• Reconsidering the Marlins Defensive Alignment

  • Hanley RamirezA note in the Miami Herald suggests that the Marlins organization has considered moving Hanley Ramirez to centerfield but, for now, will keep him at shortstop. Hanley has probably committed a few too many errors this year. The team, though, cites Alex Gonzalez as an example of a previous young shortstop who had a few too many errors in his early years but ultimately ended up as a top-notch defensive presence.

    I have to admit that sitting through Marlins games recently, I thought quite a bit about where to position players and I suggest that down the road the Marlins consider playing Hanley at third base and moving Miguel Cabrera to first base. This will allow Alfredo Amezaga or Robert Andino to takeover shortstop and provide better defense.

    I vote that we save Hanley’s body for the long-term because he is clearly a special talent.

  • Opinion

  • We Own Florida

  • I saw this at a ballpark the other day: Nike has created a “United Countries of Baseball” map depicting the United States as a collection of countries each supporting a baseball team. As you can see on the map, the Marlins essentially control most of Florida. Now, I take this map with a bit of skepticism because it exaggerates the support for the Washington Nationals and leaves a big chuck of the west without any loyalty. But, for a map geek and a Florida Marlins fan, this is a fun one.

  • Opinion

  • Trades I Can Live With

  • A brief paragraph in the Palm Beach Post suggests the Marlins are looking at some trades:

    One baseball source said the Marlins are telling teams that catcher Miguel Olivo, right-hander Byung-Hyun Kim and relief pitcher Armando Benitez are available. The team does not plan to trade Dontrelle Willis, the source said.

    This is one Marlins fan who hopes we can get some value for all these guys. Olivo‘s catching and handling of the pitchers has been pretty weak this season and Benitez has been shaky at best. We’ll probably miss BK Kim because we don’t have that many healthy starting pitchers left. Lets hope we can convince a team to give up some decent minor-league talent.

  • Opinion

  • Worst-Owner-EVER? No, Maybe One of the Best

  • A recent Sports Illustrated survey of 464 Major League Baseball players named Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria as the second worst owner in baseball after Royal’s owner David Glass and along side the owners of the Devil Rays and Orioles. I suspect this has more to do with reputation than anything else. More

  • Opinion
    • ReklawLah
    • RETWEETED
      19 years ago

    • I disagree. Loria turned a profit of over $45 million dollars last year… more than 50% higher than that of any other team in MLB. He was able to do this because he doesn’t spend any money on putting a quality team on the field. Yes, he sometimes will splurge on a superstar-type player… but that’s not how to build a real team fans can get behind. You need depth in the rotation and bull-pen, and Loria is too cheap and short-sighted to make these necessary additions.

  • In Beinfest We Trust

  • I’ve been thinking about trust lately.

    It all started when I read Ethan Skolnick’s commentary on trusting South Florida General Managers. He correctly points out that South Florida fans can trust Larry Beinfest of the Florida Marlins and Pat Riley of the Miami Heat no matter what they do, while being very suspicious of anything coming out of the Dolphins and Panthers organizations. Larry may have screwed up the Jorge Julio trade, but we give him a pass because Byung-Hyun Kim has done well and Armando Benitez had a few good outings (and a few terrible ones too).

    Trust is very important these days as we read that Dontrelle Willis is the subject of many trade rumors.

    I personally would prefer if the Marlins kept Dontrelle. He is a great guy, a pretty good pitcher, and will probably earn less next year. Keeping him tells the average fan and the media that the Fish are committed to winning and we’re just one ballpark away from spending money like the Yankees spend on bad pitchers. But I also trust that Beinfest will make the right choice if he goes the other way. I will be the first person to say one or all of the following:

    • Dontrelle is nothing more than a 4th starter but teams will pay us like he is a number 1 starter
    • Once we get over the injuries, we already have 4 top notch young pitchers
    • We desperately needed a new [center fielder]/[catcher]/[closer]
    • Wow, we just acquired the best young talent in baseball
    • This season is doomed, lets build up for next year
    • We just freed up money to [sign Miguel Cabrera]/[bring in a top free agent next year]/[close the gap on the ballpark funds]

    No matter what, we trust Larry.

  • Opinion