canefandynasty

per Joe Capozzi twitter... Stanton back - Hanley out #Marlins 4/9 at Hou: coghlan 8, infante 4, morrison 7, stanton 9, sanchez 3, dobbs 5, buck 2, murphy 6, vazquez 1

How many BB does LoMo get for the season. His BB% is a whopping 33% right now. 23 years old.

Logan Morrison has looked great offensively and defensively. Coghlan has only looked great defensively, but I think his offense will pick up. I'm really disappointed in Hanley right now on both sides of the ball. He's always swinging at garbage. He needs to be more relaxed and let the game come to him. Infante hasn't been good offensively, but has looked stellar defensively. Gaby has been raking. I really like his bat right now. He should be batting fourth till Stanton comes back. Buck is what he is: will give you great and lousy games. His calling games has been good for the most part though. SP overall has been good, but nothing special. RP has had some rough outings this past week, but I'm still confident with the bullpen.

I don't know about you guys, but I am tired of a lineup full of free swingers. i want a lineup of guys that can make productive outs, by advancing the runner, or working the pitch count, or just keeping the ball in play. It's much more refreshing than a K on a guy on 3rd and 1 out.

CF Coghlan 2B Infante SS Hanley RF Stanton 1B Sanchez LF Morrison C Buck 3B Helms/Bonifacio/Murphy SP This is truly the most exciting lineup I've seen in a while. I won't be suprised if Stanton gets 130+ RBI on the season with him hitting behind guys like Hanley and Coghlan. Our OBP machine Morrison is batting sixth! I can't believe this. Marlins will be scoring runs all day. I also like Gaby in the 5 hole. The bottom 3 doesn't look too good, but I can live with it. Coghlan is an aggressive hitter and last season was an aberration. He will get a few RBIs himself and will hit around .300. If 3B position can hit .250 then I won't be suprised if we're the best offensive team in the NL East.

Is there a way we can move Dominguez to SS, and Stanton to CF? We don't have that many good defenders on this team so I want my best defensive players playing 2 of the most important positions.

Dominguez progression from around the time he changed his swing: AUG (19- 31) 2010 44 PA | .230 AVG | 2 HR | 11.4% BB% | 17.9% K% | 5 R | 13 RBI SEPT 2010 26 PA | .273 AVG | 0 HR | 15.6% BB% | 22.7% K% | 3 R | 5 RBI POSTSEASON 2010 30 PA | .296 AVG | 3 HR | 11.1% BB% | 13.3% K% | 7 R | 8 RBI SPRING TRAINING 2011 19 PA | .400 AVG | 2 HR | 15.8% BB% | 13.3% K% | 3 R | 10 RBI Very optimistic about Dominguez hitting ability. I think he can maintain the good contact and patience abilities with the pop he already has. I think his AVG will also fall into place when everything contact is improved.

I don't want Dominguez name linked with that guy. I'd take a .259/.335/.417 (.752 .OPS -- Hermida's career line) line from Dominguez with his defense. That's a valuable player with upside, in Dominguez' case. Me too, but I think we're undervaluing his offense. With his new mechanics at the plate, I think he looks much more relaxed in his stance and swing. And, it has reflected on his play. I think the Dominguez we're used to see throughout his minor league career has been stashed away post August 2010. Look at his hitting mechanics before Mallee fixed it: then, look at it after.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrXZRI03-G0 Big difference.

I don't want Dominguez name linked with that guy.

03-08-2011 Matt Dominguez like so far today: 2-2 | HR | 4 RBI

03-08-2011) Matt Dominguez like so far today: 2-2 | HR | 4 RBI

Dominguez has looked good in ST so far: 16 PA | .308 AVG | HR | 12.5% BB% | 15.4% K% I know it's too early, but it's good to see Dominguez hitting well. He will definitely secure that spot.

