quang: i wonder if i'd like being a marlin fan. on the one hand my team has won two world series in the last eleven years. on the other hand, my team doesn't keep its players around long enough for me to build any sort of attachment to them. consider that jeff conine is one of the most celebrated marlins in their fifteen years of existence. the same jeff conine who shouldn't be any teams most celebrated player. this winter, the marlins trend of cost cutting trades continued as the marlins sent their two most familiar and established players, miguel cabrera and dontrelle willis, to detroit. as usual though, the marlins were shrewd in their transactions and received cameron maybin, andrew miller, and a handful of other prospects. unfortunately, these prospects probably won't change the marlins' prospects of a winning season.
interestingly, florida enters this season with by far the lowest payroll in the league. there are at least ten individual players in the league who are making more money next season than the 25 floridians who play professional baseball. i think this may result in clubhouse chemistry problems. especially because the marlins are so short on funds that i doubt they can afford more than one clubhouse locker that all players will be forced to share. and unless they get some generous donations, it seems like they'll start the season with only five bats and three fielding gloves for the team. anyways, florida has faced seasons like this before, and they always seem to outperform expectations. i can' i'd like to think this will be one of those seasons, because that's always exciting, but i have my doubts. 
the marlins top player next year will be handsome ramirez, a player who most teams would love to have as their best player. he carries an unusually big bat for a shortstop but is a butcher in the field and is probably in line for a position change. behind hanley, the marlins have several solid but unspectacular to throw at opposing pitchers. second baseman dan uggla avoided a sophomore slump and continued his surprising success. jeremy hermida, one-time hot shot prospect, is primed for a breakout based on nothing more than his first major league at bat where he hit a grand slam. and josh willingham once had catcher eligibility in fantasy baseball and is good enough to be an effective player at almost any position. mike jacobs returns as the first basemen and seems like a perfectly average player, which i hope is a compliment. last year, the marlins were one of the most inept offenses and this year i don't see a dramatic improvement.
pitching-wise the marlins have a very high ceiling and are almost decent when healthy. scott olsen, aside from being a perceived malcontent, has incredible potential. josh johnson had a very good 2006 but missed most of last season due to an injury. i expect both will be effective, but i have far less confidence with the rest of the rotation. anibal sanchez followed up a year where he threw a no-hitter with an injury plagued season where he threw several yes-hitters. ricky nolasco is another high potential arm that couldn't stay healthy last year, andrew miller is too young to be relied on, and sergio mitre was good for two-thirds of a season that was three-thirds long. the bullpen isn't very inspiring either. kevin gregg was the de facto closer but i'm pessimistic he'll be as effective or even have as many chances to save games this year. the only other marlin pitcher i can name off the top of my head is taylor tankersley which can't be a good sign. overall, i figure the marlins will be firmly entrenched in fifth place throughout the season. on the bright side, they'll do so while their cheap, young players continue to develop. and when they do blossom into star players, they'll make whatever team trades for them very happy.
dhivy: the marlins are entering their super sweet 16th season and already they've got two world series trophies under their belts. aside from the discomfort of carrying 60 pounds of metal in one's pants, it's hard to question the front office's decision making. after the first world series win, the team was dismantled, rebuilt from the ground up, and won a second title six years later with a completely different roster. 
though their highest-paid player (luis gonzalez, $7.2 million) makes more than their seven next highest-paid players, it's hard not to be enamored with some of the pieces they have in place. i don't consider them a factor in their division, but a year of seasoning for these fish will make them a delicious team come 2009.
the pitching staff reflects the "one year away" dynamics of the marlins. anibal "the cannibal" sanchez is currently recovering from a torn labrum, but if he can return close to the pitcher who threw a no-hitter in his 13th career start, the marlins may have an ace in the hole. after a mere three starts in '07, josh johnson underwent tom john surgery and missed the rest of the season. he'll sit out '08 as well, but after a 3.03 ERA in his rookie season, his return will be a promising one. in the meantime, the marlins are forced to use placeholders like sergio mitre and mark hendrickson, castoffs from the cubs and dodgers. scott olsen showed promise last season, but will have to improve his k/bb ratio as he headlines this ragtag bunch of misfits. the key for 2008 is the development of former tiger andrew miller. looked upon as the replacement for dontrelle willis, he's drawn comparisons to randy johnson due to his imposing left-handed delivery. let's hope he's not subjected to the nickname "small unit". i would mention the bullpen, but does anyone honestly think they'll have any leads to protect? 
'potential' is a word thrown around a lot in marlins camp, but some of these youngsters have already proven how talented they are. hanley ramirez might be the best shortstop in the league and his counterpart, second baseman dan uggla, scored 100 runs in each of his two major league seasons. the drop in his contact rate is very alarming though, and is something worth monitoring. shrewd transactions have filled their corner infield with two exciting youngsters: mike jacobs and dallas mcpherson. meanwhile, the mets and angels are left with a decrepit carlos delgado and this haircut. the centerpiece of the cabrera trade was centerfielder cameron maybin, who will get to learn on the fly this year. anyone who got their first major league hit, home run, hitch by pitch and steal off roger clemens is a star in the making. flanking him will be josh willingham and jeremy hermida, a .300 hitter who gets little to no pub on this team. while his last two campaigns have been cut short because of injury, jeremy has the tools to be a major player in the marlins' future. at least he'll turn out better than that jeremy kid from the pearl jam song. that dude was nuts.
Unsung Hero:
- Jeremy Hermida (q)
- Jeremy Hermida (d)
- Mike Jacobs (j)
- Luis Gonzalez (q)
- Dan Uggla (d)
- Dan Uggla (j)
- Jose Reyes incites a brawl in a game against the Marlins when he teases Miguel Olivo who charges third base from the mound. (q)
- Miguel Olivo gets thrown out of a game for trying to punch his friend Jose Reyes in the face. (d)
- Watching Armando Benitez pitch for the Marlins against the Padres at Petco Park and being the only person in the stadium excited to see him, including his teammates. (j)
- Because they're paid so little, Marlins players all are forced to take up second jobs. As a result, TGI Fridays beats Ruby Tuesdays 452-1 in the annual day-themed restaurant softball game. (q)
- Players revolt when management, in an effort to cut costs, starts charging them for balls hit into the stands. (d)
- After his appearence in the ESPN Fantasy Baseball commercial, Hanley Ramirez demands to be called "Hollywood" Hanley Ramirez. (j)
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