mystikol87

McPherson and Andino are out of options, no? They are, basically, locks to make the team. Same goes for DeLaCruz. I would be least surprised to see them DFA Andino out of those 3. However, given our injuries to Lindstrom, Proctor, and Amezaga, as well as the fact that we don't need a 4th started for a couple of weeks, we have a lot of places to plug the out-of-options guys to start the year. And once the year has started, clearing waivers becomes a lot easier. Also, Kroenke played himself off the roster, and I can't imagine Tankersley starting the year in the bigs - Pinto and Meyer will be the lefties, IMO.

I think Gaby or whoever plays first will hit at or near Jacobs BA this year but will NOT produce as much HRs RBIs or HITs (But strikeouts too) Um, don't hits determine BA? If he hits at Jacobs BA, then how can he NOT produce as much.....HITs? [unless he walks more and has less PA, which makes him superior anyway (other things being equal); or, if he gets less PA, which isn't his fault.] Oh, and Gaby won't hit as many HR as Jacobs? Thanks a lot, captain ob[li]vious. Just stating my opinion and trying to back it up but i guess Im failing, but theres no reason for that dude. :thumbdown Whoa, don't misinterpret. If I really wanted to insult, I would either be much more subtle or much nastier. Just kidding around. Sorry if you got upset.

I think Gaby or whoever plays first will hit at or near Jacobs BA this year but will NOT produce as much HRs RBIs or HITs (But strikeouts too) Um, don't hits determine BA? If he hits at Jacobs BA, then how can he NOT produce as much.....HITs? [unless he walks more and has less PA, which makes him superior anyway (other things being equal); or, if he gets less PA, which isn't his fault.] Oh, and Gaby won't hit as many HR as Jacobs? Thanks a lot, captain ob[li]vious.

Which is the next game that will be televised? I tried finding the thread that said the two televised games but I couldn't find it. I'll be at this game live in Kissimmee. How is that a reply to his question? M.F.S. answers In that manner which suits him He does what he wants This may seem quite weird In the eyes of Rabb and me But I doubt he'll stop

All of the years I've been on these boards, I don't think I've anticipated two call-ups as much as I'm anticipating the arrivals of Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton. Miguel Cabrera. I'll never forget anticipating a June 20th, 2003 matchup against the Rays, when Miguel Cabrera made his major league debut. I'll never forget that scrawny version of Miguel Cabrera, with that odd wide open stance. I'll never forget that last at bat, with that swing that sent a ball over the dead-center field fence. Jeremy Hermida. For this occasion, I do not remember the date, because I anticipated this call-up ALMOST as much as that of Miguel Cabrera. I will never forget watching this game against the Cardinals, a rare national ESPN appearance for Florida. I'll never forget Hermida stepping in that batters box, and delivering what looked like a swing as sweet as his future in teal. I'll never forget that swing may have been the most flawless and beautiful I'd ever seen. I'll never forget that pinch-hit grand slam into the right-field stands. I anticipate watching Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton take their first major league hacks as much as, or more than, I anticipated these two. Morrison being touted the same way Hermida was, a complete hitter with incredible natural talent from the left side. Stanton being touted the same way Cabrera was, the next All-Star. The next MVP. The next Hall of Famer. These are the things that keep me as big a Marlin fan as anyone. Payroll can't buy you moments like these. Beautiful. I can't wait either.

97 wins is homerish and 92 wins is slightly optimistic. If the starting rotation stays healthy throughout the year I think we can get to about 88-90 wins. If we pull off a nice trade and add a bat and a little pitching, 92 is doable. As of now, I think this is an 85-87 win team. The thing about that is.... if you think about it, it really isn't ridiculous to win 92 as-is. We won 84 without having our pitchers for a good part of the year. Do you really think 8 wins is that far fetched with them actually on the field? And the bullpen won't be as tired as a result... and so on. Basically I could reiterate all of Nny's points here... but the biggest one is going to be having the pitching *knock on wood* for a whole season. Agreed, but the thing is one or more pitchers could regress this year. That's really the major question. Will our top pitchers continue to perform at the same level this year? I think Volstad is a candidate to come back down to earth. Hitters will make adjustments. I think Ricky and JJ will do well - I think they've pitched enough in the league that I think they'll probably be relatively consistent. But what happens if Volstad and Sanchez struggle? Then all of a sudden we're an 80-82 win team. I didn't say that 92 wins is ridiculous - it's just optimistic. Healthy reotation and relief pitching and we can be at around 90-93/94 wins if our starters perform like they did last year. The point is, here are seemingly reasonable projections for the stats of our entire roster, and they equate to 92 wins (given Nny's assumptions and likely outcomes). You say that you think this is an 85-87 win team, and that's fine. But how did you arrive at that number? Just a guess? Here's a mathematical demonstration, and I think if you are to say that we're an 85-87 win team (or any other guess, for that matter), I'd be curious where you would alter Nny's numbers? To me, the ERA projections are reasonable. Volstad in the low 4s is something I think is quite possible. Anibal makes me a bit nervous if he really struggles throughout stretches, but it's tough for me to find fault with the other numbers, at least at first glance. Unless we win a bunch of 10-2 games and lose a bunch of 4-3 games, then I find 92 wins believable, if for no other reason then the mathematical reasoning is right here.

