Sunday, November 15, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Arbitration Decisions
Marlins fail to offer arbitration to any of the three arb-eligible free agents.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Arbitration Decisions
Marlins unlikely to enter arbitration | marlins.com: News
The Marlins have three players eligible for arbitration this year in Luis Gonzalez, Arthur Rhodes and Paul Lo Duca. All three have type B status. This means that if the Marlins offer arbitration to them, and they decline, and subsequently sign with another team, the Marlins will get a compensation pick after the first round. The deadline to offer arbitration is Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Luis Gonzalez: Luis is coming off a solid year, hitting .261/.336/.413 in a fourth outfielder role. He has 2591 career hits, which makes 3000 a long shot. The 41 year old will be looking for a 2 year deal and a starting job. The Marlins will not offer either. The Marlins should offer him arbitration, then watch him sign with an AL team like Tampa Bay, his home town, who is desperate for a DH.
Arthur Rhodes: This looks like a no brainer to offer Rhodes arbitration. Rhodes dominated in his time with the Marlins, going 2-0 with 14 strike outs in just over 13 innings, primarily against lefty batters. With a reported 9 teams after Rhodes, it seems that the Marlins are guaranteed to get a draft pick if he does not accept arbitration, which is likely. The compensation pick would lesson the hurt of losing prospect Gaby Hernandez in the trade for Rhodes last year.
Paul Lo Duca: Lo Duca struggled with Washington before being picked up by the Fish and hitting .294 in a back up role. The market for Lo Duca is not as hot as it used to be, so if the Marlins offered him arbitration, I would not be surprised if he accepted.
Unfortunately, the article does say the Marlins are not expected to offer any of them arbitration.
The Marlins have three players eligible for arbitration this year in Luis Gonzalez, Arthur Rhodes and Paul Lo Duca. All three have type B status. This means that if the Marlins offer arbitration to them, and they decline, and subsequently sign with another team, the Marlins will get a compensation pick after the first round. The deadline to offer arbitration is Monday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Luis Gonzalez: Luis is coming off a solid year, hitting .261/.336/.413 in a fourth outfielder role. He has 2591 career hits, which makes 3000 a long shot. The 41 year old will be looking for a 2 year deal and a starting job. The Marlins will not offer either. The Marlins should offer him arbitration, then watch him sign with an AL team like Tampa Bay, his home town, who is desperate for a DH.
Arthur Rhodes: This looks like a no brainer to offer Rhodes arbitration. Rhodes dominated in his time with the Marlins, going 2-0 with 14 strike outs in just over 13 innings, primarily against lefty batters. With a reported 9 teams after Rhodes, it seems that the Marlins are guaranteed to get a draft pick if he does not accept arbitration, which is likely. The compensation pick would lesson the hurt of losing prospect Gaby Hernandez in the trade for Rhodes last year.
Paul Lo Duca: Lo Duca struggled with Washington before being picked up by the Fish and hitting .294 in a back up role. The market for Lo Duca is not as hot as it used to be, so if the Marlins offered him arbitration, I would not be surprised if he accepted.
Unfortunately, the article does say the Marlins are not expected to offer any of them arbitration.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
State of the Marlins: Relief Pitchers
I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects level-by-level.
Now: Relief Pitchers
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Instead of going through each step of the Marlins system, I will be ranking the Marlins top 10 relief pitchers in the organization(not including mlb).
1. Jose Ceda-Ceda was brought in by the Marlins in the Kevin Gregg trade. This might just be the steal of the off season. Ceda, like current closer Matt Lindstrom, can throw 99 mph. He is 6'5'', and is expected to be the closer of the future for the Fish. He might become a factor for the Marlins in mid 2009.
2. Ryan Tucker-Tucker follows the same mold as Ceda and Lindstrom, being a huge power pitcher
3. Eulogio De La Cruz - He finishes this quartet of flame throwing righties. He is very raw, and still needs to work on his secondary pitches.
