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

Derek Dietrich is the Miami Marlins’ second baseman of the future. Or their third baseman of the future. Or a utility player. Or a juggler. Or just another rookie playing for the Marlins entirely too soon in this disaster of a season. It all depends on who you ask. Marlin Maniac ranked him as the Marlins 13th best prospect prior to the season.

Dietrich was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010 after tearing up college baseball at Georgia Tech. In his junior year prior to being drafted, Dietrich hit .350/.459/.650 with 17 home runs and was lauded as a potential first round pick. He fell to the second, and the Rays snapped him up as a shortstop. In the minors, Dietrich has been an incredibly consistent hitter. Between 2010 and 2012, he advanced through the minors, making stops at Low A, A, High A, and AA. His slash lines at each stop were .279/.340/.419, .277/.346/.502, .282/.343/.468, and .271/.324/.429. This past offseason, the Marlins acquired Dietrich in a straight up trade for Yunel Escobar, who has been atrocious at the plate for the Blue Jays this year.

It’s not hard to see the kind of hitter Dietrich is based on his slash lines. He won’t walk a ton, but he has above-average pop, enough so that the Marlins have been looking at him as a third baseman instead of playing him in the middle of the infield. In fact, in February, Larry Beinfest was quoted as saying that Dietrich “could be our future third baseman. We love him.”

There’s one catch – he can’t hit lefties. So far in AA this season, Dietrich was hitting .312/.448/.558 against righties, and .207/.281/.345 against lefties. Though this season’s discrepancy is particularly extreme, it’s hardly a new trend. Last season, his OPS against righties (.894) was 240 points higher than it was against lefties (.654).

Perhaps the coolest thing about Dietrich is that he’s a world-class juggler. He’s been juggling since he was 8 years old and has performed his act before over 10,000 fans at the 2011 Midwest League All-Star Game. Here is a cool video of Dietrich demonstrating his juggling skills:

John Sickels at MinorLeagueBall.com noted of Dietrich that “he has enough sock in his bat to be a valuable hitter even if he’s hitting just .250. In the long run, he could end up as something like a left-handed Dan Uggla.” Given how badly the Marlins need offense – and a long-term solution at third base – a left-handed Uggla sounds great.

Giancarlo Stanton

I can’t go a post without mentioning the Marlin’s best player. Luckily, he’s only on the list to ensure readers that according to Jon Heyman, Stanton will not be traded.

“Beinfest wouldn’t address whether Stanton might be traded, but other people with Marlins connections say he absolutely will be a Marlin in 2013. And executives from other teams who have inquired agree they see zero evidence Stanton might be moved.”

So there you have it. Stanton will absolutely “be” a “Marlin” in 2013. From that quote, it sounds like nobody would make an insane enough offer for the Marlins to agree on, so as unhappy as Stanton is, he’ll have to stick around for a while.

A good fit for Stanton: Marlins for now, unless a team offers something out of this world. Like a whole planet or an asteroid.

The Marlins may never see Yunel in action.
Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Yunel Escobar

The Marlin’s new infielder may already be halfway gone, considering recent rumors that the Rays, Yankees, A’s and even the Cubs are asking for a price check. With the Marlins, Escobar would have to move to third base while newly-acquired Adeiny Hechavarria plays short. With Greg Dobbs on the roster, Escobar’s departure would leave the Marlins only marginally worse at third.

There should also be concerns with Escobar’s character considering his suspension last year and reports that he was already a crappy teammate to begin with. Having not had an at-bat for the Marlins and him being a jerk, I won’t be sad to see him traded.

From Jerry Crasnick’s twitter:

An NL scout on new #marlins shortstop Yunel Escobar: “This guy makes Hanley Ramirez look like Teammate of the Year.”

A good fit for Escobar: Yankees. With Alex Rodriguez needing surgery and their overall old-age in the infield, the Yanks can put something together for a young, relatively cheap infielder.  Plus, I already called him a jerk.

Ricky Nolasco

Apparently, Marlins current ace, Ricky Nolasco, would like to be traded. Upset after seeing his manager fired and half his teammates leave shortly after, Nolasco feels, “he would be better served if the Marlins traded him.” according to his agent. Nolasco may have to wait on his new team to find him. Trading the Opening Day starter with a rotation as sorry as the Marlins’ doesn’t make sense right now. Help from the minor leagues is not projected to arrive until later in 2013, so Nolasco may have to wait for the July deadline.

A good fit for Nolasco: If he is traded in the offseason, I could see teams stupid desperate for pitching such as the Royals or Rockies offer prospects for Nolasco after the better pitchers are off the board. If traded in July, his $11M contract will make him the Ryan Dempster of last season, providing he pitches well. This trade would land him with whatever team is close-but-not-quite-there and would likely give the Marlins the best return.  Unfortunately, that team is always impossible to tell in December. (The Pirates. Put your money on the Pirates.)

It’s no surprise that Escobar could be on the move again.

Yunel Escobar’s tenure as a member of the Marlins may prove to be a brief one. (Image Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

One one hand, he’s slated to earn just $5 Million this coming season, with a pair of team options for 2014 and 2015 for the same amount. Such a team friendly deal could appeal to a number of teams in need of upgrades at shortstop. Escobar is just 30 years old, so he could/should be somewhat serviceable for the next three seasons at a relatively affordable cost. Of course, on the other hand, this is Miami and suddenly anyone making anything over the league minimum is deemed expensive, thus the natural expectation that he could be moved in another deal.

