Fish Bites

Since I just posted that I planned on reinstating Fish Bites on Wednesdays this season, I figured today was a good day to actually start backing up what I claimed as my plan. Here are some of the more interesting links from this past week in Marlins baseball.

– The Marlins made their decisions on the final roster. Scott Cousins is in, Burke Badenhop is out, and I’m slightly disappointed. The Marlins made the bullpen decision based not on who is the better pitcher but rather which decision would allow the team the most options. I don’t blame them, but I hate to see the Hopper wasted in the minors. As for Cousins, he was lucky not to lose his major league spot as fourth outfielder to Dewayne Wise, who impressed the Marlins with a supposedly strong Spring Training. I’m just happy Wise won’t be eating any time on the field, because he is not a major leaguer. By the way, Wise has used out clause and is no longer on the team.

– Before the decision on the pen came down, Edward Mujica was mad about a San Diego Padres beat writer tweeting this:

"“Don’t be surprised if former Padres middle reliever Mujica opens season on DL. Not throwing well for Marlins. Velo down, no splitty.”"

Mujica had a bad spring, but it sounds like that guy wasn’t right about Mujica scouting-wise.

– Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald talked to three scouts about the Marlins, and I agreed with a lot of their opinions. There’s a reason why everyone outside the organization was more than wary about having Chris Coghlan play center field, and it looks like some of the professional scouts agree. It’s a good read.

– Friend of the Maniac Juan C. Rodriguez points out the ten best Marlins pitching performances in the former Joe Robbie Stadium. Included are three no-hitters and Livan Hernandez‘s infamous 15-strikeout game against the Atlanta Braves in the 1997 NLCS.

– FanGraphs’s Eric Seidman says that the Marlins have a unique opportunity in their stopgap situation at third base. I think the Marlins are potentially good enough to compete for the playoffs, but acquiring a long-term third base solution would not be the best move.

– Greg Cote of the Miami Herald disagrees however, saying that the Texas Rangers’ Michael Young is a perfect fit, provided the Rangers pay for at least half of Young. The problem is that Young is a 35 year old player who isn’t a competent defender at third base any longer and isn’t a good enough hitter to compensate for that bad defense. He’d also potentially be blocking Matt Dominguez at third base or defending like Dan Uggla at second base for another three years.