May 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins third baseman Hanley Ramirez (bottom) watches fans reach for a foul ball during the second inning against the Washington Nationals at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Faith, Hope and the Plight of the Miami Marlins Fan.

Sports fandom is a weird thing, it is like religious faith, really liking a band and a love affair all at once. Sports fans sacrifice so much of their time, sanity, emotion and even money in order to support a team. Marlins fans have been jerked around so much since the fire sale in 1997 that it has hard for us to still believe. The winter of 2011-2012 was a time of hope and expectation for people in South Florida, a new stadium, an ownership apparently recommitted to winning – but we all know how that went – nowhere. The players apparently didn’t want to play for Ozzie Guillen, Samson and Loria meddled, the Showtime cameras captured it all. The experiment failed and so spectacularly that Giancarlo Stanton and Ricky Nolasco were the two players to not be jettisoned in favor of “rebuilding” or “restructuring.” But enough ink, both virtual and actual has been spilled talking about what Jeffrey Loria has done to Marlins fans, the city of Miami and all other concerned parties. I want to talk about something more topical, a reflection of what has happened on the field in the past week or ten days, the apparent collapse of the Marlins on the field.

The Marlins offense in particular, since scoring 14 runs in Philadelphia against Roy Halladay and the Phillies as his shoulder disintegrated have scored 21 runs in the past 10 games and lost 9 of 10 games. This stretch has been bad even compared to what the Marlins had done in April when they were struggling mightily to score runs. The Marlins inability to score makes me lose faith that they could ever improve. But most importantly inability to score runs created undue pressure on the pitching and defense. Since May 4^th until last night’s game Marlins starters have had a 4.70 ERA in only 67 IP at nearly 5 2/3 IP per start. That might just be a sign of Kevin Slowey, Alex Sanabia and Wade LeBlanc “regressing to the mean.” On the other hand, the counting defensive stats, Errors and Fielding Percentage are not kind to the Marlins, while advanced defensive metrics are more forgiving; the Marlins are middle of the pack in terms of defensive runs saved.

I am not here to give a panacea or to spout cliches like, things are always darkest before the dawn, but June 1^st is the day that all Marlins fans who have lost faith need to keep their hope alive. In my previous article, I made a sample write up of the Marlins lineup once Giancarlo Stanton, Logan Morrison and possibly Christian Yelich will be in Marlins uniforms. I believe in Adeiny Hechavarria as a 2-hole-hitter and Justin Ruggiano hitting fifth. What is harder to believe is Dietrich and Ozuna hitting 3 and 4, this is the Major Leagues not AA. As admirably as we can expect young players like Dietrich, Ozuna, Fernandez and Yelich to perform, it is almost masochistic to put the onus of run creation and production on the shoulders of a 23 and a 22 year old respectively. Jose Fernandez on the pitching side seems to be up to the challenge, but pitching is an individual pursuit unlike offense.

I chose to speak of hope for one reason, it is the expectation of future change and hopefully improvement. Things couldn’t get much worse that is for sure but I hope that they could and will get better as May turns into June. As Greg Dobbs returns to the bench, Placido Polanco and Derek Dietrich go the back half of the lineup and Juan Pierre is replaced by Christian Yelich, depth will return and the Marlins will look like a Major league team again. What benefits them is time.

The Marlins are benefiting from one thing time, time is their friend. 11-31 is a horrible record to see on the standings but it is also not insurmountable. Not to make the playoffs or finish at above .500 but not lose 100 games or more games than the Houston Astros. I have hope for the future, the short term future. In a couple weeks, the Marlins will improve and the thoughts of these lean days in the middle of May will fade into memory and they will be watchable again.

I want to conclude by saying this this, it is easy to blame Loria and the front office for everything, I do it too. But even if one loses faith and believes that things can only get worse. One must keep hope for the future alive and think that 2013 is not the end of the world and that as we move into the future keep hope alive and think that prospects can turn into stars often sooner than we expect.

Dec 5, 2011; Dallas, TX, USA; Miami Marlins president of baseball operstions Larry Beinfest (left) announces the signing of closer Heath Bell (not pictured) during the MLB winter meetings at Hilton Anatole. Bell was signed for 3 years and $27 million. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins 2013 season has been an epic disaster. Due to the struggles the team has gone through, fans are growing frustrated and don’t want to wait for the big prospects in the minor leagues to get ready so they can start winning. We want to win now!

With the frustration growing, we are going to try a fun new game on Marlin Maniac that puts you in the Marlins General Manager’s chair.

There are some interesting decisions that need to be made about the Miami Marlins in the next month or so.  With so many players coming back from injury, there is going to be a roster crunch and some big personal decisions will be needed to be made.

