Frankly, the Marlins were looking a whole lot better a few weeks ago. My list of concerns heading into this season:

1) Bullpen ... seriously bad. I mean really bad. When a starter leaves the game with a two-run lead after six innings, we are not going to feel that a win is on the horizon, or even a possibility. What a way to go into a season.

2) Top of the order. The Marlins are actually going to hand more at bats to Emilio Bonafacio and John Baker each game than any other player??? Is that a misprint? Didn't Maybin get on base every other at bat in the leadoff spot last September?? Doesn't he have to be our leadoff hitter?

3) Defense. While I like Maybin in center and Ross in right, what's the track record for Bonafacio at third base? He has none. Never played there before. Is someone expecting this to represent a defensive upgrade at the hot corner?

4) Even the starting pitching ... A Miller is finally improving and Nolasco has been steady, but Johnson and Volstad have been teed up most recently.

Frankly, the Marlins were looking a whole lot better a few weeks ago. My list of concerns heading into this season:

1) Bullpen ... seriously bad. I mean really bad. When a starter leaves the game with a two-run lead after six innings, we are not going to feel that a win is on the horizon, or even a possibility. What a way to go into a season.

2) Top of the order. The Marlins are actually going to hand more at bats to Emilio Bonafacio and John Baker each game than any other player??? Is that a misprint? Didn't Maybin get on base every other at bat in the leadoff spot last September?? Doesn't he have to be our leadoff hitter?

3) Defense. While I like Maybin in center and Ross in right, what's the track record for Bonafacio at third base? He has none. Never played there before. Is someone expecting this to represent a defensive upgrade at the hot corner?

4) Even the starting pitching ... A Miller is finally improving and Nolasco has been steady, but Johnson and Volstad have been teed up most recently.

 

1) How u can say when a starter leaves the game with a 2 run lead after 6 innings and claim a win isnt even a possibility, quite frankly is ridiculous. Yes there are some questions about our relievers but as was mentioned in one of the other threads, the ERA of the most likely 7 bullpen arms as a cumulative stat is actually not bad.

2) The reason EB will be leading off (according to Fredi's comments) is because of the speed he has. I'm not sure whether Baker or Maybin will bat 2nd, but Baker showed last year he was more than capable of hitting in that spot, so I am not sure why u are questioning that.

3) Absolutely true EB doesnt have much experience at 3rd, but with the athleticism he has, the FO has believed from day 1 that he is an option for that position. There should be a major defensive upgrade at the corners with Cantu 1B and EB 3B as opposed to Jacobs 1B and Cantu 3B.

4) Considering JJ has a Spring Training ERA of 3.38 and Volstad's is 3.27, I don't exactly see where ur concern is coming from?

I'm concerned with how nobody seems to understand anything about this team. First bullpen, they have sure sucked.

 

Lindstrom 1 IP, 0 ER

Nunez 9 IP, 4 ER

Calero 9 IP, 0 ER

Kensing 8.66 IP, 4 ER

Pinto 10.33 IP, 5 ER

Meyer 9.33 IP, 6 ER

C. Martinez 10 IP, 4 ER (It's gotta be him, right?)

 

Total 57.33 IP, 23 ER = 3.61 ERA

 

Lindstrom 1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB (1.00)

Nunez 9 IP, 9 H, 5 BB (1.55)

Calero 9 IP, 3 H, 1 BB (.44)

Kensing 8.66 IP, 7 H, 4 BB (1.27)

Pinto 10.33 IP, 7 H, 9 BB (1.54)

Meyer 9.33 IP, 9 H, 5 BB (1.50)

C. Martinez 10 IP, 15 H, 4 BB (1.90)

 

Total 57.33 IP, 51 H, 28 BB = 1.37 WHIP

 

Once Lindstrom is back, Proctor replaces Martinez, Nunez settles down into his splits from the last two years, and we figure out what to do with the lefties, this is going to be a more than fine unit. And we have some serious fire power (Tucker, Ceda, etc) in waiting. This is easily going to work out.

 

Second, Baker is more than fine at the top of the order. EB will play himself out of so it won't be like that all year. This will be fine. Maybin will be up there eventually.

 

Third, the defensive upgrade is going to be substantial with the entire outfield and starting infield corners all being upgraded through the moving of personnel to better spots.