4.Chris Mobley - Mobley struck out 70 batters in just over 58 innings, and had a WHIP of 1.10
5. Christopher Leroux - A solid WHIP of 1.14 and 78 strike outs in 74 innings
6. Corey Madden - This 24 year old dominated Greensboro, going 5-0 with a 1.09 era. His most staggering stats are that he had 92 strike outs in 58 innings and his WHIP was 0.95.
7. Jesus Delgado - Delgado finds himself lower on the list this year due to his ok performance in Carolina. He was the owner to a 5-2 record with a 3.45 ERA. He struggled with walks, issuing 31 in 57 innings.
8. Tim Wood - The 26 year old dominated the Florida State League, going 5-2 with a 1.80 ERA.
9. Jay Buente - Jay went 5-1 with a 3.00 era, with over a strike out per inning in Jupiter
10. Jacob Marceaux - The Louisiana native showed great stuff, by allowing less than a hit an inning in AA. Walks are a very big issue, allowing 43 free passes
This concludes our "State of the Marlins" series.
Now: Relief Pitchers
______________________________________________________________________
Instead of going through each step of the Marlins system, I will be ranking the Marlins top 10 relief pitchers in the organization(not including mlb).
1. Jose Ceda-Ceda was brought in by the Marlins in the Kevin Gregg trade. This might just be the steal of the off season. Ceda, like current closer Matt Lindstrom, can throw 99 mph. He is 6'5'', and is expected to be the closer of the future for the Fish. He might become a factor for the Marlins in mid 2009.
2. Ryan Tucker-Tucker follows the same mold as Ceda and Lindstrom, being a huge power pitcher
3. Eulogio De La Cruz - He finishes this quartet of flame throwing righties. He is very raw, and still needs to work on his secondary pitches.
4.Chris Mobley - Mobley struck out 70 batters in just over 58 innings, and had a WHIP of 1.10
5. Christopher Leroux - A solid WHIP of 1.14 and 78 strike outs in 74 innings
6. Corey Madden - This 24 year old dominated Greensboro, going 5-0 with a 1.09 era. His most staggering stats are that he had 92 strike outs in 58 innings and his WHIP was 0.95.
7. Jesus Delgado - Delgado finds himself lower on the list this year due to his ok performance in Carolina. He was the owner to a 5-2 record with a 3.45 ERA. He struggled with walks, issuing 31 in 57 innings.
8. Tim Wood - The 26 year old dominated the Florida State League, going 5-2 with a 1.80 ERA.
9. Jay Buente - Jay went 5-1 with a 3.00 era, with over a strike out per inning in Jupiter
10. Jacob Marceaux - The Louisiana native showed great stuff, by allowing less than a hit an inning in AA. Walks are a very big issue, allowing 43 free passes
This concludes our "State of the Marlins" series.
State of the Marlins: Starting Pitching
I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects level-by-level.
Now: Starting Pitching
*please note that all pitching stats are: Record/ERA/Innings Pitched
______________________________________________________________________
MLB: The Marlin's opening day starter was Mark Hendrickson, who struggled through 3 months before being put in the bullpen, replaced by Chris Volstad. Hendrickson, who is no longer with the Fish, put up a stat line of 7-8/5.45/133.2. Scott Olsen, Andrew Miller, Rick VandenHurk, and Ricky Nolasco rounded out the starting rotation that first week. By the end of the year, the rotation set up as Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen,Chris Volstad, and Anibal Sanchez. Nolasco went 15-8/3.52/ 212.1 with a strike out to walk ratio of 186 to 42. He and Scott Olsen, who went 8-11/4.20/201.2, were often bit by the long ball, with Nolasco giving up 28 and Olsen 30. Josh Johnson, coming back from Tommy John Surgery, returned to his 2006 form with a line of 7-1/3.61/87.1. Anibal Sanchez, coming back from shoulder surgery, did not have as much success as Johnson, going 2-5/5.57/51.2. Volstad, after being called up from the minors, gave the fish 14 solid starts, going 6-4/2.88/84.1 while allowing only 3 home runs. Scott Olsen was traded to the Nats in the offseason, opening up the 5th spot in the rotation for Andrew Miller, who in 20 starts went 6-10/5.87/107.1. Among players to get some spot starts was Burke Badenhop, who struggled before hitting the DL.
