The Marlins farm system ranks as one of the better ones in all of baseball. Baseball America ranked the Marlins farm system as the fifth best in baseball. The Marlins had tied an MLB high with six players listed on BA’s top 100 list. Only time will tell if the Marlins prospects which prospects will pan out and which ones will flop.

Today we will continue on with my personal Miami Marlins top prospect list. So far we have gone through the following prospects:

• #20- Mason Hope, RHP
• #19- Zack Cox, 3B
• #18- Tom Koehler, RHP
• #17- Kolby Copeland, OF
• #16- Austin Barnes, IF-C
• #15- Alfredo Silverio, OF
• #14- Avery Romero, INF

Those prospects named so far are not having the best springs so far. Copeland was recently suspended 50 games for refusing to take a drug test over the winter. Koehler was rocked in his last appearance, a major blow to his chances of making the team as the fifth starter. Finally, Silverio has been shut down indefinitely after straining the same elbow he had Tommy John surgery on.

Let’s look at our #13 prospect now:

Feb 22, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins player Derek Dietrich (72) poses for a picture during photo day at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

13. Derek Dietrich, INF

Drafted: 2010 2nd round pick
Birthdate: 7/18/1989 (23)  Height: 6’1″ Weight: 195 lbs.

Originally, the Marlins acquired Yunel Escobar from the Toronto Blue Jays in the fire sale trade in November. When Escobar told the team that he would not be comfortable accepting a move to third base, the Marlins decided it would be in their best interest to entertain trades for Escobar.

The Tampa Bay Rays came calling and offered the Marlins prospect Derek Dietrich in return for the services of Escobar. While many Marlins felt that the team could have gotten more in return for Escobar and his team friendly contract, the return in Dietrich was not a horrible one.

The Tampa Bay Rays drafted Dietrich in the second round of the 2010 draft from Georgia Tech. Derek hit .282/.343/.468 with 10 homers, 25 walks, and 78 strikeouts in 372 at-bats for High- A Charlotte this year, then .271/.324/.429 with four homers, seven walks, and 36 strikeouts in 133 at-bats after being promoted to Double-A Montgomery. Dietrich has a career line of .278/.342/.470 hitter in 304 games in the Rays system.

Dietrich has slightly-above average power (15-20 home runs in his prime) and has hit for a decent average in the minors. Scouts are unsure his batting averages and OBP will hold up in the major leagues. Dietrich is currently playing short stop, but is projected to move to second or third as he progresses, as his range at short stop is limited.

Third base is a major question mark for Dietrich as well, as he does not hit for the traditional amount of power for the hot corner, nor does he have enough plate discipline to make up for that lack of pop as a third baseman.

So that puts Dietrich’s future at second base. At second base, he would have an above-average arm, better than most second baseman. Dietrich would also provide a lot of value with his power at second base. He would profile as a below-average defensive player at second base, so most of his value would be tied in with his power.

A fair major league comparison for Dietrich would be Danny Espinosa. Espinosa, like Dietrich, lack plate discipline and hit for above-average power for a second baseman.

Dietrich should open 2013 in double-A and could be ready for a cup of coffee in the majors by the end of the year.

What we are doing today is we are going to grade each teams position players and see if one team has a significant advantage over another based on the projections. We will do this by grading each position. The top players at each position will receive 4 points, second best 3 points, third best 2 points, and fourth best 1 point. Let us go ahead and get started.

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However, this past week, Rosenthal made a post about how the “Miami Marlins might do well to trade Hanley Ramirez.” Yes, Ramirez has dominated the Marlins headlines lately. This past week, Buster Olney reported that the Marlins were listening to offers on the “disgruntled” superstar. Joe Frisaro was quick to dispell those rumors.

I am not taking a shot at Rosenthal about the Marlins trading Ramirez because he is unhappy. I have a real issue with some of the proposed trades that Rosenthal has come up with. The Marlins are better off keeping a disgruntled Ramirez and suspending him if he does not give in to what the team needs him to do. There is no way the Marlins should give any leverage or power to Ramirez if that is the case come Spring Training. With his down season and the fact that he is coming off of shoulder surgery, the Marlins would be wise to hold onto Ramirez, as his value has never been lower. With his trade value lowered, the Marlins would not be able to receive fair compensation that would make up for the loss of Ramirez. To his credit, Rosenthal does mention that in his post:

No, this is a player who occasionally flashes a selfish, petulant side — and frankly cannot be trusted to graciously make way for Reyes, his fellow Dominican.

Ramirez’s trade value is lower than it once was because of his shoulder, his sub-par performance last season and the $46.5 million remaining on the final three years of his contract. Some teams also believe that he is not a winning player.

But c’mon, he’s Hanley Ramirez.

So then I ask, does trading the Marlins most important player to their success make sense?

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