Hey guys,

I am doing a series on the State of the Marlins position by position, and was hoping maybe I could show you on how this franchise is doing personnel wise. Hope you enjoy.

 

State of the Marlins: Catcher

I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects.

 

Now to start: Catchers

*please note that all batting stats are: Average/OBP/SLG

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MLB: The Florida Marlins starting catching position has been a platoon since Pudge Rodriguez left the Marlins after winning the World Series in 2003. The 2008 Florida Marlins started continued this trend with a platoon of Matt Treanor and Mike Rabelo. Both struggled to hit early in the season, and Rabelo was subsequently sent down to the minors after a less than stellar 100 ABs. Matt Treanor was then paired with John Baker, who took command of the starting catching job. Baker played in 61 games, amassing 197 at bats while hitting to a .299/.392/.447 line with 5 home runs. He batted 8th most of the season, but towards the end while the Marlins went on a late season win streak, he was placed 2nd in the order to utilize his high OBP. Paul Lo Duca and Paul Hoover also had their chances, but neither had any success.

 

AAA: The only resemblance of a prospect for the New Orleans Zyphers (formerly known as Albuquerque Isotopes) is 24 year old Brett Hayes, who thrived in a mid-season call-up. He hit .293/.331/.466

 

AA: After Brett Hayes left the Carolina Mudcats (now known as the Jacksonville Suns),

26 year old Brad Davis took the starting job, hitting only .205/.306/.345. It will take a break out year for him to reclaim prospect status.

 

High A: The Jupiter Hammerheads saw two catchers have over 200 plate appearances in 2008. 27 year old John Purdom hit .230/.296/.378 after being sent down from Carolina, and 23 year old Chris Hatcher hit .178/.278/.327. Chris Hatcher is still young, but that is the only thing keeping him a prospect. Like Brad Davis, he will need a stellar year to become a future factor for the Marlins.

 

Low A: The Greensboro Grasshoppers had a similar situation as the Hammerheads, with two catchers each getting at least 180 plate appearances. 23 year old Tyler Belcher hit .256/.276/.361 with 2 homers. 21 year old Torre Langley played in 19 more games the Belcher, despite the platoon, and hit .209/.248/.345. Both are prospects, with Langley getting the upper hand due to his youth and better walk rate.

 

Jamestown: The Jammers started 23 year old Miguel Fermin at catcher in 2008, and he thrived, hitting .347/.374/.628. He showed good power, hitting 17 home runs and 13 doubles. His 43 to 9 strike out to walk ratio is disturbing, but patience can be taught and the hitting is definitely there. The only thing holding him down is that he is rather old for his league. The Jammers also had 23 year old Konrad Thieme, who hit .250/.318/.450.

 

Rookie League: The real gem of the Marlins catching prospects is 18 year old Kyle Skipworth. Drafted in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft, he is the most heralded Marlins catching prospect since Charles Johnson. The sweet swinging lefty struggled in his first pro year, hitting only .208/.263/.340. He injured his thumb, but was back to playing by the end of the short season. Jose Ceballos, another 18 year old, upstaged Skipworth, hitting .258/.311/.333 before being called up briefly to Greensboro.

 

 

The 2009 Marlins seem set with John Baker as their starter, yet there is some thinking that they will offer Pudge Rodriguez an incentive-laden contract if he is not signed by early February. The back up job is in the air, as Matt Treanor's name has been heard in trade rumors, and Mike Rabelo did not live up to his expectations after his arrival from Detroit.

 

The future starting catcher for the Marlins is surely Kyle Skipworth, but with him being 3-4 years away for the majors, it is still any ones game. John Baker seems to have been the only one to have stepped up to the challenge, but he is 27 years old and in his prime. Hayes could have another solid season, and find himself in the mix for a back up spot in 2010, and Miguel Fermin has shown he can hit at the lower level. It is clear, however, that the Marlins do not have many can't-miss catching prospects.

 

Top Three Prospects:

1. Kyle Skipworth

2. Miguel Fermin

3. Brett Hayes

 

 

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State of the Marlins: First Base

I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects.

 

Now: First Base

*please note that all batting stats are: Average/OBP/SLG

 

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MLB: Mike Jacobs held the starting first baseman job the entire year, hitting 32 home runs and 27 doubles. Solid season, right? Unfortunately for Jacobs, he also hit .247 with a horrible .299 OBP. He struck out 119 times, and played less than stellar defense at first. The defense became such an issue that he would often be replaced in late innings by third baseman Jorge Cantu, with Wes Helms going into to play third. Jacob's negatives out weighed the positives, and it caught up to him this off season, as he was shipped to Kansas City for reliever Leo Nunez. This leaves a huge gap at first base, with either Jorge Cantu shifting over to first, or one of the heralded prospects taking the job in spring training.

