Fish Stripes - Fish Stripes 2014 Marlins Season PreviewCovering the Marlins every day in our own wayhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52814/Screen_Shot_2018-12-07_at_12.32.35_PM..png2014-03-31T08:00:26-04:00http://www.fishstripes.com/rss/stream/52437672014-03-31T08:00:26-04:002014-03-31T08:00:26-04:00Fish Stripes 2014 Season Preview: Bold predictions
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<p>Fish Stripes has previewed the entire 2014 Miami Marlins roster, but what would the preseason be without some crazy bold predictions? Find out what I think about the Fish's win total, Giancarlo Stanton's home run count, and more!</p> <p>Fish Stripes is all done previewing the 2014 <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Marlins</a>, so all that is left to say and do and is to provide some <i style="font-weight: bold;">bold predictions </i>for the campaign. Miami does not have a lot to play for competitively, as the franchise is set to struggle through another difficult season. But if there is one thing we as fans can do, it is to cheer for the #minorvictories and find our own things to bet on in 2014. So what can we expect from the Fish this year? Here are some of my bold predictions.</p>
<h5>1. <span>Giancarlo Stanton</span> will hit 40-plus home runs.</h5>
<p>The over/under according to the Vegas-based sportsbook Bovada has Stanton at 38.5 home runs, meaning the mean projection is expected to be just that. Considering that Stanton was expected to hit around that total last season before injuries and ineffectiveness hit, you can see that the Vegas people still have not lost a lot of confidence in the young slugger. Given the types of moonshots he hit this Spring Training, I am not surprised either.</p>
<p>So let's bump that total of 38 home runs a bit more. I would be willing to say that Stanton will hit more than 40 homers this season, even if he is forced to miss a small amount of time nursing nagging injuries. He will be motivated to try and earn his impending contract extension, whether that is with the Marlins or (almost certainly) elsewhere. He will have a year of adjustments to the risk-averse pitching style that he has been facing since 2013. Perhaps most importantly, however, is that he will hopefully stay healthy enough to run into enough pitches to take out of the ballpark.</p>
<p>The bet seems easy to make, but as you can see, a good amount has to go right for Stanton. Miami is hoping he can stay on the field and produce at the plate, but question marks abound. I am just willing to be very optimistic about what will likely be the final season we get of Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton.</p>
<h5>2. <span>Jose Fernandez</span> will pitch 200 innings and manage an ERA less than 3.00.</h5>
<p>Again, this one does not sound terrible, and indeed I projected as much heading into 2014. But not every ace stays healthy and effective enough to get to 200 innings; only 36 pitchers threw 200 or more innings last season. Fernandez managed to surpass the 170-inning mark for the first time in his career last season, and the team is aiming to stretch him out to 200 this year. But in order to do that, Fernandez has to avoid the injury bug that has plagued other great Marlins starters like <span>Josh Johnson</span> and <span>Josh Beckett</span>.</p>
<p>As for the second part, we should expect Fernandez to give up a few more home runs this year after he yielded just 10 last season. Other than that, it is difficult to foresee how his numbers will react after a year of adjustments. He did perform better in the second half than in the first, but that might just be a statistical blip. He does not depend on deception so much as pure awesome stuff, so the sort of decline that someone like <span>Dontrelle Willis</span> saw in his sophomore season is unlikely. Fernandez is also starting from higher ground, meaning that if he falters, he should drop back down to just "very good" numbers.</p>
<p>Oh, and remember the last time he allowed a home run? He came back and did this:</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2127851/fernandez-hr.gif"><img src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/imported_assets/2127851/fernandez-hr_medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Fernandez-hr_medium"></a></p>
<p>via <a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/assets/3207783/fernandez-hr.gif">cdn0.sbnation.com</a></p>
<p>Maybe more of that isn't such a bad thing.</p>
<h5>3. <span>Adeiny Hechavarria</span> will challenge for a Gold Glove.</h5>
