The Marlins had another awful season in 1999, and appear to be prepared for more of the same in 2000. They have lots of young players, a few of whom have a chance to be stars. The outfield is solid with Wilson, Floyd and Kotsay, and I like Castillo, Gonzalez and Lowell in the infield. Alex Fernandez is a true ace. Now, if A.J. Burnett and Ryan Dempster could turn into Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, this team might have a chance of surprising.
ANTONIO ALFONSECA (28, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 FLO 1 3 17 0 0 0 0 26 36 10 19 491
1998 FLO 4 6 58 0 0 0 8 70 75 33 46 408
1999 FLO 4 5 73 0 0 0 21 78 79 29 46 324
      He inherited the closer's role after the trade of Mantei, and pitched the best ball of his career. He has had two solid seasons in a row, and his control is still improving. He doesn't have great stuff, and I wouldn't want him to be the closer on a good team, but he is a solid reliever.
     Alfonseca, incidentally, has six digits on both his hands and feet. If this were 1900, he would be nicknamed "Six-Finger Alfonseca".
ARMANDO ALMANZA (27, L)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 A 2 3 58 0 0 0 36 65 38 32 83 167
1998 AA-AAA 7 2 59 0 0 0 9 68 62 37 91 316
1999 FLO 0 1 14 0 0 0 0 16 8 9 20 172
      After overpowering hitters for two years in the minors, Almanza got a chance to overpower major league batters. He did a pretty good job in a limited number of innings. His career has already been derailed once by injury, in 1994, but if he stays healthy he should stick around a few years as a lefty in someone's bullpen.
HECTOR ALMONTE (24, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1998 A 1 5 43 0 0 0 21 43 51 19 51 395
1999 AA 1 4 47 0 0 0 23 44 42 26 42 284
1999 FLO 0 2 15 0 0 0 0 15 20 6 8 420
      After two good years in the lower minors, Almonte skipped Triple-A and joined the Marlins. He threw only 15 innings the whole year, so I guess he was injured. He appears to have some talent, but I would not expect much from him in the next couple of years.
DANNY BAUTISTA (OF, 28, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 ATL 64 103 25 3 2 3 14 9 5 24 243 282 398 2 0
1998 ATL 82 144 36 11 0 3 17 17 7 21 250 281 389 1 0
1999 FLO 70 205 59 10 1 5 32 24 4 30 288 303 420 3 0
      Bautista is a decent fourth or fifth outfielder who has some pop in his bat and can run a little. He got more at bats than usual last year because Florida didn't have anyone better, and he didn't embarrass himself. His command of the strike zone is so awful that he can never be a quality regular; he really shouldn't receive any more at bats than he had last year.
DAVE BERG (IF, 30, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 AAA 117 424 125 26 6 9 76 47 55 71 295 377 448 16 7
1998 FLO 81 182 57 11 0 2 18 21 26 46 313 393 407 3 0
1999 FLO 109 304 87 18 1 3 42 25 27 59 286 348 382 2 2
      Berg crawled very slowly through the minor leagues, but has played well with Florida the past two seasons. He plays all over the infield, can hit .300 and draw a walk. I don't see him ever being a regular, but his current skills should keep him in the game for a few years.
RICKY BONES (31, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 CIN-KC 4 8 30 13 1 0 0 96 133 36 44 675
1998 KC 2 2 32 0 0 0 1 53 49 24 38 304
1999 BAL 0 3 30 2 0 0 0 44 59 19 26 598
      Bones has now pitched over 1000 innings in the majors; his career record is 57-75, and his career ERA is 4.86. At this stage of his career, I think he falls into the category of "For Desperate Teams Only".
BRANT BROWN (OF, 29, L)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 CHC 46 137 32 7 1 5 15 15 7 28 234 286 409 2 1
1998 CHC 124 347 101 17 7 14 56 48 30 95 291 348 501 4 5
1999 PIT 130 341 79 20 3 16 49 58 22 114 232 283 449 3 4
      The Pirates gave Brown a chance to play, and he stunk. Brown has some skills, but his command of the strike zone is atrocious, and isn't going to get better. He has to forget about being a regular, and concentrate on doing things that would make him a valuable fourth outfielder i.e. getting on base. Limited potential, though he probably has one more fluke year left in him, probably two or three years down the road.
