EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2005 The Florida Marlins finished 83-79 last season. Following the acquisition of 1B Carlos Delgado, many analysts (such as "Wrong Hole" Buster Olney) have chosen the NL East as NL favorites. I'm sorry, but this team is not quite there yet. Let's take a closer look. The Marlins added Carlos Delgado, along with a full season of Paul Lo Duca. Lo Duca was a nice grab, but he turns 33 in April, and he is a miserable second half hitter. Lo Duca's career OPS falls over 150 points after the All-Star break. Carlos Delgado is a great slugger, but he is not that much better than the .270/.388/.495 line the Marlins enjoyed from Hee Seop Choi before the trade. Alex Gonzalez posted a miserable .270 OBP last season, and the Marlins have no depth on the bench past Jeff Conine. The rotation is nice, as long as Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett remain healthy. Get past the front four, however, and Ismael Valdez is your number five. I apologize if Valdez's 67 Ks in 170 innings don't exactly strike fear. Beyond Valdez, and there is no immediate help for the rotation. The bullpen is improved, but no better than league average. The Marlins could contend if everyone stays healthy, but this team has no depth, and their best prospects are a year or two away. If they suffer injuries, the wheels will come off quickly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mik 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2005 You are right, they lack depth. I think they will trade Stokes midseason and bring back some talent to help for the stretch drive. But if no one gets hurt, they have a great lineup. I think they will contend all season. I really think this is the year Josh Beckett turns it on and a year in which Cabrera takes another step to becoming a 40/120 guy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Styles 0 Report post Posted March 18, 2005 I don't know Al, I just think the Marlins are a very well balanced team. Their lineup fills out nicely from top to bottom with good speed on the top with Pierre and Castillo, serious power in the middle with Cabrera/Delgado and Lowell and a good back end with Lo Duca and Encanacion/Conine. They have some great young pitching too, like you said if they can stay healthy, plus they added solid veteran Al Leiter to the staff. Not to mention rising bullpen star G. Mota (I dont feel like looking up how to spell his first name!) I have learned however that "never bet against the Braves in the NL East" is about a universal a fact as "never bet against the Yankees in the AL East." So, I choose Florida as the NL wildcard team, 2nd place in the division. And they sure made the most of that last 2 times they placed there... PROJECTED LINEUP 1. Juan Pierre CF 2. Luis Castillo 2B 3. Miguel Cabrera RF 4. Carlos Delgado 1B 5. Mike Lowell 3B 5. Jeff Conine LF 7. Paul LoDuca C 8. Alex Gonzalez SS Rotation 1. J. Beckett 2. A. Burnett 3. D. Willis 4. A. Leiter 5. I. Valdez Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
