5 Miami Marlins
Enemy Lines
A RIVAL SCOUT SIZES UP THE MARLINS
They did pretty well with those off-season trades. I'm not sure they got superstars, but a few guys can play.... Adeiny Hechavarria, the shortstop they got back when they sent Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, Emilio Bonifacio and John Buck to Toronto, is fine defensively—it's a matter of how much he's going to hit. Sometimes his swing gets out of control, but that's just his youth.... Jake Marisnick, the centerfielder they got in that deal, is going to start in Double A. He has range, good instincts and can really throw.... If you're going to strip your team all the way down, you've got to strip it all the way down. Placido Polanco is playing third: I love Polly, but he's old. I love Juan Pierre and his energy, and I understand they're getting veterans to teach the young guys. But they're walking a fine line.... I like Nathan Eovaldi a lot. He's more advanced than Jacob Turner. His stuff is firmer—he's 95 to 97 with a breaking ball. Turner is in the 90--93 range with a changeup and an inconsistent breaking ball. Turner will eventually be a No. 3 or 4 starter. Eovaldi could be a strong 3.... I'd like Steve Cishek as a setup guy, but he's too inexperienced to be pitching the ninth even if he has the stuff to do it.... Rob Brantly can swing the bat but has a ways to go when it comes to calling a game.... Giancarlo Stanton is a superstar—his power is as good as anybody I've ever seen. All the guys they got from Toronto? Most clubs would have given them the same deal for him alone.
The Lineup
2013 Projected Statistics
MANAGER MIKE REDMOND
First season with the Marlins
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NEW ACQUISITION (R) ROOKIE
LINEUPS AND STAT PROJECTIONS BY ROTOWIRE.COM
The K Meter
Percentage of 2012 plate appearances that ended with a strikeout, and major league rank
BY HITTERS | 20.3% | 17TH
BY PITCHERS | 18.0% | 27TH
Best Case
Stanton makes a run at 50 homers and Turner blossoms as a starter, giving fans two reasons to go to Marlins Park.
Worst Case
The Fish are further gutted with trades of Stanton and Nolasco, and Marlins Park is emptier than the old place ever was.
Ted Keith has more on the Marlins at SI.com/mlb
Modest Proposal
The Marlins would love to revive the career of 2009 NL Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan, who missed most of '10 and '11 with a knee injury and shoulder problems and spent all but 39 games last year in Triple A. The best way to do this is to allow the 27-year-old—who is playing the outfield this spring and has spent most of his pro career there—to return to third base, his college position. Coghlan is a terrible outfielder, and that is no fault of his own. Though he had made only one professional appearance in the outfield before his rookie season, the Marlins moved him to left in '09 to get his bat in the lineup. The ill-considered decision to make Coghlan a centerfielder in '11 led to a decline at the plate and a dreadful performance in the field. Coghlan hit .284/.375/.435 at Triple A last year with more walks than strikeouts, and he could still be an asset for a lineup that will struggle to get runners on base and score runs. Rather than kill time with 37-year-old Placido Polanco, the Marlins should put Coghlan at the hot corner and give him a full season.
PHOTO
DAMIAN STROHMEYER/SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (STANTON)
Giancarlo Stanton
PHOTO
TOM DIPACE (COGHLAN)