I would just like to thank Jonathan in advance for taking some time out of his busy days to grant us this interview. You can hear his Around the Minors podcasts at milb.com. He also has a blog over at mlblogs.com entitled http://minors.mlblogs.com/. Be sure to check those out and drop him some comments every now and then.

 

MaverickBall: The Marlins certainly have a ton of depth now after this latest batch of trading. How would you rank the Marlins in terms of overall pitching talent, including guys like Dontrelle Willis and Jason Vargas?

 

Jonathan Mayo: D-Train is and will be the ace for as long as he?s with the Marlins, as far as I?m concerned. The great number of prospects provides a tremendous amount of depth, but no one else strikes me as a true ace. After that, I?d probably rank them in this order:

 

Anibal Sanchez

Scott Olsen

Yusmeiro Petit

Josh Johnson

Jason Vargas

Ricky Nolasco

Renyel Pinto

Gaby Hernandez

Sergio Mitre

 

MaverickBall: What would be your guess as to what the 2008 rotation would look like for the Marlins?

 

Mayo: As for the 2008 rotation, here goes:

 

Dontrelle Willis

Anibal Sanchez

Josh Johnson

Jason Vargas

Renyel Pinto

 

MaverickBall: In regards to Anibal Sanchez, what do you think his ceiling is as a starter? Some have suggested that he could wind up being a closer down the road. Do you see him as a potential All Star and ace?? or move a 2/3 kind of guy?

 

Mayo: As for Sanchez, he has the stuff to be a frontline starter. Right now, distinguishing between an ?ace? and a No. 2 or 3 is hard to do at his stage of development. There are a couple of reasons people think he may be bullpen-bound. One is legitimate, and one is not. The first is his inconsistency with secondary pitches. He?s got the great fastball and command to go with it and he?s got an outstanding changeup. It?s the curve that causes trouble sometimes, and he?s going to need three pitches to excel as a starter in the big leagues. But there?s no reason to move him just yet. I think some people think relief when it comes to Sanchez because he?s not that big (6-foot, 180 pounds and had elbow surgery and missing the 2003 season. So they think he doesn?t have durability and will break down. But he threw 150+ innings last year, so I don?t see that as an issue.

 

MaverickBall: Out of the 2005 draftees by the Marlins, besides Chris Volstad, which player has the highest ceiling?

 

Mayo: So you want to know my thoughts on the highest ceiling 2005 draftee, excluding the guy who has the highest ceiling? OK?I won?t go past their next selection, Aaron Thompson, who originally looked like a tough sign. He?s got almost as much ceiling as Volstad.

 

MaverickBall: More and more there seems to be an ever younger youth movement throughout baseball. The idea of of a 25 year old prospect seems to drive many who earn a living projecting talent to label him as over the hill. Is there no room left for the guy who matures, both athletically and professionally at the ripe old age of 25 or so? Is potential longevity better served by giving a kid a chance to get out of diapers before he?s epected to throw 98 mph night in night out?

 

Mayo: There is a bit of ageism in baseball. In the world of Minor League baseball, it does seem that window starts to shut when you reach a certain age. Or at least you lose the ?prospect? label. Every year, there are guys who are exceptions to that rule ? ?late? bloomers, so to speak ? so much so that the rule doesn?t really hold water. I think that?s especially true of pitchers who sometimes need a little more development time before the proverbial light goes off. That being said, I think the whole age thing came into play because the thinking around baseball is that for the most part, if you?re not starting to get it after a certain amount of time in the Minors, then it?s probably not going to happen for you. That and the fact that age 27 has proven to be a peak year for so many players, ideally they get into the bigs a couple of years before that and then explode in that age 27 season.

 

MaverickBall: Speaking of late bloomers, what are your thoughts on players like Dan Uggla and Reggie Abercrombie, who some say are ?too old? for the levels that they played well at?

 

Mayo: I think there is some validity to the ?too old for level? label. It can be quickly erased by strong performances up the ladder, but to me, the ?too old? label just means that a specific player who fits in that category needs to show he can co it at a higher level. A college player who?s got a full year of pro ball under his belt, and might be 23 should dominate in A ball. Otherwise, he really doesn?t have a chance for a big league career. So the ?too old? guys need to move up, be challenged with a higher level. If they then continue to perform, then they lose the label. Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule, guys who seemingly are stuck and have no shot who have the light go off after a really long time.

 

As for your examples, each is different. Uggla?s been up and down in his Minor League career, but he?s always shown the ability to hit with power. He hasn?t handled jumps in levels all that well, which is why he?s moved so slowly since being drafted in 2001. But the guy is a gamer and probably can/will play above his tools. At the very least, I think, he?ll be a very nice utility guy for the Marlins. At best, he?ll play second nearly every day and hit a few out.

 

Abercrombie is the epitome of the super-athletic, toolsy guy who hasn?t been able to master the nuances of baseball. The guy can run and he has raw power. That can?t be questioned. But even with his hot start this spring, he swings at absolutely everything. Now, I?m one who thinks that plate discipline can be overblown as a necessity ? there are guys who swing early and often, but who make contact a lot (Howie Kendrick of the Angels comes to mind) ? but Abercrombie still doesn?t show the ability to make contact consistently enough to be a big-leaguer. There?s a reason he?s spent so much time in A-ball and hasn?t been able to get past Double-A. Could a light go off? Sure. Will it? I have my doubts (though I?ve certainly been wrong before).

