Feb 22, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Edgar Olmos (67) poses for a picture during photo day at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

What’s up, Maniac Fans? Today, Marlin Maniac got a chance to speak with Marlins prospect Edgar Olmos. Olmos, 23, is a tall lefty who was selected in the third round by the Marlins in the 2008 draft. He has been featured in the Marlins top prospects list two different times as scouts rave about his make up and potential. Through 8 seasons, Olmos owns an 8-32 record with a 4.83 ERA. While those numbers do not sound pretty, we talked to him to find out why he struggled early, and what he is doing now to return to the form that had scouts pounce on him five years ago.

Marlin Maniac: You were drafted in the third round out of high school. What was the feeling when the Marlins drafted you?

Edgar Olmos: Well, it was an awesome feeling when I saw my name pop up on the computer monitor. My family jumped with joy, and was more excited than I was at the time. I was just sitting there, shocked.

MM: If you hadn’t been drafted, what schools were you leaning toward with the college route?

EO: I had a full scholarship to the University of Arizona.

MM: Did the Marlins have any contact with you prior to the draft?

EO: Yes. I talked to my scout, Tim McDonnell, before the draft, and still talk to him today.

MM: You have played everywhere from Rookie Ball to AA. What has been your favorite part so far in pro ball? Least?

EO: I love pro ball because of the cities you see, the people you meet, and the friendships you make. Traveling always sucks, especially those 13-hour bus rides, but you have to pay your dues.  For me, the down side came early on. I pitched my first pro game in 2008 and came off the mound hurt. I spent the rest of that year in rehab, followed by surgery in 2009. In 2011 and half of the 2012 season I was playing in Jupiter when they moved me to the bullpen. I performed really well out of the pen… way better than as a starter. I started throwing a lot harder; harder than I’ve ever thrown before. Now I’m in AA, enjoying every moment of it.

MM: You have been a whole lot more effective out of the pen, rather than as a starter. What do you think has made the difference? Scouts say you are a tall lefty with great stuff; that you just need to put it all together to be a major league piece. What do you think you need to improve on the most?

EO: It’s just a different attitude out of the pen. Mostly, I just need to stay consistent and limit my walks, and just keep going out there and pitching the way I know I can.

MM: Last few questions: I’m sure you have heard a lot about the big fire sale last season. However, trading the big names got the farm system a number of great prospects, including Christian Yelich, Jose Fernandez, Marcell Ozuna, and Andrew Heaney. Which of the prospects have you played with, and who impressed you the most?

EO: Well, the trade just brought opportunity to all us younger guys in the system.  I have played with all those guys. They are all great, and should be in the show…they’re great guys to be teammates with.

MM: What are your personal goals for the next 3 years?

EO: I just need to continue working hard, doing what I need to do, controlling what I can control, and let the rest play itself out.

However, the top three on this list are all homegrown prospects for the Miami Marlins. This reflects a change in the fortune and strategy for the Marlins in their recent drafts.

Here is a quick recap of the top 20 prospects we have taken a look at so far:

• #20-Mason Hope, RHP
• #19- Zack Cox, 3B
• #18- Tom Koehler, RHP
• #17- Kolby Copeland, OF
• #16- Austin Barnes, INF-C
• #15- Alfredo Silverio, OF
• #14- Avery Romero, INF
• #13- Derek Dietrich, INF
• #12- Mason Hope, SP
• #11- Adam Conley, SP
• #10- Jake Realmuto, C
• #9- Jose Urena, SP
• #8- Rob Brantly, C
• #7- Adeiny Hechavarria, SS
• #6- Marcell Ozuna, OF
• #5- Jake Marisnick, OF
• #4- Justin Nicolino, SP

I am not going to lie, when the Marlins drafted the next prospect on our list, I was a tad bit underwhelmed with the pick. I thought the Marlins took the cheap way out, not wanting to overspend on the draft, instead taking a player with a higher ceiling. Although this would come as a surprise to no one, looking at the Marlins past and just the past calendar year.

I know feel like I was wrong about the pick. He has grown on me as a prospect and has made the list as my third best prospect on the Miami Marlins.

Feb 22, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins player Andrew Heaney (82) poses for a picture during photo day at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

3. Andrew Heaney

Drafted: 2012 1st round pick

Birthdate: 6/5/1991 (21) Height: 6’1″ Weight: 155 lbs.