 

Fourth, HERE is the top problem. But you still didn't get it completely. The problem is "whose 6th?" JJ and Nolasco are probably not throwing 33 starts, and the rest of them 32 (which is a full season). Where are these extra starts coming from? Badenhop? Trahern? VandenHurk? We have problems coming real quick if somebody goes down. Like I said before, pray West or Thompson shows up big time this year and are ready to eat innings come July.

Lindstrom is injured and unproven as a closer. Pinto and Kensing are unreliable. We'll see how the other retreads perform. Watch and learn.

 

 

But in the 5 save chances he got last year, lindstrom was perfect. Yea, small sample size but it's something. As for Pinto and Kensing, I trust them. Pinto was very good last year till he got over used, and Kensing is a pitcher who will tally alot of strike outs.

Lindstrom is injured and unproven as a closer. Pinto and Kensing are unreliable. We'll see how the other retreads perform. Watch and learn.

 

 

But in the 5 save chances he got last year, lindstrom was perfect. Yea, small sample size but it's something. As for Pinto and Kensing, I trust them. Pinto was very good last year till he got over used, and Kensing is a pitcher who will tally alot of strike outs.

 

It's the familiar refrain with bullpen arms, especially hard throwers. It's all about their control. If Lindstrom, Pinto, and Kensing can keep the walks down, they should be very solid.

Bonifacio is NASTY defensively. He literally can play any position on the field (save for catcher and pitcher, and maybe first). He may have not proven this in the majors but on Licey his defense was outstanding. And over Spring Training, he has snagged some balls over there that we would have seen Cantu let go easily.

 

Bullpen has some issues but they seem to be pitching well enough that they can hold up until Proctor comes back. When Proctor was on the Yankees I remember always thinking, 'Man this guy has great pitch location and has tremendous control.' Our bullpen is not the best but it's not going to be a disaster. And it definitely isn't "seriously bad. I mean really bad." That's a little exaggerated. Lindstrom is an improvement for closer. And Proctor might be better than anyone else we had in the bullpen last year.

 

And how in the world are you concerned about Johnson? His 1st and 2nd seasons have been OUTSTANDING!!! And Volstad's performance last year was unprecedented at least for a Marlins rookie pitcher (well, maybe the only guy who was able to pitch that well his rookie season was JJ himself... oh and maybe Livan). Why are your concerns with two of the three guys on our rotation that can actually be lights out and not with Miller? If anything, Miller would be my concern. But Miller is going to be a stud eventually. Any lefty that throws the nasty stuff he throws is going to be nasty.

 

And honestly, I really don't know where I stand in the Bonifacio vs. Maybin for leadoff ordeal. Bonifacio is so fast that it might completely undermine Maybin's ability to get on base. I mean, Bonifacio might be the fastest guy in the majors. His home-to-first is 3.5 FREAKIN' SECONDS!!!. Honestly, if I were a manager and I heard that I might think twice about putting Maybin, or anyone else, at leadoff. Also, Maybin is a good enough hitter that he can make things happen in any part of the order. And he would be a nasty #2. If Bonifacio gets on base, he is going to wreak havoc on the base paths. He is going to be a very dangerous, and freakishly scary runner.

Bonifacio is NASTY defensively. He literally can play any position on the field (save for catcher and pitcher, and maybe first). He may have not proven this in the majors but on Licey his defense was outstanding. And over Spring Training, he has snagged some balls over there that we would have seen Cantu let go easily.

 

Bullpen has some issues but they seem to be pitching well enough that they can hold up until Proctor comes back. When Proctor was on the Yankees I remember always thinking, 'Man this guy has great pitch location and has tremendous control.' Our bullpen is not the best but it's not going to be a disaster. And it definitely isn't "seriously bad. I mean really bad." That's a little exaggerated. Lindstrom is an improvement for closer. And Proctor might be better than anyone else we had in the bullpen last year.

 

And how in the world are you concerned about Johnson? His 1st and 2nd seasons have been OUTSTANDING!!! And Volstad's performance last year was unprecedented at least for a Marlins rookie pitcher (well, maybe the only guy who was able to pitch that well his rookie season was JJ himself... oh and maybe Livan). Why are your concerns with two of the three guys on our rotation that can actually be lights out and not with Miller? If anything, Miller would be my concern. But Miller is going to be a stud eventually. Any lefty that throws the nasty stuff he throws is going to be nasty.

