SixYearItch

Yelich is sparkplugging us all the way to a more respectable last place. That's pretty much correct. But so what? Isn't the whole point of this baseball thing winning games? And by winning games, I mean in Miami, not in Jacksonville. The whole point of baseball is to make the playoffs (because then it's a crapshoot to win the World Series.) If the Marlins don't make it to the playoffs, the next priority is a good spot at the next year's draft. Needless to say, we aren't effectively trying to work at either right now. I'm really tired over continuously seeing this kind of thinking on this board. You play to win the game. I want to see improvement from last yr and a good finish and betterment of last years record will be cause for optimism. It will tell me that since May 31 this team would have played at just about playoff pace. And for those dwelling on next yrs draft pick, 70-92 will get us a top 5 pick. Unlike a large contingent on this board, I do not want to see this team tank. Teams that probably won't reach 70-92: Astros Brewers Cubs Mets White Sox Twins Padres If we go 70-92, we're not staying in the top 5. Top 10, yeah, but not top 5. 2008 draft, 70-92 2007, we ended up 6th. The Mets, Cubs, Twins and Padres will all finish better than 70-92. Even if one doesn't, we're still in the top 5.

Yelich is sparkplugging us all the way to a more respectable last place. That's pretty much correct. But so what? Isn't the whole point of this baseball thing winning games? And by winning games, I mean in Miami, not in Jacksonville. The whole point of baseball is to make the playoffs (because then it's a crapshoot to win the World Series.) If the Marlins don't make it to the playoffs, the next priority is a good spot at the next year's draft. Needless to say, we aren't effectively trying to work at either right now. I'm really tired over continuously seeing this kind of thinking on this board. You play to win the game. I want to see improvement from last yr and a good finish and betterment of last years record will be cause for optimism. It will tell me that since May 31 this team would have played at just about playoff pace. And for those dwelling on next yrs draft pick, 70-92 will get us a top 5 pick. Unlike a large contingent on this board, I do not want to see this team tank.

Yelich is sparkplugging us all the way to a more respectable last place. Pitching holds up, target is bettering last yrs record...70-92 is very doable

Never seen a team in my life hit so many useless infield grounders, even Stanton is carrying the infection

I understand Dietrich but ozuna is a head scratcher. Ozuna has a .602 OPS since June 1st. He's also shown much less power than anticipated. Neither of these guys were hitting outside of some hot streaks after the initial call up. A little unfair to say that of Ozuna, before the 3 for 38 slide he was hitting around 300 with a terrific RISP. Even after his avg slid into the 270's the first time after being above 300 for so long, he successfully brought his avg back up to around 300. The power absence has been a disappointment, but give him credit ...until the recent siide he had been hitting well. Have high hopes for Dietrich too. Can't teach his power and extra base potential. Just needs to learn the strike zone. Okay on him going back down to Jax as long as Solano isn't replacing him.

Marlins are now are very interesting team for fans to watch. Can't ask for much more and certainly not this year. Morrison looks pretty good now that he is playing on two good legs for the first time in two years. Hitting those hot liners to left again. Ozuna is the real deal. If Yelich has the first two months that Ozuna had, most here would putting him the HOF. Dietrich is working hard on what Tito suggests and is now hitting it hard the other way. His weaknesses have been against right handed pitching. I like the chances of him fixing that. He's up too early but he is learning on the job. And those seven HRs are a great sign. Ed is a pro and will be a terrific utility infielder for a couple of years with OK defense and helpful at the plate. Ruggiano can play and, at 31, is in his prime, which is enough to be very helpful particularly with his above average defense and excellent power. Starting pitching looking pretty good with Turner, Eovoldi, and, of course, Fernandez. More young help coming soon. Bullpen OK, Chisek pitching like the die hards thought he would. Hech can play SS. If he can hit 240 he will have a long career. And our Hero Stanton is what you make of him. Legend or trade chip. Certainly an asset for the future, either way. The enthusiasm of the youngsters is great. Next year should be even better with some of the washed up players gone. The performance of the three kids on the mound, Fernandez, Turner and Eovaldi has me really feeling upbeat about the future of this team for the first time in a while. Adding Yelich soon enough should give us a good chance at having 5 solid bats in the everyday lineup, and Cishek is back doing his thing with a bullpen that so far is holding fairly steady. Really curious to see how Alvarez performs. And whether we can hold our own with the Braves. Yeah they were 13-41 with a lineup largely made up on dregs. Count on the media to continue to paint this team as the bad news bears and continue taking shots at Loria. The media negativity will always ensure the same negative storyline, and the urgency to trade Stanton now. But I don't see this as the same team, unless Redmond keeps trying to remind us by having Pierre and Polanco bat 1, 2. I'm hoping we have a good second half and that Stanton will like what he sees, and keep an open mind when the 7/95 offer comes this off season. I'm beginning to get excited by what I'm seeing as Lomo appears to be back in the fold, Stanton is powering up and the young kids are looking good and more of them are on the way,