A.J. BURNETT (23, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 A 3 1 9 9 0 0 0 44 28 35 48 470
1998 A 10 4 20 20 0 0 0 119 74 45 186 197
1999 AA 6 12 26 23 0 0 0 121 132 71 121 552
1999 FLO 4 2 7 7 0 0 0 41 37 25 33 348
      A young pitcher in the Marlins system who struggled in his first year at Double-A, but didn't pitch too badly in seven starts with Florida. Burnett appears to have potential; it will be easier to evaluate him after he spends a full year at Triple-A, assuming that the Marlins send him there. I don't think he can survive in the majors just yet.
LUIS CASTILLO (2B, 25, S)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 FLO 75 263 63 8 0 0 27 8 27 53 240 310 270 16 10
1998 FLO 44 153 31 3 2 1 21 10 22 33 203 307 268 3 0
1999 FLO 128 487 147 23 4 0 76 28 67 85 302 384 366 50 17
      He has already had an epic career, blazing through the minor leagues and playing well as a rookie in 1996. Two awful seasons appeared to have torpedoed his career, but last year he was back, slashing the ball and drawing walks and running like the wind. He is still very young; if he keeps getting on base, he will play a long time and make a lot of money.
JUAN CASTRO (IF, 28, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 LA 40 75 11 3 1 0 3 4 7 20 147 220 213 0 0
1998 LA 89 220 43 7 0 2 25 14 15 37 195 245 255 0 0
1999 AAA 116 423 116 25 4 7 52 51 34 70 274 325 402 2 3
      The Dodgers have been giving Castro opportunities since 1995; he now has 432 career at bats, and is a lifetime .188 hitter. Spent most of last year at Albuquerque, and wasn't impressive; his future is very limited.
REID CORNELIUS (30, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 AAA 12 5 22 22 1 0 0 131 134 43 80 510
1998 AAA 7 9 27 24 1 1 0 143 158 39 96 527
1999 AAA 10 6 27 27 2 1 0 172 184 68 135 449
1999 FLO 1 0 5 2 0 0 0 19 16 5 12 326
      A minor league veteran who got a taste of The Show, Cornelius might be able to stick as a long reliever/emergency starter, but has no long-term future.
VIC DARENSBOURG (29, L)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 AAA 4 2 27 0 0 0 2 25 22 15 21 438
1998 FLO 0 7 59 0 0 0 1 71 52 30 74 368
1999 FLO 0 1 56 0 0 0 0 35 50 21 16 883
      Darensbourg had an unlucky year in 1998, posting an 0-7 record despite pitching well. Last year, he was just plain awful. I haven't read any medical reports on him, but the numbers suggest to me that something is wrong with his arm, and that he won't be effective in 2000.
RYAN DEMPSTER (23, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 A 10 9 28 26 2 1 0 165 190 46 131 490
1998 FLO 1 5 14 11 0 0 9 54 72 38 35 708
1999 FLO 7 8 25 25 0 0 0 147 146 93 126 471
      Dempster is a very young pitcher whom the Marlins felt was good enough to go straight from A-ball to the major leagues. I don't think it was a good idea, but the gamble might pay off. Dempster was vastly improved last year, and may continue to get better this year. More likely, he'll hurt his arm, but if he is healthy he should have a very good career.
BRIAN EDMONDSON (27, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 AA-AAA 6 3 45 4 0 0 4 90 79 44 83 239
1998 ATL-FLO 4 4 53 0 0 0 0 76 76 37 40 391
1999 FLO 5 8 68 0 0 0 1 94 106 44 58 584
      Edmondson moved very slowly through the minor leagues, usually as a starter. He was moved to the bullpen, and had a solid year in 1998, but wasn't so good last year. He had six save opportunities, and blew five of them. His greatest hope is to find a role as a middle reliever, but I doubt that he has much success ahead of him.
ALEX FERNANDEZ (31, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 FLO 17 12 32 32 5 1 0 221 193 69 183 359
1998 INJURED - DID NOT PITCH
1999 FLO 7 8 24 24 1 0 0 141 135 41 91 338
      Fernandez missed all of 1998 getting his arm rebuilt; he came back last year and pitched about as well as he ever has. He is a good pitcher, but he is currently with a bad team, and we don't know how durable he is going to be. With any luck, the Marlins will ship him to a good team, where he can win some games. He may also come back stronger than before, like Curt Schilling did, and be one of the best pitchers in the game for the next five years.
