Miami Marlins RTD 3/28: Ozuna, Ichiro, and the Start of Spring

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Morning Marlin Maniacs. Once a week, the staff here at Marlin Maniac sits down to pull some questions out of a hat that concern everyone’s favorite baseball team. The answers? While those get pulled from somewhere else, we list them below for your enjoyment

Avid readers are fully encouraged to submit questions they’d like to see the staff discuss via Twitter, Facebook, or in the comments. They are also encouraged to come up with a better title than Miami Marlins RTD. But until that day of deliverance, let’s get to the Round Table Discussion.

So Marcell Ozuna has spent some time hitting in the No. 2 hole this spring. Thoughts on the move?

Sean Millerick: My liking the move has less to do with Marcell Ozuna being an excellent fit for the position, and more with the fact that I envision Christian Yelich developing into a Joe Mauer type hitter- monster average, minimal power. But a guy you want batting 3rd all the same. I think Ozuna needs lineup protection more than Stanton does honestly, so sticking the young center fielder between two .300 hitters could be just the ticket to getting him back to that 2014 version.

Thomas Ghebrezgi: It’s spring training, so that’s where you want to get guys taking at bats all over the lineup, see how they perform. I don’t think Ozuna is an ideal number 2 hitter, because he doesn’t draw many walks and doesn’t offer a ton of speed at the top of the order. I like him batting fourth-sixth, where he can drive in more runs. I’ve heard Mattingly likes Yelich as a 3 hitter though, so maybe he’s looking around for a good number 2.

Eddie Noy: It’s a good idea, a better idea would be Stanton, but the Don’s head might explode. Still, assuming Dee Gordon leads off and Yelich bats third, that sets up a matchup nightmare for opposing managers with a L/R/L/R/L/R sequence through the first six hitters. This is also of course assuming that Ozuna bounces back to the 2014 variety – and in the list of assumptions that need to happen for the Fish to compete this year, this is one of the more plausible. The only real downside is that Stanton is batting fourth, why take away 40-70 PAs from arguably the best slugger in the game?

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Max Phillips: Not a fan. Lineup construction has been a growing debate amongst the baseball community and there has seemingly been a consensus that the 2 and 4 hole hitters should be your highest OBP and OPS hitters. Ozuna- 10th last year on the marlins in both categories. Now, I think a lot of us believe in Ozuna and a rebound season, but to rely on him finding his form early is a gamble. Regardless, Mattingly should use his two best hitters in the 2 and 4 slots and those are Yelich and Stanton by a landslide. Statistically a best lineup would project: Gordon, Yelich, Prado, Stanton, Bour, Ozuna, Hechavarria, Realmuto.

Eric Quiñones: I’m not a fan of Ozuna hitting in the 2 hole. The second batter of the team needs to be able to move runners over to the next base consistently, and a key to doing that is being able to hit the ball to the opposite field. One of his biggest weaknesses as a hitter is being able to hit the ball to the opposite field. He also strikes out a lot which is not something that you want your second batter to do much of. I prefer to see Ozuna bat 6th or 7th in the lineup. The perfect second batter for the Fish is Christian Yelich, because he is a guy who hits for high average, and is a line drive hitter that hits the ball to all parts of the field. He’s the best option to hit 2nd for the Marlins.

Next: Early Spring Star?

Basically, players are just trying to not fall down at this point in camp. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

Time to overreact. What spring performance has caught your eye the most thus far?

Sean Millerick: Adam Conley. My biggest reason for being skeptical about the Miami Marlins seriously contending in 2016 has been the back of the rotation. But I’ve qualified all predictions and prognostications with believing they could make a run if one of the young hurlers develops sooner than expected and both Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna turn in strong seasons. Conley has shown every sign this spring he’s doing so, leading all starting pitchers with a sterling 1.86 ERA. To be fair, Jarred Cosart hasn’t been too shaky either, but Conley is the story I’m most interested in following into April.

Eddie Noy: Wake me up in April. The numbers are irrelevant, let’s just get in the literal swing of things and not blow out our elbows. Carter Capps, what did I just say? To answer the question a bit, Ozuna OPSing 1.130 is nice as an optimistic portend of things to come. Gordon showing a lot of patience at the place is nice, too.

Max Phillips: It’s not so much a spring performance, but a spring observation- Christian Yelich put on some weight… finally! Coming into camp reportedly 10-15 pounds heavier hopefully will give Yelich the durability he needs to put together a monster campaign. The Marlins’ baby faced assassin is starting to look like a major leaguer.