 

And honestly, I really don't know where I stand in the Bonifacio vs. Maybin for leadoff ordeal. Bonifacio is so fast that it might completely undermine Maybin's ability to get on base. I mean, Bonifacio might be the fastest guy in the majors. His home-to-first is 3.5 FREAKIN' SECONDS!!!. Honestly, if I were a manager and I heard that I might think twice about putting Maybin, or anyone else, at leadoff. Also, Maybin is a good enough hitter that he can make things happen in any part of the order. And he would be a nasty #2. If Bonifacio gets on base, he is going to wreak havoc on the base paths. He is going to be a very dangerous, and freakishly scary runner.

 

Dontrelle Willis.

I don't think that's the right word. Are you trying to say hat it outweighs/matters more than Maybin's OBP? Or maybe I'm missing your point.....

Our bullpen will be very bad this year. I'm just hoping it is somewhat decent and can keep us in the hunt late in the season. The top of the order is a non issue with me. Baker is a very good top of the lineup hitter, Maybin adds much needed speed to the team, and EB will be #8 in the lineup the majority of the time. Our defense has always been an issue, but with Hermida in left, Cody in right, and Cantu now playing 1st (Cantu at 3rd was the biggest issue early last season), I believe defense will drastically improve. As for the starting pitching, JJ shouldn't be the pitcher you are worried about, he is really one of the only sure things other than Nolasco. I am concerned about the back end of the rotation with Miller and Anibal, since both are very iffy. They can either have very promising seasons or complete flop, but the great thing about this team is we already have insurance pitchers ready to come in right away and take over if one of them does.

Bonifacio is NASTY defensively. He literally can play any position on the field (save for catcher and pitcher, and maybe first). He may have not proven this in the majors but on Licey his defense was outstanding. And over Spring Training, he has snagged some balls over there that we would have seen Cantu let go easily.

 

Bullpen has some issues but they seem to be pitching well enough that they can hold up until Proctor comes back. When Proctor was on the Yankees I remember always thinking, 'Man this guy has great pitch location and has tremendous control.' Our bullpen is not the best but it's not going to be a disaster. And it definitely isn't "seriously bad. I mean really bad." That's a little exaggerated. Lindstrom is an improvement for closer. And Proctor might be better than anyone else we had in the bullpen last year.

 

And how in the world are you concerned about Johnson? His 1st and 2nd seasons have been OUTSTANDING!!! And Volstad's performance last year was unprecedented at least for a Marlins rookie pitcher (well, maybe the only guy who was able to pitch that well his rookie season was JJ himself... oh and maybe Livan). Why are your concerns with two of the three guys on our rotation that can actually be lights out and not with Miller? If anything, Miller would be my concern. But Miller is going to be a stud eventually. Any lefty that throws the nasty stuff he throws is going to be nasty.

 

And honestly, I really don't know where I stand in the Bonifacio vs. Maybin for leadoff ordeal. Bonifacio is so fast that it might completely undermine Maybin's ability to get on base. I mean, Bonifacio might be the fastest guy in the majors. His home-to-first is 3.5 FREAKIN' SECONDS!!!. Honestly, if I were a manager and I heard that I might think twice about putting Maybin, or anyone else, at leadoff. Also, Maybin is a good enough hitter that he can make things happen in any part of the order. And he would be a nasty #2. If Bonifacio gets on base, he is going to wreak havoc on the base paths. He is going to be a very dangerous, and freakishly scary runner.

 

Don't you have to reach base first before you can run?

Our bullpen will be very bad this year. I'm just hoping it is somewhat decent and can keep us in the hunt late in the season. The top of the order is a non issue with me. Baker is a very good top of the lineup hitter, Maybin adds much needed speed to the team, and EB will be #8 in the lineup the majority of the time. Our defense has always been an issue, but with Hermida in left, Cody in right, and Cantu now playing 1st (Cantu at 3rd was the biggest issue early last season), I believe defense will drastically improve. As for the starting pitching, JJ shouldn't be the pitcher you are worried about, he is really one of the only sure things other than Nolasco. I am concerned about the back end of the rotation with Miller and Anibal, since both are very iffy. They can either have very promising seasons or complete flop, but the great thing about this team is we already have insurance pitchers ready to come in right away and take over if one of them does.

 

Our bullpen will not be very bad. It will be at least average. Lindstrom in his short time as our closer was very good. Proctor, Pinto, Nunez, and Kensing will be good for MR. All we need to hope is we find a good enough lefty specialist so Pinto doesn't get over worked again.

 

And I really wanna know who our insurance pitchers are. If Miller or Sanchez go down, we are screwed.

