Nothing fishy about Marlins' success (updated)
Posted: Saturday, May 31, 2008 5:18 PM
An executive of a team in another professional sport recently told me that if he were in baseball his first move would be to hire the Florida Marlins’ baseball department. How can you argue? The Marlins traded their best hitter, Miguel Cabrera, and a standout pitcher, Dontrelle Willis, to the Tigers over the winter. Florida scaling back its payroll yet again was a signal to the big payroll East Coast teams that they were waiting on a new stadium in Miami.
So how can the Fish possibly be the division leaders June 1? Last year’s team was .500 on June 8, 31-31. This year’s team is eight games above .500.
No endorsement here for the Marlins’ ownership. This view has been widely chronicled, but the baseball operations side of the franchise is simply amazing.
How have they achieved such unexpected success this season? Rich Waltz, the fine Marlins television announcer (with analyst Tommy Hutton they are a fine listen on Extra Innings), points out that the Marlins have played without their top three starters: Josh Johnson (due back in August), Anibal Sanchez (due back in July) and Sergio Mitre (out for year.) Mark Hendrickson, a baseball journeyman, was the Opening Day pitcher.
I spoke to Hendrickson in March and he mentioned that Andrew Miller, a key to the Cabrera-Willis trade, had great stuff but difficulty with consistency. It’s a slow progression but Miller may be advancing on that front, tossing a pair of seven-inning shutout starts in May.
And Waltz says, to no surprise, that the rotation will be crucial for the Marlins. They are 14th in the NL in starters ERA, but the bullpen has been terrific, posting the lowest OBA (.225) of any NL relief corps. Doug Waechter, a refugee from Tampa, has excelled in long relief covering up some erratic games from the rotation.
As was the case last year the Fish can score. They are fifth in runs this year matching their 2007 NL place. And they can drive the long ball, second in the NL in home runs despite the absence of Cabrera and last year’s catcher Miguel Olivo.
Identifying and acquiring young talent can happen through the free-agent draft. It can happen through trade (the Marlins have already utilized four of the six prospects they received from Detroit in last winter’s deal and the best of those prospects -- Cameron Maybin – may be next to the bigs as he’s in Triple-A) and it can happen through good scouting.
Take Dan Uggla, a 28-year-old second baseman, who came to the Marlins from the Diamondbacks in the Rule 5 draft. In the Arizona organization Uggla was buried behind more heralded youngsters. In Florida he found opportunity and now is putting up power numbers that could eventually threaten Jeff Kent as the best power-hitting second baseman in history.
For the Fish the schedule gets tougher with 16 games still to come against the Phillies (how can division rivals not play in the first third of the season?) and, incredibly, Florida’s six interleague games with Tampa Bay suddenly take on a different air. Waltz credits two veterans, Luis Gonzalez and Wes Helms, for setting the clubhouse tone, Gonzo as a “father figure” and Helms the “cop” policing how his younger teammates play the game.
One key factor going forward for the Fish is how they fare against NL East competition. They are 2-4 against the Mets, 3-2 against Atlanta, 1-1 against the Phillies through Saturday and are a gaudy 8-1 with the last-place Nationals.
Like with most teams the theme around the Marlins seems to be pitching and fielding. If they can tighten up those areas, then they feel they can play with the top dogs.
Notice this blog has praised the Marlins without mentioning -- until now – shortstop Hanley Ramirez, one of the game’s premier rising stars. Can he be to the 2008 Fish what Jose Reyes, a player Ramirez has passed, was to the 2006 Mets?
