May 1, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Juan Pierre (9) connects for a base hit during the second inning against the New York Mets at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Upon hearing that his obituary had been published in a New York newspaper, Mark Twain famously wrote, “the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”  I have a feeling that Juan Pierre must know exactly how Twain felt reading of his own demise.

The early part of the season has served to confirm the worst fears about 2013 Miami Marlins – that they truly are as bad as they looked on paper coming into the season.   Naturally, the focus of the fans and media has quickly turned to how this team will improve in future seasons.  It helps us avoid having to deal with the disaster the Marlins have become on a nightly basis.  The Marlins have also done their part to fuel this sentiment by promoting several of their better prospects way ahead of schedule.  Recently, I have seen several items on the Internets about the Marlins future lineup, for example this one by our own Daniel Z. on Marlin Maniac and another over at Fish Stripes.

One thing everyone seems to agree on is that Pierre is the struggling veteran who needs to be pushed aside ASAP so that Christian Yelich can be called up to take his spot.  Pierre’s dismal early season numbers, currently .241/.289/.278 (wOBA .257), have been cited as the proof of his career’s final plunge into the abyss.  But is Pierre really done?

After a difficult April, things have changed for JP in the month of May.  The Marlins called up veteran right handed hitting OF Matt Diaz on May 2^nd and Mike Redmond has quietly taken advantage of his availability to utilize Pierre as a platoon player since then.  The results have been overwhelmingly positive for Pierre, to say the least.  Take a look at the Marlins top 3 hitters for the month of May:

I think the decision to bench him becomes a bit tougher now that you are talking about benching the Marlins’ top offensive player this month for an unproven rookie.  I know that Pierre has no future with this team, but don’t the Marlins still have the responsibility to try to win games by putting the best available lineup on the field this season.  Of course, I am skeptical that Pierre can keep this up, but he did hit .329/.374/.405 (wOBA .343) against RHP just last season so there is a possibility that he can.  If nothing else, keeping Pierre in the lineup builds up his trade value so that the Marlins can at least get a middling prospect for him at the trade deadline.

Yelich is raking in Double A to the tune of .319/.390/.659 (wOBA .456) and the power he is showing is exactly the element most sorely needed on the Marlins.  However, he only has 105 plate appearances above Single A and currently has a strike out rate of 25%, which would surely rise when facing major league pitching.  In addition, delaying the promotion of Yelich will almost certainly ensure his eligibility for salary arbitration is delayed for a year (not that the Marlins front office appears to understand how this works).

I want to see Yelich up as much as anyone, but delaying the inevitable a bit may be the best course of action.  Bringing him up now is probably not going to make the Marlins a much better team, especially when it would mean replacing one of your few positive contributors.  Besides, Yelich still appears to have some room for development so why not do it in a situation with not as much pressure.

Now if only Yelich could show he can play third base:

May 6, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Juan Pierre (9) prior to the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Recently manager Mike Redmond has started to use left fielder Juan Pierre in a platoon role, sitting the left handed hitter against left handed pitchers. Pierre for his career has hit well against both righties and lefties, but with father time catching up to him, he may not be more than a platoon player in 2013.

Has Redmond been correct to use Pierre in a platoon role in 2013? Lets take a look at Pierre’s numbers and make a determination.

Here is a quick look at Pierre’s splits against lefties and righties in 2013:

As the table illustrates, Pierre is hitting almost 100 points better against right handed pitchers as opposed to lefties. He is also getting on base at a higher clip and slugging better. This could be attributed to his batting average with balls in play (BABIP) being over 100 points higher against right handers, but it also indicates Pierre makes better contact against righties.

Here is a look at Pierre’s underlying peripherals:

Pierre is striking out and more against righties, but is able to make up with by walking more. Pierre is also hitting the ball into the ground more against lefties, as his groundball rate is at an alarmingly high 74%. Pierre has a career 60% groundball rate against lefties and a career 21.7% line drive rate. His line drive rate is sitting at just 11.1% early on.

Pierre’s ratio of groundballs to flyballs of 5 to 1. That is way up from his career numbers of hitting just over three groundballs to one flyball.

