Fish Stripes: All Posts by Eric Weston

Miami Marlins Daily Minor League Report: May 23

2013-05-24T11:00:06Z

Triple-A: New Orleans Zephyrs
L 2-4 @ Sacramento River Cats

Matt Downs, 1B: 2-for-4, 2B

Brian Flynn, SP: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, BB, 7 SO

Brian Flynn was dominant against the River Cats for much of the evening, but faltered in the fourth inning, giving up four consecutive singles. Flynn's ERA in New Orleans rose to 4.33

Double-A: Jacksonville Suns
W 5-3 vs. Birmingham Barons

Full Box Score

Jake Marisnick, CF: 3-for-3, R, HR
Zack Cox, DH: 0-for-3, BB, 3 SO
Jacob Realmuto, C: 2-for-4, R, 2B

Jay Jackson, SP: 6.0 IP, H, 2 R, ER, 3 BB, 4 SO
Scott McGough, RP: 2.0 IP, H, R, ER, BB, 3 SO, HR
Michael Brady, RP: 1.0 IP, 2 SO

Zack Cox earned a hat-trick playing in his first game in over a month. He holds a .313/.429/.406 line this year in 20 games played this year.

Jacob Realmuto hit his seventh double as part of a two-hit night, raising his season line to .215/.285./.326.

Michael Brady collected his ninth save of the year, and lowered his season ERA to 2.50. Brady has struck out 20 batters and walked just two in 18 innings pitched.

High Class A: Jupiter Hammerheads
W 8-4 vs. Daytona Cubs

Full Box Score

Ryan Rieger, 1B: 3-for-4, 2B, BB

Jose Urena, SP: 7.0 IP, 9 H, R, ER, BB

Jose Urena miraculously lasted seven innings despite generating zero strikeouts. He made up for his lack of swing-and-miss stuff by showing solid control, walking just one batter. His ERA for the season fell to 4.26.

Low Class A: Greensboro Grasshoppers
L 10-4 vs. Delmarva Shorebirds

Full Box Score

Michael Main, CF: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B
Viosergy Rosa, 1B: 2-for-3, R, HR, BB, SO

Austin Brice, SP: 3.2 IP, 6 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 2 SO, HR

Austin Brice's struggles in the South Atlantic League continued yesterday in another horrific start. He has walked an unacceptable 31 batters in 38 and one-third innings pitched this year, and has a 6.57 ERA. Brice turns 21 in June, so in theory, he should be young enough that his control issues are correctable. The Marlins' coaching staff have their work cut out for them.

Miami Marlins Daily Minor League Report: May 21

2013-05-22T21:32:24Z

Triple-A: New Orleans Zephyrs
W 4-3 @ Sacramento River Cats

Full Box Score

Kevin Mattison, CF: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, SO

Rett Varner, SP: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, SO

New Orleans pulled out a win despite facing a dominant Sonny Gray, who struck out eleven Zephyrs and walked none. Baseball America named Gray the 65th best prospect in baseball this off-season.

Kevin Mattison hit his first home run and fourth double of the season, raising his slash line to .277/.322/.434.

Double-A: Jacksonville Suns
W 5-2 @ Mississippi Braves

Full Box Score

Jake Marisnick, CF: 2-for-5, R, 2 SO
Noah Perio, 2B: 2-for-3, R, BB

Adam Conley, SP: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, BB, SO, HR
Arquimedes Caminero, RP: 1.0 IP, 2 SO

Adam Conley has struggled to miss bats since his season debut, where he struck out eight batters in five innings pitched. He posted his lowest strikeout total of the season yesterday, yet still pitched effectively enough to ensure the win. His ERA for the season fell to 4.40.

High Class A: Jupiter Hammerheads
W 7-2 vs. Daytona Cubs

Full Box Score

Brent Keys, CF: 2-for-4, BB
Logan Morrison, DH: 0-for-3, BB
Austin Barnes, C: 1-for-3, R, HR, 2 BB, SO

Anthony DeSclafani, SP: 6.0 IP, 3 H, R, ER, BB, 6 SO

Brent Keys reached base three times, continuing his scorching hot week. Keys is batting .415 over the last 10 games. After missing the month of April, he doesn't have enough plate appearances to qualify for the Florida State League batting title. If he did, his .361 average would beat out Miguel Sano's, the current leader.

On the other hand, Anthony DeSclafani has collected enough inning to qualify for the league ERA title. His 1.32 ERA currently stands as the second best in the league.

