By Joe Capozzi

 

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

 

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

 

It has become Dontrelle Willis' rally cry, a cheer yelled from the Marlins dugout every time Hanley Ramirez scores another run or Dan Uggla gets another hit or Mike Jacobs goes deep or Scott Olsen gets a big strikeout."They hear me say it," Willis said," all the time: 'The rookie of the year goes to the Florida Marlins.' "

 

Willis has standing to make such a prediction. Three years ago, the left-handed pitcher jumped from Class AA to become the first Marlin to win the National League's top rookie honor. But more than two months into the season, the league's 2006 rookie race is shaping up to be close with plenty of candidates who don't wear a Marlins uniform.

 

Uggla leads all rookies with 74 hits and a.310 batting average. He's also tied for first with 10 home runs and second with 36 RBI. Ramirez leads with 50 runs scored and 18 stolen bases.

 

But they face competition from one of the most talented rookie pools in recent years. Solid numbers have been put up by Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder, who went ahead of Uggla Monday for the home-run lead and was the National League's Rookie of the Month for April.

 

Washington third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has nine homers and 38 RBI, and Arizona first baseman/outfielder Conor Jackson leads his team with 36 RBI.

 

"I don't think anyone has an edge," Marlins manager Joe Girardi said. "We obviously have some candidates, but I know Prince Fielder is going to be a candidate and Ryan Zimmerman is going to be candidate."

 

Keep an eye on recent callups such as Matt Kemp, who has hit six home runs in his first 13 games for the Dodgers, and Padres second baseman Josh Barfield, who has struggled recently after a hot start.

 

"Last year, you had Ryan Howard and Jeff Francoeur. This year there are lots of guy," said retired player Bobby Wine, a respected scout for the Atlanta Braves.

 

Among the 14 rookies on Florida's roster, Jacobs and Jeremy Hermida are showing signs of overcoming early struggles and injuries.

 

"We're pulling for each other," Ramirez said. "I don't care who wins. I'm just going to be proud if one of my teammates wins it."

 

With six rookies in their starting lineup, the Marlins are the most inexperienced team. Their starting rotation has three rookies who have been pitching well ? Olsen, Ricky Nolasco and Josh Johnson, who edged Uggla to win NL Rookie of the Month honors for May.

 

But odds are they'll continue to improve as the season progresses, with many regulars projected to have more than 500 at-bats.

 

"That's unusual for a rookie," said Girardi, who has played 18 rookies this year, including eight who made their big-league debuts. "I think they're different players than they were on Day 1, and I think they'll be different in Game 162."Padres reliever Trevor Hoffman said the rookie race will get clearer after the All-Star break.

 

"Fielder is having a pretty good start. You can take a handful of you guys over there," he said, nodding toward the Marlins dugout. "Olsen threw the (heck) out of the ball the other night. Hanley's the real deal. Someone is going to separate."And Willis will be leaning against the dugout railing, cheering on his teammates. "It's fun to watch because I'm not too far removed from that. I know exactly how it feels to go out there and have no one believe in you but yourself and your teammates, yet you go out there and succeed," Willis said. "I'd be very upset if the Rookie of the Year doesn't come out of this clubhouse."

 

If that happens, Willis said credit should go to Florida's coaching staff and veterans such as Wes Helms, Matt Herges and Joe Borowski, who have helped their young teammates adjust.

 

"It all starts at the top," Willis said. "I was very fortunate to come up with Mike Lowell, Jeff Conine and Pudge Rodriguez. When guys like that are encouraging, the sky's the limit."

 

 

 

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/conten...rlins_0613.html

 

How can you not love Dontrelle?

What a change from last year when rookies that were eligable (in both time up in the Majors as well as stats) were far and in between.

I freakin love the guy and really hope he stays with the Fish for his entire career...even though it might benefit us to trade him for the huge bounty that would result. Still, professional atheletes of his energy, love of the game, and skill are incredibly rare in any sport. Not to mention he still has the upside of being a very durable ace among aces.

I heart D-train

Dontrelle is the man, he HAS to stay a Marlin or else there is no longer decency in this baseball world

Since we probably won't be in playoff contention, that might be one of the most enjoyable competitions to watch this season. As these kids gain experience it looks like more than a couple could be strong contenders for rookie of the year.

 

Consider:

 

- Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez are already near the top statistically at their positions in the NL.

 

- Josh Johnson and his 2.11 ERA is only a few innings away from qualifying on the ERA leaderboard where he'd currently rank 2nd. Moreover, when you omit his relief appearances JJ has given up just 8 earned runs in 7 starts, with a miniscule 1.65 ERA.

 

- Similar story with Ricky Nolasco. Although he's further away from qualifying, Nolasco's 3.33 ERA looks even better when you consider that he's put up a 2.38 ERA since being moved into the rotation (compared to 4.15 in the bullpen).

 

- Josh Willingham and Mike Jacobs have been polar opposites early in the season. Willingham had a blazing start & has since cooled off, while Jacobs recovered well from a miserable May. They're both near the rookie leaders in home runs and RBIs. Batting in the middle of the Marlins order, there will be plenty of chances for both players.

 

- After a rocky beginning, Scott Olsen is gaining confidence with every start and is beginning to look like he could meet some of the high expectations placed on him. In 8 of his 11 starts he has given up 3 earned runs or less.

 

- and don't forget about Jeremy Hermida who was the highest rated of all the Marlins rookies! Despite missing a month, he could still put up numbers quickly.

 

 

Ryan Zimmerman, Prince Fielder, & Conor Jackson are all having terrific seasons too, should be a great rookie race. :thumbup

We're still the team most likely to have the NL ROY (since we have 4-5 candidates).

We're still the team most likely to have the NL ROY (since we have 4-5 candidates).

 

 

The Dodgers have several very impressive rookies in Martin, Kemp, Ethier and Aybar.

Don't matter if we have 10 rookie candidates if the press doesn't like the Fish...

We're still the team most likely to have the NL ROY (since we have 4-5 candidates).

 

 

The Dodgers have several very impressive rookies in Martin, Kemp, Ethier and Aybar.

Kemp and Ethier are the big ones. I was not aware that Aybar was in the majors yet. Matt Kemp's explosion in the majors seemed pretty unlikely to me, considering he was in A this time last year, putting up slightly above average numbers.

We're still the team most likely to have the NL ROY (since we have 4-5 candidates).

 

I actually think this might hurt us, because it'll probably split the vote for people who actually pay attention to the Marlins.

Hopefully that award has some teal reppin' it... 03' and 06' NOT BAD! 2 ROY in 3 years... Now thats young talent!

Who votes for the ROTY?

Writers, I think