Florida Marlins Preview

Florida Marlins Preview

Summary: Most Florida Marlins fans never expected another repeat of the season when management completely gutted the World Champion Marlins but that is exactly what happened during the off season.

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Article Body: Overview:

Most Florida Marlins fans never expected another repeat of the season when management completely gutted the World Champion Marlins but that is exactly what happened during the off season. Despite finishing tied with the Mets for rd place with an - record, Florida decided it needed to dramatically reduce payroll in the hopes of focusing on a new stadium plan. In just short days between November -December the Marlins dumped millions off their payroll by moving six everyday starting position players, two frontline pitchers, a closer and a setup reliever. When the dust finally settled only superstars Miguel Cabrera (. ) and Dontrelle Willis (- .) remained.

The offense was led by Cabrera who posted almost identical numbers to his season ending totals. Cabrera was joined by newly acquired st baseman Carlos Delgado (. ) and outfielder Juan Encarnacion (. ) while pesky leadoff hitter Juan Pierre (. in games with stolen bases), rd baseman Mike Lowell (. ) and newly signed catcher Paul Lo Duca (. ) rounded out the rest of the starting lineup.

Willis simply dominated in by starting the season off with a - record with a . ERA. Dontrelle managed to enter the all star break with an impressive - record and . ERA. Starters Josh Beckett (- .), A.J. Burnett (- .) and newly acquired Brian Moehler (- .) joined reliever Todd Jones (- . saves in save opportunities) to complete the rotation.

Off Season Moves:

New appointed manager Joe Girardi and be surrounded by fresh, new faces in his debut. Hanley Ramirez is a top rookie prospect who was obtained in the Beckett trade from Boston, Ramirez has only played in two major league games and spent most of the season at AAA, where he batted . with six home runs, RBI, and stolen bases. Baseball America ranks Ramirez th on the Top prospect list and he will likely get the starting shortstop position moving Cabrera to third base, his natural position.

The Marlins are also excited about outfielder Jeremy Hermida, who was the team's first-round pick in the draft as well as Eric Reed and Chris Aguila who are expected to get consideration in center and left field. Former New York Met Mike Jacobs (., home runs in games), obtained in the Delgado deal, and Wes Helms (. HRS in ) are expected to platoon at first base, while Josh Wilson (. in games at Triple A Albuquerque in ) will compete for the starting job at second base.

Analysis:

The Marlins will start with a bunch of fresh new faces. The fire sale provided the team with a bunch of untested talent which will make the roster look more like a AAA minor league team then anything else. New Manager Girardi will need to carefully evaluate who is ready to step into a full time role the team. Starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis is coming off his best year ever, so he will be expected to shoulder the load once again with Yusmeiro Petit, Sergio Mitre, Jason Vargas, Anibel Sanchez, Josh Johnson and Scott Olsen all getting consideration for a slot in the starting rotation. Scouts have recognized Johnson as a No. starter and Olsen, a lefthander, is also highly regarded.