 

AAA: The starting first baseman for the Isotopes in 2008 was Jason Wood. He hit .269/.330/.344. He is, however, a 38 year old career minor leaguer, whose chance at making it back to the majors are slim to none. There were absolutely no first baseman prospects in Albuquerque in 2008.

 

AA: 25 year old Gaby Sanchez had a break out year in 2008, hitting .314/.404/.513. He amassed 17 Home runs with 92 RBI. He also showed great plate discipline with a 70 to 69 strike out to walk ratio. His defense, however, leaves some to be desired, with 18 errors. His plate discipline might ultimately win him a starting job with the Marlins in 2009. Andrew Jenkins, also 25 years old, saw some playing time at first, hitting .259/.305/.380, but was clearly out shined by Florida Native Sanchez

 

High A: The first baseman situation for the Jupiter Hammerheads was much like the one in AA. 21 year old Logan Morrison dominated the league, winning the FSL MVP while hitting .332/.402/.494 with 13 home runs and an astounding 38 doubles. The Marlins are hoping that those doubles turn into home runs as Morrison continues to grow. He, like Sanchez, had a solid strike out to walk rate of 80 to 57. His ceiling is very high, and unless he makes the Marlins out of spring training, expect him to play in AA Jacksonville, and continue to put up huge numbers.

 

Low A: As a much less heralded prospect than Sanchez and Morrison, 24 year old Hunter Mense hit .289/.347/.442. He showed some power with 13 home runs and 25 doubles, but it is extremely unlikely that he ever makes it to the Marlins. He is a candidate to be traded for mid season help if he puts up solid numbers in Jupiter this upcoming season.

 

Jamestown: In the short season, 22 year old Ernie Banks hit .300/.377/.436. Unfortunately for Ernie, he is in the same boat as Mense, with two big time prospects ahead of him.

 

Rookie League: The rookie Marlins saw a platoon at 1st base in 2008, with 22 year old Richard Orton and 23 year old Jason Peacock splitting time there. Orton hit .246/.350/.341, while Peacock hit .289/.347/.333. It is hard to imagine either of these guys becoming big time contributors to the Marlins.

 

The 2009 Marlins first baseman job is one up in the air. The incumbent, Mike Jacobs, is gone, while third baseman Jorge Cantu struggled defensively at third, and when at first, played solid D. With two prospects banging on the door, one must assume Sanchez gets the job coming out of spring training, with Cantu and Morrison waiting if needed. For the time being, it looks like Sanchez at 1st and Cantu at 3rd.

 

The future for Florida first basemen is now. The organization is loaded with prospects, for AA to rookie league. Even if Sanchez gets the nod to play 1st on opening day, don't put it past Marlins management to trade Sanchez or move Morrison's position to try and get his bat into the lineup. It is a tricky situation for the team to be in, but they sure do enjoy having to choose from two top notch prospects.

 

Top Three Prospects:

1. Logan Morrison

2. Gaby Sanchez

3. Hunter Mense

 

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This is a very good piece. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the positions.

This is a very good piece. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the positions.

I agree, one thing though, I would remove the educate both from the post and your website. It sounds very condescending and I am pretty sure thats not how you want it to come across.

This is a good piece, but I found a few minor errors.

 

Baker had 197 AB's, not PA. He also hit 5 home runs after being called up, not 14.

 

I did learn a good bit about our catching prospects (or lack there of) thanks to your information.

This is a good piece, but I found a few minor errors.

 

Baker had 197 AB's, not PA. He also hit 5 home runs after being called up, not 14.

 

I did learn a good bit about our catching prospects (or lack there of) thanks to your information.

 

Yikes, good call, I don't know where I got 14 from.

I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects.

 

Now: Second Base

*please note that all batting stats are: Average/OBP/SLG

 

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It is important to note that 2nd base and shortstop are often interchangeable positions. You might notice some people in this write-up played shortstop, but on the Marlins website, they are categorized as 2nd basemen, so that is what I will go with. I will do the same for shortstops who play 2nd base.

 

MLB: The Marlins were confident going into the year with Dan Uggla hitting 2nd and play 2nd. He started the year off slow, forcing manager Fredi Gonzalez to move Uggla down in the order. This worked wonders for Uggla, as he went on a torrent streak and was among league leaders in home runs for the first two months of the year. However, in classic Uggla form, he went on prolonged cold streaks, with short bursts of hot streaks in between. This concluded in a stat line of .260/.360/.514 with 32 home runs, 37 doubles, and a Adam Dunn-like 171 strike outs, which led the team by a comfortable margin. Even with his strikeouts and low average, the amount of power production the team gets out of a traditionally defensive position is extremely valuable. The back up to Uggla most of the season was Robert Andino, notably known for his walk-off home run in the 2nd game of the season. Andino struggled, hitting .206/.254/.333.

