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!

Dec 5, 2011; Dallas, TX, USA; Miami Marlins president of baseball operstions Larry Beinfest (left) announces the signing of closer

The trade deadline has come and gone.  Are the Marlins better off? I’d like to weigh in with a review of the hits and misses…

Detroit: Omar Infante and Anibal Sanchez for prospects Jacob Turner, Brian Flynn, and Rob Brantly. My take is that this was an OK trade by Beinfest. Sanchez and Infante were nearing free agency, and would have represented a pretty big hit to the payroll next year.  Although they both seem to be having decent seasons, neither is a marquee player.  In exchange, we got the #22 ranked prospect pitcher in all of baseball, and a decent young catcher.

The Los Angeles Blockbuster:  Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate for Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough. A win for both clubs.  The Marlins unloaded an unhappy and underperforming Hanley Ramirez, in his third down year after an all-star 2009 season. Despite his fall from superstar status, he still represents a substantial improvement for the glaring weakness that is the left side of the Dodgers infield.  Choate’s role for the Marlins was limited to LOOGY, but he was an effective one. In exchange, we picked up an unremarkable prospect in McGough and what is looking like an excellent replacement for Anibal Sanchez.  Eovaldi’s first start was a very good one. How he fares against the Braves tonight will clarify the picture.

Pittsburgh: Gaby Sanchez and Kyle Kaminska for Gorkys Hernandez:  Another win for the Marlins.  It’s sad for me to see Gaby collapse the way he did, but trading him and an unremarkable minor-league reliever for a decent young outfielder with a good upside was a plus for the Marlins, especially since the announcement that Logan Morrison is headed to the DL for the foreseeable future.

If-I-Mighta-Woulda-Coulda-Shoulda: There was a late rumor circulating that the Marlins were talking to the Mets about swapping John Buck and Heath Bell for Jason Bay. If my prayers get answered, this is one rumor that becomes reality.  Both Bell and Buck are underperforming contract albatrosses, and we could use Bay to let Morrison replace Carlos Lee at first when the time comes. While the two teams weren’t able to come to terms before the non-waiver deadline, it looks like all three player would clear waivers if a deal gets struck between the two clubs. Keep your fingers crossed.

The moment is almost here, thank God. Wednesday, April 4th at 7:05 PM, Josh Johnson will throw the first “official” pitch in Marlins Park to start the season. Broadcasting live on ESPN, the newly formed Miami Marlins will get the first chance to capture publicity and respect from a nation wide audience against the defending World Series Champion, the St. Louis Cardinals. Like a die-hard nerd, Wednesday is the only matter on my mind, stopping me from getting other daily chores done. Today, like most series match-ups this season, I will make 5 predictions on the game.

1. Game #1 will be an important game in gaining respect/attention throughout the country. 

April 1, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Marlins mascot Billy the Marlin performs before a game against the New York Yankees at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

March 20, 2012; Jupiter FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Josh Johnson (55) points for somebody to close the left field gate in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays during a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

March 31, 2012; Jupiter, FL, USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez (2) hits a home run during a spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE

Mar 13, 2012; Jupiter, FL. USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Heath Bell (21) delivers a pitch against the Atlanta Braves at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

March 11, 2012; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; Florida Marlins first baseman

I come from the pre-Moneyball era, back when batting average and ERA ruled the earth, and one’s skill at rubbing sticks together determined one’s comfort level across a cold winter.  The days when a duplicate baseball card and a clothespin meant a new noisemaker for the Schwinn. Free agency was still pretty new, and the idea of following an individual player over your hometown team was in its infancy.

As I was forming my lifetime bond with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Walt Alston was at the helm, and the Durable Dodgers were packing the seats in Chavez Ravine. Three time zones away, Bill James was wearing out his first shirt pocket pen protector as he fomented revolution.  My family moved East, I grew up, the Sabremetrics gospel spread like wildfire, and I missed it.

An offshoot (sect?) of Sabremetrics is fantasy sports. For the last few years, I’ve been looking in from the fringes, feeling like the Little Match Girl watching the holiday feast from the frozen streets of Dickens’ London.  Like so many things that I’ve been doing with baseball lately, my 10-year-old son is the instigator.  He and I sat down with a couple of primer texts, and started looking at what it would take to run a team for a season.

We settled on the ESPN system, and decided that for the first year, we’d stick to a simple rotisserie league.  Once we had the basics figured out, we ran a couple of mock drafts for practice.  This weekend was my son’s first out-of-town tournament, and we had a couple of hotel nights free from honey-do’s and homework. Draft time.

