Switching to right field to make room for Anderson Hernandez, the same Anderson Hernandez who made him expendable in Washington coincidentally (and who he outhit throughout the playoffs), may turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to Emilio Bonifacio.

 

A week or so into the Dominican Winter League season Hernandez became the everyday second baseman and Bonifacio, after short stints in left and center, settled in as the Tigres starting right fielder, a job he held through to the end. The playoffs by the way aren't like we see here, there is a regular "season", then a round-robin elimination series with the last two teams standing moving to the best of nine finals. The Tigres, the team Hanley played with for one day and with whom he worked out all winter, won five straight for their 20th Dominican Championship.

 

We should be seeing a lot of Bonifacio in the Carribean Series that starts February 2nd and will be broadcast on MLB Network, the first "live games" the network will broadcast.

 

If any of you watched the playoffs and finals (that is if you can call watching a postage stamp sized image "watching") on the feed from Licey you saw a guy who looked like he was made for the outfield. Good hands, great breaks and a power arm, one would have thought he'd played the position for years. Those who thought he could be the eventual replacement for Amezaga may have been more right than wrong, having played all three outfield positions this winter (albeit 90% in RF), plus his work in the infield, he has "next Marlins super utility guy" written all over him, that is if he doesn't come into camp and win a starting job outright. But even I'm willing to admit that's the longest of longshots.

 

Bonifacio just got better as the season went on, until the last weeks of the regular season that is. Batting above .300, in the high teens or higher most of the season the Tigres were involved in a blow-out one night and Emilio was not just the only guy not to get a hit, he went something like 0-7 (or 0-9, something really embarrassing) with four or five strikeouts. It was the beginning of an 0-22 streak and 1-27 that undermined his great numbers otherwise, ending up .285/.379/.409/.787.

 

In the 22 playoff and finals games that followed his numbers exploded, .377/.424/.506/.930 either first or second on his team in almost every offensive category and 2nd in the league in batting, third in OBP, 6th in SLG and fifth in OPS.

 

Combined from start to finish he batted .312 with an OBP of .390.

 

Some will say winter ball numbers are meaningless and perhaps they'll be proved right but when you look at the major league talent throughout the league and to put up the comparative numbers he did, either a lot of guys playing in the major leagues right now are very bad or this guy is very good, or at least capable of being very good. I suspect more so now, that when the dust settles on the trade that brought him here a number of people who have been unhappy with the move may change their minds, and not just because of Smolinski and Dean.

 

I'm not sure how to interpret the fact that during the extended playoff system Bonifacio had zero doubles, except he had five triples and I suspect that's a testament to his speed. I may have posted this before but at one point this fall I found myself watching two videos simultaneously, one of Mike Jacobs trudging down to first on a ground out and Bonifacio legging out a triple. Without exaggeration Bonifacio was to third before Jacobs crossed first.

 

Last night in the 12th inning of the final game, Bonifacio was called upon to lay down a sacrifice bunt (which he nearly beat out) but the point is he laid down a "successful" sacrifice bunt when needed, it led to the eventual game winning run scoring, something we all only wish a number of current Marlins were able to do. Having this guy coming off the bench and making this happen cannot be bad news for the Marlins. Nor can his speed as a pinch runner.

 

So now it's on to the Caribbean Series. Licey won in 2008, they'll be defending their crown. There's a lot to be said for winning and for a guy like Bonifacio, in the same way an article today points out on why recent draftees are brought in to taste a major league camp, being part of something is important and extending the winning experience that Bonifacio has just enjoyed cannot hurt his level of play for the Marlins in 2009.

 

By almost any standard Emilio Bonifacio has had a terrific winter. It's going to be interesting to see a) if he goes to the WBC (I don't know if he was invited) or b) if he stays in Jupiter what role he is cast in and what he makes of the opportunity. Like most I expected he'd start the season in New Orleans playing everyday but the Marlins may give him a chance earn a roster spot coming out of camp. When you get a chance to see him in February a lot of people are going to be surprised at how aggressive a ballplayer he is. I don't know why but I kind of expected to see him play the outfield like a combination of Juan Encarnacion and Jeremy Hermida (not a knock on either), gliding over to make a catch, but he attacks the outfield like an infielder. You know the way we got to watch Maybin glide over to make a catch last September, Bonifacio is the complete opposite, he uses his speed to run to where he thinks the ball is going, gets under it and waits, and waits. It reminded me of being perched in the upperdeck a few years ago waiting for a mile high Aaron Miles foul ball to find it's way into my glove, having enough time to pray I didn't drop it in front of twenty thousand fans.

 

Anyways, enough. For Marlins fans I suspect there will be an added reason to watch the Caribbean Series next week to get our first real glimpse of the guy. He's on a roll right now, it will be interesting to see if he folds like a cheap suit or he makes something of it. I'm guessing the latter but nothing will surprise me, I watched (figuratively) that 0-22 unwind.

