Marlins pleased but not satisfied

 

By Joe Capozzi

 

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

 

Thursday, July 13, 2006

 

Ten games under .500 and 13 1/2 games out of first place. Not exactly where a team wants to be at the All-Star break.

 

But the Florida Marlins will take it, especially after opening the season with the most rookies, the smallest payroll and the lowest expectations in baseball.

 

Picked by many to challenge the 1962 Mets as one of the worst teams in history, the Marlins instead have turned out to be a success story - still destined to miss the playoffs but ahead of schedule in its long-range plans for another championship.

 

"Other than 2003, this is the most interesting, exhilarating season I've had,'' said owner Jeffrey Loria, who took over in February 2002 and won a World Series the next season. "In spite of the early losing, I can see good things down the road for this group. They're young enough to be able to stay together for a while.''

 

The Marlins are 27-17 since starting the season 11-31. But the real test of 2006 begins tonight when the Marlins embark on the second half. Six of their starting position players never have played a full major-league season. Four of their starting pitchers are rookies.

 

"It is going to be a strain on them. They might hit some rough spots down the road,'' said former major-league outfielder Tom Paciorek, who broadcasts Washington Nationals games.

 

Most of the young Marlins are accustomed to minor-league seasons ending in late August or early September. That is a serious concern for pitchers.

 

"They're going to go to areas they've never been before," pitching coach Rick Kranitz said. "I think we have to be very careful.''

 

Dontrelle Willis, the only veteran starting pitcher presently in the rotation, knows that from experience. When he was called up in May 2003, he was 9-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 13 starts before the break.

 

In the second half, he was 5-5 with a 4.60 ERA, although he was sharp in September, going 3-1 with a 2.89 ERA in six starts to help the Marlins reach the playoffs and win the World Series.

 

Manager Joe Girardi knows he can't expect his rookie starters to do as well in the final month.

 

"The first time you've been through a big-league season, September can be a long month, and it can be a bad month if you don't stay on top of your intensity level," he said. "A good season can go down the drain if you don't watch.''

 

Has it been a good season? The Marlins' 764 hits are fewest in the league and their outfield hasn't developed as quickly as projected.

 

But there are signs of maturity, too, from their 4.45 ERA - sixth-lowest in the league - to their 587 runners left on base, fewest in the league.

 

"Looking back on it, you never know what to expect with this many players without experience coming directly from Double-A,'' General Manager Admin Beinfest said, "but there was a comfort level knowing we have good young pitching.''

 

The front office is not expected to make any significant moves as the July 31 non-waiver-trade deadline approaches.

 

The focus will be on next year, which means evaluating how players perform in July, August and September.

 

"You have to recognize what we are - a bunch of guys with zero-plus experience,'' Beinfest said.

 

Despite their 38-48 record, the Marlins are within 1 1/2 games of second place. A wild card is a long shot, but players don't believe it's impossible.

 

"I personally think we underachieved,'' said reliever Matt Herges, one of just six veterans on the 25-man roster.

 

"We had a great run in June (18-7, the best winning percentage of any month in franchise history), and that's how we expected to play . . .

 

"If we hit .500, that's the least we expect. And by the end of the year, Jeffrey Loria can say, 'Look at what we have.' A couple of tweaks here and there and we're going to win the division next year.''

 

Loria hinted that - if the Marlins finish strongly - an off-season upgrade or two, perhaps in the outfield, is possible. To accomplish that, the Marlins probably would have to trade away pitching from somewhere in the organization.

 

Willis isn't going anywhere this year. Next year is another matter.

 

"We have tremendous depth at that position and we may have to eventually think about using some of that to pick up the slack elsewhere,'' Loria said. "But I'll convene meetings at the end of the season and we'll see where we go.''

 

Just days after last season ended, Loria decided to cut payroll, which was $65 million in April 2005 and $15 million a year later. The order was to rebuild with youth, but the front office wasn't unanimous about how far to go.

 

"When we got the directive from Jeffrey, there was quite a bit of debate on where exactly to draw that line,'' Beinfest said. "In the end, there was consensus that a guy or two here or there can probably give you some incremental wins, but it wasn't going to be enough, so why not continue to bring back quality young players?

 

"Obviously, a line was drawn at Miguel (Cabrera) and Dontrelle, and that was it. I think looking back on it, I don't think we have any regrets . . .

 

"Once we got over the initial pain of having to move those guys, it was the right thing to do."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/conten...rlins_0713.html

good article...what FA outfielders are there after this season that we might be able to pick up?

I could play OF but look like the Marlins are looking for experience AAA prospect.

I'll tell you what, I don't like the way Beinfest GM's, I really don't and I've been unwavering in that position for a while, but dammit you have to respect him after what he's done over the past week. He's taken the PR bullet for Loria with the whole "eventually, I drew the line at...".

 

Oh, and seriously, I'll murder someone if Dontrelle is traded and it doesn't happen now. His value, especially given the above average crop of free agent pitchers, will never be higher than it is now with absolutely no starting pitching on the market at all and 5 teams (Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers, Diamondbacks) willing to give up the farm to get it.

 

That's my rant.

JW, what dont you like about Beinfest?

What is it you don't like about Beinfest?? I can think of a couple bad deals made but overall I think he has done an outstanding job.