Nolasco, Webb and Ruggs to the Dodgers for Corey Seager. One can dream or think the Dodger brass can be that stupid.

Yeah, much of the reason why the 2012 Marlins lost 93 games was because it did not finish the season with Anibal Sanchez, Infante, Hanley. Also, when some of the better players got injured in the second half, the Marlins made no effort to replace them with decent talent. Consequently, guys like Carlos Lee and Gorkys Hernandez were playing regularly. I don't blame the Marlins for selling at the deadline, but if they played out the season until the end, the $120 million team would have won more than 69 games. Don't forget about Gil Velazquez! You forgot the outfield we had of Gorkys, Scott Cousins and Bryan Peterson...........we had a surrender flag raised up the flagpole for the majority of games we played the second half of last season.

Defensive metrics have him as average at best. Throwing out runners has as much to do with the pitcher as the catcher. And the Marlins thoughts on catchers really doesnt impress me. They desperately wanted Mike Rabelo too. They were in on Yorvit Torrealba in the free agent market. Miguel Olivo was a two year starter. They gave John Buck an deal that was over market value. This franchise is awful at evaluating catchers. They are awful at catchers, and I do find it funny that even with Mathis taking starts away, the guy considered our future behind the plate projects to be a poor version of John Baker. Brantly projects to hit Says who? Too early to tell with Brantly, very disappointing so far this yr. Who would have thought an Ed Lucas would have more HR's than him (0). Giving him the benefit of the doubt from last yr thinking the awful lineup we had to put out on the field until Stanton and Lomo came back put too much pressure on the young kid to produce, believing he was one of the few in the lineup who could hit. He has been getting his average up lately. just would like to see some of the occasional power/extra base hits we saw last year.

Evoldi? ... SomethingFishy said Evoldi. SixYearItch, what's your opinion on Donovan Solano? Tongue in cheek I presume since I mistyped Eovaldi. Alright, I'll play along and I'm, of course, not SomethingFishy. Solano is a utility infielder, nothing more nothing less, a decent spare part. Have no feelings about him, one way or another. Don't care whether he stays in NOLA or not, Until yesterday would have been tempted to replace Polanco at 3rd with him but Polanco fields the position too well. Both give you no power, no run production, etc Solano will hit a few more useless singles...who cares. I like Dietrech, despite the present slump and BA. The kid has to learn the strike zone and stop chasing. I love his extra base power, his big hits...also like him in the field and like that he's a bit of a firebrand. Hope he doesn't get down on himself. Rooting for the kid big time.

Really like how our young pitchers, Fernandez, Evoldi and Turner, are looking. Very promising. If the young lefties on the verge of getting to Jax this year, Heaney and Nicolino, turn out to be legit, and there is reason to be optimistic in regard to their development, one can reasonably project the Marlins to be playoff contenders in 1 or 2 yrs with only having to be an average hitting team. Obviously more can be said about this by those who prefer to punch holes into this kind of thinking, but I do think there is reason, for those who want to be optimistic, to believe chances are realistic about very much better days being ahead and in not too long a time (particularly of course, with these young arms being accompanied by the club inking a long term deal with Stanton) .

I really like Dietrich and Ozuna, but come on they should be in Jacksonville. Real sad commentary on this damn organization that they, and Fernandez, who should be in Jax as well, are the only ones worth watching on this wretched team. What Loria, Samson and Beinfest have done to this team is criminal. Easily the worst team I've ever seen, and I go back to the Amazin Mets of 62 and even they weren't this hopeless. You easily get the feeling that unless Dietrich or Ozuna, who have to hit 3 and 4 for heavensake, do something, this team will never score. Don't know how anyone can sit and watch them for 9 innings. I know I can't.

