Florida Marlins
Record: 80-82 (Third place in NL East, 17 games behind Philadelphia)
Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Hanley Ramirez (.300)
Home Runs: Dan Uggla (33)
RBIs: Dan Uggla (105)
On-base Percentage: Hanley Ramirez (.378)
Pitching Leaders
Wins: Ricky Nolasco (14)
Strikeouts: Josh Johnson (186)
Innings Pitched: Anibal Sanchez (195)
ERA: Josh Johnson (2.30). Bullpen- Clay Hensley (2.16)
WHIP: Josh Johnson (1.11). Bullpen- Brian Sanches (1.10)
Saves: Leo Nunez (30)
Highlight of the Season: Difficult to ascertain, but I would pick their 13-0 victory over the White Sox in Chicago on May 23.
Lowlight of the Season: On May 17, all-star shortstop Hanley Ramirez was benched by then-manager Fredi Gonzalez for not hustling on a play. Ramirez would rip his manager and teammates (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5197935) after the game, an action that would ultimately result in him being benched the next day. Ramirez would eventually apologize to his teammates before playing again on May 19.
The Lowdown:
If there were a poster child for mediocrity in MLB this year, it would be the Florida Marlins, by far. The Fish seem to be stuck in gear right now; on one hand, they look like they have the talent and the pieces to compete, but on the other hand, they seem to be missing a player or two that would really vault them into serious contention. They featured two anchors in their lineup in 2010, as Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla would be the stars of the show once again, while a possible future star emerged in right fielder Mike Stanton. The pitching staff was led by righty Josh Johnson, who featured one of the lowest ERAs in baseball, while he was flanked by Ricky Nolasco and Anibal Sanchez, two pitchers who have the potential to become better, but did not show it this year. With the Phillies becoming stronger with each passing season, the Marlins will likely have to target the NL Wild Card as their ticket for postseason entry for the next few seasons.
Offense:
The Fish finished 15th in runs scored this year (719), along with tying for 14th in home runs (152), which further lends credibility to the argument that the Marlins are the poster child for “average” in baseball. However, the bats in the middle of their infield were anything but average, as Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla supplied the power in the middle of the order once again in South Florida. Ramirez had a typical All-Star year, finishing with a .300 average, 21 home runs, 76 RBIs, 32 steals, and a solid on-base percentage of .378. Even though his home run total dipped a bit, he still proved to be a threat in the middle of the Marlins lineup.
Uggla, however, is beginning to enter rarified air among second baseman not only in baseball today, but in baseball history. He recorded his fourth consecutive 30-plus home run season this year, bashing 33 while driving in 105. You generally do not expect Uggla to hit for a high average, but he even improved in that category, increasing his hitting by 43 points up to .287 this year, a career high. There aren’t too many second basemen in baseball history who can claim four consecutive 30-plus home run seasons, but Dan Uggla is beginning to write his name into the record books at that position, which typically doesn’t feature power hitters.
Also looking to enter into the realm of greatness is highly touted prospect outfielder Mike Stanton. The 21-year-old made his major league debut on June 8, and he would end up featuring solid power numbers in his rookie campaign, cranking out 22 home runs while driving in 59 in just 100 games. Despite his high strikeout total (123 in just 359 at-bats), Stanton should be capable of filling the power void left by Dan Uggla, who was recently traded to the Atlanta Braves.
Along with finishing in the middle of the road in home runs and runs scored, the Marlins finished 18th in batting average (.254), 20th in on-base percentage (.321) and 15th in slugging (.403). They weren’t overwhelming offensively, but they were just good enough to give good teams some trouble.
Final Grade: C+
Pitching:
The potential for greatness is present within the starting rotation, but it doesn’t seem like it has come to fruition just yet. Collectively, the Marlins finished 16th in ERA (4.08), 19th in “batting average against” (.261), 28th in home runs surrendered (134) and 20th in quality starts (85). Much like their offense, the Fish seem to be in the middle of the road with most of the aforementioned pitching categories. However, there’s nothing mediocre about staff ace Josh Johnson. The big right hander finished first in the NL in ERA at 2.30 this year, along with recording a WHIP of 1.11, good for seventh in the Senior Circuit. His 11-6 record notwithstanding, Johnson has placed himself among the elite starters in the National League with his dominant performance this year.
Behind him was Ricky Nolasco, who would end up pacing the team in wins (14) and Anibal Sanchez, who led the team in innings (195). The two were solid complimentary pieces to Johnson, but they would not finish with his sparkling ERA, as Nolasco recorded a 4.51 ERA, while Sanchez finished with an ERA of 3.55. Also backing up this pitching triumvirate was Chris Volstad, who went a solid 12-9 with two complete games and an ERA of 4.58.
While the rotation appears to be stable, the bullpen looks like it could use an extra hand. Even though the Marlins finished 17th in bullpen ERA at 4.01, a few more stable arms could see this team vault into serious contention. Leo Nunez had a fine year in the closer’s role, recording 30 saves with an ERA of 3.46, but the real star of the ‘pen was 31-year-old right hander Clay Hensley. The pride of Tomball, Texas had a rock solid year in the set-up role, recording a team-high 22 holds, along with a fantastic WHIP of 1.11 and an ERA of 2.16.
Much like the offense, the Marlins’ pitching wasn’t outstanding, but you can really see how just one or two more pieces can make this team a legitimate contender.
Final Grade: C+
Wild Card: Josh Johnson
As mentioned earlier, Johnson established himself among the premier pitchers in the National League with his fantastic season this year. Had the team finished with a better record this year, he would have likely garnered some votes for the NL Cy Young Award. Even though he was a tough luck 1-0 loser in Roy Halladay’s perfect game on May 29, he would spin more magnificent performances that saw him on the winning side of the scoreboard, including a 12 strikeout, one walk, complete game performance against the San Diego Padres on April 26, a game which Florida won 10-1. He’s still just 26 years old, meaning if he stays healthy, his best years are yet to come.
Final Grade: A+
Overall:
The Marlins have the potential to become better, they really do. Since they cannot go after any big time position players, perhaps they should go after some under-the-radar relievers to shore up their bullpen. They can ask their American League rivals to the north how much difference a better bullpen can make for a team’s postseason hopes.
Final Grade: C+
Check back soon for the report card on the Detroit Tigers!
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