With our super-utility player out for the season, I can definately see moving Emilio to that role. Gaby would have been up all ready if he hadn’t been hurt back in May. However the Marlins clawed their way back in the race without him, and now I fear that they think Emilio is good enough.

I disagree bringing up Maybin though, he wouldn’t start in CF, so we need to keep getting him at bats.

But maybin is tearing the minors up, the kid got his confidence up again.

Carroll is alot better then Hermida..I say bench Hemida start Carroll. Cody at Right, MAybin in center, and carroll at left. Coughlan at third and bench bonafacio. He isnt producing. But the problem is idk were to fit Gaby…

i think it should be Gaby Sanchez at 3B, Coghlan at LF, Ross at CF, and Carroll at RF (the guys got an arm).. when Maybin comes up then mix up the outfield accordingly. Trade Hermida already for some pitching and put Bonifacio in AAA.. i gurantee we will win more games

We really need a hitter like Gaby in the lineup. Call him up. Trade either Boni or Hermida for a better OF, hitting-wise. Someone comparable to Luke Scott. And then trade the other one (Boni or Hermida) for a solid RP. Cog in LF, Cody in CF, Luke Scott in RF, Gaby at 3B. If our pitchers keep us in the game, a lineup with those players will be able to win a lot more games with the bat. I know Moyer always pitches us well, but 1 hit versus that guy is horrific. We really need to change this lineup. There have been quite a few games lately where we couldn’t produce many hits or runs. With our pitching not living up to our expectations, we need more and more hitting. I can almost count on one hand how many games we have won where we scored less than 4 runs. We need to produce at least 5 runs/game to win with the pitching not dominating like we thought they would. JJ can’t pitch every game.

Once again let me get this straight, he can’t hit, doesn’t draw walks, is crappy at stealing bases but he can run his bat and helmet back to the dugout faster than anyone else in the majors after a non-productive out? I’m sold.

Also I’m a bit confused on how improving his bunting is going to improve his hitting. Given that he has no power and if he starts bunting a lot, won’t the corner infielders start cheating in and take the bunt away from him?

Maybe I’m missing something.

— craig, Feb. 19

This is disturbing. For some reason the club has it in their minds that there is possibility of Emilio Bonifacio being the leadoff hitter.

Gonzalez said. “Bonifacio is more of an on-base guy who can steal you some bases.”

Fredi, I’m not the king of stats but what in Bonifacio’s past leads you to believe he is an “on-base guy” or that he can “steal you some bases”?

In the majors he has a career .300 OBP, that is Mike Jacobs territory. He has attempted to steal 33 bases and been caught 14 times. Which is, shall we say, a bit shy of the 70% success rate needed to actually help the team instead of hurting them.

I understand he is young and may one day turn into what you dream him to be. But nothing he has done in the majors points to that in the present.

Send him to New Orleans, train him, and then let’s see what he do in a couple of years.

Just get it over with already

I’m almost beyond caring at this point. They want to cram him down our throats? Fine. Bat Bonifacio leadoff. Trade Uggla so Bonifacio can shine. Show videotapes of Bonifacio to all minor-leaguers so they can learn about Speed ‘N’ Defense. Hell, re-name the AAA club the New Orleans Bonifacios.

Then, after he’s failed abominably as we all expect he will, the Marlins can sheepishly bench him or trade him in 2011 or whenever and we can move on with our lives.

— Fishcrazy, March 4

If Fredi has his way Emilio Bonifacio will make the 25-man roster.

With Alfredo Amezaga slated to start the season on the disabled list, manager Fredi Gonzalez said if he has his way Emilio Bonifacio will make the team. “For me he is [on the 25-man roster]. He’s played that well and he’s that type of a catalyst.”

All I have to say is: Thank God Fredi doesn’t make these decisions.

Bonifacio may one day be an excellent player, but he isn’t there yet. Given the fact that Amezaga isn’t going to get out of the knee brace until today or tomorrow, if the team wants to keep Bonifacio onboard for a few days at the start of the season, then fine. Though for the life of me I can’t figure out why.

