Infante, Former Marlins, Kick Off Tonight’s ALCS Action!

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Sep 14, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Jason Vargas (51) delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

With the American League Championship Series Ready to kick off tonight, and the National League’s version set to go tomorrow, we wanted to take another opportunity to update some former Marlins still in the playoffs and how some of them did.

First let’s start off with the teams that are no longer with us. The four teams to be dispatched were the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Washington Nationals, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Whew, those are some big name teams, and very popular picks to win the World Series this year.

The Tigers and Dodgers had the biggest names of former Marlins that were in the postseason. Both Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera are two of the top players to ever wear a Marlins uniform, yet they will not wear any uniform again until 2015. Cabrera didn’t dominate the ALDS like he is capable of doing, but did hit a home run in a very short, 3-game sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles. Unfortunately for Cabrera, no amount of heroics would have helped that dumpster fire of a bullpen in Detroit.

Hanley, on the other hand, did everything he could in his power without hitting a home run. Ramirez posted a .429 batting average to go along with a .500 OBP. He scored a couple of runs, had a couple of RBI’s, and stole a base. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the Cardinals pitching was too much for the L.A. lineup to get anything going.

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The Angels and the Nationals did not have any notable former Marlins on their team, and likely lost because of this reason. The Royals advanced while fielding 3 former Marlins of note. Jason Vargas, Omar Infante, and Josh Willingham all contributed during the Division Series, although some more than others.

Vargas got off to a great start throwing a 6 inning gem in game 1. It didn’t translate into a win for Vargas, but it was a Kansas City victory in extra innings. Regardless of the statistic, Vargas still allowed only 3 hits and 2 runs in his excellent outing.

The opposite side of that spectrum was Infante and Willingham. Infante went 0-11 with a walk, and Willingham went hitless in his only pinch-hitting appearance of the series. The Royals will look to both players to provide a lift as their series gets underway against Baltimore.

Speaking of the Orioles, they have two former Marlins on their roster that are providing contributions to Baltimore. Neither Andrew Miller nor Alejandro De Aza were able to get their careers going in Miami, but both look completely at home in Baltimore.

Miller threw 3.1 innings of relief during their sweep of the Detroit Tigers. He didn’t allow a hit and only walked 1 batter. He struck out 3 and pitched marvelously. De Aza played in 2 of the 3 games and hit .375 with a .444 OBP. He hammered 2 doubles and scored once while knocking in 2 RBI’s. De Aza will typically get the start against right-handed pitchers, so we should see him tonight against James Shields.

Be sure to follow along with us as we continue to track the former Marlins as they continue their search for a World Series victory. Give us your predictions in the comments below!