am not meaning to throw shade at Stanton. I love the guy as a player and personally. I did make it seem harsh, I apologize for using words like "poor" to describe his hitting. I was not meaning to criticize him. I meant to challenge that with the need for pitching, is it worth it with all the "negatives". I apologize for this word, I don't know other words to use besides something like "areas that cheaper players could fill better".

Thank you, I do remember him requiring this (for obvious Marlins history reasons). I think he would waive it if he can hand pick his destination. I don't imagine him not waiving it if he can go back to LA.

I am a huge Stanton fan, but I think one must seriously consider trading him now while his trade value is still very high. Is this compelling? Would you consider it? 1) Stanton is still paid very little (relative to his contract). His value from this perspective will not get any higher. 2) Stanton is 26 years old and constantly injured. Imagine when he hits 30, injuries will plague him more and more often and earlier and earlier in the seasons as time as goes by. Maybe we should be happy to see Stanton play 1/2 to 3/4 of a year every year. This might be his healthy years. 3) Stanton is a poor outfielder. Let's be honest. The announcers laud Stanton and his cornerback football speed, but he is slow and lumbering and clumsy in the outfield. The eye test rules like Charlie Francis said. He gives up several bases on defense for every time he throws a guy out or prevents a tag up with his rocket arm. He is best suited as a DH for defensive reasons but mostly due to injury prevention. 4) Stanton is a poor hitter. Of course he is an elite home run hitter. But as a situational hitter, he is in AA compared to the likes of Miguel Cabrera (who deserved the contract more than Stanton). He strikes out in key situations and is in general a poor eye at the plate. I cannot count on Stanton when it counts, I can count on Dietrich more (he is severely underrated in my eyes). This is not a rant against Stanton. Every year is similar (poor average, sloppy outfield, strikeouts, streaky, then injured). His value will not get higher in the future (unless he has a full monster year). There is no chance they keep him when his contract begins to skyrocket anyways. They need pitching desperately. Even with him in the lineup, the offense isn't scoring enough. Should the Marlins trade Big G now?

I am of the mind set on SP AND RP being the priority. Stanton and Ozuna I would trade for 2 or 3 #1 caliber pitchers and some RPs. Even with Stanton (you can't count on a full year nor consistency) and Ozuna (can't count on consistency), the Marlins will be below average (at best) in runs. We must rely on pitching. With Jose (RIP) being gone, I don't see how pitching can't be an absolute priority of this off-season.

He was probably just "holding him accountable". I mean Stanton was repeatedly swinging at shit in the dirt and taking pitches right over the middle. There is no denying that. Most people in the Marlins clubhouse were probably too scared to call him out on hit though.

Here is my vent for the year... How the fuck do you bench Dietrich the entire 2nd half when he was clearly a solid hitter. Better than Gordon in every way except stolen bases, but he makes up for it in doubles and on base %. How he doesn't play 1st base at least when Bour goes out is beyond me, if you can stick Dietrich in left, he can play 1st. Why the fuck is Ozuna a CFder? He cant catch a ball over his head. And when someone does its an automatic triple because Ozuna will flop around in the warning track when the ball bounces back off the wall. He is the worst CF in Marlins history. They finally got reasonable when they put Yelich (gold glove) in CF and put Ozuna in left. Stanton is not worth the money. He is an average RF. He makes a fantastic play but for everyone one he does he makes 2 or 3 boneheaded Ozuna like plays. He strikes out too much. He gets injured every year. Miguel Cabrera was worth this contract. Or Fernandez even (RIP). Stanton needs to be a DH so he can focus on his homeruns and not get injured running around especially in the outfield at least. It's just another chance to get injured. How long has Dunn stunk up the 7th or 8th inning? Since like 2010 it seems. The game is "Dunn" whenever they decide to bring him in, especially if they do with other pitchers' runners on base (who usually score 95% of time it seems). Rodney, please retire. Hech is a fantastic SS. But it is apparent he can't hit. It's that simple. Move on or get a coach who can teach him to bunt for base hits. Then the 3rd baseman will come in when he bats and he will get a lot more hits through the 3B and SS hole (in addition to bunt hits). This alone should bump his average 20-40 points. Good things: Prado is a fine 3B. Yelich is a fine CF. Realmuto is a fine C. Gordon is a fine 2B. Keep all of them as long as you can at all costs. I need another year to decide Bour, my patience is running thin on Ozuna and Hech. Change I would do (not saying it should be done, I take risks by nature): Trade Stanton. Yes I said it. For a top caliber proven pitcher to replace Jose (RIP). They are not going to keep him in the future anyways when his salary begins to skyrocket.

Several sources have brought it to light ONLY RECENTLY AFTER BEING DISMISSED including Yahoo. Here is one: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/barry-bonds-wrote-a-thank-you-note-to-the-marlins-162015488.html Ironically, throughout the year, it was publicized often especially during games on FS FLA that Stanton and Bonds got along fine and that all the players loved him. Weird though, now that he's gone all the negative stuff is published. Almost makes me think ownership is involved in the negative attention.

Awards are commonly given on "legacy" and/or popularity/"character", which are entirely subjective and based on "emotion". How Jose doesn't win it this year is beyond me, highest K/9 innings, solid record and great ERA. Not too mention the solid hitting too. If he played for the Yankees or Mets the voters would give him MVP and Cy Young this year.

RIP

I don't know how Bonds calling out Stanton was wrong. He was hitting like .150 and swinging at anything in the dirt and taking pitches right over the middle... Fans were asking for him to go to the minors.