AAA: Four members of the Alberqueque pitching staff had the "pleasure" of starting 20+ games in the PCL in 2008. The PCL is a known hitters league, so many of these stats do not correctly show the talent of these players. The ace of the staff was 24 year old Eulogio De La Cruz, who went 13-8/4.34/147.1. The former Detroit farm hand started the year 9-3 before slipping up in July, then picking it up again the final two months. He is expected to move to the bullpen in 2009. 25 year old Chris Seddon had the second most wins on the team, going 10-9/5.09/152.0. He was plagued by a high hit rate, with batters getting well over a hit an inning and averaging .291 off of him. 26 year old Bob Kippel, who went 9-11/5.99/159.1, and 23 year old Dallas Tahern, who went 5-11/6.16/111.0, tied for the lead in losses for the team. Tahern, like Seddon, struggled because of a high hit rate and a .315 average off of him. Tahern, who was coming off a 12-6 season, and Eulogio De La Cruz both look like casualties of the PCL, and should put up much better stats in 09 in New Orleans.
AA: Brett Sinkbeil was the workhorse for this staff, going 5-9/5.02/143.1. Coming into the season as a former first round draftpick, Sinkbeil disapointed alot of people by his lackluster performance, but he is only 24, so he has many years ahead of him. Ryan Tucker spent some time in Carolina last year, going 5-3/1.58/91.0 in 12 starts and 25 apperances overall before being called up to the majors. Many people consider him a closer of the future, so I will treat him as a reliever. Aaron Thompson also had a good amount of starts, going 2-5/5.62/81.2. The 21 year old was still young for this level, and is expected to improve next year. Rick VandenHurk saw 10 starts to the tune of 3-3/4.23/55.1 after injurying himself and working back towards the majors.
High A: 24 year old Jeff Allison, former drug addict, was the story of Jupiter much of the season. Following the path of Josh Hamilton, Allison is attempting to reclaim prospect status and make it to the majors. He went 9-8/5.22/120.2. His strike out rate was tremendously low, averaging just over one strike out per 2 innings. The ace of the staff was 24 year old Graham Taylor. Taylor went 11-6/3.46/140.1 while showing great control by only issuing 25 walks. He also had one shutout, and relished in his late season call up to AA, going 1-1/3.04/23.2. Lefty Sean West led the starters in ERA, going 6-5/2.41/100.2. The 22 year old is considered the top south paw starting pitcher in the organization. Kyle Winters also added 6 wins for the Hammerheads, going 6-4/3.68/110.0. The tall, wirey 21 year old righty is expected to gain power on his fastball as he continues to grow out.
Low A: 22 year old Brett Durand led the team in innings pitched, going 10-6/5.53/143.1. Right behind him was 24 year old Stu Alexander, going 11-8/4.00/126.0. Alexander, a 6'5'' righty will need a big year in Jupiter to have any hope of making the Marlins due to his old age for his league. Two 20 year olds rounded out the staff, with Alejandro Sanabia going 5-5/4.93/96.2 with a 3 to 1 strike out to walk ratio, and Kyle Kaminska going 5-7/6.54/85.1 with 82 strike outs. Both are expected to spend next year in Greensboro to continue to work on their stuff.