Our bullpen will be very bad this year. I'm just hoping it is somewhat decent and can keep us in the hunt late in the season. The top of the order is a non issue with me. Baker is a very good top of the lineup hitter, Maybin adds much needed speed to the team, and EB will be #8 in the lineup the majority of the time. Our defense has always been an issue, but with Hermida in left, Cody in right, and Cantu now playing 1st (Cantu at 3rd was the biggest issue early last season), I believe defense will drastically improve. As for the starting pitching, JJ shouldn't be the pitcher you are worried about, he is really one of the only sure things other than Nolasco. I am concerned about the back end of the rotation with Miller and Anibal, since both are very iffy. They can either have very promising seasons or complete flop, but the great thing about this team is we already have insurance pitchers ready to come in right away and take over if one of them does.

 

Our bullpen will not be very bad. It will be at least average. Lindstrom in his short time as our closer was very good. Proctor, Pinto, Nunez, and Kensing will be good for MR. All we need to hope is we find a good enough lefty specialist so Pinto doesn't get over worked again.

 

And I really wanna know who our insurance pitchers are. If Miller or Sanchez go down, we are screwed.

 

 

dude, we have Badenhop, Tucker, RVH, and countless others who have pitched at the major league level. We also have another prized possession Sean West, who many have said is MLB ready, and is primed to enter the rotation around the same time Volstad did. We have other guys from that 05 draft who are also getting closer to being starter ready at the MLB level.

 

And I love your optimism Miller23, but our bullpen without a doubt got worse. We had tons of trouble last season, and our true saviors were Waechter, Nelson, and towards the end Rhodes. All those guys are gone, and we have replaced them with unprovens once again. I say they can go either way, but we have no proven MR's other than Proctor and Pinto (until he was overused), Lindstrom had 5 saves last season, we don't know how he will do through an entire season.

Our bullpen will be very bad this year. I'm just hoping it is somewhat decent and can keep us in the hunt late in the season. The top of the order is a non issue with me. Baker is a very good top of the lineup hitter, Maybin adds much needed speed to the team, and EB will be #8 in the lineup the majority of the time. Our defense has always been an issue, but with Hermida in left, Cody in right, and Cantu now playing 1st (Cantu at 3rd was the biggest issue early last season), I believe defense will drastically improve. As for the starting pitching, JJ shouldn't be the pitcher you are worried about, he is really one of the only sure things other than Nolasco. I am concerned about the back end of the rotation with Miller and Anibal, since both are very iffy. They can either have very promising seasons or complete flop, but the great thing about this team is we already have insurance pitchers ready to come in right away and take over if one of them does.

 

Our bullpen will not be very bad. It will be at least average. Lindstrom in his short time as our closer was very good. Proctor, Pinto, Nunez, and Kensing will be good for MR. All we need to hope is we find a good enough lefty specialist so Pinto doesn't get over worked again.

 

And I really wanna know who our insurance pitchers are. If Miller or Sanchez go down, we are screwed.

 

 

dude, we have Badenhop, Tucker, RVH, and countless others who have pitched at the major league level. We also have another prized possession Sean West, who many have said is MLB ready, and is primed to enter the rotation around the same time Volstad did. We have other guys from that 05 draft who are also getting closer to being starter ready at the MLB level.

 

And I love your optimism Miller23, but our bullpen without a doubt got worse. We had tons of trouble last season, and our true saviors were Waechter, Nelson, and towards the end Rhodes. All those guys are gone, and we have replaced them with unprovens once again. I say they can go either way, but we have no proven MR's other than Proctor and Pinto (until he was overused), Lindstrom had 5 saves last season, we don't know how he will do through an entire season.

 

 

Wow. You call Badenhop, Tucker, and RVH reliable? That's pathetic. These guys were trash for us last year. Sean West, yea, I'll give you that, but he might not be ready.

 

The reason for my optimism is because we have proven talent in our bullpen. Nunez, Pinto, Kensing, and Proctor are good relief pitchers. Lindstrom showed in his short time he's at least an average closer. Again, our only worries should be who our lefty specialist is.

Don't you have to reach base first before you can run?

Hopefully the marlins will finally have a player that lay down a bunt.

Don't you have to reach base first before you can run?

Hopefully the marlins will finally have a player that lay down a bunt.