 

Trade: A player brought in by the Marlins in the Hammer/Olsen trade was Emilio Bonifacio, a Luis Castillo clone. Bonifacio spent the year split between MLB and AAA with two different organizations, Arizona and Washington. For this reason, I did not put him in either MLB or AAA. In AAA, he hit .302/.348/.387 and with the Nats, he hit .243/.296/.337. Perhaps one of the more perplexing things about his AAA-MLB splits are that in AAA, he hit .387 off lefties, while in MLB, he hit only .163 off lefties. A change in hitting coach could be attributed to this, but that is not known. A more disturbing stat is his steals to caught steals of 24 to 12. It does not take a math major to realize that a 66% success rate is not good at all, especially for a player renowned for his speed.

 

AAA: As usual, the Albuquerque Isotopes did not have a prospect manning 2nd base, but instead, a AAAA player. The play this year was 29 year old Chase Lambin. Lambin hit .300/.378/.518 with a solid 14 home runs. All stats are skewed when playing in the PCL, so Lambin is probably not as good as his numbers. Lambin can only hope to be invited to spring training and hope to take a Jason Wood type role.

 

AA: One name: Chris Coghlan. Before the trade for Bonifacio, this 24 year old was by far the top 2nd base prospect in the organization. His 2008 season did nothing to take away this distinction. Coghlan hit .298/.396/.429 with 32 doubles. He had a superb strikeout to walk rate of 65 to 67, one of the best in the organization. He also stole 34 bases while only being caught 10 times. Only his defense needs work, with him committing an ugly 23 errors. Coghlan is ready for Majors, but will have to wait with Uggla ahead of him, and Bonifacio apparently taking the utility role Coghlan might have been able to fight for in spring training.

 

High A: The Hammerheads used a platoon at 2nd base, with 27 year old Kevin Randel hitting .292/.392/.531, and 24 year old Smelin Perez hitting .285/.344/.365. As with many Marlin's second basemen, Perez struggled on defense, committing 20 errors. A solid year for Randel, yet it appears his chances at the Majors are dwindling, and for Perez, a late season call up to AA saw him struggle to hit, so it is any ones guess if he continues to blossom.

 

Low A: The Grasshoppers saw two 2nd basemen get 250+ at bats in 2008, however, some of these at bats were from positions other than 2nd base. Ryan Curry, a 24 year old, hit .264/.326/.394 in 459 at bats. He showed average power, hitting 10 home runs and 24 doubles. 22 year old Daniel Garcia hit .215/.275/.319 in just under 280 at bats. Neither seem to be future factors.

 

Jamestown: The Jammers found a gem in 22 year old Brandon Turner. He hit .331/.372/.417 with little power. Although only have 151 at bats, it is clear that this man can hit. He played solid defense, and has made himself a prospect. Next year will be huge for him, as he must show the organization he is not a one year wonder.

 

Rookie League: The baby Marlins also found themselves a nice 2nd basemen in 18 year old Daniel Pertusati. The young Canadian hit .295/.348/.392. He is very similar stat wise to Turner, and like Turner, he should looking to show the organization he is ligit.

 

The 2009 Marlins are set at 2nd base with Dan Uggla. It will take a prolonged cold streak or an injury to allow one of Bonifacio or Coghlan to start. Look for Bonifacio to have the upper hand due to his major league experience.

 

With Uggla's salary raising year to year, and the Marlins still dumping expensive veterans, don't be surprised to see Uggla traded either during this upcoming year, or in the next off season. The team has capable replacements, and it might even improve the team to trade Uggla's power in for a OBP focused 2nd baseman. The future will only be able tell.

 

Top Three Prospects:

1. Chris Coghlan

2. Emilio Bonifacio

3. Brandon Turner/Smelin Perez.

 

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I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects.

 

We continue around the horn with: Shortstop

*please note that all batting stats are: Average/OBP/SLG

 

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It is important to note that 2nd base and shortstop are often interchangeable positions. You might notice some people in this write-up played 2nd base, but on the Marlins website, they are categorized as shortstops, so that is what I will go with. I will did the same in the 2nd base right up.

 

MLB: Hanley Ramirez. Enough said. The Marlin's superstar continued to show why he is the best shortstop in baseball by hitting .301/.400/.540. He led the team in home runs with 33, added 34 doubles, and he continued to show improved plate discipline with 92 walks. However, his 122 strike outs are troubling, and he is sure to continue to strive to fix his issue with seeing the outside corner of the strike zone. Perhaps the greatest news was Hanley's 70 million dollar extension, a huge hometown discount. It looks like the Marlins will have a stable face of the franchise. Hanley was backed up by Alfredo Amezega and Robert Andino.

