DMoney82

I'm not sure if the mid first round picks that the Marlins have had thus far really serve as accurate historical precedent for a 2nd overall pick. In my opinion at least, the 2nd overall pick demands for less "raw talent" and more polish, because it's a can't miss scenario. The last time we had the 2nd overall pick we took a prep power arm from Texas. I guess I'm just surprised so many people were surprised. This is the most Marlins pick ever. Heaney was a departure from tradition. Kolek fits the traditional Marlins mold much more than Rodon does. Even the ballpark fits pitchers like Kolek. And while I'm far from a scout, I'm very impressed by Kolek's athleticism. He is a nimble giant.

I'm no MLB Draft expert, but why do people assume we went with Kolek because of price tag? The second I read a write-up on Kolek I figured he was our guy based purely on history. This franchise (at least post-2000) has been built on prep power arms, and this guy might be the biggest prep power arm ever. It's a natural fit.

I don't see why the MLB would deny this. What's worse, a stadium named after a sportsbook or a team in Las Vegas?

If the Marlins have been known for anything over the years, its a consistent supply of power arms. From starters (Brown, Dempster, Penny) to relievers (Mantei, Harvey, Nen) the Fish seem to always light up the ray gun. But is this the best overall collection of flamethrowers we've ever had? Burnett and Beckett are perhaps the two most explosive starting arms in the majors and Willis and Leiter are two of the better power lefties in the game (Willis was touching 95 mph late in the season). Alfonseca and Mota are both high-90s relievers, and Mecir, Spooneybarger, Jones, and Reidling fall between the 92-95 range. Aside from Ismael Valdez, I can't think of one pitcher on our roster who doesn't have above-average arm strength. We are definitely going to be an unpopular team to bat against.

PhishPhan, I agree on Lowell. The difference between Lowell and guys like Burnett, Beckett and Cabrera is what they have yet to show us. I'm already banking on Lowell's All-Star numbers, but the 20 wins from Josh and AJ and the Triple Crown contention for Migs is still potential. We should be more concerned about getting that then looking elsewhere, depleting our farm system and cash supply and maybe getting disappointing results.

Another mediocre signing in the process of building a mediocre team. Ridiculous. You want All-Star, franchise-type talents? Our team has three of them. Their names are A.J. Burnett, Josh Beckett and Miguel Cabrera. If they play to their abilities, we are not a mediocre team. Why bring in outside elite talent, which has not been the most successful personnel strategy lately, when you have that kind of talent underperforming on your own team? Cabrera's fine and is on track to improve, Burnett's problems are largely rust and Beckett is a mystery. Our bullpen is one of the hardest throwing in the NL now, and it would be hell if our top starters are eating up innings.

when he becomes a free agent he should be one of the elite players in the game...thats my guess .300+ 40+ HRs 100 RBIs That could be this year's stat line for Miguel.

I want Walker bad, but avoiding giving up Conine would be great. For all we know, he may retire this season and leave the $3 million on the table. He's not all about the money, plus he's really been getting down on himself lately. If he retired as a Marlin it would be great for the fans and Jeff. BTW, does anyone remember the 500+ foot homer Walker hit back in the day in PPS? It went straight to center, to the top of the blue seats. That was one of the top 5 things I've ever seen live.

A little more fuel to the fire....from Ken Rosenthal at Sporting News. "At first glance, the Red Sox appear to come closest to meeting Royals G.M. Allard Baird's demands for CF Carlos Beltran -- a young third baseman (Kevin Youkilis) and catcher (minor leaguer Kelly Shoppach). But there's no guarantee the Red Sox would give them up for such an obvious rental. Don't be surprised if the Marlins become major players in the Beltran sweepstakes. Ownership has shown a willingness to do the rent-a-player thing in the past (C Ivan Rodriguez, RHP Ugueth Urbina), and Florida has a deeper farm system from which Baird can choose. " Sporting News: Inside Pitch And here you go from Peter Gammons: "Baird says there are four teams currently in the Beltran hunt, with the A's, Red Sox and Yankees three of the four (could the Marlins be the fourth?). Baird and Beane worked on the three-way trade that would have included the Dodgers, then spent the weekend working with Theo Epstein on a three-way deal that in the Red Sox's world would have sent Beltran to Boston, Kevin Youkilis and Scott Williamson to Oakland and A's third baseman Mark Teahan (Kansas City's favorite), Red Sox catcher Kelly Shoppach and Oakland pitcher Mike Wood to Kansas City." Peter Gammons News and Notes

One thing this optimist finds interesting: Josh Willingham satisfies the 3rd base, catcher, and upper-level designations by himself. Not saying that he would be the only guy, or even the centerpiece of a deal. But he would definitely be useful to the Royals.

Miami's system is unique, we will always stock up with young, little known Latin players (Castillo, Gonzalez, Cabrera, Yorman). We don't always need number 1 pick type prospects. If Stokes and a guy like Scott Olsen (who I like a lot) were to be dealt for a possible Division title, I wouldn't cry about it. We have a window now, and we have to take it. If we eventually end up losing some of the young arms we have, we'll likely restock with prospects in the process. So to go for it all now is kind of a win-win.