Low Class A: Greensboro Grasshoppers
L 4-5 @ Hagerstown Suns

Full Box Score

Cameron Flynn, LF: 3-for-4, SO
Matt Juengel, DH: 2-for-4, 2B

Scott Lyman, SP: 5.0 IP, 4 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Hagerstown walked off in the bottom of the ninth, after closer Blake Logan blew a two-run lead.

Fish Cap: Miami Marlins 3, Philadelphia Phillies 7

2013-05-22T08:04:42Z

Tuning into last night's game, I was looking forward to another impressive Jose Fernandez start, and maybe even a quality baseball game. Boy, I was in for a real surprise. Fox Sports Florida producer Frank Forte led me on a cultural tour of Marlins Park, opening my eyes to a world of culinary delight.

I discovered that Frank's eating habits proved to be an accurate barometer of the Marlins' success or failure within the game. Now, I haven't exactly performed an empirical study on this issue, but I am reasonably confident in my methodology here. I did minor in molecular gastronomy.

Let's examine Frank's journey in detail.

Frank Eats Cuban Sandwich

Described as "almost like a Cuban panino," this sandwich acted as a good omen for Cuban-born Jose Fernandez. Fernandez pitched well through three scoreless innings, until a smoothie made him veer wildly off course.

Frank Drinks Smoothie

Named the "Five-Tool Player," this Diamond Juices creation includes strawberry, mango, coconut milk, and a plus-plus agave nectar tool. However delicious, this drink was ill-timed.

Delmon Young came to bat shortly afterward. Once a highly touted five-tool prospect, Young has since redefined what it means to be a bust, producing -0.7 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (fWAR) across a seven year career.

Yet, the infamously bad outfielder homered off Fernandez, and later doubled in the top of the sixth. The presence of the smoothie may be circumstantial evidence, but I remain convinced that it functioned as an early-indicator of Young's extra-base hits.

Frank Eats "Magnum Dog"

Wikipedia tells me that the hot dog originated from Frankfurt, Germany. The only active German-born baseball player in the National League is Edwin Jackson, who has posted a 5.76 ERA in nine starts for Chicago. It should come as no surprise that Duane Below was doomed to a poor relief outing.

Frank just had to go and eat the most enormous, horrifying dog in the park, the "Magnum Dog," courtesy of The Clevelander. Naturally, Below went on to allow three runs, setting the stage for Miami's collapse.

Frank Eats Sushi

Who knew that eating seafood wouldn't bring favor to the Marlins? Worse yet, Frank did not enjoy any sake with his sushi. The baseball gods made clear their disapproval of Frank's transgression, giving the Phillies three consecutive infield hits to load the bases.

i'll tell you what, it's really good. I've been eating good food tonight. - Frank Forte

Everything quickly fell apart, as the Marlins suffered an old-fashioned bullpen meltdown. Ryan Webb's arm experienced an unforeseen power spike, generating a catastrophic core overload. His graphite moderator ignited, sending radioactive material all over the field.

Combing over public records, I learned that a then five-year-old Ryan Howard hit a two-run single in a Tee Ball game during the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. He apparently applied his experience under Level 7 nuclear accidents to drive in two runs again last night.

The sushi sent the Marlins into a downwards spiral from which they could not recover.

Frank Eats Pizza

It's common knowledge among nutritional connoisseurs that pizza portends decent fortune. Frank's stop at the pizza parlor came too late to alter the course of the game, however. Justin Ruggiano doubled in the ninth to score Rob Brantly, but Juan Pierre lined out immediately afterward, ending the rally. The Marlins went home defeated.

Frank didn't help matters by refusing to eat the pork nachos again, which had previously enabled Jordan Brown to score Placido Polanco on a sacrifice fly.

@lmhaydu already did pork nachos
— Frank J. Forte (@FrankJForte) May 22, 2013

Frank Forte certainly got his full of Marlins Park. Was it to the benefit of the team? My analysis posits that his well-intentioned tour of the stadium vendors ultimately came at the expense of the ball-club, derailing Jose Fernandez's start, and leading to the disastrous bullpen implosion. The data is inconclusive, but there also appears to be a correlation between healthier foods and Delmon Young hitting above replacement level.

Best of luck to Frank in the digestion process.

2013 MLB Draft: Mock drafts from around the Internet

2013-05-21T16:00:06Z

Fish Stripes aspires to be a sophisticated baseball blog. You may have noticed that the Game Threads here don't receive thousands of posts like on other SB Nation sites, and this is by design. The content here is for elite, high-minded folks. But once in a while, I feel like throwing a bone to the common rabble. What better way exists accomplish this than writing about mock drafts?