CLIFF FLOYD (LF, 27, L)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 FLO 61 137 32 9 1 6 23 19 24 33 234 354 445 6 2
1998 FLO 153 588 166 45 3 22 85 90 47 112 282 337 481 27 14
1999 FLO 69 251 76 19 1 11 69 49 30 47 303 379 518 5 6
      At one time, he was the best prospect in baseball. A serious wrist injury impeded his development, but he played well for the Marlins in 1998. Last year, the injury bug struck again, but he was very good when he was in the lineup. Lots of players have their best years at age 27; I suspect that if Floyd can stay healthy, big things will be in store for him in 2000.
AMAURY GARCIA (2B, 25, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 A 124 479 138 30 2 7 77 44 49 97 288 358 403 45 11
1998 AA 137 544 147 19 6 13 79 62 45 126 270 328 399 23 15
1999 AAA 119 479 152 37 9 17 94 53 44 79 318 381 539 17 11
      Garcia is a prospect with the Marlins; he played surprisingly well with Calgary in 1999, and is ready to move to the majors. There is no room for him in the Marlins' infield, so he will probably be a backup. My guess is that he played over his head in 1999, that he won't really hit all that well in the majors, and that his future will be in a supporting role.
ALEX GONZALEZ (SS, 23, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 AA 133 449 114 16 4 19 69 65 27 83 254 305 434 4 7
1998 AAA 108 422 117 20 10 10 71 51 28 80 277 330 443 4 7
1999 FLO 136 560 155 28 8 14 81 59 15 113 277 308 430 3 5
      There are now two Alex Gonzalez's who play shortstop; this Gonzalez had a fine rookie season in 1999. He is still very young, and may improve a great deal, but I'm skeptical. His command of the strike zone is horrendous, and he's not going to get better until he improves in that area. My guess is that his career will stall for a few seasons, but that he will have some better seasons after he turns 30.
MARK KOTSAY (RF, 24, L)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 FLO 14 52 10 1 1 0 5 4 4 7 192 250 250 3 0
1998 FLO 154 578 161 25 7 11 72 68 34 61 279 318 403 10 5
1999 FLO 148 495 134 23 9 8 57 50 29 50 271 306 402 7 6
      Kotsay had almost the exact same season he had in 1998. While the Marlins would have preferred him to step a big step forward, he is still very young, and has time to improve substantially. I expect him to hit .300 consistently in the future.
DERREK LEE (1B, 25, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 SD 22 54 14 3 0 1 9 4 9 24 259 365 370 0 0
1998 FLO 141 454 106 29 1 17 62 74 47 120 233 318 414 5 2
1999 FLO 70 218 45 9 1 5 21 20 17 70 206 263 326 2 1
      Lee is a large first baseman who can hit home runs, but so far has badly underachieved with Florida. He went back to the minors last season, and played fairly well, and he is young enough to re-establish himself. He can hit 30 homers in a season, but I doubt that he will ever be a consistent, quality player.
BRADEN LOOPER (25, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 AA 1 4 19 0 0 0 5 21 24 7 20 591
1998 AA 2 3 40 0 0 0 20 41 43 13 43 310
1999 FLO 3 3 72 0 0 0 0 83 96 31 50 380
      Looper has only been in professional ball for three seasons, but last year pitched very well for the Marlins. He should remain a valuable pitcher in the bullpen, and if his control improves he could be outstanding.
MIKE LOWELL (3B, 26, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 AA-AAA 135 495 156 30 1 30 96 92 71 64 315 401 562 4 5
1998 AAA 126 510 155 34 3 26 79 99 37 85 305 355 535 4 0
1999 FLO 97 308 78 15 0 12 32 47 26 69 253 317 419 0 0
      Lowell has hit very well in the minor leagues, and had a solid rookie season with Florida last year. He is a bit of a late bloomer, and probably will not be a star, but he should be a consistent source of power at third for the next few seasons.
