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Oh, the irony.
Yesterday, Joe Girardi was recognized as being the best skipper in the National League – for doing a job he no longer has.
After his first season as a major league manager (a season in which he somehow kept a bunch of snotty-nosed kids expected to easily wind up with triple-digit losses in the Wild Card race into late September), Girardi was canned and replaced in a matter of hours because of an irreparable relationship with owner Jeffrey Loria.
For the job he did in guiding the Marlins to a surprisingly competitive 78-84 record, Girardi has been lauded almost universally – except, of course, by the man who signed his checks.
So next season, Girardi will have a different view of the field, returning for a second stint as a broadcaster for the Yankees. Meanwhile, Atlanta coach Fredi Gonzalez takes over as manager of the Marlins and inherits a club brimming with young talent. It's an organization filled with players at or near the top of most keeper league fantasy owners' wish lists. It's also a team with surprisingly few holes to fill.
Young, talented and cheap: yep, the Marlins have it all right now. And with Loria apparently willing to let payroll climb from under $20 million to the $25-million range next season, Florida will be able to keep one of its most sought-after assets – Dontrelle Willis.
Check out this lineup:
Catcher – Miguel Olivo. He wasn't able to build on his excellent late-season run with the Padres last year, and his already horrible batting eye is regressing, but he still managed to stroke a career-high 16 homers. Olivo, a veritable old man on Florida at age 28, is arbitration eligible.
First base – Mike Jacobs. Jacobs, who turned 26 last week, hit 20 homers in his first full season, but tended to strike out a fair bit, especially against lefties. He's entering his prime power years, so could be capable of 30 homers soon, but Jacobs may be dangled in the offseason as Florida seeks help in center field.
Second base – Dan Uggla. What a steal it was snagging Uggla as a Rule 5 pick from the D'Backs. He didn't win the MLB hardware, but the players picked him as the NL's outstanding rookie after he scored 105, drove in 90 and displayed some very nice pop for a middle infielder. Uggla will turn 27 during spring training next year.
Shortstop – Hanley Ramirez. Ramirez did take home the NL ROY honors after doing it all this season. He hit for average and power, showed off his tremendous speed and was pretty good at getting on base. The sky's the limit for Ramirez, who won't be 23 until next month.
Third base – Miguel Cabrera. The boost in team payroll will also allow the Marlins to keep arbitration-eligible Cabrera, at 23, already a grizzled four-year vet. While his home run total dipped, Cabrera continues to mature as a hitter and his improving strike zone judgment could portent a batting title in the near future. How about that .430 OBP? Florida is talking about trying to sign Cabrera to a long-term deal this offseason.
Left field – Josh Willingham. He'll be 28 by the time spring training gets underway, so there's only so much room for growth, but 26 homers and ROY voter recognition capped a fine season.
Center field – This was a bit of a revolving door situation for the Marlins last year. Alfredo Amezaga, their speedy, super-utility man, handled the role for much of the later part of the season. Reggie Abercrombie also saw plenty of action there and at various times, Eric Reed and Cody Ross also manned the spot. This is an area the club will address this offseason and some of the names being bandied about as possibilities are discussed below.
Right field – Jeremy Hermida. Hermida's rookie season wasn't horrible, but seemed disappointing when compared to many of his teammates. The fact that he was perhaps the most hyped of the Marlins' rookies heading into 2006 didn't help. The talented 22-year-old battled injuries that helped keep his expected power in check and he struck out too much, but there's too much upside to Hermida for his owners to give up. He exhibited solid plate discipline in the minors, so I expect Hermida to improve his contact rates dramatically in 2007. Everything else should follow, as long as he's healthy.
Bench – The Marlins got key contributions from several players. Wes Helms enjoyed a fine season as a back-up corner infielder, working his way into a platoon at first late in the season, but he's signed with the Phils as a free agent; Ross should be valuable because of his pop and versatility in the outfield; Joe Borchard could actually get a shot at center field if the Marlins can't find a more suitable candidate; Abercrombie, playing in Puerto Rico this winter as he looks to improve his chances, could also get a shot at the job, as could Reed.
The pitching staff is perhaps even more impressive because of its youth:
Dontrelle Willis. Inconsistency prohibited Willis from duplicating his brilliant 2005 results, but his strikeout rates remained about the same, and he's still just 24 years old. The Marlins will now be able to re-sign their arbitration-eligible veteran and may even discuss a long-term deal with him this winter.
Scott Olsen. At the age of 22, Olsen won a dozen games, held opponents to a .239 BA and struck out close to a batter per inning. No wonder he received ROY consideration.
Josh Johnson. Another 12-game winning rookie, Johnson's sparkling 3.10 ERA bagged him fourth place in the NL ROY race. And yes, he's also just 22.
Ricky Nolasco. After splitting the season between the pen and the rotation and winning 11 games, Nolasco is being discussed as a trade chip. Apparently, the Rays are interested in Nolasco, who turns 24 next month.
Brian Moehler. Moehler struggled all year, as opponents battered him to the tune of a .325 mark. He's a free agent and the Marlins probably won't have enough money to bring him back. Besides, he'll be 35 next month, so doesn't exactly fit in with the youth movement in South Florida.
Anibal Sanchez. Sanchez only joined the rotation in late-June yet figured into the ROY voting after winning 10 games, recording an ERA well under 3.00 and holding opponents to a BA under .220. Oh, and there was that whole no-hitter thing.
