Q&A with Marlins writer Juan Rodriguez

 

Q: How bad are the Marlins' middle relievers? Is there any relief in sight? If the bullpen was even halfway decent, wouldn't we be fighting for the division title -- and not the wild card? Eric Zellner, N. Miami Beach, FL

 

A: Middle relief is nowhere near the top reason why the Marlins aren't challenging for the National League East right now. Their situational left-handed relief has left something to be desired at times, but guys like Antonio Alfonseca, Jim Mecir, and Guillermo Mota have formed a relatively sturdy bridge between the starters and closer Todd Jones. Mecir is on the disabled list now but should be back before month's end. Alfonseca has been steady since his return. The Marlins really need Mota to be the lights-out setup man he was the last two seasons.

 

Q: Will Tim Spooneybarger ever be healthy? George Sanchez, Pompano Beach, FL

 

A:Spooneybarger is having a miserable time working his way back from the Tommy John procedure he underwent in September 2003. It's been one setback after another, the latest coming last month when he left a game at Class A Jupiter with elbow soreness. Spooneybarger underwent another elbow surgery last week to repair muscle in the area, but the good news is his transplanted ligament is fine. As far as if or when he might pitch in the majors again, your guess is as good as mine.

 

Q: Didn't the Marlins do a terrible job handling the whole A.J. Burnett trade saga? Why didn't they just come out and squash all the rumors like they did with Mike Lowell last season, instead of having your best pitcher hanging in the wind? Will this come back to haunt the team when they go to re-sign him? Mark Cassano, Ramapo, NJ

 

A:They didn't squash all the trade rumors because up until the last week or so before the trade deadline they were fully prepared to move Burnett. Now that he's won six straight games it's easy to say, "What were they thinking?" but Burnett was 5-6 with a 3.64 ERA before his current run. The chances of Burnett, a free agent after this season, re-signing here were slim to none well before the Marlins started listening to offers. It behooved the front office to see what he might bring back. Compensatory first-round picks are nice, but if the Marlins could have secured a package of young, quality major-leaguers for him, that might have been something worth considering.

 

Q: Were you surprised that Al Leiter would rip Jack McKeon like that? I just thought Leiter was a classy guy. Spencer Lawton, Sarasota, FL

 

A: Rip is a strong word. The way I interpreted Leiter's comments was that McKeon did things a little differently than other managers for whom Leiter has played. Leiter is a cerebral guy who enjoys deep discussion about the game. It's not that McKeon wasn't capable of engaging Leiter in that regard, but he's more of a let the players play type of manager. McKeon likes to keep things simple whereas Leiter at times has trouble staying out of his own head. I think that frustrated McKeon and others, contributing to why Leiter felt he was unwanted. Bottom line, I don't think the two personalities meshed.

 

Q: How could Jack McKeon bench Jeff Conine? Why not start him over Juan Encarnacion, whose wrist is still bothering him? Isn't Conine better offensively and defensively anyway? Eric Schaller, Homestead, FL

 

A:Ideally, both should be in the lineup, but that would require benching Mike Lowell. Conine did a tremendous job filling in for Carlos Delgado while he was on the disabled list and showed he can still be a productive starting offensive player. Yet, even Conine realizes he shouldn't start over Encarnacion, who has been the Marlins third-best hitter behind Cabrera and Delgado. Encarnacion, who is working his way back from a wrist problem, is the superior player in right. Conine can hold his own in left, but where he really makes a difference defensively is first, a spot that's well spoken for.

 

Q: I know he's having a terrible year at the plate, but isn't Mike Lowell having a Gold Glove season at third base? Glen Alvers, Navasota, TX

 

A:Absolutely. If voters can look past the offensive numbers, which they should but rarely do, Lowell deserves to win his first Gold Glove considering Scott Rolen has been out so much. Unbeknownst until this season, Lowell in 2004 set the record for fewest errors by a third baseman. Maybe if that had been publicized at the proper time, he could have garnered a little more support for the award last season. Lowell isn't flashy, but he's a difference maker defensively, evidenced in part by his recent execution of the hidden ball trick.

 

Q: Is Ismael Valdez better suited coming out of the bullpen? Also, did Jason Vargas come out of nowhere or what? Ron Dinone, Riviera Beach, FL

 

A:Not sure whether Valdez is better suited to being a reliever. After starting for so long, he'll no doubt require an adjustment period. Valdez realizes that's what's best for the team at this point, considering how well Vargas is pitching. I wouldn't say Vargas came out of nowhere. Remember, he was the Marlins' second-round pick in 2004 out of Long Beach State. Perhaps the Marlins didn't think he'd make such a significant contribution at the big-league level this quickly, but they knew he was talented. They told him he'd have every opportunity to make a quick climb up the system and Vargas took advantage.

 

Q: Has Brian Moehler received the worst run support of any starter in baseball? Al Villareal, Columbus, GA

 

A: For much of the season he did, but that distinction now belongs to Kip Wells of the Pirates, who was getting 2.72 runs per nine innings through Wednesday. Moehler got a no-decision in his last start Aug. 11 against the Diamondbacks despite throwing 6 2/3 shutout innings. The Marlins scored one run that game. They have averaged 2.25 runs in Moehler's last four starts and 9.0 runs during a four-start stretch from July 2-20.