<p>Look, no one is probably as good at shortstop as <span>Andrelton Simmons</span>, so Hechavarria won't win it, especially now with Simmons's reputation behind him. But last year, Hechavarria struggled at times defensively, made more than his fair share of errors, and the defensive numbers did not look pretty. At the same time, he <i>looked</i> the part of "elite defender," better certainly than previous Marlins predecessors <span>Hanley Ramirez</span> and Jose Reyes. So it is difficult to reconcile his elite reputation and good appearances versus his poor numbers from last year.</p>
<p>I'd be willing to give him some slack for his first extended look in the big leagues. Hechavarria is athletic and has a strong arm, so perhaps it will require a little more teaching from Marlins infield coach Perry Hill to nail down the instincts and mechanics of being a great shortstop. Hill has the reputation of being a defensive horse whisperer, and he did coach <span>Alex Gonzalez</span> and <span>Luis Castillo</span> to Gold Glove seasons, so it is not out of reach to say that he has the ability to teach Hechavarria how to refine his athletic defensive gifts.</p>
<p>More importantly, it will be on Hechavarria to perform defensively because he and the team both know he will not do the same offensively. Hechavarria may improve on the offensive side in 2014, but it will not be enough to make him a valuable (or even replacement-level) player unless he adds an award-winning glove to the mix. His job may depend on it.</p>
<h5>4. <span>Nathan Eovaldi</span> will post a 3.50 ERA and strike out seven batters per nine innings.</h5>
<p>It's a modest increase from last year, but Eovaldi is primed for a potential breakout if he figures out just one basic thing: how to get left-handed hitters out. Last year, his fastball-slider combo whiffed 19 percent of righties faced, and he displayed excellent control against them with a six percent walk rate. Against lefties, those numbers went to 15 percent and 12.5 percent respectively. In short, he was hopeless against left-handers and strong against righties.</p>
<p>How can he improve on that performance? Finding a pitch to go to would be a good start. He tried the curve last season and could not place it for strikes or get hitters to miss. The slider was highly ineffective and never in the strike zone versus lefties. He had to depend more on more on his top-notch fastball as a result, and it was only a decent offering on its own.</p>
<p>Eovaldi likely made the right decision on what pitch between the curve and change to choose, but the development of the offering was weak. It will be up to second-year coach Chuck Hernandez to continue working with him to see if he can reduce the issues with the pitch in 2014. If he can, Eovaldi's effectiveness should bump him up enough to avoid him being the next <span>Daniel Cabrera</span> and make him a solid mid-rotation choice going forward for MIami.</p>
<h5>5. Miami will win 73 games this season and place third in the division.</h5>
<p>OK, that may be wishful thinking, but it is not that far from the truth. The bottom of the NL East is not a pretty sight, with the overmatched Marlins playing alongside the equally overmatched <a href="https://www.amazinavenue.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New York Mets</a> and <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Philadelphia Phillies</a>. All three teams have some measure of stardom, followed quickly by the dregs of the league. The truth is that Miami, Philly, and the Mets should be within five games of each other by the end of the season just based on their meager roster construction.</p>
<p>Which of the three is better? Chances are the Mets are the best of the three teams, but only by a smidgen. Miami may go further down and is probably the least talented of the three, but I trust that the age issues of the Phillies could easily lead to injury concerns. The Mets and Marlins should be in for a tight race for the third and fourth spots. It will all be irrelevant once the season and ends and all three clubs are in the cellar far below the <a href="https://www.talkingchop.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Braves</a> and <a href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Washington Nationals</a>, but the Marlins should take solace in seeing some improvement over their ugly 2013 campaign.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/31/5555930/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-bold-predictions-giancarlo-stanton-jose-fernandezMichael Jong2014-03-30T13:09:24-04:002014-03-30T13:09:24-04:002014 Marlins Season Preview: Ichthyomancy!