The Marlins will shut Matt Lindstrom down for 7-10 days because of what they're calling a strained rotator cuff. That makes him very questionable for Opening Day. Leo Nunez is the obvious choice to close if Lindstrom can't, but it could be that the Marlins would go to a committee, with Logan Kensing and Renyel Pinto also in the mix.Source: Palm Beach Post

dude, Miller is damaged goods. The Tigers rushed him, Miller is suffering the consequences from that. its miller's own damn fault for getting rushed. having said that I'm not worried about Volstad. He knows he is in the rotation so he can do other stuff in the spring. Look for his last 2 or maybe 3 starts to be dress rehearsals for the real deal. I think the Dutchman's start tonight is going to be very important for his season with the Marlins as well. He shuts down the USA and that will bode very well for him. I don't understand......how is this? He just pitched where they told him to, but he certainly seems, in retrospect, like he was not ready for the ML. It was in his contract. Oh, so he signed an ML contract or something (I'm not exactly sure how it works)? Wow, dumb. My bad.

dude, Miller is damaged goods. The Tigers rushed him, Miller is suffering the consequences from that. its miller's own damn fault for getting rushed. having said that I'm not worried about Volstad. He knows he is in the rotation so he can do other stuff in the spring. Look for his last 2 or maybe 3 starts to be dress rehearsals for the real deal. I think the Dutchman's start tonight is going to be very important for his season with the Marlins as well. He shuts down the USA and that will bode very well for him. I don't understand......how is this? He just pitched where they told him to, but he certainly seems, in retrospect, like he was not ready for the ML.

whatever, he was horrible anyway. now the FO has to realize kensing sucks too so they can DFA his butt as well A guy that averages a K per inning has potential, and considering the Marlins don't have the greatest of proven options in the bullpen...they'd be foolish to just DFA Kensing. i might have exaggerated but he just pissed me off during some games. i would rather have lindstrom, nunez, pinto, RVH, DLC, proctor, tucker, and tankersley in the pen over kensing. if we carry 7 guys in the pen that means 2 of these guys won't make it. RVH might be in the minors so who would you take out to keep kensing in the bullpen - RVH, Tucker and Tank + Meyer and Kensing RHP - Lindstrom, Proctor, Nunez, DLC, Kensing LHP - Pinto, Meyer Tucker, Ceda, RVH, Badenhop, etc. waiting Not a bad pen. Oh, and Badenhop may have played himself into strong consideration. The problem is if you keep 2 lefties, there are only 5 spots for righties. Lindstrom, Proctor and Nunez are locks. And I believe DLC and Kensing are out of options, so they have advantages for making the team out of the gate. So it'll probably be those 5 unless they all of a sudden are really down on either DLC or Kensing (which would be quite surprising).

Yea, but the problem is I'm right and we're really going to feel not having bench power this year. Hermida is going to be fine defensively, and the Marlins are probably going to need his bat in the lineup regardless. :lol I LOL'ed. That said, I agree with you. We needed a power hitter. I don't like the Helms signing, but he at least can be useful as a corner IF platooner with solid defense and a bit of pop. The big problem, to me, seems like the FO's inability/unwillingness/whatever to go out and get a 4th OF with some pop.

It needed to happen, but this is such a stupid deal. This is typical pork barrel spending. In order to get the votes of certain politicians they want to know "what is in it for me"? This is the unfortunate but real side of politics. You have to accomadate their constituents to get their votes. As I have said before these are the kinds of things the Marlins have to do to get the deal done. This is the bottom of the 9th with a tie score. This equates to bunting the man over to second base with one out. We won't know until next weel if we can score the go ahead run. This is the time to make extra concessions ( and bribe whoever you need to bribe ), Not quite. The money is already coming from the district of these politicians. Pork-barrel spending is when you are trying to get money which you (and your constituents) aren't paying for at all, or at least not too much. This is Miami-Dade money. If anything, it's probably closer to earmarking exactly where the allocated funds will go (I know they haven't officially agreed to spend the money, but yeah). That said, our politicians absolutely MUST ask "What's in it for me?" That's their job - to do the best they can for their constituents. You're exactly right, but that's not necessarily the unfortunate side of politics. The representative aspects, to me, show a healthier democracy. Of course the politician may be driven to please his constituents for other reasons than pure altruism, obviously, but my point remains. I like the analogy. The stats guys might pick on you because a bunt is considered a poor offensive move, but I think it's a smart one in the bottom of the 9th with a tied. (Have there been studies done to hone in on a bunt's viability in that situation?) I agree with you guys. The politics involved is getting retarded. When you're asking for this sum of public money for a private business, there's going to be politics - we just gotta deal with it.