Early in the season, Pierre was in the lineup against both righties and lefties, but recently, Redmond decided that he would platoon Pierre in left. When Austin Kearns was with the team, he was an option in left to spell Pierre. The team has gone recently with Matt Diaz, with Kearns on the bereavement list.

Take a look at how Pierre’s numbers have looked since he has been utilized as a platoon player at the beginning of the month:

For most of his career, Pierre was about even against righties and lefties, but with age and his eroding skills, Pierre seems to be effective only as a platoon player at this point for the Marlins.

Pierre is no longer the player that he was in 2003 when he was a catalyst for the World Series Championship team. He however can make a great impact if manager Redmond continues to use Pierre properly. I would expect he and Justin Ruggiano to platoon in left field once Stanton returns from his hamstring injury, if (and that’s a big if)  Marcell Ozuna can keep up his hot hitting.

Christian Yelich is also not far behind in being major league ready and moving into left field permanently.

What do you guys think? Can Juan Pierre still be a full-time starter in the league?

Jeffery Loria’s lies and deception from last offseason still has lingering effect on the Marlins and the Blue Jays, as well as the respective fanbases. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports

On Marlin Maniac, it is our goal to give you not only the latest updates on everything Miami Marlins related, but also top notch analysis and opinions on the Marlins roster and play. Although there are plenty of great Marlin blogs out there, we want to make MM your one-stop blog for all your Marlins information.

In order to do this, we have come up with a new idea that involves all the writers that will hopefully build up some debate in the comment section. We are going to do a bi-weekly roundtable discussion segment, where we discuss the top Marlins-related topics. We will look at between three and five questions each time and may try to find more ways to incorporate the viewers in this as we go on as well.

Here is a look at the burning questions surrounding the Marlins we discussed this past week:

Ehsan: No. I have said the trade was not a bad baseball one from the onset. The problem with the trade was the timing. Loria broke his promise to field a competitive team and instead went back to pocketing the revenue sharing. Loria may feel smart when he looks at how the Jays are playing, but no one else in South Florida, or baseball for that matter, are too happy with his decision.

Geoff: I don’t care if we traded Mendoza for Ruth, DiMaggio, and Rose.The fan base in Miami is fragile, and the optics of what he did this off season have done what may prove to be irreparable harm to the future of the franchise. Now, it may take ten years of teams in the thick of a pennant race to rebuild the fans loyalty to the point where game tickets are hard to come by.

James: No, but I am not sure the fact that our sloppy seconds haven’t helped Toronto much makes him feel like he made the right decision.

Justen: Maybe to some people. He’s not liked very well by a lot of Marlins fan. The way he handled everything with the franchise over the past year/year and a half has been atrocious. Doesn’t justify anything for me.

Will:  Still hate him. While I was never high on Buehrle, even JJ has lost it so it is nice to know this trade is evened out. Really excited about Jake Marisnick!

Placido: No, of course not. The real tragedy of the trade has nothing to do with the particular players that were traded away or received, but instead with the realization that the millions saved would not be reinvested into the roster.  If Loria had made the trade then turned around and signed Stanton to a long term deal and signed 1 or 2 of semi-significant free agents all would be fine because it would have been viewed as a baseball move made to improve the team’s results on the field (of course, what free agent would ever sign with Loria after the trade?).

Alex: No. The problem with the November trade wasn’t the baseball aspects. It was that Loria showed he really didn’t give a darn about building a likable franchise for the fans.

Andy: I don’t waste my enregy talking about Mr. Loria anymore

David: It’s not the trade that is so horrific, it’s the fact that the money was not reinvested in the team in the form of a Stanton extension or a free agent signing. It absolutely is not justified, regardless of how the players play, because it’s another example of Loria doing something for purely monetary reasons.

Daniel: The Marlins fire sale or “market adjustment” as baseball people too cowardly to admit what they did involved moving three very big name players to the Toronto Blue Jays in return for a series of top prospects. The “big three” were pitchers Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and Shortstop Jose Reyes. The Marlins received in return Jake Marisnick, Adeiny Hechavarria, Brad Mathis and Justin Nicolino. The only player that came to Miami to have played this season in the majors is Hechavarria. Marisnick and the others are good prospects but are not close to joining the big club. Henderson Alvarez is the player who will most likely join the Marlins rotation once he returns from injury.

