February 16, 200521 yr From ESPN What must go right: Josh Beckett lorded over hitters in the 2003 postseason, dominating the Yankees on three days of rest to wrap up the World Series. But Beckett's regular-season contributions during his career have been much more modest -- a career record of 26-26, with an ERA of 3.49. The Marlins have a terrific lineup, with Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo hitting in front of Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Delgado, Mike Lowell and Paul Lo Duca; they've got a lot of reason for hope. But if Beckett and A.J. Burnett don't lead the staff, Florida isn't going anywhere. What could go wrong: Guillermo Mota has been one of the best set-up men in the game, but now he'll be asked to take over for Armando Benitez, who had one of the most dominant performances in baseball last year. Like many small- and mid-market teams, the weak underbelly of the Marlins is their bullpen, and it could be that Mota won't make a successful transition to closing, or that those replacing Mota will have a tough time ferrying leads to him. The X-Factor: Burnett threw very hard after returning to the rotation last year, and he seemed to gain command late in the summer; from Aug. 12 onward, he made six consecutive quality starts. And then he had to shut it down. He can be overpowering when he pitches -- but keeping him in the rotation can be a problem. Numerically speaking: Miguel Cabrera is 21 years old, and already has 174 RBI and 101 extra-base hits in 917 at-bats in the majors. And that's before Carlos Delgado was slotted into the lineup behind him.
February 16, 200521 yr sounds about right to me - great lineup with speed at the top and power in the middle; a rotation that depends on a few guys who have great upside but have been question marks so far, and an unproven closer. it'll be interesting.
February 16, 200521 yr I agree, the fate of our season will rest on whether Mota can get the job done and if AJ and Josh can stay healthy.
February 17, 200521 yr Very good synopsis. I can't wait for the season to start! Let's get it on. :thumbup
February 17, 200521 yr the offense will be fine.......the Bullpen will shake it's self out .....again.....our season rests on Josh and AJ.....if both preform to what there talents are capable of....we win.....if not......it will be very very very hard for us to win.........there it is.........it's up to Josh and AJ in my book
February 17, 200521 yr Like Everlong said, The fate of the season isn't on the bullpen.. it's on the health of our SP. If one goes down (knock on wood), we are in trouble.
February 17, 200521 yr I cant wait for the season to get started already, so hopefully we can finally see Josh and AJ live up to there potential.
February 17, 200521 yr Keys to the season - AJ, Josh and Mota......they need to live up to the expectations given to them.
February 17, 200521 yr Author Like Everlong said, The fate of the season isn't on the bullpen.. it's on the health of our SP. If one goes down (knock on wood), we are in trouble. 688213[/snapback] I would say our potential problem could be either starting pitching or our bullpen. Let's hope our biggest problem is getting everyone enough playing time because we're doing so well :thumbup
February 17, 200521 yr Yep that article is correct. If we start seeing blisters again and other things to burnett and beckett we wont be as good
February 17, 200521 yr yep thats the report on the marlins,Beckett and Burnett have to stay healthy and win at least 15 games each...Mota must close out games or Alfonseca will take over quickly....also leiter,willis,valdez must also stay healthy cause all the candidates for spot starts are horrible...The line-up will be fine even if a starter has a stint on the DL....
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