 

AAA: Robert Andino, age 24, and 29 year old Chris Barnwell shared time at short for the Isotopes. Andino hit .287/.356/.497 in his time in the minors, much better than his MLB stats, while Barnwell hit .276/.364/.397 with 27 extra base hits. Andino looks like an Amezega type player, while Barnwell, like most of the AAA starters, is a AAAA guy.

 

AA: The Mudcats started a 25 year old from the Dominican Republic named Manuel Mayorson. He hit a very respectable line of .319/.370/.416. He hit 31 doubles, 1 home run, and stole 21 bases. He had 14 errors, a solid number for a shortstop. Unfortunately for him, he has no future with the Marlins due to Hanley's presence. He could be used a trading chip, but he is somewhat old to be a highly thought of prospect. 26 year old Chris De La Cruz was brought in late in the season, and hit .360/.478/.533 in 75 at bats. His prior track record shows that his late season run was an aberration.

 

High A: The Hammerheads platooned two light hitting 24 year olds. Agustin Septimo hit .229/.271/.305 and Guillermo Martinez hit .201/.276/.228. Both had low power numbers, and neither look like legitimate prospects.

 

Low A: The Grasshoppers had a more successful platoon than the Hammerheads, with 20 year old Osvaldo Martinez hitting .296/.331/.411 and 23 year old Emilio Ontiveros hitting .270/.333/.326. Martinez's defense was horrendous, having 28 errors in 85 games, but because of his age and hitting, he gets the nod over Ontiveros prospect wise.

 

Jamestown: Jake Smolinksi, aquired in the Hammer/Olsen trade, hit well in the New York Penn League. He hit .306/.370/.408 before getting called up to Low A. He will miss this upcoming season due to injury. The Jammer's starter last year was 21 year old Joel Staples. He showed promise, hitting .293/.364/.435. His power numbers has him with 21 extra base hit in 246 at bats, far from a power threat

 

Rookie League: Jose Torres, an 18 year old from Venezuela, saw most of the playing time for the baby Marlins. He hit .252/.331/.280.

 

The 2009 Marlins are set at shortstop with Hanley Ramirez. The question is who will back him up? Alfredo Amezaga has been mentioned in trade rumors, and if he is out of the picture, which of Emilio Bonifacio, Robert Andino, and Chris Coghlan get to replace him?

 

The shortstop prospects are nothing special. Jake Smolinski gets to head this group due to potential. Luckily for the Marlins, for atleast 5 years, they do not need any up and coming shortstop in the Majors.

 

Top Three Prospects:

1. Jake Smolinski

2.Osvaldo Martinez

3. Robert Andino

 

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Couple minor things.

 

Smolinksi isn't a SS prospect, he is going to be moving to 2B in a best case scenario, or LF if he can't handle it. That decision is yet to be seen and we'll know when he is back from his ACL tears in the summer. At minimum, he needs to move off your SS rankings. Where to put him, anyone's guess. I'm going with 2B as they can afford to see how that works out.

 

I'd qualify Morrison a little more about moving the position with the organization already approaching him about LF and he played there in the AFL. People here relatively have no clue what's going on in the farm. This team has a very likely future, for at least a few years, with Sanchez at 1B and Morrison in LF.

 

Personally, I'd put Jose Ceballos as our # 2 catching prospect behind Skipworth, because I'm going for overall upside on prospect lists and not looking at Hayes turning into a backup. I'd put Hayes three. It's hard to get excited over a 23 year old smashing rookie ball pitching. Fermin is basically a non-prospect.

 

And if we're doing minor league system no problems, but if you are doing this on prospects, Andino and Bonifacio do not qualify anymore because of service time. I don't know what your cut off for that is and just want to footnote that just in case.

 

Looks good though. I'll be awaiting your pitching.

Couple minor things.

 

Smolinksi isn't a SS prospect, he is going to be moving to 2B in a best case scenario, or LF if he can't handle it. That decision is yet to be seen and we'll know when he is back from his ACL tears in the summer. At minimum, he needs to move off your SS rankings. Where to put him, anyone's guess. I'm going with 2B as they can afford to see how that works out.

 

I'd qualify Morrison a little more about moving the position with the organization already approaching him about LF and he played there in the AFL. People here relatively have no clue what's going on in the farm. This team has a very likely future, for at least a few years, with Sanchez at 1B and Morrison in LF.

