Article on Hermida

February 4, 200620 yr

02/03/2006 1:00 PM ET

Hermida ready to seize the day

Young right fielder excited about full-time job with Marlins

By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com

MIAMI -- What they lack in experience, the youthful Marlins look to make up for in work habits.

The rash of offseason trades and free agent departures has basically wiped clean the roster from their regulars of years' past. In their place, a group of newcomers is stepping into a rebuilding process as the organization moves in a different direction.

Cynics envision a long season for the Marlins. Rookie right fielder Jeremy Hermida, however, sees a golden opportunity and a chance for a youthful squad to be part of something special down the road.

A first-round pick in 2002, Hermida has been the club's top prospect the past four seasons. Now the 22-year-old Marietta, Ga., native is getting his chance to be a big-league regular.

"I'd rather be going into it this way, where people are expecting nothing, than people expecting us to win the World Series," Hermida said. "Teams like the Yankees, Boston and the Braves are under the microscope. Everybody is scrutinizing them. For us, if we have a .500 season, it's going to be looked at as a good year. Right now everybody is expecting us to have a losing season, like we're on the bottom looking up."

Organizationally, the Marlins are dealing with some pressing issues. They felt compelled to radically reduce payroll because of an unsettled stadium issue. As Spring Training approaches with pitchers and catchers reporting to Jupiter, Fla., on Feb. 18, team officials are trying to figure out the long-term stability of the franchise.

As club representatives explore relocation options and possible stadium sites in South Florida, players like Hermida are planning on doing their part: and that's playing baseball.

A Minor League All-Star at Double-A Carolina last year, Hermida made his Major League debut on the last day of August. Hyped for years as a future big-league star, Hermida made an immediate splash by belting a pinch-hit grand slam in his first at-bat. He was the second player in history -- and first in 107 years -- to homer with the bases full in his first at-bat.

In all, Hermida appeared in 23 games with the Marlins, and he hit .293 with four homers and 11 RBIs. With 41 at-bats, Hermida has a small sampling of what life in the Major Leagues is all about.

For the most part, his playing time was limited until the Marlins fell out of Wild Card contention in late September. As important as the action on the field was to him, he gained a valuable education just sitting on the bench and being in the clubhouse.

"September baseball is something I'd never been through in my whole life," he said. "What I picked up is somebody's fate can turn around real quickly. Little things, if not done right, can come back and get you."

Hermida figured out quickly that knowledge is king at the Major League level. Big leaguers study each other, pitchers and hitters alike, breaking down each other's weaknesses.

On the bench, Hermida made it a point to pick the brain of slugger Carlos Delgado, who was dealt to the Mets this offseason.

"Delgado helped me," Hermida said. "He knows pitchers inside and out. Being that we are both left-handed hitters, I'd pick his brain. He'd tell me what pitchers would throw to try to get him out. Not that they'd throw me the same pitches, but it helped. These relievers are guys I knew nothing about. I didn't know what they threw. I knew their names, and that was it."

At Double-A, Hermida had a familiarity with pitchers he'd see on a regular basis. But in general, there wasn't the studying of players at that level, and good hitters could get away with mistakes more easily.

With the Marlins, Hermida has more resources at his disposal, like detailed scouting reports and a comprehensive video room. Never one to do much breaking down of video in the past, he plans on doing so now. He also intends to ask questions of the veteran players on the squad.

"That's something I'm going to do a lot more of, picking the brains of a lot of players," he says.

Last September, Hermida was more guarded about approaching veterans because the team was in the heat of the Wild Card race and he was a newcomer.

But he observed the work ethic of Juan Pierre, typically the first player at the ballpark. While Pierre has since been traded to the Cubs, Hermida sees a chance for the new Marlins to continue the preparation practices the speedy center fielder established.

"I hope we can all feed off each other," Hermida said. "Juan had a lot of pride being the first person at the field. That makes other guys get there early, and work extra. Sometimes that can lift a whole team."

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