Hitters like Logan Morrison and Giancarlo Stanton are on their way back from injury. Where do they fit into the Marlins lineup upon return? With the emergence of the Marlins top infield prospect, Derek Dietrich, what happens to incumbent second baseman Donovan Solano returns from the DL. When do you promote top hitting prospect Christian Yelich?

On the pitching side, Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez will return to the Marlins soon, how will they be slotted into the rotation?

Do the Marlins consider trading Stanton at the trade deadline for a huge prospect haul? Will closer Steve Cishek hit the trade market?

Email us at marlinmaniacFS@gmail.com what you would do in the scenario if you were the Miami Marlins GM. Our staff will pick the top 3 GM moves and post them sometime in the next two weeks. We will then put the top 3 to a vote for you guys to decide who did the best job as the mock Marlins GM.

The winner with the readers will collect a prize that we have not determined yet.

There is one catch though, to be eligible for the prize, you have to “like” our Facebook Page as well as follow us on Twitter @MarlinManiac.

Get your General Manager cap on and see if you can do a better job than the Marlins front office has done in 2013.

Apr 28, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) connects for a two run homer in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

On Wednesday Giancarlo Stanton took a step towards returning to the Miami Marlins lineup. Stanton threw the ball for the first time since he went down with his hamstring injury. Stanton has not yet begun to jog, but has recently started to run in pool.

Although all of this is good news for a Marlins offense starving for offense, Stanton is still ways away from returning for the disabled list. Stanton stretched with his teammates before batting practice Wednesday and took a few swings off the tee, but is not ready to face live pitching yet.

“Running’s going to be … I’m sure I can hit way sooner than I’ll be able to run,” Stanton said. “I can already put weight on it pretty well.”

Stanton does not expect to be out as long as teammate Casey Kotchman has been with a similar injury, but that is to be determined as he continues his rehabilitation to a comeback.

One thing is for sure, if he returns faster than Derrick Rose has for the Chicago Bulls, Marlins fans will be thrilled.

Miami Marlins release pitcher David Aardsma on Wednesday | The Times-Picayune 

David Aardsma (1-0, 2.57 ERA) knew his time with the New Orleans Zephyrs was running short when he stepped in for Jonathan Albaladejo in the ninth inning of a 4-2 loss to the Tacoma Rainiers on Wednesday.

The difference between the Miami Marlins and the Houston Astros is credibility | Fishstripes

The Miami Marlins tore down their roster last season and were chided for it. The Houston Astros have been doing the same process and were lauded for it. What is the difference between the two struggling organizations?

Miami Marlins prospect Christian Yelich finding his groove | Bradenton Herald

The sample size is small. But the numbers are eye-popping.

By going 3 for 6 on Wednesday with two home runs and a double for Double A Jacksonville, Marlins uber-prospect Christian Yelich padded his already gaudy stats this month.

Miami Marlins use same lineup in back to back games for first time | Palm Beach Post

It took nearly one-quarter of the season but the Marlins finally played with the same starting lineup in consecutive games for the first time on Wednesday.

Here at Marlin Maniac:

Apr 26, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Juan Pierre (9) tosses a baseball to fans in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Marlins Park. The Cubs won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Marlins Park has been for the most part empty for a majority of their games in 2013. The lack of interest for the Miami Marlins and their gorgeous ballpark stems from the off-season firesale that owner Jeffery Loria decided to hold. Loria dismantled the Marlins roster one off-season after lavishly spending on the free agent market.

The Marlins saw this act as a betrayal to the public, as Loria had promised to their fans they would remain competitive once their brand new ballpark opened up. When the Marlins sold off their roster, fans were extremely upset and wanted Loria out as owner of the team.

The backlash towards Jeffery Loria and company has resulted in the lack of attendance, although the Marlins do not have the worst attendance in baseball. The lack of attendance has resulted in the Marlins deciding to close off upper deck seats for weeknight games.

The upper bowl will be closed for six dates during the team’s nine-game homestand that begins next Tuesday. Fans can sit only in the lower bowl for games May 14-16 against Cincinnati and May 20-22 against Philadelphia. The upper bowl will remain open for May 17-19 games against Arizona.

Closing the upper bowl for some games “will give an overall better fan experience,” [Marlins representative P.J. Loyello] said, adding from a standpoint of concessions, restrooms and other services, “it will be better for fans” than if they were scattered in a larger area.

THE MARLINS LOST A BUNCH OF GAMES BUT YOU WERE SLEEPING WHEN IT HAPPENED SO IT DOESN’T COUNT | Strip Club with Stanton

The last time we spoke, on May 5th, the Marlins were ending Roy Halladay‘s career, which was nice. You probably wanna hold onto that memory, because Loria’s band of merry misfits has played 6 games since, recorded more than 1 run just twice, and won just once. Luckily it all happened on the West Coast, so you probably slept through it. Can I get a “Yay, Marlins!”