Actually, now that I think about it, even though Beltran doesn't have a great arm, he'd have the best arm in that OF, so go figure. From what I've seen, Miguel has a better pure arm than Beltran. Beltran is much better all-around defender, but Miguel is getting respect from baserunners.

I know what you're saying about Cabrera, I see it, but Lowell concerns me much more... You're right that Lowell needs to pull more than Cabrera, I've just given up on that aspect of Mike's game. He has always been a pull-hitter, and he's already in his prime. Miguel knew how to pull and seemingly forgot, which is scary considering that this is his time to learn how to be a complete hitter.

Watching Miguel Cabrera ground out with the GW run on third yesterday got me thinking: Is Miguel trying to pull the ball too much? At the beginning of the year, people were saying he didn't pull enough. Now, he seems to be so obsessed with towering jacks that he doesn't go opposite field. Last year, Miguel woud make a living going the other way. Could this be the reason he isn't hitting against lefties (maybe any higher-level baseball players on this board can answer that)? We need Miguel to be the guy who singles in 1,2 runs consistently. We are not HR-starved, just run starved.

Not consistently, but topping out there. And even 93 is rare now.

Is it just me, or has Dontrelle's velocity gone down? He used to get up to 94-96, now he seems to top out at 90. Did last year's workload really affect him?

Can someone pull our team OPS last year? I'm sure it wasn't the best in baseball. What about team ERA? Maybe 10th in the MLs? I guess we won a championship doing little, disruptive things, as every analyst, player and coach agreed upon. Who is considered the unquestioned master of these things? J "Motha-Effin" P

If DO is 2-1, that means that 66% of the pitchers he's squared off against are worse than him. This is especially true considering we aren't the greatest offensive club. Saying he sucks accomplishes nothing, he's a fifth starter. Its getting redundant, but it's the truth. He's done what it takes to win in 2 games already, if he keeps going like he's going he'll be a huge success for us. Relatively speaking, of course. He did drive in a run today, so these little things go a long way to winning ballgames. All the stats that can be pulled show one thing: He has no business being a 1-4 pitcher. If that means he sucks, whatever. Someone has to suck, at least until AJ comes back. He's sucking less than others for now, and that's enough. And if that sounds overly sexual, its unintentional .

It wouldn't surprise me to see Cabrera moved back to SS later this season. Wow. That winning streak either really spoiled people, or it hid how many bandwagoners we have. No chance Cabs plays SS, none at all. There is no one we have or could get that would upgrade our offense enough to sit A-GON. We're a team about pitching and defense, when he starts making errors left and right we can complain.

We need a guy now, definitely. Oliver going to the pen will only serve to eliminate the need to trade a Willingham or even Hermida for bullpen help in a pennant or wild card race. We will get ripped off if we wait until the deadline, and so DO or ABJ will hopefully come in handy at that juncture. Any chance an experienced minor leaguer (Hutchinson?) gets off to a fast start and is ready by May? We are recycling the same young relievers, and fresh faces have made big impacts before. I just hope, like you, that this is resolved sooner rather than later, making converting a starter like DO a luxury. Then again, maybe a Chad Fox will fall from the sky (or waivers).

What about Darren Oliver? Should we expect him in the pen by the trading deadline? He's a lefty who knows how to pitch.

Someone who hasn't been mentioned is the D-Train, who had an awesome start. If he's throwing strikes, he'll be as good as the first half of 2003 all season.

The best thing about a Hialeah site, as was mentioned by someone else, is that the people there are HUGE baseball fans. I worked in Hialeah in the summer, and as early as June everyoen from middle-aged men to old nurses were talking about the Fish, sporting Marlins gear, etc. A distinct Marlins culture could develop, like with other more-entrenched ballclubs, with an emphasis on the Latin side of baseball. The Marlins would become a central part of the entire, heavily-populated community.

Ya, Alex has been around so long I tend to forget he's only 26 (remember when Renteria was moving to third?). We all know Alex is moody, and if affects his play. Since we are going to be the most relaxed team in baseball (Defending champs, low pressure area) he may get his mind right and start playing smart. His confidence sags after bad ABs, but his HR in Game 4 is still burned in people's brains, and he knows it. Hopefully, his relaxation and confidence will translate into a higher BA and, especially, a better average with RISP.

I know Miguel was projected as a Magglio-type hitter out of the minors, but after what he's shown I think projections should be upgraded. Actually, they already have been by some scouts, speaking of him in the same breath as Pujols. If he gains weight, which his frame indicates he can, I'd see him as a Manny Ramirez type hitter. I think he can break the 40 homer barrier with the power he's shown. He already goes opposite field with ease, a little more muscle should get him over the hump. Manny is a smart hitter when his mind his right, and is versatile. Magglio is a good projection, I just hope he can do more with the talent on display all season and in the playoffs.