Jamestown: Five starters got 13+ starts of the Jammers in 2008. 23 year old Johnny Dorn went 3-2/2.95/76.1 while leading the team with a 1.09 WHIP. 22 year old Tom Koehler went 5-5/3.68/66.0 and 21 year old Daniel Jennings went 1-4/3.53/58.2. Jennings high hit rate, batters hit .321 off him, shows his ERA was more luck than skill. 21 year old Geury Ramirez and 20 year old Skyler Crawford rouded out the rotation, with lines of 3-4/6.09/57.2 and 1-3/7.03/56.1
Rookie League: 22 year old Jose Rosario went 3-0/4.54/39.2 for the baby Marlins. His partner in crime was 20 year old lefty Brad Hand. Hand went 2-0/2.48/32.2. Hand showed great potential, striking out more than a batter an inning while only walking 11.
The 2009 Marlins will enter the season with a rotation of Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Anibal Sanchez, and Andrew Miller. Spot starts are expected to go to VandenHurk and Badenhop, given that a Mark Hendrickson type pitcher is not brought in by the organization.
The Marlins are very high on their pitching prospects. They have repeatably refused to trade Sean West. West, De La Cruz, Thompson, Taylor and Sinkbeil are all expected to have a chance with the Marlins in the next 2 years.
Top Three Prospects:
1. Sean West
2. Aaron Thompson
3. Brad Hand
Now: Starting Pitching
*please note that all pitching stats are: Record/ERA/Innings Pitched
______________________________________________________________________
MLB: The Marlin's opening day starter was Mark Hendrickson, who struggled through 3 months before being put in the bullpen, replaced by Chris Volstad. Hendrickson, who is no longer with the Fish, put up a stat line of 7-8/5.45/133.2. Scott Olsen, Andrew Miller, Rick VandenHurk, and Ricky Nolasco rounded out the starting rotation that first week. By the end of the year, the rotation set up as Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen,Chris Volstad, and Anibal Sanchez. Nolasco went 15-8/3.52/ 212.1 with a strike out to walk ratio of 186 to 42. He and Scott Olsen, who went 8-11/4.20/201.2, were often bit by the long ball, with Nolasco giving up 28 and Olsen 30. Josh Johnson, coming back from Tommy John Surgery, returned to his 2006 form with a line of 7-1/3.61/87.1. Anibal Sanchez, coming back from shoulder surgery, did not have as much success as Johnson, going 2-5/5.57/51.2. Volstad, after being called up from the minors, gave the fish 14 solid starts, going 6-4/2.88/84.1 while allowing only 3 home runs. Scott Olsen was traded to the Nats in the offseason, opening up the 5th spot in the rotation for Andrew Miller, who in 20 starts went 6-10/5.87/107.1. Among players to get some spot starts was Burke Badenhop, who struggled before hitting the DL.
AAA: Four members of the Alberqueque pitching staff had the "pleasure" of starting 20+ games in the PCL in 2008. The PCL is a known hitters league, so many of these stats do not correctly show the talent of these players. The ace of the staff was 24 year old Eulogio De La Cruz, who went 13-8/4.34/147.1. The former Detroit farm hand started the year 9-3 before slipping up in July, then picking it up again the final two months. He is expected to move to the bullpen in 2009. 25 year old Chris Seddon had the second most wins on the team, going 10-9/5.09/152.0. He was plagued by a high hit rate, with batters getting well over a hit an inning and averaging .291 off of him. 26 year old Bob Kippel, who went 9-11/5.99/159.1, and 23 year old Dallas Tahern, who went 5-11/6.16/111.0, tied for the lead in losses for the team. Tahern, like Seddon, struggled because of a high hit rate and a .315 average off of him. Tahern, who was coming off a 12-6 season, and Eulogio De La Cruz both look like casualties of the PCL, and should put up much better stats in 09 in New Orleans.
AA: Brett Sinkbeil was the workhorse for this staff, going 5-9/5.02/143.1. Coming into the season as a former first round draftpick, Sinkbeil disapointed alot of people by his lackluster performance, but he is only 24, so he has many years ahead of him. Ryan Tucker spent some time in Carolina last year, going 5-3/1.58/91.0 in 12 starts and 25 apperances overall before being called up to the majors. Many people consider him a closer of the future, so I will treat him as a reliever. Aaron Thompson also had a good amount of starts, going 2-5/5.62/81.2. The 21 year old was still young for this level, and is expected to improve next year. Rick VandenHurk saw 10 starts to the tune of 3-3/4.23/55.1 after injurying himself and working back towards the majors.