 

Personally, I'd put Jose Ceballos as our # 2 catching prospect behind Skipworth, because I'm going for overall upside on prospect lists and not looking at Hayes turning into a backup. I'd put Hayes three. It's hard to get excited over a 23 year old smashing rookie ball pitching. Fermin is basically a non-prospect.

 

And if we're doing minor league system no problems, but if you are doing this on prospects, Andino and Bonifacio do not qualify anymore because of service time. I don't know what your cut off for that is and just want to footnote that just in case.

 

Looks good though. I'll be awaiting your pitching.

 

Thanks for your feedback. I have made some changes on the original posts that reflect what you were saying. I should have definitely taken assumed position changes in the picture. Thanks.

I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects level-by-level.

 

Now: Third Base

*please note that all batting stats are: Average/OBP/SLG

 

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MLB: The Florida Marlins opened up spring training with a three way fight to see who would be able to replace Miguel Cabrera at third. Jose Castillo, Dallas McPherson, and Jorge Cantu all played well, with Cantu winning the job. Castillo was sent to San Fran, while McPherson spent the year in AAA. Cantu was a steal for the Marlins. He led the team in games played, at bats, and hit third in the lineup for most of the year. He hit .277/.327/.481 while narrowly missing becoming the fourth Marlins infielder this year to hit 30 home runs, coming short by just one. Wes Helms was brought in early in the year from the Phillies, who traded him to the Marlins for 1 dollar, and played solidily in the back up roll, winning him a 2 year extension at the end of the year.

 

AAA: After losing the Marlin's starting job to Cantu, Dallas Mcpherson came to Alberquerque on a mission to show he still had what it took to be a MLB player. The 28 year old hit .275/.379/.618 with a staggering 42 home runs, which led all of minor league baseball. McPherson struggled to make contact at time, striking out 168 times, while racking up 76 walks. It will be interesting where he ends up next year, with both Cantu and Helms manning 3rd base for the Marlins.

 

AA: 26 year old Lee Mitchell played third base for the Mudcats in 2008, hitting .238/.363/.380. His high OBP compared to his average can be attributed to his 60 walks. He showed doubles power, hitting 21, while only smacking 6 home runs. It does not look like he will be a factor for the Marlins ever.

 

High A: Charleston Native Jacob Blackwood hit just .208/.265/.297 with little power. This 23 year old will need a big season next year to show he can still be considered a prospect.

 

Low A: The Grasshoppers had the pleasure of watching 19 year old Matt Dominguez blossom into the hitter Marlin's management had hope for when they drafted him in the first round in 2007. The defensive minded Dominguez hit .296/.354/.499 with 18 home runs, 16 doubles, and 70 RBI. He played solid defense at third, and showed why he is the top third base prospect in the organization.

 

Jamestown: 24 year old Ben Lasater raked in the New York-Penn League, hitting .324/.396/.512 before a call up to Low A, where he hit .229/.306/.432. His platoon partner at Jamestown, 22 year old Paul Gran, hit .322/.387/.460 with 13 stolen bases. The future looks a little brighter for Gran, given that he is two years younger than Lasater.

 

Rookie League: There was another platoon for the baby Marlins, with 19 year old Ernesto Manzanillo hitting .347/.455/.551 with a good stike out to walk rate of 29 to 25. Unfortunantly for 19 year old Michael Pasek, a 2nd year in the Rookie League did him no better than the first year. After hitting .214/.288/.243 in his first pro year, his number dropped to .202/.281/.252. One can only hope that he can put everything together next year.

 

The 2009 Marlins are in a perculiar position with third base. The incumbant, Jorge Cantu, struggled at third base, and there is talk about moving him over to first base, but that would block super prospect Gaby Sanchez. Waiting in the wings is 28 year old Dallas McPherson who absoulutly crushed the ball in AAA. All three could have been in MLB, but the Marlins chose to give Wes Helms a two year extension, more than a questionable call. My guess is Cantu is traded within the upcoming season for a starting pitcher as the Marlins go down the stretch, fighting for a playoff spot.

 

The top prospect is Matt Dominguez by a long shot.

 

Top Three Prospects:

1. Matt Dominguez

2. Paul Gran

3. Ernest Manzanillo

 

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Also, I know they are both smallish switch hitters from the DR, but I wouldn't really consider Bonifacio a Castillo clone.

State of the Marlins: Outfield I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects level-by-level.

