Another week down, another week closer to April 4 and the grand debut of the Miami Marlins in 2012. But along the way, the Fish may run into some pitfalls, and Spring Training promises to snag someone away for an injury stay. This week, we began suffering some of those Spring Training scares.
- One person the Marlins definitely cannot afford to have miss time is Giancarlo Stanton, who is currently being bothered by a knee problem. Apparently, it's just a "little inflammation" according to the outfielder, which is good. The team may hold him out until the April 1 and 2 exhibition games against the New York Yankees.
- Not to be outdone, Logan Morrison's knee is also bothering him. He has some swelling in his surgically repaired right knee, which was repaired this past offseason. Ever the competitor, LoMo wants to get out there, but we will need him healthy and there is no reason to mess with his health during Spring Training when Opening Day is the more important goal.
- All of these injuries to these outfielders actually have the competition for the last outfield spot brewing. In the mix at the moment are Chris Coghlan, Scott Cousins, Austin Kearns, Bryan Petersen, and Aaron Rowand competing for what is very likely to be one spot. If I had to choose, I would go with the younger guys in Cousins and Petersen, but I would not be surprised if the Marlins turned to a veteran outfielder like Rowand who can still man center field when Emilio Bonifacio needs time off or has to occupy another position.
- If you were concerned about Mark Buehrle and his poor spring so far, Ozzie Guillen insists that he is always like this.
"I told a couple of people from the Marlins, 'Wait until you see Mark Buehrle throw in spring training. I don't think you're going to like it much. Make sure when he's pitching in the games, just walk away because he is not pretty,' he said.
Well, he's honest at least. Got to love that. I would not put much of anything into Buehrle's struggles right now, as he remains a competent pitcher and we are looking at a seven-inning sample.
- Did you know that Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes are getting along really well? Heck, they're playing Playstation! Despite all that talk that Ramirez would hate the situation, he remains happy and, so far in spring, productive, and that can only bode well for the Fish.
- We've mentioned the ongoing problem with Marlins Park and its parking situation. Well, Adam Morris of SB Nation's Lone Star Ball is not a fan of it and of the ownership under which it has happened. It's not a totally unfair view, but this comment in the comments section is what I have a little bit of a problem with:
There are more people talking about the Marlins on LSB than people talking about the Marlins on Fish Stripes...
Kinda sad really.
Come on Fish Stripers, the season's almost here. Let's pick up the discussion pace!
Around the League
- Apparently the Washington Nationals will do the smart thing for their franchise and start Bryce Harper in Triple-A this season. Patrick Reddington of SB Nation's Federal Baseball asks just how long Harper will be in the minors. If the team keeps him in the minors through a bit of June, they can avoid him becoming a Super Two player and guarantee as much time with him as possible, so there is no reason not to.
- The Philadelphia Phillies released Dontrelle Willis this past week. In fact, Will Stanifer of Marlin Maniac is wondering whether the team should go after him. I'd say no, but who cares on a minor league deal, honestly.
At Fish Stripes
- The Miami Marlins Season Preview series continued with a preview of Mark Buehrle's 2012 season. What can we expect from the big lefty free agent acquisition?
- Over the weekend, we had the latest Wild Pitch contest and the poll of the week: how much would you pay for a hamburger at the ballpark?