The Phillies might have grabbed the most headlines this off-season, and the Braves might remain the stable contender in the NL East, but it’s the Marlins that are the most interesting team in the division. They have finished second or third in each of the last three years, and are slowly amassing a core of young talent that could soon bring them into serious contention. In 2011 we’ll get to see a number of these players try their hands against major league competition. The Starting Eight CF Chris Coghlan * 2B Omar Infante SS Hanley Ramirez RF Mike Stanton 1B Gaby Sanchez LF Logan Morrison * C John Buck 3B Matt Dominguez After a disappointing sophomore season that ended with surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, Chris Coghlan returns in the Marlins leadoff spot. If his numbers fall between his 2009 and 2010 seasons — see the Bill James projection of .297/.369/.430 — he should be fine in that spot. The biggest question about him actually doesn’t center on his plate prowess, but rather on his fielding. The Marlins have him tapped as the center fielder, despite him never having played the position as a professional. All major defensive stats are down on his work in left field during the last two years, which leaves open many questions about his ability to handle center this season. If it gets bad, a change could be in order. (What kind of change? Michael Jong of Marlin Maniac asks, why not Mike Stanton?) With Coghlan potentially on base frequently, there should be plenty of opportunities for the heart of the order, Ramirez and Stanton, to produce runs. Ramirez will get first crack, and it’s easy to imagine him greatly improving on his disappointing 2010. Case in point: a .373 wOBA is considered a disappointing season. He produced a wOBA of .400 or greater in each of the three previous years, and we should expect more of the same in 2011. Still, he won’t clear the bases all the time. In those cases he’ll leave the job to Stanton, who enters 2011 as a 21-year-old with gargantuan power numbers. We’ll touch on him in a bit, but for now know this: Mike Stanton is one of six MLB players, age-20, with 350 or more PA, who have a .245 or greater ISO. The others: Mel Ott, Frank Robinson, Alex Rodriguez,Ted Williams, and Bob Horner. After Coghlan the lineup features three relatively fresh players. Gaby Sanchez will be 27, but 2010 was his rookie season. His numbers look a lot better for a third baseman, but as a first sacker he’s adequate. Another year along the lines of 2010 will give the Marlins some flexibility in deciding what to do with their first baseman of the future, Logan Morrison. Slated to start the season in left field, Morrison features a discerning eye that leads to high OBPs. His power is a bit lacking, but with an OBP in the high .300s that shouldn’t matter much. Assuming he can handle left field full-time, he’ll be another middle of the order weapon for the Marlins, perhaps sliding into the No. 2 spot at some point during the season. The most questionable youngster on the team is the presumptive staring third baseman, Matt Dominguez. His glove will carry him at he position, as his bat hasn’t yet come around in the minors. The Marlins reportedly made changes to his swing mid-season were pleased with the results, which might encourage them to be aggressive with him. Their confidence in him in the long term is evident. They could have moved Coghlan, who has played mostly second base in his pro career, to third and found a different center fielder, but they seem intent on handing the reins to Dominguez instead. Rounding out the lineup is a pair of veterans acquired during the off-season. John Buck signed a three-year deal as a free agent and will take over as the team’s starting catcher. At the very least this gives them time to develop Kyle Skipworth, but Buck can provide value of his own. He displayed unprecedented power last year, and if he maintains some of those gains he’ll help at the bottom of the lineup. Infante came over in the Dan Ugglatrade and will replace him in the field. That’s going to represent quite a downgrade on offense, especially since it’s unlikely that Infante repeats his .340 wOBA from 2010. Chances are he’s just keeping second base warm until the team determines that Osvaldo Martinez is ready. The Pitching Staff RHP Josh Johnson RHP Ricky Nolasco RHP Anibal Sanchez RHP Javier Vazquez RHP Chris Volstad CL RHP Leo Nunez RHP Clay Hensley RHP Ryan Webb LHP Mike Dunn RHP Edward Mujica LHP Randy Choate RHP Burke Badenhop It’s always nice to start the season with one of the league’s 10 best pitchers on the mound. The Marlins have that privilege this year, with Josh Johnson taking the ball on Opening Day. In the last two seasons only Tim Lincecum has a lower FIP. Despite a minor injury that kept him below the 200-inning mark, Johnson figures to be back full-strength and perplexing National League hitters. Behind Johnson the Marline feature two potential No. 2 pitchers in Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco. Of these, Nolasco is the more interesting case if for no other reason than the discrepancy between his peripherals and his results. While he has a career 3.91 FIP in over 700 big league innings, his career ERA is 4.51 and he has had an ERA higher than that in three of his four full big league seasons. Last year he fell just short of qualifying for the ERA title, but if he had is K/BB ratio would have ranked third, behind only Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Nolasco’s peripherals catching up to his output stats will go a long way in propping up the Marlins rotation. Sanchez, the other part of the Josh Beckett trade, has taken strong steps forward since undergoing shoulder labrum surgery in 2008. Despite aggravating his shoulder in 2009 he did pitch well in 86 innings, which he then topped with 195 innings and a 3.55 ERAl in 2010. His FIP matches up well, though he did have a 4.5% HR/FB ratio last season. A repeat performance will give the Marlins two solid backups to Johnson, and perhaps put them in the conversation for the best rotation in the NL behind the Phillies and Giants. The last two spots are a bit less certain. Javier Vazqeuz had a poor year pitching in the AL East last year, so a move back to the NL could help. Unfortunately, a recovery, even in the NL, will require Vazquez to adjust the way he approaches batters. His velocity was down in 2010 and reports this spring indicate it hasn’t recovered. Since he is a four-pitch pitcher this transition might work for him. For some reason it seems as though Chris Volstad has been in the league for a while and that he’s older than 24. Yet that’s his Opening Day age. He has had his share of struggles during his two and a half years in the bigs, but his stuff seems to be coming together. He’s going to have to keep his walk rate down, and perhaps get it lower than 3 per nine, because of his lack of ability to miss bats. He makes up for it with ground ball prowess, though. Another step forward in 2011 could move him up the pecking order, which further reduces the reliance on Vazquez’s reemergence. In the bullpen the Marlins will again turn to Leo Nunez as the closer. He held that role last year, but after failing in a few high leverage spots he lost the job to Clay Hensley. Both of those players will play a large role in holding leads, but this year they’ll have some help. This winter the marlins acquired two reinforcements, Webb and Mujica, from the Padres, and then added lefty prospect Mike Dunn from the Braves. With Randy Choate as another option against lefties — and only against lefties — and Burke Badenhop holding down the long man spot, the Marlins should have an average bullpen. Key Player With a pitching staff with plenty of potential, the Marlins could find their toughest job scoring runs. They lost one of their top producers, Dan Uggla, and replaced him with a light-hitting utility player. That means the team needs another force on offense to keep the runs coring up. Mike Stanton can be that man. He already impressed during his rookie season, and now is tasked with stepping into Uggla’s lineup spot. It won’t be an easy task for a 21-year-old to replicate Uggla’s production in his best years, but if anyone can accomplish it, it’s Stanton. In fact, his .355 wOBA during his partial 2010 season topped Uggla’s in three out of the former’s five years in the bigs. Stanton’s step forward will go a long way in reviving the Marlins offense and leading them towards contention. It will take a few favorable breaks, but the Marlins should play a role in the NL playoff race this summer. They have a solid, young pitching staff that could rank in the NL’s top 5 and a young offense that could provide many pleasant surprises. Of course, the team’s youth can also play against it, which makes it tough to peg the 2011 Marlins. Another .500 finish would not surprise, but they have the tools to be better than that and play a factor in the NL Wild Card race. http://www.fangraphs...lorida-marlins/