 

I was in the camp that didn't really care if Olsen and Willingham were gone believing the Fish didn't want to DFA Josh and they certainly weren't going to arbitration with him, so I saw this as a mini-Beckett/Lowell trade and Olsen was sure no Josh Beckett. A lot of people thought we could have gotten more - should have gotten more - having watched Bonifacio (most of the time "watching" means keep up on his stat line and box score) make the transition to the outfield strengthens my belief that more often than not the front office knows what they're doing even if we don't.

I saw a little bit of Licey recently on ESPN Deportes and I do say Bonifacio did look pretty good in RF.

Nice and interesting write-up, 2003.

Here's to hoping that this kid can be a productive player for the big club, the sooner the better. If he can play the field like Amezaga but with maybe a bit more hitting upside, he will be a great addition to the bench/team.

03-one of the more interesting reads on this forum in quite awhile-thanks

Good to hear. I noticed that aggressive side of him when we played the Nats last season, but I definitely didn't see his success at the plate. If he can carry that over to spring training, all the better for the Fish.

Great read. I tend to get frustrated by most of the bs I read on here. This wasn't one of them.

2003, it was a good write up, and I hate to sound like a jerk, but this is above and beyond meaningless. I mean... Bonifacio put up good numbers in the Dominican Winter League last year and went on to have a horrible year in the majors.

 

Heck, Pablo Ozuna, the same Pablo Ozuna who was atrocious in the bigs last year, leads the league in hitting. What does that tell you?

 

Is it something to talk about as we wait for the season to start? Sure, why not? But I am not looking at this with any optimism at all, and I don't think you or anyone else should either. We'll see what he does in Spring Training and work from there.

2003, it was a good write up, and I hate to sound like a jerk, but this is above and beyond meaningless. I mean... Bonifacio put up good numbers in the Dominican Winter League last year and went on to have a horrible year in the majors.

 

Heck, Pablo Ozuna, the same Pablo Ozuna who was atrocious in the bigs last year, leads the league in hitting. What does that tell you?

 

Is it something to talk about as we wait for the season to start? Sure, why not? But I am not looking at this with any optimism at all, and I don't think you or anyone else should either. We'll see what he does in Spring Training and work from there.

 

 

But...what aboutz dats speedz and D#? Off# iz not needed! We'z only needz him to have a .320 .OBP'z! He b da next Luis Castillo fo real!

I always liked Pablo Ozuna so you aren't going to find me belittling the guy but he did only play a half a season in the DWL and not enough (if at all) of the playoffs to show up in the stats, and as a guy who only had 200 at bats once in a MLB season has to date a lifetime .282 BA and his atrocious 2008 he batted .260 in a grand total of 96 at bats.

 

Your point is well taken though.

 

By that standard what does that say about the rest of the major league players in the league like Robinson Cano or dozen of others who didn't do as well as either of them?

I always liked Pablo Ozuna so you aren't going to find me belittling the guy but he did only play a half a season in the DWL and not enough (if at all) of the playoffs to show up in the stats, and as a guy who only had 200 at bats once in a MLB season has to date a lifetime .282 BA and his atrocious 2008 he batted .260 in a grand total of 96 at bats.

 

Your point is well taken though.

 

By that standard what does that say about the rest of the major league players in the league like Robinson Cano or dozen of others who didn't do as well as either of them?

 

Robinson Cano had the worst season of his career last year, but that is beside the point.

 

Its comparable to when some bench guy lights it up Spring Training. There are dozens and dozens of other "real" Major Leaguers who didn't do as well as him, but the fact still remains that Joe Schmoe isn't very good.

As I said you won't get an argument from me.

 

The one point I was making in the post previous, which perhaps I could have made more clearly was the Bonifacio's numbers are over the entire season including the playoffs.

 

And whether he never does it again, the fact is he did it.

 

I'm especially impressed how well he wound up against the entire league and over an extended period of time. The season began on October 15th and we're in the last week of January, in my mind that's a good chunk of baseball and it's not unreasonable to look at it and be optimistic.

As I said you won't get an argument from me.

 

The one point I was making in the post previous, which perhaps I could have made more clearly was the Bonifacio's numbers are over the entire season including the playoffs.

 

And whether he never does it again, the fact is he did it.

 

I'm especially impressed how well he wound up against the entire league and over an extended period of time. The season began on October 15th and we're in the last week of January, in my mind that's a good chunk of baseball and it's not unreasonable to look at it and be optimistic.

 

Of course not... the thing that should keep fans "sober" though is that it doesn't compare at all to his minor league numbers. And that's a MUCH larger sample size. Now, maybe Bonerface started eating a new cereal or bought a lighter bat to use or just woke up with more offensive talent. But you gotta look at his COMPLETE body of work and realize that a .312/.390 is entirely unrealistic/unfair to expect of ol' Bonerface in his first (possible) whole year in the bigs or even his career.

Fact is, a lot of people like Bonifacio b/c he's the new kid on the block, and just b/c he was traded for Olsen and Willingham people think he MUST be something more than a utility player b/c Admin Beinfest is not capable of making mistakes.

