FLORIDA MARLINS
| Jeff Abbott (OF, 29, R/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 CHW 89 244 68 14 1 12 33 41 9 28 279 298 492 3 3 1999 CHW 17 57 9 0 0 2 5 6 5 12 158 222 263 1 1 2000 CHW 80 215 59 15 1 3 31 29 21 38 274 343 395 2 1 |
| Abbott re-established himself as a fourth outfielder with the White Sox, and had a solid season. Now he's playing with Florida, where he presumably will keep the same role; he's a useful player. |
| Antonio Alfonseca (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 FLO 5 6 68 0 0 0 45 70 82 24 47 424 |
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Alfonseca entered the season as the closer, and darned if he didn't go out and lead the league in saves. It was a nice season, but I wouldn't start comparing him to Goose Gossage. Alfonseca gives up a lot of hits, and his ERA wasn't great. According to STATS, he led the league with 31 "Easy Saves" - those being the kind where the closer enters the game with no one on base, and needs just three outs (or less) before he can go home and watch Jay Leno. You can argue that I'm just nitpicking, that a save is a save is a save... but would you want Alfonseca to be on the mound for your team with the bases loaded, the pennant on the line, and Mike Piazza at the plate? |
| Armando Almanza (28, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AA-AAA 7 2 59 0 0 0 9 68 62 37 91 316 |
| The good news is that he held left-handers to a .179 average and struck out a batter per inning. The bad news is that he walked as many batters as he struck out. Almanza has some good stuff, no doubt about that, but he must start throwing more strikes if he still wants to be pitching when he's 30. |
| Dave Berg (IF, 31, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 FLO 82 210 53 14 1 1 23 21 25 46 252 340 343 3 0 |
| Berg is a decent utility player, doesn't offer much power or speed but is a career .283 hitter. He didn't hit so well last year, will likely have to do better to avoid a return to the minors. |
| Ricky Bones (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 FLO 2 3 56 0 0 0 0 77 94 27 59 454 |
| Bones is just hanging on. He spent the year with the Marlins, and wasn't awful. His K/W ratio was actually quite good, and a career renaissance is not out of the question... but he has a bad back and little history of consistent success. |
| Luis Castillo (2B, 26, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 FLO 136 539 180 17 3 2 101 17 78 86 334 418 388 62 22 |
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He probably had the best season ever by a guy with only 17 RBI. Those 17 ribbies may the fewest by any player with 100+ runs scored, but I'm not sure. To put the achievement in perspective, even Vince Coleman usually had 30-40 RBI every year in his prime. No matter; it was still a great year for Castillo. He did his job, hitting for average and getting on base and stealing bases and scoring runs. He doesn't have much pop, but he's still one of the better second basemen in the game, and he's still young. And he'll drive in more runs, as soon as those Marlins' pitchers start getting on base more often. |
| Ramon Castro (CA, 25, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 79 256 65 9 0 11 35 36 21 52 254 318 418 0 1 1999 AAA 97 349 90 22 0 15 43 61 24 64 258 307 450 0 0 2000 AAA 67 218 73 22 0 14 44 45 16 38 335 380 628 0 0 |
| Castro is a young catcher with power. His second year at Calgary was a big improvement on the first; I think he's ready to play with the Marlins, but they decided to sign Charles Johnson instead. There's nowhere for Castro to play in Florida, unless they decide to sit him on the bench. |
| Chris Clapinski (IF, 30, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 100 312 84 18 1 9 53 35 39 53 269 359 420 11 3 1999 AAA 81 267 86 21 6 8 51 35 30 53 322 393 536 5 1 2000 AAA 62 214 60 10 3 6 41 24 33 36 280 378 439 3 3 |
| Clapinski has spent most of his career in the minors, with the exception of a couple of cups of coffee with the Marlins. He's not bad, a versatile player who hits a little. There's no reason why he couldn't get a few more bats off of the bench in 2001. |
| Matt Clement (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 10 9 27 27 1 0 0 172 157 85 160 398 |
| He had a tantalizing season. Clement led the league in both walks issued and wild pitches (23), plus he also hit 16 batters. When he threw the ball over the plate he was pretty good, and the Padres will be hoping for more. He's not going to suddenly turn around and win 20 games, but he should be good for another 12-15. |
| Vic Darensbourg (30, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 FLO 5 3 56 0 0 0 0 62 61 28 59 406 |
| Darensbourg must have had an injury in 1999, when his ERA ballooned to an unseemly 8.83. Whatever the problem was, it healed up; Darensbourg came out of the gate last year firing strikes, and had a good year. Left-handers hit just .190 off of him; if he stays healthy, he's good. |