Mock drafts are good fun. Rarely do they provide meaningful information, but they serve as great entertainment for the poverty-stricken masses. So enjoy this rare treat, because the remainder of the draft coverage will be very self-serious business.

John Sickels of Minor League Ball - Link

Hunter Renfroe, OF

This choice is a bit of a head-scratcher for me. The other mock drafts assume that Renfroe is taken in the middle of the first round. I didn't include him in my player write-ups because I don't consider him one of the top fifteen players in this year's draft class. If the Marlins took him with UNC third basemen Colin Moran still on the board, I would likely go berserk. Maybe throw my desk lamp at the floor, or break my fist on a wall.

In all fairness, Hunter Renfroe is a good prospect. He's a toolsy outfielder in the mold of Marcell Ozuna, boasting huge raw power and powerful arm strength. He's batting .362/.459/.591 for Mississippi State right now. The problem is he won't be the best college bat available with the sixth pick, and the Marlins don't need another right field prospect at the moment.

Jim Callis of Baseball America - Link (Subscription required)

Reese McGuire, C

While a less baffling choice than Hunter Renfroe, Reese McGuire would still represent a reach for the sixth overall pick. Clint Frazier and Austin Meadows stand out as significantly better high school bats. I figure at least one of them should be available when the sixth pick rolls around.

McGuire is an athletic, young catcher with good bat speed, but he doesn't have the plus-plus hit tool of Meadows, or the outstanding raw power of Frazier. The difference in quality between them and McGuire is substantial enough that it shouldn't matter what positions they play, or how difficult they might be to sign.

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com - Link

Kohl Stewart, RHP

This pick would please me greatly. I view Jonathan Gray and Mark Appel as the only two college pitchers likely to become elite starters - the talent falls off greatly after them. So if the Marlins want high-ceiling pitching, they will have to look to the high school ranks. They couldn't pick a better target than Kohl Stewart. I wrote the following about Stewart:

He possesses incredible athleticism, and already features three strong pitches. His fastball sits in the low-90s, but he uses it with finesse and confidence. His power slider wrecks opposing batters, and his change-up is well developed for a prep pitcher.

As excited as I am about the prospect of the Marlins drafting Stewart, I don't believe there is a high likelihood that they will. There are persistent rumors that the Marlins are looking to save money in the first round, perhaps by selecting a college player. Remember, this is a team with a long track record of spending as little as possible on the draft. Kohl Stewart could be the most expensive player available, considering his commitment to play football at Texas A&M.

Keith Law of ESPN - Link (Subscription required)

Braden Shipley, RHP

Braden Shipley, along with Sean Manaea and Ryne Stanek, is a member of the aforementioned second tier of college pitchers. As Manaea and Stanek have struggled with command, Shipley has quickly risen up draft boards this spring. Manaea looked amazing in the Cape Cod League last summer, but he hasn't been the same pitcher since. So while Manaea might have the highest ceiling of the three, I would take Shipley over him if I am a team looking for college pitching.

Shipley has everything that you would expect from a top college arm. His repertoire includes a mid-90s fastball, a strong change-up, and a hard breaking ball. Most impressive about Shipley is his mound presence. He's a fierce competitor, and never backs down from challenging opposing batters. He may not feature a devastating fastball like Jonathan Gray, but he's a more than adequate prospect nonetheless. I think the Marlins can dream bigger than Shipley, but I wouldn't feel disappointed if they end up taking him come June 6.

Miami Marlins Daily Minor League Report: May 19

2013-05-20T11:00:10Z

Triple-A: New Orleans Zephyrs
L 2-4 @ Fresno Grizzlies

Jake Smolinski, LF: 3-for-4, 2 2B
Kyle Skipworth, C: 0-for-4, 2 SO

Jacob Turner, SP: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 SO
Dan Jennings, RP: 1.0 IP, SO

Jacob Turner's turnaround continued yesterday in his second consecutive start with seven innings pitched and two earned runs allowed. His ERA for the month of May is 2.67.

Jake Smolinski hit his fourth and fifth doubles of the season, raising his season line to .245/.358/.343.

Double-A: Jacksonville Suns
L 3-9 @ Mississippi Braves

Full Box Score

Christian Yelich, LF: 0-for-5, 2 SO
Jake Marisnick, CF: 2-for-4, R, BB, SO
Chris Gutierrez, SS-2B: 2-for-4, 3B

Bryan Evans, SP: 3.0 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, BB, 3 SO, 3 HR

The Suns couldn't recover from Bryan Evan's poor outing, but they fought hard, and gave Alex Wood his worst start of the year. Wood entered the game with just a 0.82 ERA, the lowest in the Southern League. Baseball America rated Wood as the Braves' seventh best prospect entering the season.