Andrew Heaney was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays out of high school in 2009 in the 24th round. Heaney decided to attend Oklahoma State rather than sign. The decision ended up benefiting Heaney, as he pitched three solid seasons at Oklahoma State and became a first round pick.

Initial reports stated that the Marlins and Heaney would not reach a contract before the deadline to sign picks and that talks had broken off. Luckily, just a couple of days later, both sides came to their senses, and Heaney signed for a $2.6 million signing bonus just before the signing deadline.

After he signed, the Marlins decided to send him their rookie-league affiliate in the Gulf Coast League for two starts. In those two starts, Heaney pitched seven innings and struck out nine hitters. With his strong debut, the Marlins decided to promote to their full-season Low-A affiliate in the Sally League.

In Low-A Greensboro, Heaney posted a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings. That high ERA did no justice for the dominance he exhibited. In his 20 innings, Andrew struck out 22 hitters and walked just four. He was also able to garner a good amount of ground-ball outs. Despite his high ERA, Heaney did quite well in his first minor league stint.

Andrew Heaney’s fastball sits between 90 and 95 MPH and can touch 97 at times. It is a pitch that he can throw for a strike at any time. Heaney also features a curveball and a changeup which are both expected to be at least average or better. He still struggles a bit with his command on his changeup, but that should be something that improves as he pitches more innings.

Overall, Heaney profiles as a strike-thrower who is able to use all of his pitches to keep hitters off balance. Heaney should have three solid weapons and the ceiling of a No. 2 or 3 starter.

This is what prospect guru John Sickels had to say about Andrew Heaney:

5) Andrew Heaney, LHP, Grade B: Strike-throwing first round pick out of Oklahoma State has good heat from a skinny frame, projects as a number three starter who could move fast.

We mentioned yesterday that Justin Nicolino has the most polish of any Marlins pitcher in their farm, well, Heanley has the highest floor for any Marlins pitching prospect. Heaney is also closer to pitching in the majors than Nicolino. He is expected to start the season in High-A Jupiter and there is a good chance that Heaney could end the season in Double-A.He should be in the Marlins rotation by 2014, but some scouts have said not to rule out a possibility of Heaney reaching Miami sometime this season.  Quite impressive for a kid drafted in 2012.

5. Jose Fernandez, rhp, FLA

15. Christian Yelich, of, FLA

43. Andrew Heaney, lhp, FLA

64. Jake Marisnick, of, FLA

75. Marcell Ozuna, of, FLA

86. Justin Nicolino, lhp, FLA

The Marlins placing six players on the top 100 prospect lists is pretty significant when thinking that the team was only able to place two players in the mid-season top 50 listreleased by Baseball America, last July.

Jose Fernandez is the Miami Marlins top prospect, according to Baseball America. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

I think the best part of this list though, is that four of the six players on the list are Marlins homegrown prospects. That is something the team has not been able to boast about a lot lately.

The Marlins top 3 prospects were all first round picks in the past three seasons, Yelich in 2010, Fernandez in 2011, and Heaney in 2012. That is some great much needed news for a team that has struggled through a dry spell drafting as of late.

Jake Marisnick and Justin Nicolino were the players that the Marlins acquired in the blockbuster fire sale trade with the Toronto Blue Jays back in November. Marcell Ozuna was signed as an international free agent in 2009, out of the Dominican Republic.

Here is a quick look at Baseball America’s top 10 prospect list for the Miami Marlins in 2013:

1.	Jose Fernandez, rhp
2.	Christian Yelich, of
3.	Andrew Heaney, lhp
4.	Jake Marisnick, of
5.	Marcell Ozuna, of
6.	Justin Nicolino, lhp
7.	Adeiny Hechavarria, ss
8.	Jose Urena, rhp
9.	J.T. Realmuto, c
10.	Adam Conley, lhp

As I said before, the on-field product for the Miami Marlins profesional team might not be pretty in 2013, but beyond that, if these Marlins prospects work out, the Marlins have a very bright future.

It of course would only be brighter with a new owner, but that isn’t happening anytime soon.

I will have more coverage on all of these prospects as I continue to unveil my top 15 Marlins prospect list. Earlier today, I looked at the 15th best prospect: Alfredo Silverio.