Sergio Mitre. Mitre missed a good portion of the year with shoulder woes, but when active he split his time between the pen and rotation. His strikeout rate improved, but the 25-year-old wasn't overly impressive. He's another trade chip.
Jason Vargas. Just 23, Vargas struggled and had to be farmed out. Florida is willing to deal him.
And the bullpen:
Closer Joe Borowski had a career-best 36 saves, but he's expected to cash in elsewhere as a free agent.
Veteran reliever Matt Herges will probably also walk as a free agent.
Look for 25-year-old Randy Messenger to get more responsibility next year as a set-up man.
Taylor Tankersley, 23, is hardly the prototypical closer, but he heads into the season as the best in-house bet to grab the vacant position.
Renyel Pinto, 24, would be a good young starter in most organizations, but is being used in relief because of the surplus of starters Florida has. That could make him ideal trade bait.
Chris Resop, who turned 24 a couple of weeks ago, is another talented arm who could earn a bigger role in the Marlins' pen next season.
Besides center field, the club hopes to add some bullpen depth this offseason. Expect Florida to invite a whack of veteran minor league free agent relievers to camp to try to capture some lightning in a bottle. The Marlins have already signed Nate Field to a minor league deal and he'll be given a shot to win a job.
As for center field, Rocco Baldelli has long been on the team's radar. The Fish may have to part with Olsen or Johnson if they hope to land Baldelli. Other center fielders Florida is said to be interested in include Houston's Willy Taveras and free agent Gary Matthews, Jr. How Florida would be able to pony up for the highly coveted Matthews, however, is beyond me.
Brian Anderson may have fallen out of the White Sox plans, and he still has potential.
Other reported, but less likely targets, include Matt Kemp, Felix Pie, Chris Young, Shane Victorino, Jacoby Ellsbury and David DeJesus.
Despite the fact that Florida graduated almost an entire staff's worth of pitching prospects to the majors in 2006, there's plenty more on the way. In fact, most of the elite Marlin prospects are moundsmen.
Some names to watch:
As discussed, the club is willing to part with young pitching, but Chris Volstad, the Marlins' Minor League Pitcher of the Year, is apparently an untouchable. The 20-year-old won 11 games at Low-A.
Third baseman Chris Coghlan emerged as one of Florida's top position prospects, after hitting almost .300 with more walks than Ks at Jamestown. He's 21 and will probably be moved through the system quickly.
Starter Yusmeiro Petit held his own at Triple-A and won't be 22 until next week. Possibly trade bait, he's got a bright future, whether in Florida or elsewhere.
Sean West, a 20-year-old, 6'8" lefty, was 8-5, 3.74 in the Sally League.
Florida took Brett Sinkbeil with the 19th overall pick in June and the 21-year-old was dominant in the NYPL before advancing to the South Atlantic League.
Jose Garcia, 21, has rocketed through the system. He could also be trade bait, but looked very impressive at Double-A before brief appearances at both Triple-A and the majors.
First baseman Gaby Sanchez was named Organizational Player of the Year after showing some good pop in Low-A ball.
The team has a tremendously bright future, and Major League Baseball seems committed to keeping the team in South Florida, recently stating it plans to help Florida with its long-standing goal of getting a new stadium built.
QUICK HITS
Apparently, the Jays are about to land Frank Thomas. According to a couple of ESPN sources at the GM meetings, the two sides are nearing a two-year deal worth $23 million. If this is true, is this a precursor to a Vernon Wells trade for Toronto? This looks like a risky move all around and if the Big Hurt lands in Toronto, it could block promising young hitter Adam Lind.
There was speculation that the White Sox were interested in him, but the Cubs re-signed Henry Blanco as their back-up catcher. He's 35, but has improved at the plate over the past three years. The Cubs gave him a two-year deal worth $5.25 million, pretty good coin for a guy who will only play once or twice a week.
Erubiel Durazo isn't done yet. He is dominating the Mexican Pacific League, topping the circuit in BA (.394), OBP (.500) and slugging (.740) and is tied with Ruben Rivera for the league lead with 10 homers. Look for Durazo to parlay this showing into a DH gig.
AFL Watch: Indians' reliever Tony Sipp has fanned 16 in 10 1/3 innings with just four hits allowed. The problem is, he's walked nine. During the season at Double-A this year, Sipp didn't have this kind of control problem, but he was just as dominant (80 K/21 BB in 60 1/3 innings). The 23-year-old lefty has a good slider and could wind up helping the Indians this season.
Astros GM Tim Purpura is denying a Boston Herald report suggesting he's involved in trade talks with the Red Sox regarding Brad Lidge and other Houston relief pitchers. Assuming he can bounce back anywhere near his pre-2006 form, Lidge would solve the Bosox closer issue. At this point, consider Boston just one of several teams that is sniffing around about the embattled Astro closer.
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Rob Blackstien runs www.RotoRob.com, a site featuring daily fantasy sports analysis. In addition to his baseball work on the site, he contributes to Rotoworld’s basketball coverage. Rob also writes for CREATiVESPORTS.com, BaseballNotebook.com and has contributed to Rotoman’s Fantasy Baseball Guide and Fantasy Football Guide. | Contact Rob Blackstien
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