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<figcaption>Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Another season for the Miami Marlins means another year of Ichthyomancy! Here's how you can play and get involved with the best Marlins pick'em game around!</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a> are going to have a difficult 2014 season, but that does not mean us Fish Stripes readers cannot have a little fun and competition this year. One of the ways that Fish Stripes provides some in-season entertainment is via the premier Marlins prediction game, Ichthyomancy! Yes, Ichthyomancy is back, and while this preview comes a little later than I'd like, I hope it will still serve to tell everyone about the game and get you all to play again in 2014!</p>
<p>Last Season's Winners</p>
<p>The offseason got carried away and I failed to declare the winners from last year in a big way, but let me reiterate those winners The winner for last year was <strong><em>Jigokusabre</em></strong> by a landslide victory.</p>
<p>Rules</p>
<p>The rules are essentially the same as last season and similar to years before. Here is the article on the rules from last season, for reference. There are, however, a few significant tweaks for this year.</p>
<p>The basic premise is that you will each make three picks for the game.</p>
<p><strong>Attendance</strong>: One pick will be your selection for attendance. You write in your thought on how many people will attend the game. The person with the closest guess gets two points.</p>
<p><strong>Hero of the Game:</strong> Your next pick is going to be for hero of the game. This will be the Marlins player with the most WPA in the game. However, this season, we will accept up to the top three WPA, provided they are all above 0.100. If no Marlin gets more than 0.100 WPA, no one will be called the hero of the game.</p>
<p><strong>Above and Beyond:</strong> This is a wild card selection of your choice. Essentially, you can guess anything that might happen during the game, though preferably something that is trackable via the box score. Think <span>Giancarlo Stanton</span> is going to hit a home run? Put it down! Think <span>Donovan Solano</span> is going to hit three home runs? Put it down! Each player makes a pick, and at the end of the game, we determine how many points a correct guess is worth. This season, AAB picks can be worth up to four points now, so if you are certain <span>Jose Fernandez</span> is going to throw a no-hitter, that will be four points in the books for you. The AAB winner often ends up being at the top of the season's list, so the category is very important.</p>
<p>Format/p>
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<p>Here's what you have to do to play. Everyday, we are going to post a game thread a few hours early before the game. Go ahead and put up your Ichthy picks in the comments as follows:</p>
<p>- The title of the comment should be your attendance pick</p>
<p>- The first line of the comment should be your hero of the game</p>
<p>- The second line of the comment should be your AAB pick</p>
<p>If you did it right, it should look something like this:</p>
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<p><strong>22,000</strong></p>
<p>Giancarlo Stanton</p>
<p>Donovan Solano 3 home runs</p>
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<p>It is as simple as that! We will tabulate the rest and keep everyone posted with weekly updates to the scores. At the end of the season, we will award two winners: a second half and overall season winner!</p>
<p>What's the best way to be in the winner's circle? You have to keep playing! Put in your picks every day and you too have a chance to win Ichthyomancy like the winners before you! So get started today and go to the game thread in a few hours and place your Ichthyomancy picks! And if you have time, join the rest of the Fish Stripers in the game thread!</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/30/5563926/fish-stripes-2014-marlins-season-preview-ichthyomancyMichael Jong2014-03-30T12:00:04-04:002014-03-30T12:00:04-04:002014 Season Preview: Fish Stripes community
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<figcaption>How can Marlins fans and Fish Stripes readers contribute to the website in 2014? | Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Fish Stripes is ready to begin the 2014 regular season, and the site would love to have more involvement from a great Marlins community. Here is what you can do contribute to the Fish Stripes community and have your voice heard!</p> <p>The 2014 regular season is upon us, and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a> are ready to embark on another campaign. Fish Stripes is also ready to start another successful season covering the Fish, but the blog could not be at its best without the support and help of the excellent community. Here at Fish Stripes, readers are not just passive observers watching the staff pontificate; no, the readership here at Fish Stripes can be just as active as the writing staff! Thanks to SB Nation's unique platform, readers can make their voices heard in a variety of ways and discuss Marlins baseball with the Fish Stripes staff all the time!</p>
<p>How can you, a reader, be a bigger part of a growing Marins community? Here are some of the ways we encourage you to get involved on the site!</p>
<h5>Comments</h5>