| Ryan Dempster (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 FLO 14 10 33 33 2 1 0 226 210 97 209 366 |
| An awesome young pitcher, Dempster is surely destined for a great career, if he can stay healthy. Among pitchers aged 25 and under, he may have more potential than anyone except Rick Ankiel (and I haven't forgotten Tim Hudson). |
| Alex Fernandez (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 INJURED - DID NOT PITCH 1999 FLO 7 8 24 24 1 0 0 141 135 41 91 338 2000 FLO 4 4 8 8 0 0 0 52 59 16 27 413 |
| Fernandez had to go on the DL in May with a sore right rotator cuff and a strained right elbow. He eventually went on the 60-day DL, and missed the remainder of the season. Obviously, all the surgery and rehab he went through isn't working, and another comeback is unlikely. |
| CliffFloyd (LF, 28, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 FLO 121 420 126 30 0 22 75 91 50 82 300 378 529 24 3 |
| Floyd Watchers were hoping for a big season from Cliff; he probably had the best year of his career, though he was slowed down again by a knee injury. He's still a very good player who combines average, power and speed, and has to perform in a poor hitters' park. If he can stay healthy he might still have a big year. |
| Alex Gonzalez (SS, 24, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 108 422 117 20 10 10 71 51 28 80 277 330 443 4 7 |
| He had a dreadful sophomore season, a direct result of his poor command of the strike zone. Gonzalez is still very young, and he has a future, but he's gonna need a couple of seasons to work things out before he makes another attempt at playing on a regular basis. |
| Charles Johnson (CA, 30, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 FLO-LA 133 459 100 18 0 19 44 58 45 129 218 289 381 0 2 1999 BAL 135 426 107 19 1 16 58 54 55 107 251 340 413 0 0 2000 BAL-CHW 128 421 128 24 0 31 76 91 52 106 304 379 582 2 0 |
| He had a magnificent season, and was one of the very best catchers in baseball. Johnson is a durable catcher who plays outstanding defense, and last year he spiked his game by doing everything well with the bat. He was especially effective for the White Sox in the last third of the season; now he's signed with his original team, the Marlins, for $35 million over five years. Johnson is still a career .249, and I wouldn't bet on him to hit .300 again. But if keeps hitting well, he's a bargain at $7 million a year. |
| Derrek Lee (1B, 26, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 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 2000 FLO 158 477 134 18 3 28 70 70 63 123 281 368 507 0 3 |
| Lee recovered from a disastrous 1999 season to post some big numbers. I think it would be premature to predict future stardom... but there's lots here to like. Lee hit 28 home runs, playing in a terrible home run park (19 of his homers came on the road). He struggled against left-handers, hitting just .228 off them; presumably, that number will go up in 2001. His command of the strike zone was solid. He's only 26. I don't know how often he'll hit .280, but I like him. |
| Braden Looper (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AA 2 3 40 0 0 0 20 41 43 13 43 310 |
| Looper had another full year in the Marlins' bullpen, and was, ummm, ordinary, despite the 5-1 record. I generally distrust pitchers who walk more batters than they strike out. I'm also distrustful of pitchers who face only a couple of batters a game. Looper, you see, is very tough on righties (.230 average, 1 home run), but gets demolished by left-handers (.359 average). Yeah, there are left-handed pitchers who make a career facing only 1 batter a game... but have you ever heard of a right-hander thriving in that role? |
| Mike Lowell (3B, 27, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 126 510 155 34 3 26 79 99 37 85 305 355 535 4 0 |
| A good player who can supply power at third base. Lowell will likely put up even better numbers in 2001, but his potential is limited. In the long run I don't expect him to be much better than he was last year. |
| Sandy Martinez (CA, 28, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 CHC 45 87 23 9 1 0 7 7 13 21 264 363 391 1 0 1999 CHC 17 30 5 0 0 1 1 1 0 11 167 167 267 0 0 |
| Martinez hit well at Calgary, got into a few games with the Marlins in September, and was released after the season. He's a catcher with a good throwing arm, and he'll be playing for someone in 2001. He'll probably get a few at bats in the majors as well; not many, though, and he won't hit .300. |
| Dan Miceli (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 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 2000 FLO 6 4 45 0 0 0 0 49 45 18 40 425 |
| Miceli is a solid middle reliever, and he had a decent season, despite a trip to DL with inflammtion in his right shoulder. I don't expect him to repeat his fine 1998 season; his control just isn't good enough. |
| Kevin Millar (1/3/OF, 30, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 FLO 105 351 100 17 4 9 48 67 40 64 285 362 433 1 0 2000 FLO 123 259 67 14 3 14 36 42 36 47 259 364 498 0 0 |
