http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/teams/report/FLA/7074404

 

Marlins report: Inside pitch Feb. 9, 2004

 

Notes, quotes | Roster The post-Pudge Marlins will enter camp with at least two main jobs up for grabs -- first base and catcher.

With Pudge Rodriguez gone, Ramon Castro will be given the chance to win the catcher's job over veteran backup Mike Redmond. But manager Jack McKeon may be reluctant to put Redmond on the bench unless Castro has a fantastic spring.

 

Hee Seop Choi was acquired from the Cubs to replace Derrek Lee at first base, but Choi apparently hasn't convinced the front office he is ready for the job full-time. That's why Florida acquired Wil Cordero as insurance. But like the Castro situation, the Marlins won't want to take a chance defending their title with a first baseman who struggles in the spring.

 

Meanwhile, LHP Dontrelle Willis could wind up in the bullpen once RHP A.J. Burnett returns from Tommy John surgery rehab. Florida signed LHP Darren Oliver to fill the void in the rotation until Burnett's return, targeted for May.

 

Oliver went 13-11 in 32 starts for Colorado last year. If Florida's bullpen struggles, expect Willis to be used in relief while Oliver stays in the rotation.

 

Right fielder Miguel Cabrera will be expected to replace Juan Encarnacion's 94 RBI. In 87 games with the Marlins since being called up from Double-A in June last year, Cabrera had 62 RBI. With the loss of Rodriguez, Derrek Lee and Encarnacion, the Marlins lost a total of 271 RBI from the middle of the lineup.

 

The team also will depend on left fielder Jeff Conine to help replace the 271 RBI lost with the departures of Encarnacion, Lee and Rodriguez. Conine drove in 80 runs in 124 games with the Baltimore Orioles in 2003 before he was traded on Aug. 31 to Florida, where he added 15 RBI in 20 games.

 

"Yes, we lost some RBI," GM Admin Beinfest said, "but we think Conine is an RBI machine and I think he showed that."

 

WHERE, WHEN: Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter, Fla. First exhibition games is March 4 against the Baltimore Orioles.

 

WHO'S IN CHARGE: Manager Jack McKeon (2nd year with Marlins, 75-49 with Florida in 2003, NL Manager of the Year, for second time in 2003), bench coach Doug Davis, hitting coach Bill Robinson, pitching coach Wayne Rosenthal, first-base/infield coach Perry Hill, third-base coach Jeff Cox, bullpen coach Tony Taylor.

 

TOP CANDIDATE TO SURPRISE

C Ramon Castro enters his sixth season with the Marlins after sitting on the bench the first five years. With the departure of his childhood friend, free-agent catcher Pudge Rodriguez, Castro gets the chance to be an everyday player. At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, he is expected to emerge into a power hitter, but he needs at-bats. He hit .283 with five home runs in 53 at-bats in 2003.

 

TOP CANDIDATE TO DISAPPOINT

LHP Dontrelle Willis won the NL Rookie of the Year award for sparking the pitching staff with a 14-6 record and 3.30 ERA. He went 9-1 with a 2.08 ERA to earn a spot on the All Star team. But he hasn't been himself since, going 5-5 with a 4.60 ERA afterward. He struggled early in the postseason before going to the bullpen, which is where he might end up again this season unless he posts pre-All-Star numbers.

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This brings up an interesting point I haven't thought of yet.....if Oliver shines, do we still put him in the 'pen when Burnett comes back, or do we put the guy who has done the worst (for lack of a better word) up to that point in the 'pen? It should be interesting to see who keeps their spot.

I've thought of this before, if we had gotten a good 5th starter then we could move Willis to the pen, but Oliver is a piece of crap, so I believe Willis will stay in the rotation.

No way in hell that happens.

i agree theres no way this will happen d-train starts

No way! Willis is way to valuable to be put into a setup or lefty specialist role in the bullpen. There not that stupid.

 

Only way it happens is if he struggles.

This article is based on inference. Doesnt seem to be much insider knowledge here and I just chalk this up to speculation. Invest in it as you wish, but use discretion.

This is written by a guy who didn't bother to check the facts.

 

Yes Willis struggled in the postseason which is not unusual for a rookie pitcher who is unprepared for the grind but he finished the regular season strong, 3-1 with a 2.89 era in September.

 

I'll take that from Dontrelle any day.

 

And as for rbis the real question is Big Choi's contribution. He says he can hit 20-25 hrs if he plays. Between Choi and Cordero 75+ rbi seems assured. This is a rewrite of Baxter's column in the Herald where he got his math wrong. based on a full year of Cabs at the same pace as last and Conine, throw in a little Castro and we are right back where we started plus a few.

I dont like when people start projecting how many rbis a player can have. Most of the time it matters on how many opportunities he has.

 

I believe that Choi will be able to get on base a great deal of the time. This will increase opportunities for the other marlins players who have a chance to have great years.

 

Also, Moving Dontrelle in the pen might not be that bad if Darren Oliver does a great job in the starting rotatin. I think that having Dontrelle in the pen is more valuable than having darren oliver in the pen.

 

But if Dontrelle throws strikes then they will be forced to move Oliver to the pen because when Dontrelle has command of his pitches, he is a dominate force.

not gonna happen (unless dtrain falters big-time)

 

that being said, i think d-train would be superb in the bullpen (see: ws, game 1)

D-Train was very good as a relief pitcher in the World Series but he should start.

 

I wouldnt mind him being in the bullpen but taking out D-Train for Oliver, no way.

No way this happens unless somethingbad happens to Dontrelle. His problems can most likely be attributed to a loss of some confidence after the big Cubs blowout (Even though he pitched a masterpiece against the Big Unit). Dontrelle will suprise this year because all I've heard is he has been working out on his arm strength and the like...

That is pretty smart if oliver and burnett do good and the pen is struggling.

D-train is young so yeah you can put him in the rotation and then when he is older he goes back to the rotation so yeah this works out perfectly.

The Marlins feature in SportsWeekly, for the week of Feb 4-10, said that with Burnett healthy that both Willis and Pavano could find themselves in the Bullpen. The Fish need to guard against over use of Willis, as it was clear to see he was running out of steam as the season progressed. I don't think the bullpen will help much in that scenerio.