<p>The SB Nation live commenting system is a great way to encourage readers to discuss the happenings on the site with the authors and each other. At the end of each article, there is a comments section that allows you to wrtie your thoughts in real time about what you read. And authors and other members of the community can just as quickly and easily respond, leading to a live discussion on the topic at hand. If you do not agree with what the staff or I said, speak up in our comments section and let's talk baseball!</p>
<h5>Game Threads</h5>
<p>There is no other better example of our SB Nation real-time commenting system than in the daily game threads. During each and every game, Fish Stripes will post a game thread that previews the game then encourages a live discussion of all the happenings of the game! Members of the staff will be present to talk about the Marlins and whatever else comes to mind during games, and the game threads are home to many of the site's inside jokes and ongoing memes that have developed over the years. Get in on the action, turn on a Marlins game however you choose, and start discussing the Fish with us live!</p>
<h5>Ichthyomancy</h5>
<p>The 2014 season of Ichthyomancy will be in full swing starting tomorrow as well! Ichthyomancy is a pick'em game in which we make selections on how various aspects of the game end, and those picks are made before the game starts in the game thread. We'll have more on Ichthyomancy, including its format and history, in a later piece today.</p>
<h5>FanPosts</h5>
<p>But the participation here at Fish Stripes goes beyond commenting and discussing with the staff. Readers have a chance to <i style="font-weight: bold;">write their own posts</i> and have their work featured at the front of the site!</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/2925667/FishStripes_FanPosts.png"><img src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/2925667/FishStripes_FanPosts_medium.png" class="photo" alt="Fishstripes_fanposts_medium"></a> <br id="1396136338215"></p>
<p>On the right sidebar of the main page, you can see our FanPosts section that is filled with community-written content, in order of most recent. At the bottom of that sidebar, you can find a link to write your own FanPosts, which will immediately show up on the sidebar when published. Have something you're dying to talk about and share with the community? As long as the post is an <i style="font-weight: bold;">original piece</i> (please, no links to your work on other sites or copied pieces from other places) and greater than 75 words, you can post it on our site and let the community know what you have to say!</p>
<p>Don't think your work is not being noticed either. The editors of the site, Scott and I, will work hard to identify the most interesting and exciting content from our readers and promote them to the front page of the site! If you are an aspiring writer, you can get your work started here and have it be read on the front cover of our site in front of all of the Fish Stripes community!</p>
<h5>FanShots</h5>
<p>Do you have something to share from another location, like a funny picture involving the Fish or a great article from another website? Leave us a short comment on the link and feature it here on Fish Stripes in our FanShots!</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/2925683/FishStripes_FanShots.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Fishstripes_fanshots_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/assets/2925683/FishStripes_FanShots_medium.png"></a> <br id="1396136786319"></p>
<p>On the second section of the front page, you can see the FanShots section on the right sidebar. At the top of the sidebar, you can immediately insert the link to an article, picture, video, or anything worth sharing, and immediately create a FanShot for the community to see! The FanShots go down from most recent in that sidebar. And just like the FanPosts at Fish Stripes, if the FanShot is something that we think just has to be seen by all, we will feature it on the front page!</p>
<p>So be prepared, Fish Stripes readers, to share with us all the obscure Marlins links or GIFs (perfect for this feature) that you can find. I am fully prepared to see all the <span>Jose Fernandez</span> smiling GIFs to be posted to the front page this season.</p>
<p>What do you think Fish Stripers? What are your plans to make yourself heard in the community? What else can Fish Stripes do to feature your content? Let us know in the comments section!</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/30/5562294/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-fish-stripes-communityMichael Jong2014-03-30T09:00:09-04:002014-03-30T09:00:09-04:002014 Marlins Season Preview: What is Fish Stripes?
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<p>The Miami Marlins are ready to start the 2014 season. So is Fish Stripes! What can you expect from the SB Nation Marlins blog? Here is what we will provide and what you can do to be a part of the site!</p> <p>The 2014 MLB regular season begins next season, and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a> are ready to try and improve from a bitter 2013 campaign. But you know who else is ready to improve upon their previous season? Your SB Nation Marlins blog, Fish Stripes! Fish Stripes is back for another season with yours truly at the helm, and we are ready to once again bring the best Marlins coverage we can right to you, our loyal readers.</p>
<p>But what can you expect from us, and what do we want to see from you? Our number one goal here at Fish Stripes is to provide the best analytic and opinionated coverage of the team, from every aspect of the organization. What we want to hear is that you, the readers, also have a voice! So here, on this piece, we'll discuss what Fish Stripes will give to you, and what you can give to us to make our community the strongest on the web for the Marlins.</p>