The question we were asked to answer is, “The blockbuster deal from November looks to be going the Marlins favor in the early going, does this justify Loria’s actions to you?” The simplest answer is no, but there is one issue that can’t be ignored which complicates the issue, dependability. Johnson, Reyes and Buehrle have historically been All-Star type players, often at MVP and Cy Young levels. But for the crafty lefty and the power right-hander father time has been following them for a long time. It might have caught up.

Feb 23, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Miami Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich (76) makes a running catch on a bases loaded hit by St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Oscar Taveras (not pictured) at Roger Dean Stadium. The Marlins defeated the Cardinals 8-3. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

2. With the Marlins already calling up top prospects Jose Fernandez and Marcell Ozuna, how soon will it be before Christian Yelich gets the call to the majors?

Ehsan: Early-to-mid-June was my prediction in the preseason and I still feel good about that today. Yelich has started to hit really well with the Jacksonville Suns and with the continued struggles and injuries filling the Marlins roster, he is their best option to roll out there for the rest of the season.

Geoff: His trip to the DL has set his clock back to July, I’m afraid.  He still needs his AA at-bats to season him for the bigs.  I’d be happiest seeing him sometime after the midsummer classic.

James: I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see him on the big league club before the All-Star game.

Justen: Soon. I think it’s a good idea to let the top prospects learn the game more in the MLB and just leave it up to the coaching and the veterans on the squad.

Will: I think Yelich will be up definitely sometime this year, September at the latest. With Ozuna and Jose both looking the part, there is a lot of promise for the future in Miami.

Placido: Since Yelich is not on the 40 man roster, I would think it takes a significant injury to Pierre or Ruggiano to force the move.  My guess is that barring that they wait until August, but with this team it is a mistake to try to apply logic so he will probably be up by June.

Alex: Yelich may have to wait a bit before being called up. I have a feeling that when he does get called up, they want it to be permanent. Unless, of course, ANOTHER Marlins gets injured.

Andy: Well I’ve been wrong with Jose and Marcell so let’s try with Christian. I like Christian and I hope he comes up soon we need his bat power. With that the Fish either have to send down Chris Coghlan or wait for him or Juan Pierre to be put on the DL. I don’t want either to happen so I will go with when baseball opens to a 40 man roster he will be called up.

David: I’m not sure Yelich sees big league time until August, if then. First, Yelich just returned from an injury, so he has some catching up to do. Additionally, when Logan Morrison and Giancarlo Stanton come back, the Marlins won’t have many places to play Yelich. If Ozuna keeps hitting (which, granted, is a big if), he’d presumably go to left, with Ruggiano in center and Stanton and right. Ruggiano isn’t having the season he had last year, but remains a source of power for the Marlins. I’m not sure the Marlins would call up Yelich without regular playing time, and I’m not sure he’d get it on this roster. If there’s an injury or a trade, however, it’s entirely possible we see him sooner.

Daniel: Christian Yelich will get called up to majors if Juan Pierre makes it obvious that he can’t be productive as an everyday major league player. So far in 2013 Pierre has struck out more often and walked less often than his career average. Has a .237/.287/.272 triple slash line a .254 wOBA as well as  a wRC+ of 55.  The JP of 2013 will never be the JP of 2003 but those numbers are unacceptable. If he is to ever get hurt or another player to be replaced Yelich who has been swinging a hot bat in Jacksonville has a good chance to get called up. I’d say that the middle of June, when Giancarlo and LoMo are scheduled to come off the DL is the time when Yelich is most likely to be called up.

Ehsan: Jeffery Loria. He has continued to meddle in day-to-day affairs an owner has no business being in. Pretty sure the idea to promote prospect Marcell Ozuna before he was ready was Loria’s as well. His decision to start flip-flop Fernandez and Nolasco in a double-header has raised even more issues.

