2011 in Review: Florida/Miami Marlins

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2011 in Review: Florida/Miami Marlins

These past 365 days have been characterized by revolutions. From the successful revolts abroad to the domestic ‘Occupy’ movement, 2011 was truly a year for social change. A little closer to home, the Marlins franchise underwent a radical transformation as well. Though the recent acquisitions of the current Miami Marlins have dominated headlines, believe it or not, the Florida Marlins still played an interesting 162 games of baseball.

Josh Johnson & Co. gave an Opening Day to remember. Johnson held the Mets hitless for 6 innings before giving up a couple of runs, but a John Buck grand slam and Logan Morrison solo shot provided all of the offense needed to secure the victory. And after the dust settled from the first 50 games, Marlin fans had a lot to look forward to. The club propelled to a 30-20 start, good for the 4th best record in all of baseball. The team was firing on all cylinders.

Though 3rd base had been a question during Spring Training, the underdog platoon of Emilio Bonifacio and Greg Dobbs led the charge with a combined batting average over .300. That, coupled with sluggers Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton in the heart of the order, made the lineup one not to be taken lightly, despite the struggles of superstar Hanley Ramirez.

Ace Josh Johnson led the charge on the mound, sporting a 1.64 ERA until the injury bug bit again. The shoulder ailment forced Johnson to miss the rest of the season. Numbers 2 and 3 in the rotation, Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco, were no slouches either. Through that same 50 game mark, their combined ERA’s were under 2.80. Along with Johnson, the trio created a formidable front three that could hang with the best.

The bullpen also shut down opponents in this time frame. The closer formerly known as Leo Nunez started the season with a run of 18 straight saves before finally imploding May 25th against the Giants, a disastrous move which marked an ominous turn of events for the Marlins.

Scott Cousins wanted to win the game. Playing against his hometown team of San Francisco for the first time, he stood on 3rd base as the winning run for a team with a real chance to make it to the postseason. The electric Giants crowd transformed the stadium into a playoff atmosphere. With only one out, Emilio Bonifacio sent a shallow fly ball into right-center field. As soon as the ball hit leather, Cousin took off on a mad dash for home plate. Rightfielder Nate Schierholtz released a bullet to catcher Buster Posey in what turned out to be a bang-bang play in every sense of the word. Cousins trucked Posey, who missed the throw just milliseconds before, to score what would turn out to be the winning run. Immediately after the impact, Cousins checked on Posey who was in obvious pain. When it was revealed that Posey would miss the rest of the season with a broken leg, death threats came in from people who could have been Cousins’ childhood neighbors. The Bay Area kid made a clean play, according to most baseball sages. Cousins helped his team to win the game, yet “The Curse of Buster Posey� haunted the Marlins for the rest of the season.

The month of June was one of the toughest in franchise history. It began with a 9 game losing streak, a lone win, and then a 10 game losing streak. The floundering Fish were on pace to break the record for worst winning percentage on a month until a couple of wins against the A’s in interleague play saved the embarrassment of owning that unwanted title. After entering the month just 2 games behind the juggernaut Phillies, the Marlins left it down 14.5 and with a different, yet not new, manager.

Jack McKeon returned to the club that he led to a World Series title just eight years prior. The veteran skipper revitalized the mentally defeated team and brought a unique style of managing to the team. One of his first bold moves was benching Hanley Ramirez in his very first games as manager for showing up late. Other creative, if not amusing, moves came in the form of pulling pitchers in the middle of counts if he did not like what he saw. More often than not, they worked out. In his first full month as manager, the Marlins sported a 17-10 record, yet did not gain any ground in the standings. At this point, the hunt for October became wishful thinking. But that did not mean the Marlins did not stir up excitement.

Emilio Bonifacio’s speed translated to an on-field product that was downright fun to watch. With the initial role of utilityman, Bonifacio soon hit his way into the top of the order. Once he was there, he earned his keep. The blazing speedster greatly improved his bunting, defense for every outfield position, and even power – hitting a few shots that Mike Stanton would be proud of. But he was at his best during a stretch from June 28th to July 28th in which he hit in 26 straight games. In that span, he hit for a slash line of .390/.479/.909 while swiping 17 bases. He ended the season with a .296 average and 40 steals, both good enough to lead the Marlins in those categories. Bonifacio improved himself to the point of being a legitimate threat at the top of the order and ensured himself a spot there as the 2012 season opens.