 

CAN SOMEONE FIND ME THAT GIANT, OUT OF FOCUS LAUGHY FACE????\

dude, we have Badenhop, Tucker, RVH, and countless others who have pitched at the major league level. We also have another prized possession Sean West, who many have said is MLB ready, and is primed to enter the rotation around the same time Volstad did. We have other guys from that 05 draft who are also getting closer to being starter ready at the MLB level.

 

And I love your optimism Miller23, but our bullpen without a doubt got worse. We had tons of trouble last season, and our true saviors were Waechter, Nelson, and towards the end Rhodes. All those guys are gone, and we have replaced them with unprovens once again. I say they can go either way, but we have no proven MR's other than Proctor and Pinto (until he was overused), Lindstrom had 5 saves last season, we don't know how he will do through an entire season.

 

WOW. You think our bullpen is going to be very bad, but you think Badenhop, Tucker, RVH, etc. are reliable? Don't you see that this doesn't make sense? Those guys weren't even good enoguh to make our bullpen.......

dude, we have Badenhop, Tucker, RVH, and countless others who have pitched at the major league level. We also have another prized possession Sean West, who many have said is MLB ready, and is primed to enter the rotation around the same time Volstad did. We have other guys from that 05 draft who are also getting closer to being starter ready at the MLB level.

 

And I love your optimism Miller23, but our bullpen without a doubt got worse. We had tons of trouble last season, and our true saviors were Waechter, Nelson, and towards the end Rhodes. All those guys are gone, and we have replaced them with unprovens once again. I say they can go either way, but we have no proven MR's other than Proctor and Pinto (until he was overused), Lindstrom had 5 saves last season, we don't know how he will do through an entire season.

 

WOW. You think our bullpen is going to be very bad, but you think Badenhop, Tucker, RVH, etc. are reliable? Don't you see that this doesn't make sense? Those guys weren't even good enoguh to make our bullpen.......

 

 

I trust them more to take over when a starter gets injured than i trust our bullpen when up close in games.

I guess I'll just save some time, and copy & paste my post from the Catalanotto thread.

 

============================================================================

 

Realistically, I'm just hoping Bonifacio is a +++++++ glove at 3B. If that's the case, that's something we didn't have at all last year, and it would really improve our defense at the corner infield spots, not to mention the already improved range in the outfield.

 

If Bonifacio gives you great defense, you can live with him at 3B, hitting 8th.

 

The offense is still just as good as last year's. Despite now having the worst offensive 3B in baseball, the catching platoon is way better, having a Cameron Maybin / shifting Cody Ross to the corner OF not only improves the defense plenty, but it improves the offense b/c it means Amezaga doesn't have to start for a month + anymore, as he did last year.

 

So the exaggeration of lost offense is just that...an exaggeration.

 

The only concern, at this point, is the bullpen.

Bonifacio is NASTY defensively. He literally can play any position on the field (save for catcher and pitcher, and maybe first). He may have not proven this in the majors but on Licey his defense was outstanding. And over Spring Training, he has snagged some balls over there that we would have seen Cantu let go easily.

 

Bullpen has some issues but they seem to be pitching well enough that they can hold up until Proctor comes back. When Proctor was on the Yankees I remember always thinking, 'Man this guy has great pitch location and has tremendous control.' Our bullpen is not the best but it's not going to be a disaster. And it definitely isn't "seriously bad. I mean really bad." That's a little exaggerated. Lindstrom is an improvement for closer. And Proctor might be better than anyone else we had in the bullpen last year.

 

And how in the world are you concerned about Johnson? His 1st and 2nd seasons have been OUTSTANDING!!! And Volstad's performance last year was unprecedented at least for a Marlins rookie pitcher (well, maybe the only guy who was able to pitch that well his rookie season was JJ himself... oh and maybe Livan). Why are your concerns with two of the three guys on our rotation that can actually be lights out and not with Miller? If anything, Miller would be my concern. But Miller is going to be a stud eventually. Any lefty that throws the nasty stuff he throws is going to be nasty.

 

And honestly, I really don't know where I stand in the Bonifacio vs. Maybin for leadoff ordeal. Bonifacio is so fast that it might completely undermine Maybin's ability to get on base. I mean, Bonifacio might be the fastest guy in the majors. His home-to-first is 3.5 FREAKIN' SECONDS!!!. Honestly, if I were a manager and I heard that I might think twice about putting Maybin, or anyone else, at leadoff. Also, Maybin is a good enough hitter that he can make things happen in any part of the order. And he would be a nasty #2. If Bonifacio gets on base, he is going to wreak havoc on the base paths. He is going to be a very dangerous, and freakishly scary runner.

