2009 Florida Marlins Predictions

Written by Jason Lowry

Marlins Baseball One thing is for sure: the Marlins know how to scout young talent. They continue to surprise everyone with their play, even though they have by far the lowest payroll in baseball. Last year the Marlins came out of nowhere to finish 3rd in the NL East at 84-77, just 7.5 games behind the Phillies, and that was good enough to land head coach Fredi Gonzalez coach of the year honors. The problem is the Marlins can’t ever seem to keep the same team together for very long, as they continue to move players in and out of the organization. For the most part, the Marlins bring back the same offensive lineup of 2008, but the pitching staff is a little bit shaken up, and the bullpen could be a problem with the loss of closer Kevin Gregg and setup man Arthur Rhodes. Here is a more in-depth look at the 2009 Florida Marlins and how we see them finishing in the NL East.

Offense:

The Marlins offense was suppose to take a big hit to the power department when 3B Miguel Cabrera left for the Tigers to start last season, but the young bats didn’t get the message, as the Marlins were 2nd to the Phillies in team home runs with 208. Most of the power came from the infield, as SS Hanley Ramirez hit 33, 2B Dan Uggla blasted 32, and 3B Jorge Cantu added another 29. It looks as though the talented prospect Gaby Sanchez will get first crack at 1B. All Sanchez did was hit .314 with 17 home runs last year in the minors. The outfield has some power as well, as RF Cody Ross hit 22 home runs, and LF Jeremy Hermida had 17. Another young stud, Cameron Maybin is expected to start in center field, and he is expected to be the leadoff hitter. With the power behind him, he has the potential to score a ton of runs. Catcher John Baker rounds up the lineup, and has some great potential, hitting .299 in just 61 games in his first stint in the majors. The one problem with the Marlins’ high powered offense, is they are very strikeout prone, in fact they led the majors with 1,371 strikeouts in 2008.

Pitching:

The top of the Marlins rotation is strong with Ricky Nolasco leading the way after going an impressive 15-8 last season with just 42 walks to 186 strikeouts. There is plenty of talent behind Nolasco as Josh Johnson and Chris Volstad both were impressive after being called up in July. Johnson went 7-1 and gave up more than 3 earned runs in just 1 start, while Volstad had a very impressive 2.88 ERA in his 14 starts to finish the season. The final two spots in the rotation also look promising for the Marlins, as slated No.4 starter Anibal Sanchez has all the potential in the world. He has overpowering stuff, but needs to stay healthy, as he missed the first half of the 2008 season recovering from shoulder surgery. The final spot will likely go to Andrew Miller, and he would be the only lefty in the starting rotation. Miller could get some competition from the newly-acquired Dan Meyer (SF Giants), who also is a lefty. The bullpen will give Matt Lindstrom first crack at the open closer spot, with Logan Kensing and Leo Nunez being the main setup options. If Lindstrom struggles to replace Gregg, the bullpen could really cause problems for a young and very talented Marlins team.

Prediction: 4th in NL East

Don’t get the wrong impression, we had a hard time picking the Marlins to finish as low as 4th in this division, but the East is loaded with some great teams. While the Marlins could surprise everyone and be right there for the division title come September, we think they are just one year away from possibly making another big postseason run.

Archived Season Previews:

2010
2008

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Comments

One Response to “2009 Florida Marlins Predictions”

john bayer on March 1st, 2009 11:41 AM

4th place!?!?!?!?!?!. The nationals will not finish above the marlins. They have the same team and are only going to get better. You say they lost Kevein Gregg but he was awful giving up saves after saves, most memorably the grand slam to beltran. Watch the marlins shock everyone again

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