 

Now: Outfield

 

*please note that all batting stats are: Average/OBP/SLG

 

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MLB: The Marlins opening day outfield consisted of Luis Gonzalez, Josh Willingham, and Cody Ross. Gonzalez was subbing for an injured Hermida in right. Throughout the season, the Marlins attempted to fill their center field gap with Ross, Alfredo Amezaga, and Jacque Jones, with Ross eventually winning the majority of the starts. Gonzalez received a lot more playing time than originally thought, with injuries to both Hermida and Willingham throughout the season. The final stat lines for the main four Fish outfielders were: Hermida - .249/.323/.406 with 17 home runs, Willingham - .254/.364/.470 with 15 home run, Ross - .260/.316/.488, and Gonzalez - .261/.336/.413. Two of these outfielders are now gone, with Willingham sent to Washington, and Gonzalez a free agent.

 

AAA: The Isotopes saw Jai Miller, a 24 year old from Alabama, get over 430 at bats while hitting .267/.349/.472 with19 home runs and 22 doubles. He also swiped 20 bags while striking out 133 times. 3o year old John Gall continued to put up big numbers for Albuquerque, hitting .312/.369/.493 with 12 homers. The other outfield spot saw multiple journeymen playing for 30 odd games, with only Brett Carroll dominating in his time early in the season before his call up and shoulder injury.

 

AA: The Mudcats had two solid outfield prospects manning their outfield in 2008, with superprospect Cameron Maybin, and John Raynor. Maybin hit .277/.375/.456 with 13 home runs, 14 doubles, and 21 stolen bases. This five-tool prospect's only issue was getting the ball in play, with 124 strike outs. The 24 year old Raynor upstaged Maybin, hitting .312/.402/.489 with almost 30 doubles. He, like Maybin, struggled with strike outs, being rung out 122 times.

 

High A: 24 year old Spike McDougal saw most of the time in left, hitting .248/.327/.397 with 31 extra base hits, and 22 year old Gregory Burns played center mostly, hitting .244/.351/.326. His speed contributed to a team high 34 steals. Scott Cousins saw the other starting outfield job early in the year, hitting .304/.370/.513 before a call up to Carolina. Without him in the mix, the Hammerheads used a platoon of Daron Roberts, Bryan Peterson, and Christopher Dunn, with Roberts leading the pack with a .271/.309/.457 line.

 

Low A: The Grasshoppers saw the beginning of a giant, with Mike Stanton exploding for 39 home runs in his first full pro season. He added a line of .293/.381/.611. Next year, only being 19, he will be playing in Jupiter with players mostly 2 or 3 years older than him. Overshadowed by Stanton are Bryan Peterson, Justin Jacobs, and Tomas Hickman. 22 year old Peterson hit .301/.381/.541 with 19 homers of his own. 2o year old Jacobs hit .230/.305/.391 and fellow 20 year old Hickman hit .231/.338/.429.

 

Jamestown: The Jammers had the same starting outfield the entire season. In left, 22 year old Jeremy Synan hit .297/.356/.447. In center, 23 year old Kevin Mattison hit .250/.344/.377. In right, 23 year old Justin Bass hit .253/.341/.447. None of the three are can't miss prospects.

 

Rookie League: Four outfielders amassed over 70 at bats this year, with 24 year old Brian Shultz leading the way, hitting .380/.476/.563 before a call up to Jamestown. 19 year old Issac Galloway hit .286/.303/.417/. He must work on his walk rate, with only 4 in 203 plate appearances. 20 year old Zachary Moore hit .284/.358/.326 and 19 year old Nestor Castillo hit .230/.313/.265.

 

The 2009 Marlins are looking at an outfield of Ross-Maybin-Hermida for opening day. Should any of them struggle, Logan Morrison (whose position could be either LF or 1st), John Raynor, or Jai Miller will be ready to replace them. Look for the Fish to bring in a veteran outfielder, ala Gonzo last year, to help back up this young trio.

 

The Marlin's outfield prospects are strong. Maybin is a beast who is just waiting to explode, Stanton has shown power unreal for a 18 year old, and Raynor has shown he can be a solid producer in AA. Peterson, Cousins, and Miller are in the 2nd tier of the outfielders, waiting for their chance.

 

Top Three Prospects:

1. Cameron Maybin

2. Mike Stanton

3. John Raynor

 

 

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State of the Marlins: Starting Pitching I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects level-by-level.