DAN MICELI (30, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 DET 3 2 71 0 0 0 3 83 77 38 79 501
1998 SD 10 5 67 0 0 0 2 72 64 27 70 322
1999 SD 4 5 66 0 0 0 2 69 67 36 59 446
      After an outstanding 1998 season, Miceli regressed a little bit last season. He was visited by some old control problems; it is likely that 1998 was a career season, and that what he did last year was Miceli's true level of ability. He's a decent middle reliever, but nothing more.
KEVIN MILLAR (1B, 29, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 AA 135 511 175 34 2 32 94 131 66 53 342 423 605 2 3
1998 AAA 14 46 15 3 0 4 14 15 9 7 326 448 652 1 0
1999 FLO 105 351 100 17 4 9 48 67 40 64 285 362 433 1 0
      Millar has always been a good hitter, but has made slow progress through the minors. He missed most of 1998 with injury, but last year had a fine rookie season with Florida. I doubt he will be an All-Star, but Millar can hit .300, with more power than he showed last year. Could have 2-3 big years ahead of him.
VLADIMIR NUNEZ (25, R)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 A 8 5 28 28 1 1 0 158 169 40 142 517
1998 AAA 4 4 31 13 1 0 2 95 103 37 78 491
1999 ARI-FLO 7 10 44 12 0 0 1 109 95 54 86 406
      Nunez was traded to Florida in the deal that sent Mantei to Arizona, and he may turn out to be a keeper for the Marlins. He had a fine rookie season, which is a little surprising because of his lack of success in the minors. But he is young and he throws strikes; I think he is going to be a good pitcher, either as a starter or reliever.
JULIO RAMIREZ (CF, 23, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 A 99 376 96 18 7 14 70 53 37 122 255 329 452 41 6
1998 A 135 559 156 20 12 13 90 58 45 147 279 336 428 71 27
1999 AA 138 568 148 30 10 13 87 64 39 150 261 308 417 64 14
      Ramirez is a Marlins' prospect who has power and can run like the wind and who can strike out 200 times in a season. He's the new Juan Samuel, except he already plays centre field. I predict that he will be unpredictable; if he is in the majors this season, he likely won't hit above .250.
MIKE REDMOND (CA, 29, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1998 FLO 37 118 39 9 0 2 10 12 5 16 331 368 458 0 0
1999 FLO 84 242 73 9 0 1 22 27 26 34 302 381 351 0 0
      Redmond is a late bloomer who didn't reach the majors till he was 27, but currently is a lifetime .311 hitter. He has no power and no speed, so if he hits .260 he isn't much good. A decent player, shouldn't get any more at bats than he got last season.
JESUS SANCHEZ (25, L)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 AA 13 10 26 26 3 0 0 165 146 61 176 430
1998 FLO 7 9 35 29 0 0 0 173 178 91 137 447
1999 FLO 5 7 59 10 0 0 0 76 84 60 62 601
      Sanchez was rushed to the majors a couple of years ago; he had a solid rookie season in 1998, but last year regressed. His control was dreadful; I don't know if he had an injury or is just mentally mixed up. He might need to spend some time in Triple-A to sort himself out. I would not expect much from him this season.
MICHAEL TEJERA (23, L)
YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA
1997 A 3 3 12 12 0 0 0 69 65 11 67 376
1998 AA 9 5 18 18 2 2 0 107 113 36 97 411
1999 AA 13 4 25 25 0 0 0 155 137 45 152 262
      A very young pitcher with the Marlins, Tejera pitched brilliantly in his second year at Portland. Everything indicates that he will be an outstanding pitcher in the future; he just needs to spend a full year at Triple-A, and also needs to stay healthy.
PRESTON WILSON (CF, 26, R)
YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS
1997 AA 70 259 74 12 1 19 37 47 21 71 286 340 560 7 1
1998 AAA 94 356 99 25 3 25 71 77 34 121 278 341 576 14 6
1999 FLO 149 482 135 21 4 26 67 71 46 156 280 350 502 11 4
      Mookie's stepson, Preston had a very solid rookie season with the Marlins. He strikes out a lot, and may not consistently hit for a good average, but has an abundance of skills. With good luck he could become a Dale Murphy-type player, with bad luck would be more of a Candy Maldonado-type player. Will likely be something in between.