Nice article OP. If Stanton can get to a sub 30.0% K%, then I can see him hitting 40 HRs this season. He did improve his K% in AA and there's hope he can improve it in the majors while he's still very young. His power is beyond his years He was second only to Joey Votto (min 290 PA) last season in HR/PA% as a rookie, meaning the rate of his homers off fly balls are very high. Seriously, I can see him hitting 40 HRs this season, if he can just lower his K%. As for AVG, it will come as his K% starts to decrease since he's naturally a high BABIP hitter.

Hanley 2011 statistics: .330 AVG | .420 OBP | 27 HR | 110 R | 100 RBI | 40 SB | +3.0 UZR

Stantons potential is basically Ryan Howards hitting with GG defense at RF and very good speed. That would be TOP 5 player in the majors to say the least.

The Rise of Giancarlo

Coghlan LoMo Hanley Giancarlo Sanchez Buck Infante Dominguez Johnson

Interesting question: Would you trade Stanton for Upton, straight up? Because if it's not Morrison going, it's Stanton. Stanton + Upton > Upton + Morrison. Don't get greedy, you can't have your cake and eat it too. I don't think I move Stanton in a deal for anyone not named Longoria, Zimmerman, Votto, or C. Gonzalez.... I really think that's the whole list. Maybe Wright. No pitchers. What about Posey? Heyward?

I wouldn't because Stanton has 2 more cheap years and is 2 years younger. Talent-wise, though, it's darn close from what I've seen. They are like two of the TOP 5 most naturally talented in all of baseball. To have both on the same team would be insane. Like having two Heywards.

Stanton is Upton on steroids potentially. Better arm, as good range/speed, better HR potential, younger.

Interesting question: Would you trade Stanton for Upton, straight up? Because if it's not Morrison going, it's Stanton. Stanton + Upton > Upton + Morrison. Don't get greedy, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Hell no

OK, any four. And throw in Villanueva and Koehler and Ceda. OK, any five. Those first two have no value, and Ceda is in "premier throw in" category with all his arm/off field troubles. Seriously, you don't get Justin Upton with a lot of good spare parts. You need to give up Logan or Stanton and a starter for them to even entertainment this. Stanton, JJ & Hanley are untouchable. I would offer Morrison, though.

CF Upton LF Coghlan SS Hanley RF Stanton 1B Sanchez 2B Infante C Buck 3B Dominguez P

Who would play RF though? That's a tough one. Upton should play CF IMO since he has better speed.