September 8, 200322 yr baseballprospectus.com on the fish Mr. Marlin: On Aug. 31 the Marlins acquired old friend Jeff Conine from the Orioles for two of the better pitchers in their system: Denny Bautista and Don Levinski. Conine was brought aboard to help compensate for the loss of Mike Lowell, who, the day before, had broken his left hand. Conine was known as "Mr. Marlin" during his first stint with the team in 1993-1997. He played every game in the franchise's inaugural season, was their lone All-Star in 1994 and 1995, and played on the 1997 World Champion squad. Conine is supposedly popular in South Florida, although it's not clear how that would translate into extra dollars or any tangible effect for the Fish--his first four home contests officially drew about 11,000 per game, which is even less than the team usually draws. (There's plenty of talk in the local papers that the attendance totals, poor as they are, are inflated too.) Conine is 37 years old, although he has actually aged well. His numbers this year (.284/.332/.446, EqA of .279) aren't really out of line with his performance the past several years. Year Age EqA 1997 31 .265 1998 32 .256 1999 33 .271 2000 34 .270 2001 35 .300 2002 36 .275 2003 37 .279 That said, these numbers are barely average for a first baseman or a left fielder, which are the only positions Conine can play. He is an adequate player to plug a hole while you are looking around for a real solution, having had just one good season since 1996. With the loss of Lowell and Florida's continued playoff contention, a 30-day rental of Conine makes sense. Oh, except it is not a rental--they actually reworked his deal to keep him in teal through 2005, reportedly paying him $3 million for each of the next two seasons. Conine is playing LF for now (with Miguel Cabrera switching to his natural 3B), but will likely end up replacing Derrek Lee next season when Lee is non-tendered. Conine is older and worse than Lee both offensively and defensively, and also older and worse than Kevin Millar, who the team didn't want last off-season, even for less than they are now paying Conine. The Rookie: Dontrelle Willis' fine performance on Sunday--in which he took a two-hit shutout into the eighth and settled for a 3-1 victory over the fading Expos in a game that saw on-field temperatures hit an unfathomable 153 degrees on the field--was pleasant to see. The media, even more analytical types, tend to jump on and off bandwagons fairly rapidly. Sure, Willis struggled for a while. Yes, Brandon Webb has been the better pitcher and ought to be the Rookie of the Year front-runner. But Willis has maintained solid overall numbers despite his brief rough patch during the dog days, and is still a great story. Despite not making it up until mid-May, he's grabbed a spot in the top 30 among all MLB pitchers for Support-Neutral Wins Above Replacement-level (SNWAR), mainly while pitching in the midst of a tight pennant race. If you were impressed in June, there is no reason not to be now. Upcoming Schedule: Well, not many of us thought the Marlins' September schedule would be of any importance, but here we are. They have won eight of 10 and sit one game back of the Wild Card lead, trailing only the Phillies. @New York (3) Atlanta (3) @Philadelphia (3) @Atlanta (4) Philadelphia (3) New York (3) This group of teams illustrates the danger of eyeballing a club's upcoming schedule based on the records of their opponents. The Mets have been out of the race for months, but have actually played well the past six weeks. The Braves have long had the division title in the bag but have been playing pedestrian baseball of late. If the Marlins hang tight, the six games against the Phillies could decide the race.
September 8, 200322 yr I wonder how these 'geniuses' rated our acquisition of Pudge when the season started. Funny how trades seem so apparent after they are made...
September 8, 200322 yr that Kevin Millar move will never die, lol.... :banghead Yea we could of put him LF if we still had him. He was starting to get hot with us but now is playing for the Sox which he is hitting way over .300 with 20+ Homers. Why do most articles are always negative to what we do. First was Pudge, now Conine.
September 8, 200322 yr why didn't we think it was a good idea to keep Millar? $$? The guy is dirt cheap and an all out hustle kind of guy. I really hated that move. Glad he didn't go to the Chunichi Dragons though.
September 8, 200322 yr that Kevin Millar move will never die, lol.... :banghead It will when we win the World Series Just give it time
September 9, 200322 yr Who would you rather have, Mark Redman and Jeff Conine or Kevin Millar? Thank you, good night, and make sure to tip your waitress.
September 9, 200322 yr Who would you rather have, Mark Redman and Jeff Conine or Kevin Millar? Thank you, good night, and make sure to tip your waitress. Why would keeping Millar mean not having Mark Redman? It's not like Redman's salary means anything. Oh, and what happened to trading Knotts and Robertson for a nice plug in player? None of this Bautista and Snare and Gonzalez and Levinski and Smith crap.
September 9, 200322 yr You realize we could have gotten Millar for roughly one more million? I would much rather have Redman, Millar, Levinski, and Bautista. Not to mention he signed for .6 million less then the legendary Conine. :plain
September 9, 200322 yr Why would keeping Millar mean not having Mark Redman? It's not like Redman's salary means anything. If we had kept Millar, we wouldn't have the money to get Redman, despite his small salary. So, it was one or the other. Oh, and what happened to trading Knotts and Robertson for a nice plug in player? None of this Bautista and Snare and Gonzalez and Levinski and Smith crap. Those three guys were no Gonzalez, Bautista, or Levinski.
September 9, 200322 yr We spent 10M on Pudge what was another million? In reality we spent $3 Million, seeing that we'll be paying for the rest later on. The reason they differed his money in the first place was basically because we could barely afford the $3 Mill we are giving him for this year. If we had more money to go around, that contract wouldn't have been differed.
September 9, 200322 yr Couldnt we have deferred the one extra million for Millar as well? Plus you are totally ignoring the fact that we are actually paying Conine .6 million MORE then we would have paid Millar. 5.3M for 2 years (Millar) 6M for 2 years (Conine...plus Levinski and Bautista) continue to defend the move if you must.
September 9, 200322 yr you win some you lose som. Admin did a good job because he was forced to w/ budget. no gm is perfect. he did a good jobb so far doe
September 9, 200322 yr Yea we could of put him LF if we still had him. He was starting to get hot with us but now is playing for the Sox which he is hitting way over .300 with 20+ Homers. Why do most articles are always negative to what we do. First was Pudge, now Conine. i didnt kno that .288 was over .300?
September 9, 200322 yr yea i kno, its like wen i got arrested. i told my mom to get me a good lawyer but in juvy public defenders are actually better. should have went with the PD lol
September 9, 200322 yr damned if you do damned if you dont i dont get it with some of you first lol at kerry robinson. Next, I would have loved a move if it cost us a marginal prospect and would have been fine with the status quo, so I dont know where the "damned if you dont" part fits in describing me.
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