Not interested in watching this team until Stanton is back in RF, Yelich is up playing CF, Ozuna in LF, Lomo back at 1st and Dietrech at 2nd. Then we may have something, can't wait to see it. Until then this team is unwatchable. Its a shame we've got three starters pitching pretty well, a bullpen that's beginning to perform better, and we're as bad as we are. I've got a long DFA wishlist.

This team as constructed will easily lose 100 without breaking a sweat. The more challenging question is whether 55 wins is even doable. A team that has no clue how to bring in runners in scoring position, is always good for a bonehead play or two per game, like most losing teams has the stench of suffering bad luck at the worst possible time, and can't rely on a bullpen to hold on to winnable games is going to make for a long long season. This kind of baseball is just unwatchable. Jose was great though.

The letter certainly doesn't take a subtle soothing mea culpa approach, which would be so unlike Loria. It's basically in your face, how dare you disagree with what I've done, please tone down your anger and get over it. Of course then there's the first person "I did this, I did that", look at me , trust me, give me credit for what I've accomplished in the past. And he's paying for a new PR firm for this? I certainly could have written a more PR conscious letter for him. When the letter states that baseball experts outside Miami universally agree that he did the right thing and obtained good value for what was traded, he lost me there. Oh well, the dude is not going to go away. I'll root for the young kids, hope they can sign Stanton long term, and hope for the best.

This is going to be a recurring problem with Rugs all year.....expect a DL stay or two for back related issues.

I understand Caddy's viewpoint. And I can certainly understand, as Marlins fans, that we have every right to be cynical about this team and the sport of baseball that we profess to love. Not having any reason to believe we have any chance of contending for a playoff spot really sucks. Its tough being a fan of a team with no hope. I live in Jacksonville too, and while I take a number of trips down to S, Fla each year to visit family, I doubt I'll have any great urge to trek down to Marlins Park to take in a game. From that standpoint, the front office of this team can go to you know where. But I'm also taking a little different tact. Because living in Jacksonville, I've never been as interested in the young Suns, since Stanton was here, as I am this year. By all means, Caddy, you live here too, so I hope you're open to focusing whatever interest you may have on the Suns. Virtually all of the exciting young Marlins prospects will be playing here this year. Check the outfield, Yelich, Marisnick, Ozuna, two of the three to be starting alongside Giancarlo in a yr or two. Fernandez, and probably sometime in the year Conley and Nicolino will be pitching here and maybe even Heaney. Dietrech will be at 2nd. Cox at 3rd. Realmoto might be catching here too. They'll be plenty of young talent here, and I do think their play will provide good reason for optimism. Its the future Marlins. I'll enjoy watching them, and at a terrific family and viewing friendly ball park, and great prices too. No reason to feel bitter here while watching these kids, Only hope for the future. Come to The Ballpark At Jacksonville and enjoy.

I wonder if you thought by naming yourself SixYearItch that in one year you would need a name change? And then another, and another, and another. I mean either you scratch it or it goes on for another year... I appreciate your comment, funny you should ask. When i joined the board in 2008, I gave myself the name in contemplation of the thought that 2009 was world series time, given that, in winning in 1997 and 2003, in another six years it was that time again. Obviously it didn't happen. I guess I just kept the name thinking, as you suggested, that it does have a certain elasticity to it. Too lazy to change it, so now I'm just thinking that the six yr itch can just as well run from 2007 since we haven't won anything since then. Next year it will run from 2008. Don't know whether this makes sense but I never gave much thought to changing the name.

I stopped reading when you called Nicolino an outfielder. :| Obviously a mistype. I meant Jake M, you can see that from my prior email. Have to get used to the new kids on the block It's gets tiring to read all the emails on this board that seem to drip with smart ass mockery and sarcasm The behaviorial trends you see on this board are troubling, too much disrespect being shown. It's sad, really.