I would just rather they keep only one utility infielder and have the fourth outfielder be a real outfielder with at least some potential to hit the ball. With Amezaga out of the equation for now, either keep Andino and send down Bonifacio or keep Bonifacio and get rid of Andino who's out of options. I like Morrison but he's no outfielder yet. Keep Carrol, De Aza or Raynor. I'd be happy with any of those. This a good assessment. I'm not sure I'd agree with the last sentence though. Carroll still figures to struggle at the plate (I like him so I hope I'm wrong); De Aza is severly lacking in power; Raynor's strikeouts......he needs a bit more time in the minors, IMO (at least he brings decent power). Man, I wish we had a more reliable guy with some pop, but I guess that's not to be.

Barry Jackson : FOX give the Marlins no respect So let's get this straight. The Marlins finished 84-77 last season and received not one appearance on Fox's 2009 Saturday baseball schedule, which includes three regional games each week. The Braves (72-90) were given eight games. Heck, even Oakland (75-86) and Seattle (61-101) got one apiece. How can this be?The Marlins' low payroll and lack of a national following are among the reasons why they are the only U.S.-based team with a winning 2008 record that did not get a 2009 game on Fox. Toronto (86-76) also got left off. And the Marlins were omitted from ESPN's first-half Sunday night schedule, too. ''That's disappointing,'' said P.J. Loyello, the Marlins' senior vice president/broadcasting. ``We have a lot of good players that deserve showcasing. We have household names. We have the most prolific double-play tandem in baseball. I expected to have at least one appearance. But it has been like this for the longest time. We had one national appearance after winning the [2003] World Series.'' Fox representative Dan Bell said the network is taking a wait-and-see approach with the Marlins and might add a game later. At least TBS is carrying two Sunday afternoon Marlins games -- Mets (April 12) and Phillies (April 26), though Fox Sports Florida gets local exclusivity. FYI: FS-Florida's first of 152 Marlins games will be at 1 p.m. Saturday against Minnesota. Typical........ :thumbdown The national media just continues to hate us for eliminating the Cubs in 2003. I don't understand why you have such a problem with this. I mean...you give the Marlins no respect either. Aren't we going to lose 100 games this year, and never ever see winning baseball till Loria leaves? I mean, if that's the case, why should FOX care to carry our games? FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all.

Amezaga is hurt and the other two are being considered for OF according to the manager in the Herald. Obviously he's hurt. But he shouldn't miss more than April. And the other two should only be getting reps in the OF in order to improve their versatility and make them a viable backup IF + 5th OF. That's my point.

Well despite my last comment, we can take Gibbons out the equation since he has been released Yeah, and Jai Miller assigned to AAA. Does this mean they're giving Raynor a serious look? Either way, I hope they don't expect Amezaga/Bonifacio/Andino to be the 4th OF.

A bit surprising. Certainly reinforces McDallas's position on this roster - even if he doesn't start, we'll need a pure lefty off the bench.

That is some AMAZING stuff. And it's always nice to know that the guys on your team will treat the fans well. Man, I wish I was your kid! Don't get me wrong, my dad and I have many wonderful baseball memories, but this is just.....awesome.

And there were people here who "knew" that Dominguez was nothing more than an also ran that Beinfest only took because he went to his old high school. I think the crux of Peter's column is the Front Office knows what it's doing. And thanks to Peter we now more about Stanton than from the collective work of the entire South Florida baseball writing community. A near death experience certainly has changed his perspective on the game and the way he goes about covering it. Clearly, he was walking around Marlins camp, praying for the opportunity to have Hanley even look in his general direction, when he saw a ball hit 500 feet. He asked who that was, found out that it was an EIGHTEEN year-old with a name almost worthy of Maximiliano Ramirez, and decided to write a column about him and Chris "Coughlin", how the Marlins "banged" him in the second round, and in order to inspire the use of "cyberfellate" and its equally amazing derivatives.

