Miami Marlins Morning Catch: Steve Cishek, Mat Latos Return to Marlins

Good morning, Marlin Maniac readers and welcome to Morning Catch, the daily morning news and notes column from MarlinManiac.com.

Cishek rediscovers his groove, recalled by Marlins

Craig Davis, Sun-Sentinel

Steve Cishek’s exile to the minor leagues was short lived.

The Miami Marlins announced following Friday’s 5-1 win against Colorado that their former closer was being recalled from Double-A Jacksonville, where he was sent June 1 with the hope his former minor league pitching coach, Charlie Corbell, could help him get his groove back.

Cishek was 1-5 with a 6.98 in 19 appearances for the Marlins this season. He was removed from the closer role after blowing four of seven save opportunities. The lanky sidearmer had recorded 91 saves in 101 chances before this season. (Read More Here)

Giancarlo Stanton and your yearly strikeout reminder

Michael Jong, Fishstripes

Let me once again reiterate something I have said here before: strikeouts are bad.

Never once have I said a strikeout is a positive outcome. It is not always a hugely negative outcome, but it is never positive to strike out. In a vacuum, if given the choice to strike out less, you would want that for a player. The more strikeouts a player has, the harder it is for that player to maintain a good batting average and subsequently support the rest of his (more important) batting line, as he depends more on balls in play for success. Strikeouts are definitely bad.

But strikeouts are mostly bad because outs are bad. In looking back at the run-scoring effects of various outcomes at the plate, strikeouts are not worth less than any other out. Take a look at this table representing run scoring from 1999 to 2002. If you scan through the columns labeled “Out” and “K,” you will note that often times, those two numbers are very similarly negative. At the end of the day, the average value of a strikeout was only0.01 runs worse than the average value of a regular out. Basically, outs so rarely produce positive events (even “productive outs” tend to be overstated in their value, as moving baserunners for outs is often at best a net neutral occurrence) that the average difference is minimal. (Read More Here)

Giancarlo Stanton: Miami Marlins star having problems at the plate

Randy Holt, Statliners

In Major League Baseball, there are few players that represent a larger threat than when Giancarlo Stanton steps to the plate. As far as the power element itself, there may not be a better player in baseball, given that Stanton is routinely sending mammoth 470+ ft homers to the deepest parts of Major League ballparks. Yet, his overall offensive game has come up short, especially in comparison to some of his “elite” National League counterparts.

First, let’s examine the positives. Giancarlo Stanton hits baseballs really hard and as a result, they go really far. Nobody in baseball has a higher hard contact rate than Stanton. In fact, nobody’s even close. Stanton is making hard contact 50.3% of the time. Just to drive the point home further: Giancarlo Stanton is making contact exactly half the time in which he makes contact. That’s absurd. (Read More Here)

Marlins’ Fernandez throws for five scoreless innings in second rehab start

Christina De Nicola, Fox Sports

JUPITER, Fla. — Eighty-three miles from his big-league teammates at Marlins Park, ace Jose Fernandez approached his second rehab start as if the opponent’s jersey read Colorado or Los Angeles.

Wearing No. 44 rather than No. 16, Fernandez threw five scoreless innings for Single-A Jupiter against Port Charlotte on Friday night at Roger Dean Stadium. He allowed just two hits — both singles — with four strikeouts and one walk on 65 pitches (41 strikes), facing just one over the minimum.

The 2013 National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Finalist bounced back from his first outing in which he surrendered five runs on eight hits, while striking out two batters and walking one in three innings against the Stone Crabs. On Friday, his pitch limit was 70 or five innings. (Read More Here)

Can Jose Fernandez Single-Handedly Turn the Miami Marlins’ Season Around?

Josh Sippie, Call to the Pen

Jose Fernandez is in the midst of his rehab starts in the Miami Marlins system and while he struggled in his first start, at least on the surface, the fact that his fastball is topping out at 99 miles per hour should be the only welcome sign that you need to be excited for his return.

Fernandez had this to say about his start: “I honestly think that gun was a little juiced just to make me happy. But I was feeling great. The ball was coming out really smooth and the location was good, so I’m happy where I am right now,” (via the Sun Sentinel).

The Marlins are giving Jose Fernandez five rehab starts before calling him back up to his rightful place as the ace of the staff. Fernandez can be an absolute season-changer. At 22 years of age he is quickly becoming one of the best pitchers in the league. Not only that, but his energy is infectious and can rejuvenate a team that is understandably down in the dumps a bit. (Read More Here)

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