Fish Stripes: All Posts by Jon Melton

Fish Bites: Who's on First, I Don't Know on Third

2012-11-12T12:00:21Z

Editor's Note: Once again, due to a mistake regarding publishing times, I was unable to get Jon Melton's Fish Bites piece out on Friday. Today, you'll see both Jon and Scott G's Fish Bites. Again, we should have our regular schedule by this Friday.

In 1938, the legendary Abbott and Costello routine "Who's on first" was born. More than 70 years later, the Miami Marlins are confusing and confounding the fans with the very same question. The Marlins will enter spring training for the 2013 season with only one first baseman to speak of (Logan Morrison), and a lot of question marks at the other corner infield spot.

Morrison has been plagued by knee injuries for the better part of the past two seasons, and had last season cut short as he missed nearly 70 games. Though he says the off-season rehab from the September surgery is coming along better than expected, Marlins fans are undoubtedly skeptical, and for good reason.

There are a handful of free-agent options that would be good fits, such as James Loney, Adam LaRoche or Mike Napoli. LaRoche is coming off a career year after belting 33 home runs and driving in 100 RBI, and will likely come with a hefty price tag. Napoli has become a productive player since being injected into the lineup everyday, but he could be a time-slot hit, a product of a potent lineup. Loney would be the most "Marlin friendly", as he would come relatively cheap and has been one of the most consistent hitters in the NL for years. He isn't much of a power hitter, so if pop is what you're looking for, there's always Carlos Pena. He's guaranteed to hit around .200 but he's averaged 29 homers and better than 85 RBI for the past five seasons.

The Marlins got virtually no offensive production from the corner infield spots and assuming Morrison is healthy, that still leaves a glaring need at third. The signing of Kevin Kouzmanoff adds some veteran leadership to a young squad but is hardly the answer. Kouzmanoff is a bench player at best, and Greg Dobbs, while having a fairly successful 2012 campaign, isn't the kind of player the Fish need on the hot corner. The free agent market for third basemen is ridiculously thin, so the hot corner may have to wait until 2013.

-The Marlins brought in a Bronx hero on Thursday, hiring Tino Martinez as the new hitting coach. Martinez is tasked with raising a team average that ranked 24th last season.

-The Boston Herald is reporting that the Marlins are unlikely to move Josh Johnson before Opening Day. Several teams are likely to kick the tires on the former All-Star, though his value has decreased due to injury. The Marlins will likely track his progression through the early parts of the 2013 season before making any moves to trade Johnson.

-On May 21st of last season, Giancarlo Stanton broke the left field scoreboard in Marlins Park with a Roy Hobbs-esque grand slam. Stanton's slam is up for a 2012 GIBBY award and fans are encouraged to vote as many times as they like. The polls close on December 2nd, the awards are on December 4th. Knowing Miami, they'll still be counting on December 5th.

-The Sun Sentinel is projecting a rough first season for new skipper Mike Redmond. The article notes several holes in the roster, most notably - drum roll please - third base.

Around the League

-Baseball purists hate the idea of instant replay in baseball, and Wednesday's announcement of replay expansion will likely add fuel to the fire. According to Joe Torre, MLB and the commissioner are looking into instant replays for fair-foul plays and "more than that." This has assured every Yankees-Red Sox meeting will now run over seven hours.

-It has been reported that Nationals' manager Davey Johnson is likely to return to the team for the 2013 campaign.

-It seems the Dodgers are inching closer to a trade for starting pitching, according to MLB.com. The Dodgers are looking to rebound from a disappointing end to the 2012 season, after a slew of trades netted the team little "magic."

At Fish Stripes

-Here at Fish Stripes, the Marlins' off season needs are a top priority and some of those needs may be filled through trades. For an in-depth look at the Fish's "trade bait", look no further.

-Along with the bait that Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco provide are the possible acquisitions that would come from moving such players. Michael Jong explores several options here.

-The Marlins will be forced to take a look at re-signing some big names to big-deals this coming season, including Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton will likely demand a $100 million extension, and the Marlins may have to pass on an extension for Johnson, whose trade could help fill holes in other places.

