Today's an off day for the Marlins, so it's time to talk prospects...
Previously we linked to Baseball America's Top 10 prospects for the Marlins, but fellow SportsBlogger (and prospect guru) John Sickels has a much more complete list (with commentary) that can be found here. Keep in mind that this list was created in mid-March, so any hot/cold starts in the 05 campaign don't figure into the equation (not that they necessarily should either).
What's clear from this list is that the Marlins are stocked with pitchers. Of their top 20 prospects, 12 are pitchers. Five of them are lefties.
Some color on two of those lefties:
Scott Olsen
Upon finding this article about Scott Olsen, his stock dropped in my book. Granted, that's strictly a personal thing with me - and has nothing to do with his actual ability as a baseball player. The fact that he's a Cubs fan is bad enough. That he was torn about who to root for between the Cubs and Marlins when the Marlins were paying him is deplorable.
He did start the year off well though:
Jason Vargas
While not as highly touted (at least not yet) as some of the Marlins top pitching prospects, Vargas is well-accomplished, and may already be known to college baseball fans. Last year Vargas was a star (albeit behind ace Jered Weaver) for Long Beach State (so you could even call him a dirt bag and he wouldn't take offense to it).
Vargas has also gotten off to a great start this year in Greensboro.