Miami Marlins 2013 Season Preview: Staff Predictions (Part 1)

Opening day 2013 is just three days away. To get ready for the season, our Marlin Maniac staff put together some predictions for the 2013 Miami Marlins and Major League Baseball season. We answered some burning questions surrounding the Miami Marlins as well as made some predictions on how the season will play out.

First, we will take a look at the burning questions that were answered about the 2013 Miami Marlins season:

Mar 9, 2013; Melbourne, FL, USA; Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez throws against the Washington Nationals during the bottom of the sixth inning of a spring training game at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

1. When will top prospects Jose Fernandez and Christian Yelich make their MLB debut? How much of an impact will each make?

Ehsan: Christian Yelich will make his debut at the end of June or early July, if he continues to tear up the minor leagues, like has has the past two seasons. He will have enough playing time to make a run at Rookie of the Year, but will fall just short. Jose Fernandez won’t make his debut until September and will only get a couple of starts under his belt.

Andy: Jose will need at least another year down in the Minors. If he does make it up this year he will have no significant impact, as he will be another arm in our bullpen, but if they give him one more year to improve his arm he can be our next great ace. I see Yelich coming up right before the All-Star Break to fill in some hole cause by injuries. He will have a nice impact with the the team giving them that shot in the arm they need, much like the rookies of 2006 did!

Justen: Sooner rather than later. If the Marlins struggle the first couple of months into the season I can easily see them being called up in order to generate a spark. They should have a pretty good impact. They’re top prospects for a reason. It will just be interesting to see if they can adjust to the bigs right away. Regardless, they’re a big part of the future.

Geoff: Between June 1 and the All-Star break. Fernandez will not pitch to his potential until 2014. Yelich will be a beast right out of the box, enough that one of the outfielders will on the auction block for the trade deadline.

Will: Sometime this year. Fernandez will take a while to adjust but will fit in nice and be a much larger piece for the rotation next season. Yelich will break into the lineup with a hot start similar to how Logan Morrison started his career. Only, Yelich will continue to develop and be looked at as a main contributer and will give Marlin fans another reason to come to the park.

David: Jose Fernandez will be called up in June, and Christian Yelich will be called up in July. Fernandez will struggle from the get-go but will have a strong September. Christian Yelich will have such a strong three months that he will contend for Rookie of the Year.

Alex: The future isn’t exactly now for the 2013 Marlins, so there’s not rush for either uber-prospects. A Yelich call up not only signals the start of a new era for Miami’s centerfieldposition, but also giving up on former rookie of the year Chris Coghlan, and solid stopgap athletes such as Justin Ruggiano, Bryan Petersen, and Gorkys Hernandez. Yelich gets his chance after the All-Star break.Unlike Yelich, Jose Fernandez’s spring wasn’t exceptional to the point of challenging a spot on the team. And that’s just fine. Fernandez is only 20 years old, and still looks to mature in his pitching approach. Hopefully, he’s challenged during his time in AA and AAA, as some have said he’s gotten through the low minors on raw talent alone. Look for him to join the team when the roster expands.

Placido: Yelich will be called up in August after the trading deadline taking over as the starting CF and hit .280ish with 4-6 HR. Fernandez will be a September call up and get 2 big league starts after helping Jacksonville to a Southern League title.

James: I expect the top prospects will make their debuts sometime mid-season.   Their impact will probably be good, they had pretty good springs.

2. How bad will attendance be for the Marlins in 2013? How many games do you plan on attending?

Ehsan: You can already see the affects of the fire sale rearing its ugly head. The Marlins are trying to sell Opening Day tickets on Groupon and trying to make them a buy-one-get-one free sale. Attendance will be pretty bad this season. It does not help that the Miami Heat will be making a championship run the first two/three months of the season either. If I make it down to Atlanta or Miami, I plan on going to a couple of games.

Andy: If they keep giving away free tickets it won’t be as bad as Joe Robbie, but it is goign to to take a hit from last year half i would say. Me I’m going to about 10 home games and 4 away games for the Fish.

Justen: Probably worse than ever. I’m going to try and make as many games as possible. Whether they’re good or bad, it’s still a great experience at a beautiful stadium.

Geoff: I may go to one or two games. With that, I will be near the top of the “frequent attendees” list. The suckiness of the attendance figures will be legendary this year.

Will: Can’t predict the numbers, just know it will be bad. I still plan on attending 3-5 games, this summer.

David: I won’t be attending any games, but I don’t live in the area. Attendance will be at 1.2 million.

Alex: Attendance is going to be deplorable. Marlins Park will struggle to even report 20,000—even when far less actually attend. I won’t go to any games. (I live in Missouri.)

Placido: The Marlins will fall to last in attendance again this season, averaging 10K.  Challenging 2002 for their worst attendance year ever at about 800K.  I will likely attend one game per month, no change from what I normally do.

James: Attendance will be horrible this season.  I won’t be able to make any games this season.

3. How many home runs will Giancarlo Stantonhit in 2013? How will the rest of his line look?

March 28, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) at bat against the St. Louis Cardinals during the spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

Ehsan: I believe Stanton will break the single-season record for home runs by a Marlin, set by Gary Sheffield, of 42 homers. Stanton will hit 45 home runs and have a line of .275/.380/.620. He will obviously be the team MVP.

Andy: Close to 150 days ago I said on twitter that I think Giancarlo would hit 47 HR, this was before the trade, and I’m going to stick with that. I like the rest of the lineup we have a mix of young and veterans that could make this team really interesting!

Justen: I’m thinking upper 30’s. He’s going to be the best player on the team, no doubt. Will lead team in RBI’s. Hopefully the average stays up.

Geoff: I see him hitting 50+ bombs, and I expect his plate discipline to improve this year and next.

Will: Stanton, if healthy, will hit 42 homeruns. Average around .275 anywhere to 90-105 RBIS. (High hopes).

David:  How many home runs will Giancarlo Stanton hit in 2013? How will the rest of his line look? Giancarlo Stanton will hit 34 home runs with a .275/.395/.615 slash line. He’s going to get pitched around an awful lot.

Alex: Stanton will manage 40 bombs this season. If he doesn’t, it’s because he racked up 110 walks. I love you, Giancarlo Stanton.

Placido: Giancarlo will hit just 33 home runs.  He will quickly realize that opposing pitchers will not give in to him and adjust his approach to be more patient. His average and obp will improve but slg will decline slightly to the range of .300/.390/.580.

James: I see Stanton hitting around 30+ HR’s this season.  The rest of his line should be stellar, assuming he isn’t traded at some point and he stays healthy.

That is all the questions we will look at right now. Next article will have all the rest of the questions and answers, as well as predictions for the 2013 season.