Jake Marisnick continues to slowly inch his way toward a respectable slash line. He reached base three times, raising his season line to .258/.311/.424. He has a .920 On-Base Plus Slugging in his last 10 games.

High Class A: Jupiter Hammerheads
W 1-0 @ Palm Beach Cardinals

Full Box Score

Austin Barnes, C: 0-for-3, BB

Justin Nicolino, SP: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 5 SO

Jupiter only needed four hits and one run to defeat Palm Beach, thanks in part to Justin Nicolino's strong performance. Nicolino pitched his second start with at least five strikeouts, after striking out only eight batters in April.

Low Class A: Greensboro Grasshoppers
Game postponed

MLB Scores: Miami Marlins 2, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

2013-05-19T21:27:13Z

Source: FanGraphs

Attendance: 20,206
Hero of the Game: Ricky Nolasco (0.394 WPA)
Goat of the Game: Nick Green (-0.119 WPA)
Play of the Game: Marcell Ozuna doubled to left, scoring Adeiny Hechavarria and Derek Dietrich (0.274 WPA)

Today's win came with a fair share of nervous pacing and hand wringing, but it thankfully marked the end of a horrible week for the Miami Marlins.

Ricky Nolasco delivered his best start of the season, allowing one run across eight innings, and striking out eleven Arizona batters. The last time Nolasco struck out eleven batters was May 6, 2011 against the Washington Nationals.

After wasting Tom Koehler's excellent performance yesterday, the Marlins bats managed just enough offense to send everyone home with smiling faces. Marcell Ozuna came through with an opportune double in the sixth, scoring Derek Dietrich and Adeiny Hechavarria.

Outside of the sixth inning, the Marlins bats were largely quiet. No player reached base more than once. No one would fairly accuse the Marlins hitters of being effective, but sometimes all one needs is mediocrity and good-timing.

The profuse sweating and elevated heart rates came in the ninth inning, when Nolasco led off the inning by surrendering a sharp double to right field. Mike Redmond decided he had seen enough, and pulled Nolasco from the game.

Steve Cishek came in, looking effective at first. He generated a ground out from Paul Goldschmidt, which advanced the runner to third. Unfortunately, the next out came at the expense of a run. Jason Kubel hit a sacrifice fly, bringing the score to 2-1. Cishek fell apart, giving up a single to Eric Chavez, and then a walk to Martin Prado.

Redmond went to the bullpen again so the right-handed Cishek wouldn't have to face the left-handed Miguel Montero. Mike Dunn was brought in, who proceeded to walk Montero, loading the bases with two outs. On a 3-2 count, Mike Dunn delivered a 94 mile per hour fastball to A.J Pollock, who grounded out to Hechavarria to end the game.

The Marlins just barely escaped would could have been a disastrous ending.

The Marlins will host the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game series beginning tomorrow night at 7:10 PM. Alex Sanabia will take the mount against Cole Hamels.

Miami Marlins vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: Nolasco throws gem, Marlins win 2-1

2013-05-19T20:01:10Z

Miami snapped a seven-game losing streak and prevented a sweep, largely thanks to Ricky Nolasco's eight-inning gem. Marcell Ozuna came through with a timely two-run double to score all the Marlins' runs.

Current Series

Diamondbacks lead the series 2-0

Fri 05/17	WP: Trevor Cahill (3 - 4) LP: Kevin Slowey (1 - 4)	2 - 9 loss
Sat 05/18	WP: Brandon McCarthy (1 - 3) LP: Tom Koehler (0 - 2)	0 - 1 loss
Arizona Diamondbacks AZ Snake Pit @ Miami Marlins Fish Stripes Sunday, May 19, 2013, 1:10 PM EDT Marlins Park Partly cloudy. Winds blowing from left to right field at 5-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 85. Complete Coverage >

As some of you may have heard, I made my trip up to Atlanta for a six-week stay at my parents' hometown for clinical rotations. Eric Weston did a superb job in my absence, including in his reporting of my kidnapping and brainwashing by Atlanta Braves fans. I was indeed stolen away for a day or two before returning to duty late last night. The Braves fans attempted to have me see their way, trying convince me that Jason Heyward was better than Giancarlo Stanton and that John Smoltz really did deserve that Cy Young award over Kevin Brown in 1996.