On August 13th, Marlins leftfielder Logan Morrison had an especially tough game. He went 0-3, K at the plate after, shut down (with the rest of the Marlins) by Giants ace Tim Lincecum. In addition, his struggles in left field came under scrutiny again after a dropped ball. After the game, manager Jack McKeon called LoMo in his office along with some members of the front office. The group collectively decided a stint in AAA was needed for the outspoken tweeter, citing his .249 batting average and the need for him to get back into the game mentally. Towards the end of May, Morrison was sporting a .330 average and slugging over 1.000. His performance took a nosedive along with the team’s record in the past few months. However, the demotion was a hotspot for controversy. LoMo supporters flocked to the web to support their wisecracking entertainer. But facts are facts. Morrison, under great emotional stress from the passing of his dad in the offseason, lost his way at the plate, perhaps mentally as well. Through it all, the front office never took Logan Morrison out of their plans. Team President David Samson has even gone as far as to say that Morrison is “untouchable� this winter, despite the potential haul he could bring back.

The first of many moves of the Miami Marlins was done while the Florida Marlins still had a few games left. In desperate need of a manager to lead the new club into a new stadium in 2012, the Marlins traded with the Chicago White Sox, getting manager Ozzie Guillen in exchange for SS Ozzie Martinez. The Ozzie/Ozzie swap generated much publicity for the Fish and the outspoken Venezuelan manager made his first appearance during a ceremony after the last official game that the Florida Marlins ever played.

With the end of the season, came the end of an era. On 11/11/11, the Florida Marlins were no more. The team that won two World Series titles – gone. In its place, the brash, young franchise not afraid to bid with the best of them. The Miami Marlins made their first splash in free agency by signing perennial All-Star closer Heath Bell to a 3 year contract. Rumors of the Marlins feigning interest only to put on a show were squashed. Just a few days later, the Marlins really put all doubt to rest by reeling in their big prize of the offseason – speedster shortstop Jose Reyes. Now anticipation was at a fever pitch when the front office revealed their next legitimate target, the best hitter of this generation – Albert Pujols. Although he and subsequent target C.J. Wilson both headed out west to Anaheim, the Miami Marlins completed a “Big 3� of signings in their own right with veteran southpaw Mark Buerhle, who previously played for Ozzie Guillen in Chicago.

In most cases, a 72-90 record does not inspire too many positive reflections on the previous year. But it is safe to say that the Marlins are the exception. Ace Josh Johnson suffered an injury while he was setting the standard in ERA for the league and best batter Hanley Ramirez simultaneously suffered freak injuries and his worst year as a professional. The young and talented Miami Marlins’ core is locked up for years to come. JJ and Hanley have until 2013 and 2014 respectively, the lone All-Star Gaby Sanchez is under team contract until 2015, and the star corner outfielders, Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton, are both Marlins until 2016. Of course, the trio of free agents signed so far shore up all aspects of the game. Now that the check books are open, every offseason from this point on will be an adventure.

2011 was a great year for the Marlins in terms of building for the future. Owner Jeffrey Loria stated multiple times this offseason that they put a plan into place three years ago which would enable the team to compete around 2012. The front office certainly followed through with that statement and put together a potentially exciting on-field product which could be ‘Streets Ahead’ of the competition. If they build off all of the momentum generated this year, the Miami Marlins could soon catch and surpass the Florida Marlins in World Series championships during the years to come.

Other Interesting Marlin Notes:

• Josh Johnson injured his shoulder May 16th against the New York Mets. While his injury takes precedent now, that game lives on in infamy for another reason. In the 10th inning, Marlins reliever Burke Badenhop gave both his team and himself the ‘W’ by smacking a game-winning single up the middle.
  

• On July 20th, Marlins rookie OF Bryan Petersen took to the mound to keep the bullpen fresh in a 14-3 blowout loss to the Padres. Petersen, who pitched in college, hit about 90-92 on the radar gun and now has a career 0.00 ERA in the big leagues. He only walked one and escaped the inning without a hit. He became the first Marlins position player to pitch in a game since 2009 where both Cody Ross and Ross Gload came in for mop-up duty. All 3 were scoreless appearances.
  

• The 21 year old Mike Stanton garnished a single MVP vote after his 2011 campaign. The phenom finished with 34 HR’s and a .537 SLG %, not to mention being the biggest draw in batting practice all around America.
  

• While the Marlins were having success early on in the year, two key contributors were not – Javier Vasquez and Omar Infante. But later on in the year, well after the Marlins were out of contention, both turned it around huge ways. Vasquez dropped his ERA from a MLB-high 6.02 to a very respectable 3.69 from June 21st on, which translates to an amazing 1.85 ERA in that timeframe. Meanwhile, Infante turned into a linedrive machine post All-Star break and led the Marlins with a .314 average in the second half.
  

• In one of the most bizarre twists of the season, Leo Nunez is not Leo Nunez. As it turns out, the man who signed as an amateur free agent in 2000 with the Pittsburgh Pirates has been living under a false identity for 11 years. The Marlins placed the newly-discovered Juan Carlos Oviedo on the restricted list but actually did tender him a contract, on the condition that all of his legal problems are resolved. However, acquiring proven closer Heath Bell means Oviedo would be a set-up man.