 

Now: Starting Pitching

*please note that all pitching stats are: Record/ERA/Innings Pitched

 

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MLB: The Marlin's opening day starter was Mark Hendrickson, who struggled through 3 months before being put in the bullpen, replaced by Chris Volstad. Hendrickson, who is no longer with the Fish, put up a stat line of 7-8/5.45/133.2. Scott Olsen, Andrew Miller, Rick VandenHurk, and Ricky Nolasco rounded out the starting rotation that first week. By the end of the year, the rotation set up as Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen,Chris Volstad, and Anibal Sanchez. Nolasco went 15-8/3.52/ 212.1 with a strike out to walk ratio of 186 to 42. He and Scott Olsen, who went 8-11/4.20/201.2, were often bit by the long ball, with Nolasco giving up 28 and Olsen 30. Josh Johnson, coming back from Tommy John Surgery, returned to his 2006 form with a line of 7-1/3.61/87.1. Anibal Sanchez, coming back from shoulder surgery, did not have as much success as Johnson, going 2-5/5.57/51.2. Volstad, after being called up from the minors, gave the fish 14 solid starts, going 6-4/2.88/84.1 while allowing only 3 home runs. Scott Olsen was traded to the Nats in the offseason, opening up the 5th spot in the rotation for Andrew Miller, who in 20 starts went 6-10/5.87/107.1. Among players to get some spot starts was Burke Badenhop, who struggled before hitting the DL.

 

AAA: Four members of the Alberqueque pitching staff had the "pleasure" of starting 20+ games in the PCL in 2008. The PCL is a known hitters league, so many of these stats do not correctly show the talent of these players. The ace of the staff was 24 year old Eulogio De La Cruz, who went 13-8/4.34/147.1. The former Detroit farm hand started the year 9-3 before slipping up in July, then picking it up again the final two months. 25 year old Chris Seddon had the second most wins on the team, going 10-9/5.09/152.0. He was plagued by a high hit rate, with batters getting well over a hit an inning and averaging .291 off of him. 26 year old Bob Kippel, who went 9-11/5.99/159.1, and 23 year old Dallas Tahern, who went 5-11/6.16/111.0, tied for the lead in losses for the team. Tahern, like Seddon, struggled because of a high hit rate and a .315 average off of him. Tahern, who was coming off a 12-6 season, and Eulogio De La Cruz both look like casualties of the PCL, and should put up much better stats in 09 in New Orleans.

 

AA: Brett Sinkbeil was the workhorse for this staff, going 5-9/5.02/143.1. Coming into the season as a former first round draftpick, Sinkbeil disapointed alot of people by his lackluster performance, but he is only 24, so he has many years ahead of him. Ryan Tucker spent some time in Carolina last year, going 5-3/1.58/91.0 in 12 starts and 25 apperances overall before being called up to the majors. Many people consider him a closer of the future, so I will treat him as a reliever. Aaron Thompson also had a good amount of starts, going 2-5/5.62/81.2. The 21 year old was still young for this level, and is expected to improve next year. Rick VandenHurk saw 10 starts to the tune of 3-3/4.23/55.1 after injurying himself and working back towards the majors.

 

High A: 24 year old Jeff Allison, former drug addict, was the story of Jupiter much of the season. Following the path of Josh Hamilton, Allison is attempting to reclaim prospect status and make it to the majors. He went 9-8/5.22/120.2. His strike out rate was tremendously low, averaging just over one strike out per 2 innings. The ace of the staff was 24 year old Graham Taylor. Taylor went 11-6/3.46/140.1 while showing great control by only issuing 25 walks. He also had one shutout, and relished in his late season call up to AA, going 1-1/3.04/23.2. Lefty Sean West led the starters in ERA, going 6-5/2.41/100.2. The 22 year old is considered the top south paw starting pitcher in the organization. Kyle Winters also added 6 wins for the Hammerheads, going 6-4/3.68/110.0. The tall, wirey 21 year old righty is expected to gain power on his fastball as he continues to grow out.

 

Low A: 22 year old Brett Durand led the team in innings pitched, going 10-6/5.53/143.1. Right behind him was 24 year old Stu Alexander, going 11-8/4.00/126.0. Alexander, a 6'5'' righty will need a big year in Jupiter to have any hope of making the Marlins due to his old age for his league. Two 20 year olds rounded out the staff, with Alejandro Sanabia going 5-5/4.93/96.2 with a 3 to 1 strike out to walk ratio, and Kyle Kaminska going 5-7/6.54/85.1 with 82 strike outs. Both are expected to spend next year in Greensboro to continue to work on their stuff.

 

Jamestown: Five starters got 13+ starts of the Jammers in 2008. 23 year old Johnny Dorn went 3-2/2.95/76.1 while leading the team with a 1.09 WHIP. 22 year old Tom Koehler went 5-5/3.68/66.0 and 21 year old Daniel Jennings went 1-4/3.53/58.2. Jennings high hit rate, batters hit .321 off him, shows his ERA was more luck than skill. 21 year old Geury Ramirez and 20 year old Skyler Crawford rouded out the rotation, with lines of 3-4/6.09/57.2 and 1-3/7.03/56.1

 

Rookie League: 22 year old Jose Rosario went 3-0/4.54/39.2 for the baby Marlins. His partner in crime was 20 year old lefty Brad Hand. Hand went 2-0/2.48/32.2. Hand showed great potential, striking out more than a batter an inning while only walking 11.