Eric Quiñones: Too soon for someone’s performance to catch my attention. I am interested to see what type of Spring Ozuna has. He’s going to be a key guy in this lineup. Hopefully with Barry Bonds as the team’s new hitting coach, Ozuna comes to the plate with a better approach through Spring Training and into the season. I’m also keeping my eye on Justin Bour’s Spring as well. The Marlins need him to continue to improve from last season and provide some protection in the line up behind Stanton.

Next: Ichiro 3000 Tour

Sadly, he’s done this a lot this March. Luckily, it’s March. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

MLB.com had a feature on this early in the offseason, but consider this our office pool. When does Ichiro get to 3000?

Sean Millerick: This is tougher than I’d have liked…because he’s been terrible this spring. Last year he hit .286 in March, compared to just .206 this time around; he also has eight more strikeouts presently than last year, and that’s with eight less at-bats. However, if anyone’s earned the benefit of the doubt, it’s Ichiro. I’ll be pessimistic and say before the Trade Deadline- someone will get hurt and give him the at-bats.

Thomas Ghebrezgi: So, I probably overthought this, but here goes! On his career, Ichiro averages a hit per 3 plate appearances. That average last season moved up to about 4, meaning he got a hit in 1 out of every 4 plate appearances. Assuming that goes up to 5ish considering the rust from not playing that often in 2016, I figure it would take him anywhere from 260-320 plate appearances. I don’t know if he gets that much playing time with the Marlins. If they’re out of contention late and they move Ozuna, maybe they give Ichiro enough playing time to get 3000. Either way, dude’s a legend in my book. Easy hall of famer. The 3000 number seems kind of arbitrary.

Eddie Noy: September 15. Marlins will be out of it by June and someone in the outfield will pull a hammy. Ichiro will try to slap every pitch from here to Kobe to get to #3,000, and I’ll be rooting for him every hit of the way. Go, go, go Ichiro! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZpfuV51kOE

Max Phillips: Needing 65 hits to reach the elusive 3000 hit mark, this one is going to come down to the wire. For purposes of wanting him to do it in a Marlins uniform, I’d say he claws in out in late September with a 4-4 game; no big deal for him.

Eric Quiñones: I believe that Ichiro gets his 3000th hit sometime in September. If every starting outfielder stays healthy for the Fish, Ichiro won’t get as many starts as he did last season. He will get spot starts here and there, but a lot of his work will be done as a pinch hitter, which is why I believe that Ichiro will get his 3000th hit in September.

Next: Need To Add An Arm?

Most entertaining delivery since the D-Train. Wait…think we can get the D-Train? Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Marlins fine replacing Carter Capps in house, or do they need to make a move?

Sean Millerick: Yes, they do. But sadly, I can’t imagine what it would be. A.J. Ramos is solid, reliable, consistent….and not scary. Capps could terrify a lineup; his unique delivery actually made his pitches look faster than they were, and he was usually throwing 100mph. To contend, they’ll need another piece, and getting one will be cheaper in March than July.

Eddie Noy: Assuming Capps doesn’t pull a Pat Venditte and starts pitching with his other arm… still no, they certainly do not need to look outside. Relief pitching is the ultimate fungible asset in baseball (maybe glove only, middle infielders). Any number of spent starters can be remolded into serviceable relievers. So why spend money, you otherwise refuse to spend, when any number of guys can throw 45 pitches a week? Barraclough, Ellington, Wittgren were all optioned recently, call a couple up and see who gets hot in April. Remember kids: Closing is not a skill and Closer is not a position, it’s a role. One that has a shorter history than the DH.

Eric Quiñones: The Marlins need to make a move and find a proven closer. They’ve experimented with guys in the past, like last season when they tried Aj Ramos as a closer and it didn’t quite work out. He was inconsistent as a closer and blew a few saves for the Fish. I don’t know who would be an option in house. I think they need to make a move and find a proven closer that can get the job done consistently night in and night out.

Next: Belated, Flawed Brackets

Baseball is king, but seriously, who’s making the Final Four?*

Sean Millerick: Miami, Oklahoma, UNC, and Gonzaga; Oklahoma wins it all for the Big 12, ruining an epic run by the ACC.

Eddie Noy: My Final Four: Dodgers, Cubs, Astros, Blue Jays.. oh, that’s not what you meant? What’s the fascination with making the “semi-finals” anyway? What other sport/tourney/event puts stock in semi-final appearances?

Eric Quiñones: I see Kansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Virginia making the Final Four.

*Picks made prior to Thursday. We’ll just call Eddie the Mckayla Maroney of March Madness.

That’s all for this week. Next RTD, we’ll be talking meaningful baseball. Chime in in the comments, talk to us on Twitter, or fascinate us on Facebook with your thoughts- especially if there’s a question you’d like us to tackle. But in the meantime, set those fantasy lineups and buckle up for the regular season.

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