In between breathless reports on the progress of “elevator tag” and trips to the pool (close your eyes and picture a hotel full of ‘tween boys on a road trip), we made our picks. For good or for bad, our team has the following roster:

P: Stephen Strasburg

P: Yu Darvish

P: Gio Gonzalez

P: Anibal Sanchez

P: Jaime Garcia

Bullpen: Ryan Dempster

Bullpen: Ricky Nolasco

Bullpen: Kenley Jansen

Closer: Craig Kimbrel

Closer: Ryan Madson

C: Wilson Ramos

1B: Albert Pujols

2B: Rickie Weeks

3B: Adrian Beltre

SS: Elvis Andrus

RF: Giancarlo Stanton

CF: Cameron Maybin

LF: Logan Morrison

Utility: Erick Aybar

Utility: Sean Rodriguez

Utility: Emilio Bonifacio

Bench: Gaby Sanchez

Bench: Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Bench: Jason Heyward

Bench: Torii Hunter

Like I said…for good or for bad.  Almost as soon as the draft finished, I read that Madson was out for the season for a Tommy John (I remember watching Tommy pitch).  And if being kidnapped and held for ransom wasn’t bad enough, Ramos is day-to-day with a bum knee.  So are Stanton and Morrison, as we Fish Fans are well aware.

So, right out of the gate, we dropped Madson and picked up Aroldis Chapman out of the undrafted players pool.  We’ll see how it works out.

We weren’t drafting from an array of analyses and spreadsheets.  We used a combination of the USA Today fantasy preview, ESPN’s in-draft rankings, and our own gut and emotion.  We’ll see how the “shoot and holler ‘Boo’” draft method works over 162 games.

I’ll be watching three things this year: first is the attention span of a fifth-grader over a season. Second is the attention span of a 47-year-old over a season. Finally, I’d like to see how we do against the other nine guys in our league.

The Marlins finished with the second-worst home record in 2011, besting the woeful Houston Astros by only 1.5 games. The 31-47 mark at Sun Life Stadium was second only to the 31-50 mark posted by the ’98 team. That was the fire sale season after the first World Series championship. Even the ’93 expansion team was more successful at home in what was then Joe Robbie Stadium. Only Ozzie Guillen’s Chicago White Sox matched the Marlins in being seven games better on the road than at home.

March 8, 2012; Port St Lucie, FL, USA; Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen (center) talks with third baseman Hanley Ramirez (left) during a pitching change in the second inning of a spring training game against the New York Mets at Digital Domain Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Winning 45 games at home, something the Marlins have managed several times in the last decade, would have kept the team in contention for a wild card until the final week of the season. The hope is that the new ballpark will bring a lot more fans to the ballpark, more excitement from the fans, and give the Marlins players a home field advantage again that may have seemed lacking for many years.

Don’t think the Marlins have struggled at home most years, however. Despite ranking at or near the bottom in attendance in the cavernous Sun Life Stadium, Florida only had one other losing season at home since 2000, when the ’07 team went 36-45.

Twice in team history, the Marlins have led the majors in home victories – the championship years of ’97 and ’03. If Miami will be a contender in the new ballpark, it will have to start with turning around last season’s home performance. Will a bigger, more enthusiastic crowd help? It remains to be seen exactly what kind of attendance the Marlins will generate this year, but the team already expects to blow recent attendance out of the water.

According to USA Today:

Team president David Samson said the team will have at least 15,000 season ticket holders in 2012, which will be a franchise record.

The Marlins have only once drawn 3 million fans (the inaugural season of 1993), and to do so this season would be the high end of optimistic projecions. To do anywhere near that would be to double the average season attendance of the last 10 years. Still, it is a pretty safe bet the team will be over 2 million fans in attendance for only the third time ever. You have to figure that attendance boost, the noise when the roof is closed, and the intimate feel of the park will give players a shot of adrenaline this season.

Recent speculation about Marlins Park has centered around how it will play during the season – as a pitcher-friendly or hitter-friendly park. It is also important to consider what the attendance and new field will do to help the Marlins become successful again at home. More home success ought to keep the team contending late into the season for a playoff berth. It won’t guarantee success beyond that – ask the 2008 Chicago Cubs (among others), swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Los Angeles Dodgers despite the best home record that season.

Marlins’ Home Record
Year
2011 31-47
2010 41-40
2009 43-38
2008 45-36
2007 36-45
2006 42-39
2005 45-36
2004 42-38
2003 53-28
2002 46-35
2001 46-34
2000 43-38
1999 35-45
1998 31-50
1997 52-29
1996 52-29
1995 37-34
1994 35-34
1993 35-46

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