JUPITER, Fla. -- Hints of what Hanley Ramirez is capable of are starting to appear.

 

When the Marlins acquired Ramirez from the Red Sox, they felt they were getting a five-tool shortstop. Now they are seeing tangible signs of what his potential could yield.

 

Ramirez belted his first home run of Spring Training on Thursday in the Marlins' 3-0 win over the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. His blast off Anthony Reyes in the third inning showcased the power Ramirez is projected to have.

 

The homer came one day after Ramirez went 3-for-3 against the Red Sox, the team that traded him for Mike Lowell and Josh Beckett in November.

 

"He's put together a pretty good little stretch here," Marlins manager Joe Girardi said. "The thing we've talked about the whole way is consistency through the whole year, understanding you are going to go through some struggles. How are you able to get out of them? Are you able to get out of them quicker than other players? Those are the great players."

 

The Marlins have yet to name a starting shortstop. Ramirez is battling Robert Andino, who had a strong Thursday afternoon in a split-squad meeting against the Nationals. Andino went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.

 

For the spring, Ramirez is batting .381. He seems to be settling in, and he may be making a push to win the job.

 

"We've seen the last few days what he's capable of," said Girardi. "That's exciting stuff."

 

The last couple of games, Ramirez has received a couple of scares. He was spiked on the right shin at second base on Wednesday by Boston's David Murphy, who was a Minor League teammate of his last year.

 

On Thursday, Ramirez was hit again on the same leg by St. Louis pinch-runner Reid Gorecki, who was trying to break up a double play.

 

"You go from being excited to panicking a little bit when a guy slides into him," Girardi said. "Your emotions can get a little wavy. For me, being a baseball player, it's just exciting to watch what kids can do. When you think about it, he probably should be a junior in college."

 

The 22-year-old Ramirez said: "I feel more comfortable now."

 

Girardi on Willis: Dontrelle Willis' rough outing for the United States in the World Baseball Classic on Wednesday didn't trouble Girardi too much. What concerned the Marlins manager was the high number of pitches (65) the D-Train threw in 2 2/3 innings in the United States' 8-6 loss to Canada.

 

"That's a lot of pitches -- 65 -- for him at that point of the season -- especially in 2 2/3 innings," Girardi said. "If it's 65 in five innings, you don't worry so much. It's a lot of pitches, but they said he was a little bit too amped up."

 

Lenny Harris hustled into the Marlins clubhouse late Wednesday afternoon to watch Willis on TV.

 

Even though Willis had his struggles, Harris couldn't help but be amused when the TV cameras panned the dugout. Harris saw Willis spitting out sunflower seeds.

 

The two have a friendly wager regarding sunflower seeds. It seems Willis believed he was chewing down too many bags of seeds in the past, and he pledged to kick the habit.

 

"He told me he was never going to eat sunflower seeds," Harris said. "There he was, right behind hitting coach Reggie Smith, crushing those seeds."

 

On the flip side, third baseman Miguel Cabrera homered for a second straight game while representing Venezuela.

 

"Miguel seems to be right where he always is -- locked in," Girardi said.

 

Nolasco, Olsen impressive: In their respective split-squad starts, Ricky Nolasco and Scott Olsen each turned in solid outings.

 

Nolasco pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the Cardinals, while Olsen didn't give up a run in three innings against the Nationals in Viera.

 

Nolasco was acquired from the Cubs as part of the Juan Pierre trade. He's doing his best to gain attention. Nolasco has a shot to be in the starting rotation, but he may open the year in the Minor Leagues, which is a similar situation for several young pitchers in camp.

 

"My goal coming in was just to open some eyes and give myself an honest shot and leave here with no regrets," the right-hander said after holding down the Cardinals.

 

Allison suspended: Former first-round pick Jeff Allison abruptly left Minor League camp, and he was suspended by the organization.

 

Selected in the first round of the 2003 First-Year Player Draft, Allison, a right-handed pitcher, has dealt with numerous off-field troubles, including dependency issues. It's uncertain if or when he will return, but the team said he is suspended for violating team rules.

 

This isn't the first time Allison has had an unexcused absence. In 2004, he walked out of camp and was placed on the restricted list.

 

Francona on the Marlins: Red Sox manager Terry Francona can relate to the Marlins' youth movement. From 1997-2000, Francona managed a youthful Phillies squad that went through growing pains.

 

When the Red Sox were in Jupiter facing the Marlins on Wednesday, Francona spoke about the Marlins' situation.

 

"My first year in Philadelphia was very similar," Francona said. "[The Marlins] have got a great guy. This is Joe's first time, but he's going to be patient, and he will grow with the team. That's the idea.

 

"It's so rewarding when you have young guys who come in and are enthusiastic, and maybe they can come in and upset some teams. But taking that next step is difficult, unless you infuse some money. That's what happened in my situation in Philadelphia. You see position players get better, and it's really neat. But then you better go spend some money on a quality bullpen or something. It's hard to take that next step."

 

Coming up: The Marlins will play the Orioles in a 1:05 p.m. ET game at Roger Dean Stadium on Friday. Right-hander Yusmeiro Petit is scheduled to start for Florida.

 

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if we decide to use Mitre in the bullpen as a long reliever, i think ricky nolasco will be our fifth starter. he's further along than all the other young pitchers not named olsen and vargas. jj is awesome, but he's got to improve his control if he wants to be a starter in the big show. nolasco has awesome control and great stuff.