 

Don't you have to reach base first before you can run?

 

I was always told you had to run to 1st base and if you run fast you have a better chance than if you run slow

Bonifacio is NASTY defensively. He literally can play any position on the field (save for catcher and pitcher, and maybe first). He may have not proven this in the majors but on Licey his defense was outstanding. And over Spring Training, he has snagged some balls over there that we would have seen Cantu let go easily.

 

Bullpen has some issues but they seem to be pitching well enough that they can hold up until Proctor comes back. When Proctor was on the Yankees I remember always thinking, 'Man this guy has great pitch location and has tremendous control.' Our bullpen is not the best but it's not going to be a disaster. And it definitely isn't "seriously bad. I mean really bad." That's a little exaggerated. Lindstrom is an improvement for closer. And Proctor might be better than anyone else we had in the bullpen last year.

 

And how in the world are you concerned about Johnson? His 1st and 2nd seasons have been OUTSTANDING!!! And Volstad's performance last year was unprecedented at least for a Marlins rookie pitcher (well, maybe the only guy who was able to pitch that well his rookie season was JJ himself... oh and maybe Livan). Why are your concerns with two of the three guys on our rotation that can actually be lights out and not with Miller? If anything, Miller would be my concern. But Miller is going to be a stud eventually. Any lefty that throws the nasty stuff he throws is going to be nasty.

 

And honestly, I really don't know where I stand in the Bonifacio vs. Maybin for leadoff ordeal. Bonifacio is so fast that it might completely undermine Maybin's ability to get on base. I mean, Bonifacio might be the fastest guy in the majors. His home-to-first is 3.5 FREAKIN' SECONDS!!!. Honestly, if I were a manager and I heard that I might think twice about putting Maybin, or anyone else, at leadoff. Also, Maybin is a good enough hitter that he can make things happen in any part of the order. And he would be a nasty #2. If Bonifacio gets on base, he is going to wreak havoc on the base paths. He is going to be a very dangerous, and freakishly scary runner.

 

Don't you have to reach base first before you can run?

 

I was always told you had to run to 1st base and if you run fast you have a better chance than if you run slow

Actually, sometimes, if you play really well, you get to walk to first base quite a bit instead.

Don't you have to reach base first before you can run?

 

How does this bet thing work? I bet Bonifacio gets on base this season. Ban me if he doesn't.

With the general consensus that our bullpen is weaker than last year, can anyone remember (I cant be bothered looking) what the forum's views were exactly one year ago about the state of the bullpen going into the 08 season?

 

I can't be sure but I would imagine having guys like Nelson and Waechter didnt exactly inspire confidence before the season but they turned out good in the end.

Don't you have to reach base first before you can run?

 

How does this bet thing work? I bet Bonifacio gets on base this season. Ban me if he doesn't.

 

 

I bet you he gets on base at a low rate.

added concern .... strikeouts. Seems like the old problem is a current problem. I'm guessing that the Marlins lead all of baseball in spring whiffage. Uggla, Bonafacio, Ross, Hermida, Paulino, Cantu, etc. An awful lot of no contact. Sometimes the tradeoff for K's is HR's ... but none of that for the Marlins this spring either.

added concern .... strikeouts. Seems like the old problem is a current problem. I'm guessing that the Marlins lead all of baseball in spring whiffage. Uggla, Bonafacio, Ross, Hermida, Paulino, Cantu, etc. An awful lot of no contact. Sometimes the tradeoff for K's is HR's ... but none of that for the Marlins this spring either.

 

 

a good trade off for strikeouts to me is obp. if the marlins can bring that up they should be able to score the same amount of runs with less homers

added concern .... strikeouts. Seems like the old problem is a current problem. I'm guessing that the Marlins lead all of baseball in spring whiffage. Uggla, Bonafacio, Ross, Hermida, Paulino, Cantu, etc. An awful lot of no contact. Sometimes the tradeoff for K's is HR's ... but none of that for the Marlins this spring either.

Uggla and Hermida walk a lot.

 

Ross is a splits guy, and does enough to be useful. Cantu is more neutral, but again does enough to be useful.

 

Paulino is a backup catcher, who is a splits guy vs LHP.

 

And Bonifacio.... doesn't walk, low slugging. Yea, so we have a Bonifacio problem here, and nothing else.