May 12, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez (16) in the dugout during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Impact of Jose Fernandez | Fishstripes

Jose Fernandez has been an invaluable member of the Marlins’ rotation in 2013 and could be on his way to one of the best seasons by a rookie pitcher in recent memory.

Returning to Marlins Park post-fire sale | Fishstripes

I had vowed to boycott the Miami Marlins in 2013, but thanks to needing an activity with a friend, I am returning to Marlins Park for a game tonight. How did I do it to still avoid helping Jeffrey Loria?

College position player is likely first option in draft for Miami Marlins | Miami Herald

There is strong sentiment within the Marlins organization to take a college position player with their first pick — the sixth overall — in next month’s amateur draft.

With five of the first 80 picks in the draft, the Marlins have a chance to continue adding to their stockpile of young talent in the wake of the team’s roster selloff from last year.

May 14, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins second baseman Derek Dietrich (51) connects for a base hit during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Marlins’ rookie Dietrich a living tribute to grandfather | Sun-Sentinel

Derek Dietrich, who the Marlins selected from Double-A Jacksonville last week, had a special relationship with his grandfather, former major leager and baseball lifer Steve Demeter.

Marcell Ozuna is Miami Marlins Future Now | Rant Sports

It is no secret that the Miami Marlins are struggling overall this season. That generally happens when a team is in a rebuilding phase so it becomes somewhat acceptable with a few requirements. The main things fans need to see to put up with a rebuilding phase are the signs of actual rebuilding. They need to see signs that there is a future for their team that is promising and that they can believe in. Marlins fans do not have to look very hard to see proof that their team has a future.

With Marlins by chance, Ozuna aims to stay | Marlins.com

An injury to All-Star Giancarlo Stanton landed Marcell Ozuna in the big leagues. All-out hustle will go a long way in keeping the 22-year-old outfielder around for a long time.

Stock Up, Stock Down for Miami Marlins’ Top 10 Prospects for Week of May 6 | Bleacher Report

Another week, another promotion.

The Miami Marlins called up another prospect to the big leagues after they placed two middle infielders on the disabled list less than 48 hours apart. Donovan Solano was placed on the 15-day DL with a left intercoastal strain while Chris Valaika joined him with a fractured left wrist. In their place is Derek Dietrich, the fifth Marlins top-10 prospect to make his debut in the majors this year.

Here at Marlin Maniac:

The Good:

May 12, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Tim Federowicz (18) looks on as Miami Marlins center fielder Justin Ruggiano (20) heads to the dugout after a solo home run in thesixth inning of the game at Dodger Stadium. Dodgers won 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

With hitting being one of our biggest problems this season it is nice seeing some of our young batters come alive. Let’s start with Mr. “I got this” Justin Ruggiano. Going 2 for 4 with a single in the first, his 7^th HR in the 6th, a run and an RBI, even with 2 strike outs he is proving he is going to be one of our power hitters. Next let’s look at Mr. Stanton’s stand in, Marcell Ozuna, who also went 2 for 4, with singles in the 1^st and 4^th inning. It is going to be interesting to see what the Marlins are going to do with him once Giancarlo comes back. Next, in only his 3^rd game as a Marlin, Derek Dietrich went 2 for 4 with a double in the 7^th and a single in the 9^th while also scoring a run in the same inning. He is trying to prove that it’s not too early for him to be called up. Finally, Adeiny Hechavarria went 1 for 4, but that one hit was his 9^th inning double scoring in two of his fellow Marlins. This one hit was also the only real clutch hit in the game (but we will get to that.)

The Bad:

We lost to the Dodgers 5-3. As if that wasn’t bad enough, this was our chance to win our first series on the road; but we continue to look for that first on the road series win.

The Ugly:

Today the Marlins went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left 6 people on base. This means that not only are we getting on base, but we are getting runners to second and third, however that’s where they are stranded. It seems to be the story of our season- we are getting on base in scoring position but cannot bring them home. Also Ugly was the bullpen. This season up to this series the Marlin’s bullpen has been on point, with the exception of a few players; and today’s game was no exception for those few players. Jon Rauch came into the 7^th giving up 2 hits, 2 runs, and 2 earned runs. This brings his season’s ERA to 7.36; might be time for the Marlins to make a move on him. Mike Dunn wasn’t terrible today, but he didn’t play today how he has played in the past. This game he went 1 inning and gave up 2 hits, 1 run and 1 earned run in the 7^th. Yes, the 7^th inning was ugly. Whoa, déjà vu.

While they might not have been able to see the Marlins win today, I wish all mothers out there a wonderful Mother’s Day. See you all in Miami this Tuesday when the Marlins open up the series against the Reds. As always, go Marlins!