 

MaverickBall: The Marlins organization is now stocked with talented pitching prospects. Would they be better off moving a couple of them now for position players, or waiting a season or two to further gauge which may be the most talented? I?d hate for them to deal away a Petit or Gaby Hernandez, then ultimately watch him turn out to be the best of the bunch?

 

Mayo: In an ideal world, sure they?d hold onto the pitching they?ve amassed to better evaluate. That being said, they almost have too much in the organization in terms of finding appropriate spots for everyone. And with pitchers, there?s always the risk of injury to worry about. That?s the flip side ? you may be better off dealing a guy sooner because if he gets hurt, then the trade value disappears. Last I heard, they will eventually trade a pitcher of some sort for a center fielder. It?s a risk, sure, but I think they?ve got enough talent at the upper levels, followed by the reinforcements down below (Volstad et al) that even if a guy ends up being tremendous someplace else, they?ll be OK.

 

MaverickBall: What do you make of Yusmeiro Petit. There?s a whole lot of scouts out there who hate his stuff, or lackthereof yet he keeps dominating at every level. What do you think holds in his future?

 

Mayo: Petit is a hard guy to figure out. I have a suspicion that he?s going to find some level of success despite the protestations of scouts. The key has always been the desire of some to see him succeed at the higher levels. He hit a bump in Triple-A last year, then was unbelievably good in the IL playoffs. Left-handed hitters also killed him last year, a slight cause for concern. Every time he moves up, people want to see him repeat his success at that level long-term. That being said, he?s on the cusp of hitting the big leagues and he?s only 21. I think it?d be good to get him some Triple-A time, see how he handles the tough conditions in Albuquerque and the PCL and then call him up at some point during this season. I think he?s got a future as a big-league starter, but something keeps me from expecting the same kind of dominance once he establishes himself.

 

MaverickBall: Not sure if you saw this, but the Marlins are going to try Jason Stokes in left field for the next few games, as it seems Josh Willingham is getting the hang of this catching thing. I would love for this to work out, but last time Stokes played left he got hurt and complained a bit(back when Adrian Gonzalez was the Marlins 1b of the future). If he cant play league average defense in LF, I assume he goes back to AAA and mashes the crap out of the ball until the Marlins move him to another team down the line. What do you think of this one time top prospect for the Fish?? FYI, around some Marlins fans he is known as LT Stokes, the LT standing for Light Tower.

 

Mayo: If Stokes is healthy, his power is legit, in any league. He?s still only 24, so he?s got plenty of time. Yes, I saw the OF move. If he can handle that ? he did play the outfield once upon a time ? that should win him a job and get him some at-bats. I did hear talk that there is a chance he could end up winning the first-base job, or maybe he ends up in a platoon with Jacobs, now that it seems that Willingham will be OK behind the plate.

 

Again, Id like to thank Jonathan Mayo for granting us some of his free time. You can hear his Around the Minors podcasts at http://minors.mlblogs.com/. He also has a blog over at mlblogs.com entitled http://minors.mlblogs.com/. Be sure to check those out and drop him some comments every now and then.

link to original and if you would like leave him a comment or ask him a question of your own

Very nice job, good answers.

 

What's up with the Volstadt question though?

Great job Ramp. A million guys a week start websites but you've really followed through and created something of substance. :thumbup

Very nice job, good answers.

 

What's up with the Volstadt question though?

 

which one?

 

Great job Ramp. A million guys a week start websites but you've really followed through and created something of substance. :thumbup

 

thanks 03

The one about the 2005 draft. I just found it kinda funny the way he answered it.

Great interview Ramp, I really enjoy it.

Thanks, Mavramp. Good stuff.

Horrible interview!! Complete waste of time. Bush!! Bush!

 

 

Nah, that was great!! I loved how he gave you the business over Volstad, when obviously everyone and their mother knows he has the most upside so you were asking which of our OTHER guys he liked.

 

Solid work.

Good questions, good answers. Good read. Thanks.

Good stuff man...and Lefty I think the question your talking about was a good question to ask. Maybe he wasn't expecting something like that that, but I think we all figure that Volstad has the highest ceiling so it's interesting to see what the 'experts' think is the second best pitcher out of the bunch

Good stuff man...and Lefty I think the question your talking about was a good question to ask. Maybe he wasn't expecting something like that that, but I think we all figure that Volstad has the highest ceiling so it's interesting to see what the 'experts' think is the second best pitcher out of the bunch

 

I think the question was great.

 

I was referring to the answer.

Thanks Ramper, & great stuff as usual. :thumbup

Enjoyable read, Ramp.

 

So Olsen is 3rd highest rated starter, yet isn't projected to be in the 2008 rotation? How is that?

Enjoyable read, Ramp.

 

So Olsen is 3rd highest rated starter, yet isn't projected to be in the 2008 rotation? How is that?

 

I guess he thinks he will be moved

outstanding as always, rampo.

interesting he thinks pinto will be a starter for us in 08..

 

i would think nolasco has a better chance

interesting he thinks pinto will be a starter for us in 08..

 

i would think nolasco has a better chance

 

 

I agree seeing that Nolasco has an excellent chance of starting for us some time this year.