 

The funny thing is that these same people are those who bash guys like Jeremy Hermida, who have actually done it over a full season, at a younger age, at the big league level. The same people who look at Winter Ball statistics, only to ignore stats like Hermida's AA stats b/c Hermida was projected to be a stud, and, apparently, he's disappointed some with his "effort." Mind you, that COULD just be the guy's character.

 

Even more hilarious was reading forums like that of the Sun-Sentinel the other day...the idiots who actually think Bonifacio would even come close to replacing Uggla, if Uggla were to leave. Bringing up "defense and speed" when a) Uggla's defense was above average this past year, and b) It's difficult to use speed when you have trouble getting to 1B. You can't steal 1B.

 

Let me put it this way...if Uggla leaves, I'd much rather see Coghlan take over, if that's the choice.

So who are these people Erick?

Nice and interesting write-up, 2003.

Here's to hoping that this kid can be a productive player for the big club, the sooner the better. If he can play the field like Amezaga but with maybe a bit more hitting upside, he will be a great addition to the bench/team.

 

I say A-M-E-N to that! It apears he can hit a few doubles and triples can wait to see him in ST

I watched all the games in ESPN Deportes and EB was the most exiting player on the plate and on the field. He can definetly be compared to Luis Castillo. Doesn't matter what Erick says. :whistle

I watched all the games in ESPN Deportes and EB was the most exiting player on the plate and on the field. He can definetly be compared to Luis Castillo. Doesn't matter what Erick says. :whistle

 

Offensively, they are nowhere near the same player.

 

Defensively, and base-stealing-wise, yeah, fine. But to compare Bonerface to Castillo is certainly an affront to what Luis Castillo has done for us offensively.

Erick has a point.

So who are these people Erick?

 

 

Well, you could be considered #1 on the list. :brigginbounce

Let me put it this way...if Uggla leaves, I'd much rather see Coghlan take over, if that's the choice.

 

As interested as we all are in your expertise, I vote for giving both players a solid look, and saving the overly conclusive comments until AFTER the season is over. Especially considering at this point in their careers neither have significant MLB numbers and... oh yea... they play different positions.

 

It is fun to speculate about a new, young player's ability. It is also fun (and common) to over-estimate that ability when you are talking about a player owned by your favorite ball club. However, for some reason, you seem to think that only stupid people support Bonifacio whereas intelligent, level-headed Marlins fans like yourself prefer to hype a different prospect.

 

The reason I underline that word is because only time will tell who pans out and who doesn't. In the meantime, I think I speak for a few more than just myself when I say we would appreciate it if you stopped trying to insult people's intelligence and bashing oither posters for trying to be optimistic. Its been made abundantly clear by now that you've got your panties in a twist over a certain trade that this team made. All we can do at this point is hope for the best, or, if you prefer, hope that the Emilio fails miserably thus proving you are right and annointing you king of marlinsbaseball.com/forums

Let me put it this way...if Uggla leaves, I'd much rather see Coghlan take over, if that's the choice.

 

As interested as we all are in your expertise, I vote for giving both players a solid look, and saving the overly conclusive comments until AFTER the season is over. Especially considering at this point in their careers neither have significant MLB numbers and... oh yea... they play different positions.

 

It is fun to speculate about a new, young player's ability. It is also fun (and common) to over-estimate that ability when you are talking about a player owned by your favorite ball club. However, for some reason, you seem to think that only stupid people support Bonifacio whereas intelligent, level-headed Marlins fans like yourself prefer to hype a different prospect.

 

The reason I underline that word is because only time will tell who pans out and who doesn't. In the meantime, I think I speak for a few more than just myself when I say we would appreciate it if you stopped trying to insult people's intelligence and bashing oither posters for trying to be optimistic. Its been made abundantly clear by now that you've got your panties in a twist over a certain trade that this team made. All we can do at this point is hope for the best, or, if you prefer, hope that the Emilio fails miserably thus proving you are right and annointing you king of marlinsbaseball.com/forums

 

You continue being "optimistic" about Bonifacio becoming an average hitter in the big leagues. Good for you. I hope he becomes one, as well. Heck, I hope he becomes the next great.

 

Realistically, I hope he's better than Robert Andino.

Saw Bonifacio once late in the season. Glad he's our prospect and not someone else's.

 

Thanks to '03 for a thread worth reading. Thanks also to Darren for his perfectly worded opprobrium.

Darren has a point to.

Saw Bonifacio once late in the season. Glad he's our prospect and not someone else's.

 

Thanks to '03 for a thread worth reading. Thanks also to Darren for his perfectly worded opprobrium.

 

Hate to be a d**k, but I had never heard that word before, so I went searching for it, and you used it totally incorrectly. Unless that's a word that you commonly use, pretty silly to go out of your way but still use it wrong.

Saw Bonifacio once late in the season. Glad he's our prospect and not someone else's.

 

Thanks to '03 for a thread worth reading. Thanks also to Darren for his perfectly worded opprobrium.

 

Hate to be a d**k, but I had never heard that word before, so I went searching for it, and you used it totally incorrectly. Unless that's a word that you commonly use, pretty silly to go out of your way but still use it wrong.

 

I lol'd

 

That is all...