| Millar is a useful bench player, can play a variety of positions and puts some runs on the board. He hit with more last year, and he can get on base. I think he can also hit .300, and he probably will once or twice. He usually only gets 1-2 at bats a game, and it's tough to hit for a consistent average when you're used that way. |
| Eric Owens (OF, 30, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 77 254 85 11 4 5 45 48 40 34 335 425 469 21 - |
| Owens played almost every day, and was OK. His .293 average was okay, but he doesn't have much power, and his base stealing was a disappointment (he also hit into 16 double plays, which seems like a lot for a fast guy). I would like him more as a fourth outfielder. |
| Pablo Ozuna (2B, 23, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 A 133 538 192 27 10 9 122 62 29 56 357 400 494 62 26 1999 AA 117 502 141 25 7 7 62 46 13 50 281 315 400 31 15 2000 AA 118 464 143 25 6 7 74 56 40 55 308 368 433 35 24 |
| Ozuna is a young infield prospect with Marlins. He might turn into a decent player; he made an effort to draw more walks last year, and that will help him in the long run. It would also help if he could improve his base stealing. He's still a couple of years away. |
| Mike Redmond (CA, 30, R/R) |
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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 2000 FLO 87 210 53 8 1 0 17 15 13 19 252 316 300 0 0 |
| Redmond now has 570 career at bats; he has 3 lifetime homers, and no stolen bases. Off the top of my head, I can't think of another player who provided such little power and speed. Hitting .300 helped him get a job, but if he hits .250 again he will quickly disappear. |
| Henry Rodriguez (LF, 33, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 CHC 128 415 104 21 1 31 56 85 54 113 251 334 530 1 3 1999 CHC 130 447 136 29 0 26 72 87 56 113 304 381 544 2 4 2000 CHC-FLO 112 367 94 21 1 20 47 61 36 99 256 327 482 1 2 |
| Rodriguez had an ordinary season, wasn't too good but wasn't awful either. He's an established power threat who could still be valuable as part of a platoon; the Marlins play in a terrible home run park, so I'm not quite sure why they would get a guy who does nothing except hit home runs. |
| Mark Smith (OF, 31, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 PIT 59 128 25 6 0 2 18 13 10 26 195 264 289 7 0 2000 FLO 104 192 47 8 1 5 22 27 17 54 245 310 375 2 0 |
| Smith is a veteran outfielder who had a good year in 1997, then ruined his career with a terrible season in 1998. Last year he was with the Marlins, but wasn't impressive. His career might be over, though I think he would look good in a Brewers uniform in 2001. |
| Chuck Smith (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 IND 5 3 8 8 2 1 0 55 44 21 70 262 1999 AAA 5 4 32 4 2 0 4 85 73 28 76 296 2000 AAA 5 3 11 11 1 0 0 67 73 38 73 378 |
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Smith is a minor league veteran who finally made his major league debut, and who also pitched spectacularly well for the Marlins. As far as I can tell, Smith has always been able to pile on the strikeouts, but poor control (and various other problems) hampered his progress. He had a fine year for South Bend in 1995 (despite 21 wild pitches, 13 hit batters and 11 balks), and his career finally began to move. Within a year he was pitching for Nashville; in 1997, however, he posted an 8.81 ERA, and was faced with a career crisis. Smith spent the 1998 season with Sioux Falls. I'm not a geography major; I don't know where Sioux Falls is, or what league they play in. But Smith pitched well enough for them that the Rangers decided to sign him. He continued to pitched well for Oklahoma in 1999 and early in 2000, but by then he was already 30, and the Rangers decided they would rather take a chance on Brant Brown. He was dealt to Marlins in June, and the rest is history. As for what he'll do this year... hell, I don't know. I think he'll survive the season, but by September he could be starting or relieving or pitching for the Yankees or anything. |
| Preston Wilson (CF, 27, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 94 356 99 25 3 25 71 77 34 121 278 341 576 14 6 |
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I didn't realize this until after the season ended, but Wilson came within two strikeouts of matching Bobby Bonds single-season record of 189 K's. I might actually started have following Marlin boxscores in September, just to see how often Wilson was whiffing. Otherwise, he had another decent season. Almost all of the Marlins struggle to hit home runs at Pro Player Stadium, and Wilson is no exception. Last year he had 19 homers on the road; in his career he has hit only 21 homers at home, but 37 on the road. His best chance to become a star is probably to move to another park - any park - but I doubt the Marlins will want to move him. For now, he's a Joe Carter-type player, with more of the same in 2001. And this time, I'll be checking the box scores. |