Geoff: Hitting.  Specifically, consistent advancement of baserunners via line-drive base and extra-base hits.  Our starting pitchers desperately need run support, and we’re leaving too many runners stranded, especially the runners in scoring position. Our guys need to be hitting gapper line drives behind the runners, and we’re just not doing it enough.

James: Injuries to the young guys. Fernandez had Tommy John surgery yet, seems like that should be a mandatory requirement for all pitchers.

Justen: Simple; injuries.

Will: Biggest concerns are the facts, we are not that good, and its tough to watch at times. Still, having Jose, Ozuna, and at times Hech, it is fun to watch the young guys play ball.

Placido: The injuries to young players.  Henderson Alvarez, Nate Eovaldi and Giancarlo Stanton are all players the Marlins need significant contributions from in the next few years if they are to become a contending team.  Seeing them injured already so early into their careers does not inspire confidence that they will be able to grow into the star quality players the Marlins need them to be in the next few seasons.

Alex: Fernandez and Ozuna. Don’t want them getting injured or discouraged in the majors when their best years are some time ahead of them.

Andy: Some fan favorites are not performing well, and the back lash from the fans when those players get released, sent down  or traded. This is going to be a big problem Pierre and Coghlan are not doing so well this season but fans love them so the fans will feel hurt again if anything happens to them and that is going to be a big problem for a fan base that already feels no love.

David: My biggest concern is the health of the ballclub. Already this season we had two starting pitchers injured out of nowhere with mysterious injuries that, thus far, are looking to keep each of them out at least 60 days. We’ve had Hechavarria on the 15-day DL. Solano is injured. Stanton and Mahoney were both injured, and then each were reinjured within days of coming back into action. Kotchman is hurt. Mathis has been hurt. The team is thin (evidenced by Kyle Skipworth being the only real 40-man option to recall when Austin Kearns went on the bereavement list) and we can’t afford many more injuries.

Daniel: The bench.

As you can tell, Marlins fans still have some very strong feelings against owner Jeffery Loria. He still has his work cutout for him to regain the trust from the fanbase, if that is even possible.

May 1, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; New York Mets center fielder Jordany Valdespin (1) rounds the bases after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. The Mets won 7-6. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins came into this game looking to sweep the New York Mets after guaranteeing themselves their first series win of the season by taking the first two games on Monday and Tuesday.  They sent LHP Wade LeBlanc to the mound to face off against Mets’ starter Dillon Gee.

Things started out splendidly for the Marlins in the bottom half of the first inning as the first two batters reached via walks and Justin Ruggiano delivered a single to drive in the first run.  With two outs in the inning, Chris Valaika would double into the leftfield corner to drive in 2 more runs and give the Marlins a 3-0 lead.  The Marlins would add another run in the fourth on a single by Juan Pierre driving in LeBlanc, who had also singled, and allowing them to take a 4-1 lead.

Wade LeBlanc was not at this best on the day as he allowed at least one baserunner in every inning, but was able to hold the Mets to just one run through the first five innings.   He would run into trouble in the sixth inning, however, as he allowed a run and left two Mets on base when he was removed with 2 outs in the inning.  A.J. Ramos would come on to try to close out the inning and the Mets countered by bringing up pinch hitter Jordany Valdespin.  Valdespin promptly delivered with a 3-run homer to give the Mets a 5-4 lead.  LeBlanc ended up going five and two-thirds innings and giving up 4 earned runs on 8 hits.  He struck out 4 and did not walk a batter.

The Mets extended their lead in the seventh inning as ex-Marlin John Buck continued to pound his former team with a 2 RBI double that would make the score 7-4.  The Marlins would make a comeback, though, in the bottom half of the inning.  Ruggiano would again deliver a single with Marlins on base and Mets leftfielder Lucas Duda allowed the ball to bounce by him to the fence as both Marlins runners came in to score.  The score was now 7-6 with Ruggiano standing on third and only 1 out in the inning. The Marlins appeared to be in prime position to get the tying run home, but it was not to be as the next two hitters were promptly retired.