Are you kidding me?
Somehow I get the feeling this isn’t entirely Fredi’s decisions, but if this is truly his rationale for inserting Bonifacio as the everyday lead-off, he should have his Sporting News Manager of the Year award revoked. Without even debating the merits of who is in fact the better base-stealer, what a ridiculous basis on which to choose your lead-off man. Is Fredi still living in 1950’s? Has he heard of something called OBP? Geez, even in the 1950’s his reasoning would probably still be considered damn foolish. Either Fredi really believes this crap, and that makes me worry about his competence, or he’s insulting our intelligence by trying to pass off this load-of-crap explanation as legitimate.

— Sashimi, April 4

The Experiment
Hypothesis: By giving extra at-bats to someone who makes outs at the plate, and runs into outs when he does luck into getting on, thereby reducing our total number of at-bats and the number of potential runners for the heart of the order to drive in, we will score more runs.

That is one hell of an experiment. Next up for Professor Gonzalez? "By depriving an organism of water and nutrients, we will give it a longer lifespan."

— dan, April 4

He has over 2000 minor league ABs
And in those minor league seasons, he never topped a .300 translated OBP. His best season was in Tucson with a .288 MLE (.293 Davenport).

In order for him to be an even marginal lead-off hitter, he’d have to make a gigantic leap in skill at the same time he’s making the gigantic transition to major league pitching. A guy who’s used to MLB pitching might have a shot at the skill leap; a guy who’s shown strong on-base skills in the minors might have a shot at the pitching leap. It is unfathomable that someone with neither advantage will overcome both.

And that stands whether he starts off 10-for-20 or 0-for-20, or whatever ridiculous leash Fredi said he’ll give. That’s the most infuriating part of the whole thing. Either you believe he’s capable or you don’t; if you’d change your thinking after a week’s worth of games, you’re not fit to be making the decision either way.

— dan, April 4

Whether it’s batting leadoff or second or eighth, Maybin would still be a starter. Not only that, but considering how highly he’s regarded both now, and perhaps even moreso at the time, nobody can deny getting quote-unquote something for Miggy/Dontrelle.

Bonifacio, on the other hand, if he didn’t get this job from the start, would have had to force his way into the lineup, either from the bench or from AAA. And that’s something that, as I think we’ve established, is unlikely he would have done, especially considering the rest of the talent trying to do the same thing. So without this, it’s likely Bonifacio would never have been seen as any kind of return for Olsen/Hammer.

Now Beinfest can say "Hey, nobody is a sure thing, but we thought so much of him that he was our leadoff guy right away. We thought we got value, but unfortunately these things don’t always pan out." If you don’t give him the job out of training, the average fan never hears the name Bonifacio, and down the road when the trade comes up, it looks like a complete give-away. Which, of course, it was; but at least now Beinfest is saving face. Who cares if that comes at the expense of a couple games early in the season, right?

— dan, April 5

…and those are just the pre-season posts that jumped out with Bonifacio headlines. I think we all remember even more.

It turns out the only thing we didn’t see coming was that this isn’t some “experiment” that would last a few games. In fact, I guess I have to give credit where it’s due: “Either you believe he’s capable or you don’t; if you’d change your thinking after a week’s worth of games, you’re not fit to be making the decision either way.” They’ve definitely proven me wrong there.

he has good speed can hit but needs to be more disiplined good arm just throws inaccuratly, good range gets bad jumps when stealing really needs to lay off the high fastball.
I think he for sure has potential but needs to work on about everything that can be tought (Arm accuracy/disipline/reading pitchers) he should be a good chone figgins type player in a few years but for now we should call up gaby.

This situation is really starting to piss me off.

Has the front office just given up on the season? Are the Phillies writing our line-up? Does Boni have some dirt on Loria and Co? Is he a professional con artist?

What the hells going on around here!?!

I’m all for taking their old coach. I’d love to see what he could do with a slightly capable lineup…