 

Q: What are the Marlins' long-term and short-term plans for Chris Aguila? Ryan Hennessy, Coral Gables, FL

 

A: Short-term, Aguila will continue his role as a reserve outfielder. Every time Aguila has had regular playing time in the minors he's hit well. Whether he gets that chance in the majors with the Marlins is speculative. He could probably be a serviceable starting outfielder, but that opportunity might be here. Juan Pierre will likely remain in center next season. Miguel Cabrera will stay in left unless the Marlins trade Mike Lowell. Assuming they don't re-sign Juan Encarnacion, the Marlins may give Aguila a look in right next spring training along with top prospect Jeremy Hermida.

 

Q: Isn't Alex Gonzalez as much to blame for the Marlins' poor run production as anyone? He only has five home runs after hitting 23 last season? Jeremy Abramson, Gaithersburg, MD

 

A: In some ways Gonzalez is a better offensive player this season than last and in others he isn't. Gonzalez is hitting for a higher average and getting on base more frequently, but you're right in that his home run and RBI numbers are considerably down. McKeon has said he would just as soon have last year's Gonzalez. He's already been in the league five years, but I think Gonzalez still is trying to find himself offensively. My guess is he'll eventually achieve a happy medium between the 23-homer, .270 on-base guy he was last season and the five-homer, .330 on-base guy he is in 2005.

 

Q: Is it true that Miguel Cabrera is still one of the lowest-paid players on the team? Why don't the Marlins lock him up for the next 5-6 years? The guy is a superstar. Mitch Stiles, Fort Myers, FL

 

A: Through no fault of his own, Miguel Cabrera's 2005 salary is not commensurate with his talent. He is making $370,000, about $54,000 more than the league minimum. Until a player qualifies for arbitration, generally after three years of service time, he has little say over his salary. Since Cabrera won't be arbitration-eligible until after the 2006 season, chances are the Marlins will give him another token raise next year. They won't be making Cabrera happy, but a team like the Marlins needs to have as many players outperforming their contracts as possible to remain financially viable. Because of the way the system is set up, Cabrera has to bite the bullet now, but he knows huge dollars are coming his way. Signing Cabrera to a five-year deal right now would likely require no less than a $30 million commitment.

 

Q: Is Juan Pierre showing any signs of breaking out of his season-long slump? I can't believe he's having such a bad year. Kyle Morganthaler, Covington, LA

 

A: For a while it looked like Juan Pierre was his old self. After being stuck in the .245-.265 range from late May through early July, Pierre put together a nice run and got his average up to .281 on July 26. Plus, he was stealing bases again with great success. Since then, he's fallen back into a 16-for-89 slump through Wednesday. Pierre is quite capable of finishing up with a flurry, which is exactly what the offense needs to get kick started.

 

Q: How do you like the Marlins' chances of making the playoffs? Stacey Hagemeir, Aventura, FL

 

A: Tough call. My guess is it will take no less than 90 wins to clinch the wild card. If that's the case, the Marlins would have to win 28 of their last 43 games to reach that plateau. I don't doubt they have good enough starting pitching to put together such a run, but I wonder whether they'll score enough. The offense has not shown the kind of consistency needed to play 13 games over .500 the rest of the way, especially in light of the schedule. Except for four games against the Astros, the Marlins play solely within the National League East the final month. Everyone in the division has a winning record, so it's difficult to envision the Marlins steamrolling their way through September.

Good Q&A. I agree with Juan for the most part

Good responses by the article's author

Q: How bad are the Marlins' middle relievers? Is there any relief in sight? If the bullpen was even halfway decent, wouldn't we be fighting for the division title -- and not the wild card? Eric Zellner, N. Miami Beach, FL

 

A: Middle relief is nowhere near the top reason why the Marlins aren't challenging for the National League East right now. Their situational left-handed relief has left something to be desired at times, but guys like Antonio Alfonseca, Jim Mecir, and Guillermo Mota have formed a relatively sturdy bridge between the starters and closer Todd Jones. Mecir is on the disabled list now but should be back before month's end. Alfonseca has been steady since his return. The Marlins really need Mota to be the lights-out setup man he was the last two seasons.

 

Thank god someone said it, I'm sick of Peter Gammons and John Kruk say that the marlins will win the wild card if their middle relievers come around.

Nice answers from Juan

excellent answers, but one thing i'd take issue with: it's true the marlins have virtually all of their games within the NL east in september, and therefore have no cakewalk series, but the same is true of philly, washington and NY, 3 of the 4 other contenders i.e. they're all playing each other.

 

the one team that leaves, of course, is houston, but they have to play florida, philly from the east, as well as 2 series against st. louis, as well as several series against just-barely-under-.500 chicago and milwaukee.

 

when the marlins are hot they can whupp anyone, and when they're cold, bottom-feeders like pittsburgh and tampa whupp them. i think that's gonna have a much stronger effect than strength of schedule.