He’s also a .282/.353/.390 hitter over six seasons in the Major Leagues, with decent but not spectacular defensive abilities. Escobar has been a shortstop for his whole career, aside from 22 games at third base during his rookie season in Atlanta. Should be remain in Miami, it’s unlikely that he’ll be the team’s starting shortstop with Adeiny Hechavarria in the picture, meaning Escobar would need to move either to third base or into a utility role in order to earn any playing time for the Marlins. It would appear that the team is uncomfortable with such an idea if we’re to believe Passan’s Tweet.

There are no shortage of teams who could have interest in Escobar, depending on the cost, as an upgrade at shortstop. Oakland has been linked to him in the past and it’s well-known that the Diamondbacks and Red Sox are evaluating the market. Detroit, New York, and others could all potential come into play as well.

Last offseason the Marlins were the talk of baseball. They team was undergoing a complete makeover – new uniforms and logo, a new stadium, new manager, new shortstop, new closer, and new starter. There was hope and optimism. How quickly it all disappears after a 69-93 season, as word first came out Tuesday evening that the team had agreed to a blockbuster 12-player deal with the Toronto Blue Jays – drastically altering both team’s rosters.

Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle, two of the team’s biggest signings a year ago, will head to Toronto in the deal, along with Josh Johnson, Emilio Bonifacio, and John Buck, plus $4 Million in cash. Gone are the team’s top two starting pitchers. Gone are the team’s top threats to get on base in front of Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton, in fact, is the only player to appear in Miami’s lineup on Opening Day this past season that remains on the roster.

Returning to the Marlins are seven players: shortstops Adeiny Hechavarria and Yunel Escobar, outfielder Jake Marisnick, catcher Jeff Mathis, right-handers Henderson Alvarez and Anthony DeSclafani, and left-hander Justin Nicolino.

Marlins fans, those that can find it in their hearts to attend games this coming season, will grow fond of Adeiny Hechavarria‘s defensive abilities at shortstop. (Image Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE)

Hechavarria and Escobar are the two players who’ll likely have the most immediate impact on Miami, at least in terms of playing time. Hechavarria, a 23 year old Cuban defector who signed with Toronto prior to the 2010 season, is likely the favorite to take over at shortstop for Reyes, though the two are far different players. Hechavarria is known for being a standout defensive player, but his bat has yet to develop and what type of offensive player he will be is far from certain. He made his MLB Debut for the Blue Jays towards the end of the 2012 season, hitting .254/.280/.365 in 137 plate appearances over 41 games. Over three minor league seasons preceding his callup he batted .272/.314/.381 with a high strikeout tendency.

Escobar will probably have to switch positions, presuming he isn’t moved in another deal sometime this winter, as Hechavarria is the better option at shortstop. Escobar has spent nearly his whole career at shortstop but did appear at a few games at both second and third base early on in his career. He hit just .253/.300/.344 in 608 plate appearances this past season. It’s unlikely he’d offer more than Donovan Solano at second, so Escobar may have to fight for playing time at third or in a utility role.

DeSclafani posted a strong showing in his first professional season this year, but is still considered too far off the radar to find himself in any discussions about Toronto’s top pitching prospects. Mathis will likely share duties behind the plate, depending on how quickly Rob Brantly seizes the starting role. Alvarez made 31 starts for the Blue Jays this past season, posting a 9-14 record and 4.85 ERA over 187.1 innings. He’ll surely slide into an opening in Miami’s starting rotation, though it’s unclear where he’d fit in a projected rotation. Some estimates put him second behind only Ricky Nolasco, though again it’s unclear what other moves (i.e. will Nolasco be next to go?) the Marlins intend to make this offseason.

Marisnick and Nicolino are the two clear prizes in the deal, as I discussed earlier today at our minor league/prospect site Seedlings to Stars, pending how Hechavarria develops, but neither prospect is going to be near-MLB ready before the 2014 season at the earliest. Marisnick just reached Double-A this past season but profiles as a solid defensive option who should be able to stick in center field and could develop some power numbers, meaning he should be a nice addition alongside Christian Yelich in the organization’s future outfield. Nicolino is a little futher away but could someday be a #2 or #3 starter for this team behind Jose Fernandez. Marisnick and Nicolino should both find themselves ranked among the organization’s top prospects as rankings are released in the coming weeks.

For now, we will continue on with the Miami Marlins season preview. Today we look at new short stop for the Miami Marlins, Jose Reyes.

Mar 10, 2012; Jupiter, FL. USA; Miami Marlins shortstop Jose Reyes (7) throws out a St. Louis Cardinals base runner at Roger Dean Stadium. The Marlins defeated the Cardinals 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

The Marlins in the past have had discussions about moving Hanley Ramirez off of short stop. They could not do this without alienating their super star without a good reason to do so. Their good reason became Reyes. From the start of free agency, Reyes was the team’s number one priority in the off season, as the club contacted the player’s representatives one minute after the free agency period officially began. Although the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets had interest, it had become a foregone conclusion that Reyes was taking his talents to South Beach.

Depth Chart

1. Jose Reyes
2. Donnie Murphy
3. Emilio Bonifacio

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