High A: 24 year old Jeff Allison, former drug addict, was the story of Jupiter much of the season. Following the path of Josh Hamilton, Allison is attempting to reclaim prospect status and make it to the majors. He went 9-8/5.22/120.2. His strike out rate was tremendously low, averaging just over one strike out per 2 innings. The ace of the staff was 24 year old Graham Taylor. Taylor went 11-6/3.46/140.1 while showing great control by only issuing 25 walks. He also had one shutout, and relished in his late season call up to AA, going 1-1/3.04/23.2. Lefty Sean West led the starters in ERA, going 6-5/2.41/100.2. The 22 year old is considered the top south paw starting pitcher in the organization. Kyle Winters also added 6 wins for the Hammerheads, going 6-4/3.68/110.0. The tall, wirey 21 year old righty is expected to gain power on his fastball as he continues to grow out.
Low A: 22 year old Brett Durand led the team in innings pitched, going 10-6/5.53/143.1. Right behind him was 24 year old Stu Alexander, going 11-8/4.00/126.0. Alexander, a 6'5'' righty will need a big year in Jupiter to have any hope of making the Marlins due to his old age for his league. Two 20 year olds rounded out the staff, with Alejandro Sanabia going 5-5/4.93/96.2 with a 3 to 1 strike out to walk ratio, and Kyle Kaminska going 5-7/6.54/85.1 with 82 strike outs. Both are expected to spend next year in Greensboro to continue to work on their stuff.
Jamestown: Five starters got 13+ starts of the Jammers in 2008. 23 year old Johnny Dorn went 3-2/2.95/76.1 while leading the team with a 1.09 WHIP. 22 year old Tom Koehler went 5-5/3.68/66.0 and 21 year old Daniel Jennings went 1-4/3.53/58.2. Jennings high hit rate, batters hit .321 off him, shows his ERA was more luck than skill. 21 year old Geury Ramirez and 20 year old Skyler Crawford rouded out the rotation, with lines of 3-4/6.09/57.2 and 1-3/7.03/56.1
Rookie League: 22 year old Jose Rosario went 3-0/4.54/39.2 for the baby Marlins. His partner in crime was 20 year old lefty Brad Hand. Hand went 2-0/2.48/32.2. Hand showed great potential, striking out more than a batter an inning while only walking 11.
The 2009 Marlins will enter the season with a rotation of Ricky Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad, Anibal Sanchez, and Andrew Miller. Spot starts are expected to go to VandenHurk and Badenhop, given that a Mark Hendrickson type pitcher is not brought in by the organization.
The Marlins are very high on their pitching prospects. They have repeatably refused to trade Sean West. West, De La Cruz, Thompson, Taylor and Sinkbeil are all expected to have a chance with the Marlins in the next 2 years.
Top Three Prospects:
1. Sean West
2. Aaron Thompson
3. Brad Hand
State of the Marlins: Outfield
I will be going through the Marlins organization position-by-position, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the current starters and prospects level-by-level.
Now: Outfield
*please note that all batting stats are: Average/OBP/SLG
______________________________________________________________________
MLB: The Marlins opening day outfield consisted of Luis Gonzalez, Josh Willingham, and Cody Ross. Gonzalez was subbing for an injured Hermida in right. Throughout the season, the Marlins attempted to fill their center field gap with Ross, Alfredo Amezaga, and Jacque Jones, with Ross eventually winning the majority of the starts. Gonzalez received a lot more playing time than originally thought, with injuries to both Hermida and Willingham throughout the season. The final stat lines for the main four Fish outfielders were: Hermida - .249/.323/.406 with 17 home runs, Willingham - .254/.364/.470 with 15 home run, Ross - .260/.316/.488, and Gonzalez - .261/.336/.413. Two of these outfielders are now gone, with Willingham sent to Washington, and Gonzalez a free agent.
