Miami Marlins: New logo, new colors, new attitude

The Miami Marlins unveiled their new logo and colors on Thursday, taken another giant step away from the Jeffrey Loria-led era of the beleaguered franchise.

The Miami Marlins got it right. A change for the better and a new look to a franchise that can only move onward and upward. These changes, which represent the vibrant community that has been crying for a winner, should continue to prove this organization wants to create a new legacy.

"“The rebranding introduces the color scheme of “Caliente Red, Miami Blue, Midnight Black, and Slate Grey.” The organization will have not one, but two logos — a primary that has an image of a marlin swirling around baseball stitching above the word Miami, and a secondary logo of a marlin looping over an M,” writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com."

The new look coincides with the changes being made to Marlins Park, which includes the removal of the home run statue in centerfield that is being replaced with a standing room only area for fans just past the outfield. Team owner and CEO Derek Jeter had a vision of this franchise becoming a destination in the south Florida community and drew upon the communities Latin and Hispanic flavor to attract fans who have been absent from the ballpark for years.

The last time Miami had a winning team was in 2009. The last time the Marlins made the playoffs was 2003, their last World Series title.

"“We tried to capture the energy and diversity of Miami,” Jeter said in a story by the Associated Press that appeared on ESPN.com. “We listened to our fans. We took a lot of time looking around Miami. We’ve done Miami’s colors.”"

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The Marlins hope to continue to envoke the past and improve on a 63-98 record from last season under manager Don Mattingly. The team hopes local talents, Lewis Brinson of Ft. Lauderdale and Peter O’Brien of Hialeah will help make this franchise memorable for victories instead of reaching record numbers of losses.

There had been plenty of talk of returning to the team’s roots and bringing back the colors of the expansion franchise where teal was the predominant color with pinstripes. Jeter mulled it over but wanted this team to let everyone know the organization is beginning something new and exciting.

"“We thought about it, but we wanted to move forward as an organization, and not necessarily look back,” Jeter said. “We will still offer the teal uniforms in retail. We know how special it is. There’s a lot of history, a winning history, with those colors. But we wanted to move forward.”"

The Marlins also took another step forward in their move for change by invading the international talent pool when the franchise signed Cuban prospects Victor Victor Mesa and his brother Victor Mesa Jr in October.