Sept 15, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins center fielder Justin Ruggiano (20) connects for a double during the fifth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

The “Twister” needle is spinning so fast right now, no one has a clue where it will point when it stops. Will it point to Ozzie Guillen?  Larry Beinfest? Dan Jennings?  It’s probably a safe bet that it won’t point to either Jeffrey Loria or David Samson.  Until those two make up their minds and make an announcement, everyone needs to take a deep breath, exhale gently, and repeat after me….”Speculation without substantiation is a waste of time.  Speculation without…”  Seriously, though.  Numerous outlets were reporting that Larry Beinfest was told to pack his desk.  Jeffrey Loria quashed the rumor with a dismissive “ridiculous” assertion.  Does anyone remember the absolutely, positively 100% certain Brooklynite private in the squad bay  during the opening scenes of The Longest Day? Wait for Ike to actually make the decision before you pass the word that the invasion is on, folks.

It’s time to take a look at the prospects and make some notes for March.  We’ve started seeing some playing time for the new faces this September.  Recent acquisitions Nathan Eovaldi, Jacob Turner, and Rob Brantly have been making appearances, and doing well.  None of the three could buy a beer legally prior to the last presidential election, and Turner couldn’t even vote in it.  Nevertheless, they have been performing well since arriving in Miami.  Eovaldi threw 97+ MPH fastballs into his eighth inning of work, and Brantly has been settling into a consistent bat, giving John Buck plenty of time to contemplate his swing.  Recent trades have fattened the Marlins’ farm system; we’ve got Christian Yelich, Jose Fernandez, and Andrew Heaney putting in their developmental time right now, and might see a callup or two next season.

I was talking with a pal of mine a couple of days ago, and the subject was Ozzie Guillen’s admonishment for his players to clam up and quit bitching about the outfield dimensions of Marlins Park. First of all, Ozzie is right, even if he’s wrong.  He’s right to tell his guys to shut up.   There is nothing I can think of that makes a losing team look worse than to have a losing team blame the venue for their failures. Underperformance can be worked on. Underperformance coupled with character weakness cannot. However, the dimensions of the new ballpark may be wrong, but it’s up to Beinfest to fix it, not construction contractors. Look at the roster at the start of the year: Stanton.  Morrison. Ramirez.  Buck.  All deep-ball power hitters, and not suited to a deep-fenced outfield.  Marlins Park is ideal for base hits, gapper doubles and foul-line triples, and that’s what our roster is missing.  Mid-season, we acquired RBI machine Carlos Lee, and Justin Ruggiano has been doing well with the EBH problem. Keep Stanton (ask the scoreboard why) and get rid of Morrison and Buck.  Stack the roster with guys that hit line-drive singles and doubles, and make sure the hitting coach helps them do it when there are runners in scoring position.

I had occasion the other night to catch the telecast of the last half of one of the Orioles’ recent extra-inning extravaganzas.  The Birds were in Seattle, and I have a cousin there who has been a season ticket holder for many years. I caught a game at Safeco with him last September, and like this year, the Mariners were at the bottom, looking up. On a whim, I sent him a text message to see if he was at the game.  He was, and with both of the other spectators still bothering to go to games (hyperbole alert: actual attendance was 14,001). We spent the remainder of the game passing text messages back and forth.  It was pleasant and entertaining, as he is a knowledgeable fan. The Orioles kept their extra-inning streak alive, and their season has me reflecting on the nature of being a fan. I have come to the uncomfortable conclusion that I am one of the unlucky ones. You see them in places like the South side of Chicago, and in Boston and Cleveland. I spent many years in the DC metro area, and had some good years there with a couple of championship Redskins teams, and one or two great Orioles years. The sale of the Redskins to Dan Snyder put an end to my personal Redskins heyday, as did the glorious wind-down of Cal Ripken, Jr.’s career did for my O’s.  The Nationals blew into town, and the headlines today will tell you how that went for me.  Since I relocated to Florida, the ‘Skins have Shanahan and RGIII, and both big-league clubs are headed for October. Ahh, fate! I am, however, fortunate to have an opportunity to teach my son the importance of loyalty and perseverance. I use the selection of the Marlins as “our” team to demonstrate how to be loyal through the bad times.  Now, if I can just show him how it feels to be rewarded for that loyalty…Maybe next year!