AAA: The Isotopes saw Jai Miller, a 24 year old from Alabama, get over 430 at bats while hitting .267/.349/.472 with19 home runs and 22 doubles. He also swiped 20 bags while striking out 133 times. 3o year old John Gall continued to put up big numbers for Albuquerque, hitting .312/.369/.493 with 12 homers. The other outfield spot saw multiple journeymen playing for 30 odd games, with only Brett Carroll dominating in his time early in the season before his call up and shoulder injury.
AA: The Mudcats had two solid outfield prospects manning their outfield in 2008, with superprospect Cameron Maybin, and John Raynor. Maybin hit .277/.375/.456 with 13 home runs, 14 doubles, and 21 stolen bases. This five-tool prospect's only issue was getting the ball in play, with 124 strike outs. The 24 year old Raynor upstaged Maybin, hitting .312/.402/.489 with almost 30 doubles. He, like Maybin, struggled with strike outs, being rung out 122 times.
High A: 24 year old Spike McDougal saw most of the time in left, hitting .248/.327/.397 with 31 extra base hits, and 22 year old Gregory Burns played center mostly, hitting .244/.351/.326. His speed contributed to a team high 34 steals. Scott Cousins saw the other starting outfield job early in the year, hitting .304/.370/.513 before a call up to Carolina. Without him in the mix, the Hammerheads used a platoon of Daron Roberts, Bryan Peterson, and Christopher Dunn, with Roberts leading the pack with a .271/.309/.457 line.
Low A: The Grasshoppers saw the beginning of a giant, with Mike Stanton exploding for 39 home runs in his first full pro season. He added a line of .293/.381/.611. Next year, only being 19, he will be playing in Jupiter with players mostly 2 or 3 years older than him. Overshadowed by Stanton are Bryan Peterson, Justin Jacobs, and Tomas Hickman. 22 year old Peterson hit .301/.381/.541 with 19 homers of his own. 2o year old Jacobs hit .230/.305/.391 and fellow 20 year old Hickman hit .231/.338/.429.
Jamestown: The Jammers had the same starting outfield the entire season. In left, 22 year old Jeremy Synan hit .297/.356/.447. In center, 23 year old Kevin Mattison hit .250/.344/.377. In right, 23 year old Justin Bass hit .253/.341/.447. None of the three are can't miss prospects.
Rookie League: Four outfielders amassed over 70 at bats this year, with 24 year old Brian Shultz leading the way, hitting .380/.476/.563 before a call up to Jamestown. 19 year old Issac Galloway hit .286/.303/.417/. He must work on his walk rate, with only 4 in 203 plate appearances. 20 year old Zachary Moore hit .284/.358/.326 and 19 year old Nestor Castillo hit .230/.313/.265.
The 2009 Marlins are looking at an outfield of Ross-Maybin-Hermida for opening day. Should any of them struggle, Logan Morrison (whose position could be either LF or 1st), John Raynor, or Jai Miller will be ready to replace them. Look for the Fish to bring in a veteran outfielder, ala Gonzo last year, to help back up this young trio.
The Marlin's outfield prospects are strong. Maybin is a beast who is just waiting to explode, Stanton has shown power unreal for a 18 year old, and Raynor has shown he can be a solid producer in AA. Peterson, Cousins, and Miller are in the 2nd tier of the outfielders, waiting for their chance.
