30plus

That probably means we're going to sign Joe Borchard and Todd Jones. For that big playoff push.

But guys, how come Hechavarria isn't mentioned in the same conversation as other Cuban stars like Yasiel Puig, Jose Fernandez, and Jose Dariel Abreu? I mean, I just don't get it. My pee-stained yellow, orange, blue, and black glasses just can't see how that's possible.

I love the part in the article where Jennings will take over if Beinfest is fired or resigns. Jennings was partly responsible for the Rays sucking soooo much for their first 10 years and he's been in charge of player development here for too many years. I seem to remember a scene from The Franchise where Jennings got super excited about the Cox/Mujica trade. Like it was an utter steal for the Marlins. That tells you a lot about him right there. But yeah, this organization is a joke.

Eovaldi got incredibly unlucky in that first inning. Missed strike three call, followed by an infield single and an error on a certain double play ball. Plus the Morrison error later in the game. He got hit pretty hard after that, but still. Seemed to snowball and shouldn't have been that bad.

In all seriousness, they should have traded him when they had the chance, when he was actually being productive. So ... last year? No...he had a 1.6 WAR on July 5th, despite missing out on some playing time.

My theory is that Ruggiano went into a depression because of how badly the Marlins handled him (starting Pierre over him and then unnecessarily rushing Marisnick). His 0-fer is a cry for help. In all seriousness, they should have traded him when they had the chance, when he was actually being productive. Considering the surplus of OFers, the fact that the team was going nowhere, and the choice to call up Marisnick/Yelich.

That is the worst thing I have ever seen. I will attempt to balance the scales with this: http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=29646667&sid=milb

Well anytime you can reach into your redundant bag of baseball cliches and convey them with the verbal finesse of a stammering crackhead I think it’s a good thing for the team guys. Also, in Coors Field, it’s important to have pitchers who don’t care about ERA and only care about their win-loss record.

Like a fat kid in home economics who eats the brownie before it's fully cooked, the Marlins are basing their decisions on immediate needs and urges, many of which are based not on long-term baseball planning but on marketing and public relations goals. If this doesn't sum up the Marlins, I don't know what does.

Preston Wilson needs to go away.

Why on earth would anybody want to watch Cuddyer over Stanton in a home run derby? Horrible.

Ruggiano gets no respect. Platoon player, 31, AAAA player, 4th OF (arbitrary designation), blah blah blah. He's putting up a .316 wOBA (league average) despite a .270 BABIP (which is quite low for him but has been trending upward along with his batting line) while playing very good defense. The power is almost certainly legit, as he's been keeping it up for a while now with good average distance on his flyballs. And he has plus speed. His fWAR is at 1.6. The fact that Pierre would ever start over him is an utter joke and probably has to do with sentimentality + a prehistoric attachment to a "true lead-off man", which has hopefully dissipated by now (but should never be forgotten).

I think you missed the point. Edit: In all honesty, he is such a forgettable pitcher to me, that I read your post as his actual name.

The fish handling of this Nolasco situation, is well, very fish like unfortunately It's also been pretty unprofessional and haphazard. They wanted to time it so they could slide Pedro Gomez into the rotation as soon as he was ready (as if there's anything exciting about that). And made it abundantly clear they were trying to deal him as fast as possible, without actually having a deal in place...and now having this thing drag out. In all likelihood, they are overvaluing him, partially on the belief that the he is worth the very mediocre contract they signed him to. And if you go by a very basic 1 WAR = ~5 million (roughly what he would be owed), then he could be worth the contract, and nothing more. The issue is the Marlins are asking for an asset on top of that, without wanting to cover any of the salary. So yes, very fish like.

Ruggiano and Lucas got on base four times today in front on Stanton from the 1-2 spots in the lineup. I look forward to offensive black holes and rightful incumbents Pierre and Polanco being reinstated there as fast as possible. But seriously, the decision to bat two of your worst hitters directly in front of Stanton, in addition to giving them the most PA, is quite the remarkable feat of stupidity.

And we got Bonifacio from that trade as well as ridding ourselves of Scott Olsen. You say that like it's a good thing. Bonifacio amassed a 3.5 WAR in his four seasons including one horrendous year in which he may have been the key reason the team fell short of the playoffs. He's also currently posting an OBP with Toronto that would make Jeff Mathis proud.

I will continue to think of him as the linch pin in one of the biggest trades in MLB in recent years. He is also the first player in MLB history to draft his own multi-year contract and force a GM to sign off on it. By cornering Anthopoulos in the hallway and shouting "Sign it there!". Such is the weight of his word. Shepard of pitchers and Gatekeeper of baseball.

2013 Jeff Mathis batting line watch: .098/.161/.196 (.152 wOBA) 0 HR -0.1 WAR 57 PA The legend grows. But then again Jeff Mathis provides invaluable services such as unnecessarily shouting "Get over there!" every time the pitcher has to cover first on a groundball (because otherwise they would run around in circles all confused). Thus, he is indispensable as a veteran leader, guide, mentor, guru, gatekeeper, and holy man of the Andes.

Polanco is actually worse than Pierre is, I think, if that's even possible. Remember when everyone was on Bonifacio's case in 2009 for his abhorrent offensive production? Well, he had a .611 OPS. Polanco is currently sitting at .542. And the Marlins are paying him $2.75 million to do that. All you can do is shake your head at the FO's idiocy. Pretty much. I think people don't grasp how troubling all these move are, even though they seem negligible in the long-term. I mean this is a team that failed as fantastically as you can fail last year, and they seem to have learned absolutely nothing from it. It didn't cause them to reevaluate their approach, or start looking into alternate sources of information, or anything. They've just recycled the same shitty backwards ideology, and it almost feels as though they've gotten even stupider, if that's possible. Where a front office really reveals the way they think, is in these day-to-day handlings, which aren't as subject to hindsight and unknown variables (like trades and signings are on occasion). And the Marlins think like retards. With no foreseeable change on the horizon. I'm known for my optimism.

Redmond seems like the type of guy who would continue to start Pierre just because he likes having speed at the top of the lineup. This is almost certainly the principal reasoning involved, whether or not the decision comes from Redmond or the front office. They probably continue to start Pierre because they don't have a "true lead-off man" to replace him with. It is quite the testament to the Marlins' stupidity.

His uncle was B.J. Surhoff, the first overall pick in 1985. I already love how he talks about his hitting approach. Is there a link to this, or did they air it at some point during the draft coverage?

Jeff Mathis batting line update: .071/.100/.179 0 HR 8 K 1 BB .118 wOBA Keep starting him.

Dobbs isn't a starter, he's a bench guy. Off the bench, much better-er. Career .694 OPS as a starter vs. .717 off the bench. He sucks. The only time it was remotely noticeable during his Marlins career was in 2011 (in a tiny 46 PA sample off the bench) and the perception has stuck. Thanks in part to continuously being harped on by Tommy and Rich. I could live with that off the bench with no defensive impact if he wasn't being overpaid and likely headed for decline. Which has likely started given how atrocious he has been this year. Waste of a roster spot.

THe Phillies announcers said Rugz had an issue with his hand and that is why he is sitting out I haven't heard anything like that. He's pinch hit twice in the last two games. Can anyone confirm?

Seriously though, I do not understand why Pierre, Polanco and Mathis are even in the big leagues at this point. You can throw "Dobber" into that category as well. Between the four of them, they are commanding 7.5 million in salary in return for their horrendous production. And for all the yapping about Dobbs and his professional ABs with RISP, he's hitting .216 with a .292 wOBA in those situations. Dumbass broadcasters.