Fact or Fishin: Miami Marlins Front Office Hires Mike Redmond For Puppet Regime

2012-11-06T17:00:06Z

Editor's Note: Everyone, please welcome Jon Melton to the Fish Stripes crew! He will working on Fish Bites every Friday, but due to some time constraints and editing difficulties regarding Fish Bites this week, his first piece will be published today. Sorry to Jon and Scott G for publishing both of your Fish Bites on the same day, we'll be back to your regularly scheduled program starting tomorrow with Brian.

As the great Yogi Bera once said, "It's deja-vu all over again." Another failed season in the books, another Miami Marlins manager cast away like stale Cuban bread. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria found his man - again - early Thursday morning, making Mike Redmond the seventh man to manage the team since the start of the 2006 season.

Redmond, 41, was on the Marlins' short list of managerial candidates, having brought in Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon two days prior to interview for the same position. With the Marlins ridding itself of nearly every bench coach to go along with Ozzie, it will be interesting to see who else is brought in to round out the rest of the coaching staff.

It's hard to determine if this hiring is a legitimate opportunity for Redmond to be groomed over the long haul or if this is just another loyal puppet that David Samson won't have to feel threatened by. The firing of Ozzie Guillen left a bad taste in the mouths of fans and many players, and it also didn't do much to make the Marlins an attractive landing spot for any respectable, proven managers.

Gone are the docile Fredi Gonzalez and Edwin Rodriguez, former Manager of the Year Joe Girardi, the legendary Jack McKeon and the powder keg Ozzie Guillen. Enter Mike Redmond. For what it's worth, Redmond was signed to a three-year deal, though history has proved that doesn't mean much with this organization. And while his tenure likely will span longer than those of Cookie Rojas and Brandon Hyde, it's hard to believe that this front office will give Redmond what it takes to become the next McKeon or Leyland.

-Redmond joins the club with only two years of managerial experience in A-ball, and though he may not be a "sexy" hire, he shouldn't be dismissed or overlooked. After all, as a former big-league catcher, often times he acted as more of a game manager than an actual manager would.

-Redmond will be officially introduced as the new manager on Friday, hopefully fully clothed. Though he takes the job with the bare essentials, the naked truth remains that he may once again be able to help the Marlins break free from a season-long slump.

-Redmond has garnered plenty of praise from his former manager Jack McKeon, with McKeon expressing his approval on the Marlins' latest move. The kind words are surely welcome, but a decent lineup is worth a thousand words.

-Logan Morrison is busy rehabbing his injured knee and also trying to raise money for the American Lung Association. The move is an apparent homage to his father who died of lung cancer in 2010.

-Mark Buehrle continued to prove to Marlins' management and fans that his signing was a good one, as Buehrle won his fourth Gold Glove award on Wednesday.

Around the League

-MLB and the Yankees are reaching out to victims of Superstorm Sandy in the New York area. The MLB and MLBPA are donating $1 million to the relief fund, and the Yankees have chipped in another half-million. The Yankees are also sponsoring a blood drive in the wake of the New York Blood Center reporting a sizable loss in usable blood due to the storm.

-The Oakland A's have come to terms with pitcher Bartolo Colon, agreeing on a one-year, $3 million deal. First Manny, now Colon. If the A's manage to land Melky Cabrera in free agency, they'll be one stop closer to landing a stadium sponsorship deal with Andro. The Andro Coliseum at Brian McNamee field. Has a nice ring to it.

At Fish Stripes

-Michael Jong talks in-depth about the Mike Redmond hiring here, and what the hiring means to the seemingly endless parade of Marlins' managers.

-A detailed look at Mark Buehrle's Gold Glove Award announcement, along with some dynamite video of Mark flashing the glove on the "Buehrle Meter."

-For all you true baseball geeks that yearn for winter league baseball, a look inside one of the more promising of prospects inside the Marlins' system, Marcell Ozuna.

-Fish Stripes takes an in-depth look at one of the better trades in recent Marlins memory, the deal with Detroit that brought in Jacob Turner and Rob Brantly.

-Fish Stripes author Conor Dorney examines the Marlins and their definition of "underachieving.'