The Marlins did relatively well during Spring Training, though I suppose that doesn't mean much. They open the season on Monday with a home series vs the Mets. The game should draw a huge crowd, not just because it's Opening day, but because the Mets will put out maybe the best pitcher in the game, Johan Santana. Rumors were that Andrew Miller was going to get the nod, but as of now it looks like Mark Hendrickson will be the starter.
The rotation looks iffy at this point. Due to injuries and trades, we have a lot of unproven, young guys out on the mound. Hendrickson will be followed by VanderHurk and Miller in the rotation. It gets trickier from there. Olsen is penciled in as the 4th starter in the rotation and manager Fredi Gonzalez doesn't plan on using a 5 man rotation for a couple of weeks. I had heard good things about prospect Chris Volstad, but it looks like he will be sent back to the minors and Ricky Nolasco will come out of the bullpen to start in mid-April.
It looks like Jorge Cantu will get the honor of replacing Miguel Cabrera at 3rd base. What I'm more concerned with is our center fielder. The centerpieces of the Detroit trade were Andrew Miller and CF Cameron Maybin, both supposed future All-Stars. However, it looks like Maybin will continue to be a work-in-progress, as he lost out on the starting job and is being sent back to the minors.
I see this like the Daequan Cook situation with the Heat. The team is going nowhere anyway, so is there a downside to letting the kid play in the big leagues? Maybe he'll regain his form in the minors, but would he have been better off playing through his troubles in the majors? It's tough to say because sometimes these prospects can get shellshocked at how hard the majors are and never recover, so it is sometimes wise to bring them along slowly. I'll trust the Marlins front office because for the most part, they are one of the most competent in baseball.
My guess is that this team struggles early, improves midway through the season, but flames out in late August. I predict a 68 win season for the Marlins.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Last Weekend Before Opening Day
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1 comment:
Cameron Maybin can't hit a breaking pitch...you pitch him a fastball, and it's out of the park. His swing is terrible when they pitch him a curveball.
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