Don't worry folks, I made it out alive. I am still a Miami Marlins fan down to the very bottom of my soul, and no amount of Braves brainwashing will shake my resolve. All hail ~~Chipper Jones~~ ~~Eric Gregg~~ Livan Hernandez!

Also, break out the brook breakers, because the Miami Marlins are trying to bust up a sweep.

It will be Ricky Nolasco versus Wade Miley in the finale of this series.

Pitching Matchup

Proj Win%	Proj ERA	FIP	ERA	Marlins	Diamondbacks	ERA	FIP	Proj ERA	Proj Win%
.445	4.45	3.87	4.39	Nolasco	Miley	3.75	3.97	4.03	.491

Lineup

Order	Player	Proj wOBA vs. LHP
1	Adeiny Hechavarria	.291
2	Placido Polanco	.296
3	Derek Dietrich	---
4	Marcell Ozuna	.323
5	Justin Ruggiano	.333
6	Chris Coghlan	.276
7	Nick Green	---
8	Jeff Mathis	.272

Notes

- Even though this is my first game back, I will actually be out for today's game. I will be back for the recap of the game, however. Keep the seat warm for me guys!

Bold Prediction: Diamondbacks def. Marlins 4-1

Miami Marlins Daily Minor League Report: May 17

2013-05-18T20:56:59Z

Triple-A: New Orleans Zephyrs
L 1-6 @ Fresno Grizzlies

Full Box Score

Kyle Skipworth, C: 1-for-4, 2 SO

Doug Mathis, SO: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
Chris Hatcher, RP: 1.0 IP

After posting an excellent 1.66 ERA in April, Doug Mathis has took a turn for the worse in May, delivering three poor starts in a row. He pitched four scoreless innings against the Grizzlies, but then fell apart.

Fresno's Roger Kieschnick hurt Mathis particularly badly, walking, double, and tripling off him. His ERA for the season rose to 3.76.

Double-A: Jacksonville Suns
W 2-1 @ Mississippi Braves

Full Box Score

Christian Yelich, CF: 0-for-4, SO
Jake Marisnick, RF: 0-for-4, 3 SO

Jay Jackson, SP: 7.0 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 8 SO, HR

Jay Jackson pitched his best start of the year, reaching seven innings for the second time, and beating his season high in strikeouts. The 25-year-old right-hander has a 2.45 ERA this season. He pitched in Triple-A last year as a member of the Chicago Cubs organization.

High Class A: Jupiter Hammerheads
W 2-1 vs. Palm Beach Cardinals

Full Box Score

Brent Keys, LF: 2-for-3, R, BB
Austin Nola, SS: 1-for-3, R, BB, SO

Jared Rogers, SP: 5.0 IP, 4 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

Austin Nola continues to be one of the more patient hitters in the Marlins organization, walking for the 13th time yesterday. His 9.0 percent walk rate in Jupiter isn't quite as strong as last year's 11.7 percent in Greensboro, but it's still a good figure in a pitcher's league.

Low Class A: Greensboro Grasshoppers
L 3-6 @ Lakewood BlueClaws

Full Box Score

Anthony Gomez, SS: 3-for-5
Jesus Solorzano, CF: 0-for-4, BB, 2 SO

Austin Brice, SP: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO, HR

Austin Brice qualified for the Fish Stripes 2013 Top Miami Marlins Prospects List thanks to his dominating stuff, but with an acknowledgement that his control needed serious improvement. We haven't seen that this year. Brice posted a 4.35 ERA in low Class A Greensboro last year, with a 10.0 SO/9 and a 5.6 BB/9.

The Marlins decided to keep Brice in Greensboro to begin the season, and his numbers thus far have been worse than last year. He has a 5.45 ERA in 34.2 innings pitched, with a 7.8 SO/9 and a 6.5 BB/9.

Fish Stripes: All Posts by Eric Weston

Miami Marlins Daily Minor League Report: May 23

Miami Marlins Daily Minor League Report: May 21

Fish Cap: Miami Marlins 3, Philadelphia Phillies 7

2013 MLB Draft: Mock drafts from around the Internet

2013 MLB Draft: Five more players the Miami Marlins might take sixth overall

Miami Marlins Daily Minor League Report: May 19

MLB Scores: Miami Marlins 2, Arizona Diamondbacks 1

Miami Marlins vs. Arizona Diamondbacks: Nolasco throws gem, Marlins win 2-1

Current Series

Diamondbacks lead the series 2-0

Miami Marlins Daily Minor League Report: May 17