<h5>Daily Schedule</h5>
<p>The Fish Stripes daily schedule is always subject to change, but you can expect a number of things on a regular basis.</p>
<p>- Bright and early in the morning (6 AM EST), you can expect to see our <b><i>Fish Bites</i></b> link dump feature. Fish Stripes readers can see all the links to the latest Marlins news and opinions, along with links to the most interesting bits around the web. Finally, all of yesterday's Fish Stripes articles will be featured in one convenient place, so you can review our very best from the previous day or the weekend.</p>
<p>- Also bright and early, at 7 AM EST, you can expect our crew of Marlins prospect experts to deliver the latest in minor league happenings in our daily <b><i>Minor League Recap</i></b> post. Here, readers can check the daily box scores for each minor league affiliate in 2014 and track your favorite prospects!</p>
<p>- Every day, Fish Stripes is ready to provide commentary on the most interesting news pieces of the day. The same folks who will bring you our daily Fish Bites pieces will also be commenting on what they believe are the most important stories of the day. In addition, I will be chiming in on those stories, continuing our top-flight news coverage with a unique Fish Stripes voice.</p>
<p>- In addition, you can expect to see one to two articles a day from me, on topics ranging from opinionated takes on the news to in-depth statistical analysis of your favorite team. My schedule is getting busier and busier with my day job, but I promise to continue to provide interesting, fresh takes on the Marlins on a daily basis.</p>
<p>- On game days, Fish Stripes can also expect our <i style="font-weight: bold;">game threads</i>, full of top-notch gameday coverage of the Marlins. The crew here at Fish Stripes promises to bring you a preview to each game, complete with lineups, statistics, and bold prediction as to how each game will end. Then comes the actual game, during which parts of the staff will be present daily to live-discuss the in-game happenings with the rest of the Fish Stripes community! In addition, the game thread is where you can post your <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ichthyomancy</i> picks for our season-long Ichthyomancy game (more on that later today).</p>
<p>- After the game, you can expect a quick recap on the happenings of the game, followed by a more detailed overview of the important happenings of the game. These will be our <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fish Caps</i> of the game!</p>
<h5>Weekly Events</h5>
<p>In addition to our daily coverage, Fish Stripes will feature weekly posts from a number of authors who will cover other aspects of the team.</p>
<p>- On Thursdays, our prospect maven Sam will cover <b><i>one minor league or prospects-based story</i></b> of interest per week, ranging from greater analysis for specific players to stories involving the Marlins' minor league affiliates. You can expect this post sometime during the day on Thursday, typically in the afternoon.</p>
<p>- On Fridays, our other prospect maven Eric will bring us our weekly <b><i>Marlins Top Prospects Report</i></b>, which is designed to keep you updated on the best Marlins prospects featured in our top twenty. How are the best guys doing? Who's stock is up, and who's is falling? Which players are on the rise and heading to the top 20 by season's end? All that and more every Friday!</p>
<p>Fish Stripes will continue to work to find new authors for the site as we go forward as well, to bring you the best coverage possible from all angles.</p>
<h5>The Staff</h5>
<p>Who are the folks who will bring you all of this coverage? Let me introduce each of us:</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Jong</i>: That's me, your lead editor and leader of Fish Stripes! I'll be providing daily coverage of various topics for the site, along with being ever-present at every possible game thread. Come discuss the Marlins with me!</p>
<p><b><i>Scott Gelman</i></b>: Scott will be taking over as a co-editor alongside me, and he will be responsible for a lot of our daily coverage. Scott will be writing two Fish Bites articles a week, and you can expect to hear his opinion everyday on various posts regarding the latest Marlins news.</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Paul Washington</i>: Paul is the newest member of our Fish Stripes team, and he will be contributing Fish Bites and news coverage on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Paul became a Marlins fan five years ago when he moved to south Florida, so he offers a different outlook and voice than the more veteran Marlins fan group here.</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Dakota Schmidt</i>: Dakota returns again to provide Fish Bites and news coverage on Wednesdays. We are happy to have an outside perspective on the team, as Dakota is more of an interested observer of the happenings in Miami.</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Sam Evans</i>: Sam returns for his third season in Fish Stripes as one of our two lead prospect mavens. Sam will work part of our Minor League Recap reports and contribute an article a week on the happenings of the minor leagues.</p>