Top Three Prospects:
1. Cameron Maybin
2. Mike Stanton
3. John Raynor
Now: Outfield
*please note that all batting stats are: Average/OBP/SLG
______________________________________________________________________
MLB: The Marlins opening day outfield consisted of Luis Gonzalez, Josh Willingham, and Cody Ross. Gonzalez was subbing for an injured Hermida in right. Throughout the season, the Marlins attempted to fill their center field gap with Ross, Alfredo Amezaga, and Jacque Jones, with Ross eventually winning the majority of the starts. Gonzalez received a lot more playing time than originally thought, with injuries to both Hermida and Willingham throughout the season. The final stat lines for the main four Fish outfielders were: Hermida - .249/.323/.406 with 17 home runs, Willingham - .254/.364/.470 with 15 home run, Ross - .260/.316/.488, and Gonzalez - .261/.336/.413. Two of these outfielders are now gone, with Willingham sent to Washington, and Gonzalez a free agent.
AAA: The Isotopes saw Jai Miller, a 24 year old from Alabama, get over 430 at bats while hitting .267/.349/.472 with19 home runs and 22 doubles. He also swiped 20 bags while striking out 133 times. 3o year old John Gall continued to put up big numbers for Albuquerque, hitting .312/.369/.493 with 12 homers. The other outfield spot saw multiple journeymen playing for 30 odd games, with only Brett Carroll dominating in his time early in the season before his call up and shoulder injury.
AA: The Mudcats had two solid outfield prospects manning their outfield in 2008, with superprospect Cameron Maybin, and John Raynor. Maybin hit .277/.375/.456 with 13 home runs, 14 doubles, and 21 stolen bases. This five-tool prospect's only issue was getting the ball in play, with 124 strike outs. The 24 year old Raynor upstaged Maybin, hitting .312/.402/.489 with almost 30 doubles. He, like Maybin, struggled with strike outs, being rung out 122 times.
High A: 24 year old Spike McDougal saw most of the time in left, hitting .248/.327/.397 with 31 extra base hits, and 22 year old Gregory Burns played center mostly, hitting .244/.351/.326. His speed contributed to a team high 34 steals. Scott Cousins saw the other starting outfield job early in the year, hitting .304/.370/.513 before a call up to Carolina. Without him in the mix, the Hammerheads used a platoon of Daron Roberts, Bryan Peterson, and Christopher Dunn, with Roberts leading the pack with a .271/.309/.457 line.
Low A: The Grasshoppers saw the beginning of a giant, with Mike Stanton exploding for 39 home runs in his first full pro season. He added a line of .293/.381/.611. Next year, only being 19, he will be playing in Jupiter with players mostly 2 or 3 years older than him. Overshadowed by Stanton are Bryan Peterson, Justin Jacobs, and Tomas Hickman. 22 year old Peterson hit .301/.381/.541 with 19 homers of his own. 2o year old Jacobs hit .230/.305/.391 and fellow 20 year old Hickman hit .231/.338/.429.
Jamestown: The Jammers had the same starting outfield the entire season. In left, 22 year old Jeremy Synan hit .297/.356/.447. In center, 23 year old Kevin Mattison hit .250/.344/.377. In right, 23 year old Justin Bass hit .253/.341/.447. None of the three are can't miss prospects.
Rookie League: Four outfielders amassed over 70 at bats this year, with 24 year old Brian Shultz leading the way, hitting .380/.476/.563 before a call up to Jamestown. 19 year old Issac Galloway hit .286/.303/.417/. He must work on his walk rate, with only 4 in 203 plate appearances. 20 year old Zachary Moore hit .284/.358/.326 and 19 year old Nestor Castillo hit .230/.313/.265.
The 2009 Marlins are looking at an outfield of Ross-Maybin-Hermida for opening day. Should any of them struggle, Logan Morrison (whose position could be either LF or 1st), John Raynor, or Jai Miller will be ready to replace them. Look for the Fish to bring in a veteran outfielder, ala Gonzo last year, to help back up this young trio.
The Marlin's outfield prospects are strong. Maybin is a beast who is just waiting to explode, Stanton has shown power unreal for a 18 year old, and Raynor has shown he can be a solid producer in AA. Peterson, Cousins, and Miller are in the 2nd tier of the outfielders, waiting for their chance.
Top Three Prospects:
1. Cameron Maybin
2. Mike Stanton
3. John Raynor
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