Beinfest, Marlins Making Waves

August 10, 200323 yr

Sunday, August 10, 2003 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M.

Admin Stone / Baseball reporter

Beinfest, Marlins making waves

By Admin Stone

Seattle Times baseball reporter

ELIOT J. SCHECHTER / GETTY IMAGES

Florida pitcher Dontrelle Willis, 21, has drawn attention around the league, and especially in Miami, with his winning personality and his unusual delivery.

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The Florida Marlins are suddenly the hottest, most intriguing team in baseball, transforming from a 10-games-under-.500 train wreck in May into a legitimate wild-card contender.

In a related development, Admin Beinfest ? a one-time Mariners scouting and minor-league operations assistant who followed Jim Beattie to Montreal, then Montreal's ownership to Miami ? is an executive on the rise.

Indeed, some are suggesting Beinfest for Executive of the Year, not bad for a 39-year-old guy who was largely anonymous when he became Florida's general manager before last season.

His first big trade infuriated Marlins fans, who viewed it as the latest example of the team's never-ending cycle of payroll dumps since their '97 championship ? closer Antonio Alfonseca and starter Matt Clement to the Cubs for Julian Tavarez and three minor-leaguers.

They were right. It was a payroll dump. Oh, yeah ? one of those minor-leaguers was a promising young lefty named Dontrelle Willis.

Fast-forward one season, and the electrifying, 21-year-old Willis has been at the forefront of the Marlins' revival since he was called up from the minor leagues. So is a young-thinking, 73-year-old manager named Jack McKeon, handpicked by Beinfest to replace Jeff Torborg when he fired him in May.

Those two events, which occurred within three days of each other, are easily pinpointed by Beinfest as the start of a turnaround that has done the nearly impossible ? made baseball the buzz of South Florida even after the start of Dolphins preseason camp.

"We were beat up at the time, with three of our five starters hurt," Beinfest said in a telephone interview. "We really bottomed out. But the guys have really responded to Jack, and Willis has given us such a boost. Not just the phenomenon and his popularity, but what he's done with his performance. It's been huge."

The hiring of McKeon inspired guffaws and a raft of senior-citizen jokes, but now he's looking like Manager of the Year material (or at least Interim Manager of the Year).

Seven games under .500 when Torborg was fired, the Marlins actually fell to 10 games under (19-29) in McKeon's first week. But since then they are 21 games over .500 (44-23) heading into yesterday's games, and on Friday pulled into a tie with the Phillies for the National League's wild-card berth.

"You have to give Jack the credit," Beinfest said in a telephone interview. "He wants to win every day. He won't settle for anything less. He had a strong belief in this club. He went through a tough time early, but it's been turned around."

Another key moment for the Marlins occurred in July, when Beinfest surprisingly announced that All-Star slugger Mike Lowell, believed a foregone conclusion to be traded in another budgetary move, would remain for the season.

"I wanted to put an end to the rumors, which were rampant," Beinfest said. "I didn't want it to affect Mike, because a lot of good things were happening. You could feel the rhythm and the good feeling around the club. I didn't want anything to detract from that. I think it helped. It squelched the rumors about our core players, which were circulating early in the season, maybe for good reason."

Sensing they had a playoff-caliber team, Beinfest then solidified the bullpen in July by acquiring reliever Ugueth Urbina. The message was heard loud and clear in the clubhouse: Rather than dismantling, the Marlins were going for it.

Other Beinfest moves are paying off. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez, signed to a one-year, $10 million contract during the winter, has been outstanding. The offseason payroll dump of Preston Wilson and Charles Johnson to Colorado (which, in its convoluted machinations, makes Atlanta's Mike Hampton the Marlins' highest-paid player this year) gave them a strong leadoff man in Juan Pierre and, more importantly, payroll flexibility.

In spring training, Beinfest added Mark Redman (9-5, 2.92 earned-run average) from Detroit in a swap for young pitcher Gary Knotts. Earlier Beinfest pickups like Carl Pavano and Juan Encarnacion also helped.

But the big news in Florida, and now everywhere, has been Willis, a true sensation with his 11-2 record, funky delivery and refreshingly unaffected personality. More than anyone, he's responsible for making the Marlins a happening in Miami.

"It's been great," said Beinfest. "He's certainly brought a lot of attention to South Florida, which was a little attention-starved.

"But beyond the popularity, when he's on the mound, our team is very, very confident behind him. He has helped turned us around."

Give an assist to Beinfest, as well.

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