Mets closer Bobby Parnell came on in the ninth and quickly dispatched of the Marlins hitters in order to seal the victory.  Dillon Gee (2-4) was credited with the win for the Mets as they improved to 11-15 and Ramos (0-1) took the loss for the Marlins as they fell to 8-20.

Up Next: The Marlins will now head to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies in a 4 games series over the weekend.  On Thursday, Alex Sanabia (2-3) starts for the Marlins and Kyle Kendrick (2-1) will take the ball for the Phillies.

Apr 27, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (27) watches his solo home run in the first inning against he Chicago Cubs at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a long winter this year with inclement weather causing snow outs, rain outs, and frost outs of baseball games all over the northern part of the country in the early part of the season.  While the weather has been just fine at home for the Miami Marlins, their grizzly bear of a slugger Giancarlo Stanton seemed to be hibernating through the first three weeks’ worth of games.  Well the grizzly awoke this past weekend against the Chicago Cubs and in a big way.  Stanton slammed his first 3 home runs of the season including one that may or may not be the longest ever at Marlins Park as Juan C. Rodriguez explains:

Miami Marlins: Giancarlo Stanton home run distances explained – Sun Sentinel

For a minute Saturday night it seemed Giancarlo Stanton’s first homer of 2013 also was the longest ever hit at Marlins Park. The team gave an estimated distance of 472 feet on the bash to left, which cleared the auxiliary scoreboard.

Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton’s called shot — sort of – Palm Beach Post

It got to be a routine over the last few weeks where Giancarlo Stanton would shrug and joke with reporters who asked when he would hit his first home run of the season.  A little more than a week ago, I asked him if he remembered when he hit his first home run last year. “Yeah, on April 28th,” he said. “This year I’ll have to hit it on the 27th.”

Miami Marlins’ Giancarlo Stanton on Hot Streak on Offense – Rant Sports

Even though the Miami Marlins (6-19) have the worst record in Major League Baseball, at least outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is doing everything in his power to keep the team afloat. The right-handed batter’s hot streak at the plate is the only light being shed on the fan base at the moment.

Brantly back in groove at the plate – Marlins.com

Marlins catcher Rob Brantly believes he had just begun to hit his stride when last season ended.  The rookie catcher, acquired via a midseason trade with the Tigers, finished with a .290 batting average, three home runs, eight doubles and eight RBIs in 31 games. In September, he recorded a nine-game hitting streak.

Marlins’ Juan Pierre nearing 600 stolen bases despite struggle to get on base – Fish Stripes

Although the Miami Marlins didn’t expect Juan Pierre to be hitting above .300 from the leadoff spot to begin the year, Pierre has struggled to get on base to begin the season. This has hindered his run towards 600 stolen bases.

Greg Stoda: Like Cubs, Miami Marlins have very little to build on – Palm Beach Post

That’s the best description of the games in the series between the hapless Chicago Cubs and the woebegone Miami Marlins that began Thursday night in Marlins Park.  How bad are both teams?

Here at Marlin Maniac:

Series Preview: New York Mets @ Miami Marlins April 29th to May 1st, Games 26-28

The Miami Marlins finally got a series against an opponent as lowly as them, unfortunately they were not able to take advantage of the Chicago Cubs in a four-game series at home. Although Giancarlo Stanton went deep three times in the series, the Marlins were only able to capture one of the four games.

The Good, The Bad, and The Great Recap. Miami Marlins (5-19) vs Chicago Cubs (9-14) 4/28/13

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Marlins recap. Today we are going to do something different. Welcome to this season’s first The Good, The Bad, and The Great!  I could find something Ugly about this game, but it was a victory so we are going to focus on The Good and The Great today. The quick recap— The Good: We beat the Cubs 6-4, The Bad: Steve Cishek gave up a home run in the 9th, and The Great is Giancarlo Stanton! For a more in-depth recap enjoy the rest of the article.

Giancarlo Stanton Homers, Marlins Lose to Cubs 3-2

A few things were different in Saturday’s game against the Cubs: Giancarlo Stanton hit his first home run of the year, and it was Mike Dunn who blew the lead rather than Steve Cishek. But the more things change, the more things stay the same: the Marlins had almost no offense, and – get this – they lost.