First, I'm thinking Morse will cost more than Hand/Sanabia and a lot more than Koehler. Second, he's not a 3rd baseman. I wouldn't mind him on the team, but we need a 3rd baseman desperately. Morse's arrival sends Pierre to the bench and still leaves us without a 3rd baseman. I wouldn't necessarily be upset if we got him, but the price and the fact he's not a positional need at this moment makes little sense. Appreciate the response but strongly disagree, acquiring Morse makes a lot of sense, in fact so much sense that its the strongest reason why this buffoonish front office will likely not pursue it. Reason Number 1: We need power bats, our front office admits as much and no free agent having one will go to Miami, Loria made sure of that. But just as importantly, Stanton needs protection, and if this front office won't lift a finger to get a Morse to give him some protection, for just 6.5 mil for 1 yr for a potential 30 hr bat, then that's another message Giancarlo will take with him, as he heads out the door when the time comes. And if he goes, it will be nuclear winter in Miami. Think about it, a lousy 1 year committment, just the kind of deal Loria can appreciate. It's a certainty that Morse will be traded, the Nats are shopping him. And he's a local kid, who just might be amenable to staying should he do well and the Marlins respond fairly to him in free agency. An outfield of Stanton, Yelich and Morse, with Nicolino and Rugs in reserve even starts looking good. Reason Number 2: I love JP but he's not a starter, he wasn't in Philly and he shouldn't be in Miami. He'll get some time in LF, may be even be spotted in CFfrom time to time heaven forbid. He'll get his AB's, just not 500, more like 250. We got him for chump change, so its not as if he's got to play everyday, Reason Number 3: The Nats don't expect much for Morse, just a serviceable AAA type pitcher who can slide to the bigs in a emergency. Frankly, we can exclude Fernandez, Conley, Nicolino and Heaney and I wouldn't care who they take, they can take two in fact. Marlins can even give them a column a and column b list, pick one from each. Who cares. Heck, see whether they'd take Nolasco and give the Nats 6M, though don't see that happening. Reason Number 4: I'm not talking about 3rd base, but its also sheer hallucination to think we'll can get a servicable power bat at 3rd. Juan Francisco is a decent power projection, but he's not walking through that door. The Braves are not going to trade him to Miami, about a 1% chance of that happening. So there you have it, Loria and Samson just do it.

There will be a power bat available that make sense for the Marlins to go after. Bring home Michael Morse. The Nats will be looking to trade him once they sign LaRoche, and their trade demands will be modest, a triple A type pitcher who they can bring up to pitch in emergency situations...if Koehler won't be enough to satisfy than think Hand or Sanabia. Wouldn't care about losing any of them although would like to keep Sanabia. Morse is the power bat, has only one yr at 6.5 mil before hitting free agency. Plug him in at LF. Who knows, being a home boy, if he gives us a good yr he might be signable once free agency hits. Giancarlo, Rugs, Morse and ultimately Yelich would be a passable outfield, before even thinking about what Jake M can do. Third base is another matter, looks like Kouz/Dobbs platoon...ouch. MLB draft, front office needs to seriously address this position for potential long term solution down the road while it continues to cut and paste.

Just read Giancarlo's interview with Gammons. Depressing but completely understandable. Loria, the damn moron, is now on the clock. Stanton now destined to be the next Miggy, he'll be gone before the end of his second arbitration year. The Marlins as a franchise are now completely fu*ked.

I hate that Reyes got dumped. You play god knows how many games the second half of the season with Gorkys, Cousins and Peterson as your outfield, Velasquez at 3rd and Buck behind the plate, no Stanton...the team loses 70% or more of its games, and Reyes and Buehle get dumped because the time finished last with them on the team, as if they contributed to the crapfest. I've never been more disillusioned about being a fan of this team. The quotes from Loria and Samson are proof positive beyond question that they live in an alternative universe. Planet Claire. The Marlins are a team of no hope, no future, courtesy of the art dealer and his moron of son-in -law, little Napolean. Contract the team so I can get on with my life.

Anyone know what the record of the team is without Stanton in the lineup ? Got to believe its at least 15 games under 500.

Wow Peterson LF Cousins RF Hayes C Murphy 3rd Closest thing to a lineup card forfeit I've ever seen. The Braves must have been rolling in the dugout in laughter once they saw the lineup. Not that we had much of a chance of winning this game, but Ozzie seems he had decided why bother.