<p><i style="font-weight: bold;">Eric Weston</i>: Eric is the other half of our superstar tandem of prospect mavens. Eric will be contributing the other half of our daily Minor League Recap reports and put up an article a week on our weekly top prospect progress reports!</p>
<p>That is the staff of Fish Stripes and what we can provide you here in 2014! If you want to know more about the website and everything it can provide, please ask here in the comments or feel free to contact me via email, and I'd be happy to answer!</p>
<p>Now that we have covered what Fish Stripes can do for you, stay tuned for later today, when we discuss what you can bring to our quaint little community.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/30/5562180/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-what-is-fish-stripesMichael Jong2014-03-28T09:40:41-04:002014-03-28T09:40:41-04:00Why the Marlins will win the pennant
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<figcaption>Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>On Opening Day, everyone can dream a little... or a lot.</p> <p>
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<p dir="ltr">No, that's not true. Truth be told, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> are barely closer to winning the NBA championship than they are to winning the pennant this year. But what can be said about the 2014 Marlins is that they are closer this year than they were last season. Last year, the Marlins were using a number of stopgap players in various positions and only a few players who held true protential. This year, different (and potentially better) stopgaps have arrived, but there are at least a few more promising names on the docket surrounding <span>Giancarlo Stanton</span> than there were last season. In fact, a number of players emerged in 2013 who could prove to be core members of the next competitive Marlins team.</p>
<p>The franchise has not had success developing hitting prospects as of late, with a number of non-Stanton players failing before they ever reached the big leagues, but that appears to be changing. The most important prospect is <span>Christian Yelich</span>, who parlayed a big season in Double-A into a solid debut in 2013 by batting .288/.370/.373 (112 OPS+). Yelich was a consensus top-20 prospect going into last season, but will he travel the path of stardom like Stanton or flounder like <span>Jeremy Hermida</span> before him?</p>
<p>The Marlins also made some outside additions to bolster last year's league-worst offense. The biggest and most noteworthy pickup was free agent catcher <span>Jarrod Saltalamacchia</span>, who was obtained for a reasonable price of $7 million a season for the next three years. Saltalamacchia is tasked with improving one of the worst offensive catching units in baseball last year (.194/.249/.280). Last year, he made fractional gains on his strikeouts (29.6 percent, down from 30.9 percent over the previous two years) and walks (9.1 percent, up from 7.4 percent) that made his game at the plate more consistent. The Marlins are also banking on more of the same power he provided last year, even if the hits drop a bit due to his .372 BABIP regressing. Anything would be better with the bat than another year of <span>Jeff Mathis</span>, and Saltalamacchia is also known for his solid game-calling behind the plate.</p>
<p>This is especially important after the great leap the rotation made last season. Jose Fernandez's jump from "questionable rookie inclusion" to "elite All-Star starter" was a surprising but enjoyable one. Fernandez turned in one of the finest rookie campaigns for a pitcher in recent memory, ranging from his ridiculous 2.19 ERA to his fiery 27.5 percent strikeout rate to his excitable mannerisms. For the Marlins, he represents the perfect player to carry them into a new era for the franchise; he is a young, fan-friendly, dominant ace of Cuban descent who can appeal to all aspects of the team's fanbase. The expectation is that, at 21 years old, Fernandez can only improve from his great heights of last season. He is going to be a crucial part of the next Marlins pennant winner, so his development in 2014 is essential, and the Marlins will at least be looking for more of the same from their best young starter since <span>Josh Beckett</span>.</p>
<p>The rest of the rotation also deserved merit and could be looking at great things in 2014. <span>Nathan Eovaldi</span> has a new fastball that averages close to 96 mph. He just completed a season in which he allowed just a 3.39 ERA with an improved strikeout rate. The Marlins are expecting him to find his second and third pitches and become a legitimate mid-rotation starter behind Fernandez. Henderson Alvarez quietly had a strong second half, complete with nary a home run allowed (two in 102 2/3 innings) and finishing with a no-hitter. If either can become a legitimate long-term option in Miami, the Fish will have figured out another piece of the difficult rebuilding puzzle this year.</p>
<p>The rebuilding process is important, because the Marlins boast a good cadre of prospects, led by their strong pitching depth. Top rospect <span>Andrew Heaney</span> is a potential midseason replacement who could make a Fernandez-like surprise debut. Heaney's game is consistent in approach and, so far in the minors, good results. The Marlins also have prospects in the high minors like <span>Brian Flynn</span>, <span>Justin Nicolino</span>, and <span>Adam Conley</span> who could all be ready in the next year or two. The Fish resisted the trade temptation this offseason in order to see if any of these parts could develop into pieces for an increasingly competitive Marlins roster in the future.</p>