 

The 2009 Marlins will enter the season with a rotation of Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Anibal Sanchez, and Andrew Miller. Spot starts are expected to go to VandenHurk and De La Cruz, given that a Mark Hendrickson type pitcher is not brought in by the organization.

 

The Marlins are very high on their pitching prospects. They have repeatably refused to trade Sean West. West, De La Cruz, Thompson, Taylor and Sinkbeil are all expected to have a chance with the Marlins in the next 2 years.

 

Top Three Prospects:

1. Sean West

2. Eulogio De La Cruz

3. Graham Taylor

 

site

Cruz is going to be a reliever. That's how he profiles with the fastball and limited chance of 2 plus offspeed offerings. Plus the fact he is out of options and has to make this team's bullpen or we lose him. He's not going to New Orleans. Graham Taylor is a junkball SP who offers little potential as he moves levels - think Petit. Thompson and Hand are easily 2-3 right now.

Good luck with the relievers. There are lots of them.

You ask, and you shall receive.

Thanks for all the great feedback. Unfortunately, I will not being doing relievers due the facts that finding good relief pitchers is usually luck and that I am way too lazy to do so.

 

I hope you guys visit the site for future posts and series.

 

Cya

Wow what a horrible way to end it. We have AMAZING relief pitcher prospects. Ceda, Tucker, Cruz, Leroux, Vanden Hurk, Wood, and Mobley is an entire bullpen sitting in AA/AAA waiting to get called up. These guys are ridiculously sick with plus fastballs and knee buckling secondary pitches. Just because they don't hold up past 40 pitches doesn't mean they can't throw. And we have a fabulous array of secondary prospects with Winters, Kaminska, Delgado, Doolittle, C. Martinez, Garcia, Dean, Brewer, etc

 

You owe it to yourself to at least hit the top 20 of these guys. There is a lot of major league talent here. It's one of the strengths of our organization right now. This is far from a crapshoot. This is systematic drafting and acquiring fireballer arms and seeing which ones pan out.

I agree that De La Cruz is going to be a reliever.

Thanks for all the great feedback. Unfortunately, I will not being doing relievers due the facts that finding good relief pitchers is usually luck and that I am way too lazy to do so.

 

I hope you guys visit the site for future posts and series.

 

Cya

 

 

Wow...so many good prospects in terms of relievers...and you're gonna leave 'em out?

Fine. I'll do it for 'ya.

 

1. Jose Ceda

2. Ryan Tucker

3. Eulogio De La Cruz

 

(of course, the list doesn't stop there)

I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects level-by-level.

 

Now: Relief Pitchers

 

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Instead of going through each step of the Marlins system, I will be ranking the Marlins top 10 relief pitchers in the organization(not including mlb).

 

1. Jose Ceda-Ceda was brought in by the Marlins in the Kevin Gregg trade. This might just be the steal of the off season. Ceda, like current closer Matt Lindstrom, can throw 99 mph. He is 6'5'', and is expected to be the closer of the future for the Fish. He might become a factor for the Marlins in mid 2009.

2. Ryan Tucker-Tucker follows the same mold as Ceda and Lindstrom, being a huge power pitcher

3. Eulogio De La Cruz - He finishes this quartet of flame throwing righties. He is very raw, and still needs to work on his secondary pitches.

4.Chris Mobley - Mobley struck out 70 batters in just over 58 innings, and had a WHIP of 1.10

5. Christopher Leroux - A solid WHIP of 1.14 and 78 strike outs in 74 innings

6. Corey Madden - This 24 year old dominated Greensboro, going 5-0 with a 1.09 era. His most staggering stats are that he had 92 strike outs in 58 innings and his WHIP was 0.95.

7. Jesus Delgado - Delgado finds himself lower on the list this year due to his ok performance in Carolina. He was the owner to a 5-2 record with a 3.45 ERA. He struggled with walks, issuing 31 in 57 innings.

8. Tim Wood - The 26 year old dominated the Florida State League, going 5-2 with a 1.80 ERA.

9. Jay Buente - Jay went 5-1 with a 3.00 era, with over a strike out per inning in Jupiter

10. Jacob Marceaux - The Louisiana native showed great stuff, by allowing less than a hit an inning in AA. Walks are a very big issue, allowing 43 free passes

 

 

 

This concludes our "State of the Marlins" series.

 

 

Can't say this relief post was a good one, with my less than stellar knowledge on the bottom half of this list.

 

All Marlins, All The Time