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The Marlins Could Surprise You

In the midst of my player projections for the 2006 Roto Authority Fantasy Baseball Guide, I realized just how stacked the Marlins are with young talent. If fire sales didn't leave fan bases in ruins, Florida's strategy of trading every veteran at once for top prospects could become a blueprint for success.

 

Now, the Fish might still have a hard time topping .500 in 2006. But so did the Tigers, Mariners, and Giants in 2005, and those clubs spent a big chunk of change on free agents and old guys. As the signings get worse every year, I'm starting to question whether signing a major free agent is ever a good move. Except for the rare superstar in his prime (Vlad), most free agent acquisitions end poorly.

 

Let's take a look at the Marlins' 2006 lineup.

 

C - Josh Willingham - He's been ready for a starting job in the Majors since 2004. Hit an incredible .324/.455/.676 in 219 Triple A at-bats this year. If his hitting remotely resembles that line, any defensive ability Joe Girardi can instill is gravy.

 

1B - Mike Jacobs - He can fill in behind the plate as well. Hit 36 HR between Double A and the Majors in '05. He's at least a 20 HR stick in the bigs. With Jason Stokes pushing towards the big club, one of these guys might have to learn to play LF.

 

2B - Dan Uggla - At 25, this guy is too old to be a prospect. But on a team with nothing to lose, he deserves a crack at the job after hitting .297/.378/.502 in Double A.

 

SS - Hanley Ramirez/Josh Wilson/Alfredo Amezaga - Give 'em all a shot, see who sticks. There's no pressure in the 8th spot in the Marlins' order. Amezaga looked tolerable in 185 Triple A at-bats this year.

 

3B - Miguel Cabrera - A superstar at age 22. Need I say more?

 

LF - Chris Aguila - Another over the hill prospect who could stick if given the chance. Hit .355/.412/.630 in 138 Triple A at-bats after a passable showing in '04.

 

CF - Eric Reed - Assuming the Fish don't acquire Joey Gathright, Reed has drawn Juan Pierre comparisons. Baseball America said he may be "faster and a better defender" than Pierre. Hit .310/.335/.404 in with 17 steals 171 Triple A at-bats; could be ready to contribute by midseason.

 

RF - Jeremy Hermida - An early Rookie of the Year favorite. Hermida has ridiculous power and on-base skills at age 21, and is a legitimate 20/20 candidate for '06.

 

I think a lot of Major League teams will put a much worse starting nine on the field every day than this. Sure, guys like Reed, Aguila, Ramirez, and Uggla might not be ready, but the Fish can still field a competitive lineup.

 

This post is getting a bit long, so I think I'll leave the starting rotation for next time. I think the young group of starters could be more than serviceable next year, even without Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett.

I think he's being a little too optimistic. He fails to realize that the Pacific Coast League, where the Isotopes play, is a well-known hitters' league. It's the real reason why guys like Aguila and Willingham have such crazy stats.

I think he's being a little too optimistic. He fails to realize that the Pacific Coast League, where the Isotopes play, is a well-known hitters' league. It's the real reason why guys like Aguila and Willingham have such crazy stats.

 

 

Correct me if I am wrong but Willingham had pretty good stats in AA too.

Aguila I'm a little suspicious of but willy has never looked lost at the plate and has been pretty highly rated for a while. I think with some at bats he can put at least 15 homers up with a decent average.

A little optimism never hurts, but he did say that we'd probably struggle to top .500 next season, so be careful not to take this and run with it.

 

2006 is going to be a long year.

one can only hope

I just want people to be prepared for a long year.

There's not a single guy over 30 to teach the young guys, which is why I was hoping they would hold onto Conine.

Who is this Conine that you speak of?

If Stokes learns to play LF we may be looking at a pretty good lineup.

 

Willingham, Jacobs, and Hermedia can all swing lumber and Cabs is amazing. The rotation won't suck either, the big problem will be the bullpen and we will lose a lot of games late as a result. This team can get good again really quickly.

If we win 70 games it will be a good season, I think the writer under-estimates the mental errors in the field that rookies usually make and while some of the prospects look good they have to prove it on the highest level day after day in the grind that is the regular season. Personally i think we will score alot of runs but our defense , relief pitching, and starting pitching are going to struggle as they learn on the fly

Wow if Stokes can rebound from his injury and be the player we were hoping for before it imagine what our potential lineup could be in maybe two years.

 

1) Reed, Aguila, Abercombie, Gathright-CF

2) Willingham-C

3) Hermida-RF

4) Cabrera-3B

5) Jacobs-LF

6) Stokes-1B

7) Uggla-2B

8) Ramirez-SS

9) Pitcher

 

2-6 batters all have the potential to hit over 20 homers and 100 RBIs :drool

If the team loses less than a 100 games than I would consider it a good season. If the team wins 70+ games I will be ecstatic.

We are stacked with young talent for sure. There is every reason for optimism for the future....but it will take time for everything to come together. We should be competitive by 2007.