From a standpoint of providing experience and instruction, the Arizona Fall League was a success for several Marlins' prospects.

 

The Marlins sent seven players to the AFL, all competing on the Phoenix Desert Dogs, managed by Florida's minor league pitching coordinator, Dean Treanor.

 

Not all their statistics were pretty. Some of the pitchers were hit hard, and two of the position players saw limited action because of injuries.

 

The Desert Dogs, however, finished first in the National Division. But more than the record and individual numbers, the Marlins were looking for their prospects to hone their skills against some solid competition.

 

One of the highlights was the progression of Jeremy Hermida, the organization's top prospect, who impressed a number of scouts. The left-handed-hitting outfielder hit .265 with seven home runs, 23 RBIs, 11 doubles and a triple. He stole four bases, and batted 132 times.

 

The team's No. 1 pick in 2002, Hermida is expected to start the 2005 season at Double-A Carolina. How quickly he succeeds there will dictate when he breaks into the Major Leagues, which could be sometime in 2005.

 

The pitching prospects had their struggles, and a few weeks ago, Trevor Hutchinson was sent home to rest a tired right shoulder.

 

"I'd have liked to see the pitchers perform better," said Jim Fleming, the Marlins' vice president of player development and scouting.

 

Assessing each Marlins prospect in the AFL, here is what Fleming had to say:

 

Hermida: "Jeremy accomplished everything we wanted out of it, and more. He got the at-bats to make up for the downtime [pulled hamstring during the Class A Jupiter season]. He had more at-bats against a higher level of pitching. Those were the two goals we had for him, and he did it. He's an aggressive hitter, and he struggled against breaking balls. He understands now what he has to do to be more patient."

 

INF Josh Wilson, who missed action with a strained rib muscle: "We did not get what we wanted to get out of it because he got hurt. He's healthy now and played at the end."

 

OF Eric Reed, a taxi-squad player because of a wrist injury during the minor league season: "Eric got some at-bats, but he didn't get as many as we wanted because he was on the taxi squad, so he could only play on Wednesdays and Saturdays. He got to work with [Marlins minor league field coordinator] John Pierson, who lives out there. By being out here, we let Eric test his wrist and he knows it's fine."

 

RHP Jeff Fulchino: "He faced good hitters, a higher level of hitters. His success was so-so. Jeff had a substantial amount of work in Double-A. He will be competing for a job at Double-A or Triple-A."

 

RHP Mike McNutt: "Mike is a great kid. He had his ups and downs. He needs more work. Here, his walks were too high and his counts went too deep. This was good experience for him."

 

RHP Randy Messenger: "We got him to work on his split-finger [fastball]. That's something we wanted him to do. He got hit around a bit. We hope it's a lesson learned. He's got to pitch with the split to go along with his fastball. The split-finger will be a big factor if he wants to pitch in the big leagues."

 

http://florida.marlins.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/...s_fla&fext=.jsp

Hermida's power might finally be comin around...

 

very exciting

Hermida is my favorite player in the system as you all know.