I'm sorry but am I the only one who thinks that Pudge takes this team from "scary good" to pl;ayoff contender and maybe more? He did it once and like Rudy T said "Never underestimate the heart of a champion". Plus he probably could finish his career there with a team waiting to put him in their ring of honor. He's the missing piece to this almost complete puzzle I thought "scary good" is better than "playoff contender"? I do think he would improve the team, though. For $1 million, I think they should jump on it. What's his actual price tag - nobody knows.

We won 84 last year with the likes of Mark "Too-Tall" Hendrickson, Rick Vanden Hurk, Eulogio De La Cruz, and Burke Badenhop getting significant time in the starting rotation. Umm...What? Total Starts in 2008: Henrickson - 19 Vanden Hurk - 4 De La Cruz - 1 Badenhop - 8 32 starts combined or maybe a full season for one pitcher. Explain to me how they each had 'significant' time in the rotation last year..... I'll give you Hendrickson. I could 'maybe' give you Badenhop if you want to really get liberal with the term significant. But VandenHurk and De La Cruz.... :lol :lol He meant the cumulation of all of them for significant time. And he's right. Tucker also had 6 starts, so it's more like 38 starts from "the backup starters." 38 starts is a lot when you have around a 6.50+ era from that group of pitchers last year. If the back end of our rotation throws 5 eras this year as opposed to the crap last year, we're shaving 25-30 runs off instantly. Let alone if they actually pitch good and can get into the low 4 eras. Further, add in Miller with another 20 starts and Anibal 10 starts of a high 5.50 era, and the Marlins had almost 70 starts last year from a group of pitchers with over a 6 ERA. That is a pretty big deal when you consider the Marlins legitimately achieved their record with a positive run differential. There is a lot of room for improvement here. Don't forget the negative impact those [typically] short starts had on the bullpen.

If Loria is as cheap as is being said, then he would absolutely want to make the playoffs. That's retarded. No, playoffs means higher salaries, which means less money for Loria to spend on outrageously ugly "modern" art. You sir, are retarded. Playoffs mean significantly higher revenue. Ad-hominem attack ? Is that the best you can come up with ? It's also accompanied by an explanation, haha. Who would we haave wanted this organization to keep so desperately that we have shed for money reasons? Besides Cabrera..... Beckett - got us Hanley Dontrelle - sucks Penny/Burnett/Clement/Pavano - disappointments in some ways, not worth the money IMO, and the last 2 have been horrible. I'm not going to do a comprehensive list, but off the top of my head it really doesn't look too bad recently. And the worst trade we made (although not under Beinfest I don't think?) might have been when we dealt Adrian Gonzalez.......but that was in the middle of a playoff run which resulted in a championship...........so how can you complain?

Same 3 teams in discussions, just another MLBTR update: Ivan Rodriguez Rumors: Thursday By Tim Dierkes [March 5 at 10:55am CST] 10:54am: WEEI's Alex Speier spoke to Rodriguez, who said: "My agent and I, the conversation we had is (regarding) Houston and Florida. There have been rumors about the Mets, also. But as of right now, there?s nothing firm. Nothing has happened. We?re still waiting." Pudge spoke highly of the Mets and didn't rule out the idea of being a backup on a one-year deal. 9:23am: In a column last night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports weighed in on free agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Rosenthal says the Marlins and Mets remain interested in Rodriguez, but in either case he'd have to earn his playing time. Pudge wants to enter a situation where he'll get to play five days a week. The Marlins and Mets aren't ready to push aside John Baker or Brian Schneider to guarantee that. Also, the Mets would have to move backup Ramon Castro to be able to sign Rodriguez. Rodriguez seems more concerned with playing time than money. He'll attempt to raise his stock in the WBC. Rosenthal says the Astros will pass over "concern that Rodriguez would be a poor teammate."

Hmmph... I was gauging interest to actually see if Mystikol would want a bucket of water dumped on his head Only by you, PWG. .......or if it was exceptionally warm outside, or if I had a Chia Pet on my head.

Good stuff for Matty. This could be huge for his confidence. OMGMGMGMZMGMZGMZ ERICK!!!!! I thot u hayted Matt Lindstrom - wuts ur deelio?!!!? First ur all like, F* lindstrom, and now ur like, oo matty i luv uuuuuuuuuu. Well, you must have a reading & comprehension problem then. When again did I say I hated Lindstrom? Erick: clearly I was kidding. Believe it or not, I've been on your side all along. I knew exactly what you meant (about that he's not one of the top 8 or 10 relievers from the US). Do any of my posts ever look like that? lol. I was actually just poking fun and those who've picked on you.