<p>All of this means that the Marlins could be competitive in two years' time, but the 2014 season holds a lot more problems than good for the Fish. In order to be a winning ballclub this year, Miami would have to get a monster sophomore effort from both Fernandez and Yelich, establishing those two former top prospects as true stars. The club would have to develop a strong rotation behind Fernandez, with Heaney, Alvarez, and Eovaldi all being ready as second- or mid-rotation starters from the onset. And somehow, the additions of Saltalamacchia and the other veterans need to add enough average wins over the replacement-level play from last season to boost Miami into the 80-win range. Essentially, everything has to go right for Miami and some good luck just to come close to being competitive.</p>
<p>The Marlins will not win the 2014 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a>. But after the 2013 season, any improvement will feel like a pennant win.</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/28/5557210/2014-mlb-season-preview-why-the-marlins-will-win-the-pennantMichael Jong2014-03-27T16:39:12-04:002014-03-27T16:39:12-04:002014 Marlins Season Preview: Overall review
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<img alt="What can Marlins fans expect of Adeiny Hechavarria and the rest of the roster in 2014?" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/35LOdnIaYrMXxJbrtU8TB4yHFJc=/0x95:4000x2762/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/30769053/20140324_ajl_su8_055.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>What can Marlins fans expect of Adeiny Hechavarria and the rest of the roster in 2014? | Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fish Stripes completed reviewing all of the expected players on the 2014 Miami Marlins. Now that that is complete, what can we expect of the Fish this upcoming season?</p> <p>The <i style="font-weight: bold;">Fish Stripes 2014 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a> Season Preview</i> is now complete after having reviewed every player on the 2014 roster. Since our initial review, a few particulars have changed, most notably the likely absence of both <span>Jake Marisnick</span> and <span>Marcell Ozuna</span> from the roster in favor of <span>Reed Johnson</span> and the recent demotion of utility infielder <span>Donovan Solano</span> in a <a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/mia/marlins-trim-roster-rafael-furcal-likely-heading-to-disabled-list?ymd=20140327&content_id=70212028&vkey=news_mia">surprising move today</a>. The Fish are almost set with the majority of their important names, so now let us go back and review just how good the team is supposed to be.</p>
<h5>Position Players</h5>
<p>Remember a few weeks ago, we already <a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/7/5479646/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-giancarlo-stanton-christian-yelich-jarrod-saltalamacchia-overview">reviewed the likely position player situation</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><span>Where does that leave Miami's win total for their position players in 2014? The projection has them at </span><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #292929; font-family: 'Mercury SSm A', 'Mercury SSm B', Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; font-weight: bold;">about 14 WAR</i><span>. Keep in mind that last year, Miami posted a replacement-level performance at the plate, bereft of any value. This was thanks to monumentally poor performances from players like Hechavarria and Dobbs. Now, those players are expected to just be bad, rather than terrible, and that alone helps push Miami to a situation 14 wins better than they were last season, according to these projections.</span></p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is not a great situation. Miami's position players are ranked near the bottom of baseball in almost every category; according to <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2014-positional-power-rankings-introduction/">FanGraphs' positional power rankings</a>, the Fish ranked last or second-to-last in every infield position despite all of their signings this year. Combine that with decent years from the likes of <span>Christian Yelich</span> and <span>Giancarlo Stanton</span> and you get exactly what the Fish are expecting to see: a terrible turnout for their position players, good for at best a bottom-10 performance.</p>
<h5>Pitchers</h5>
<p>We just finished reviewing all of the pitchers, so let's go to the tape and see what we came up with for ERAs and WAR.</p>
<p><span>Jose Fernandez</span> (<a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/10/5486020/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-jose-fernandez/in/5243767">preview</a>): 2.94 ERA, 4.3 WAR<br><span>Nathan Eovaldi</span> (<a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/11/5494366/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-nathan-eovaldi/in/5243767">preview</a>): 4.08 ERA, 1.5 WAR<br><span>Henderson Alvarez</span> (<a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/12/5498548/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-henderson-alvarez/in/5243767">preview</a>): 3.96 ERA, 1.6 WAR<br><span>Jacob Turner</span> (<a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/13/5502518/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-jacob-turner/in/5243767">preview</a>): 4.47 ERA, 0.4 WAR<br>Fifth starters and remaining starters: 0.0 WAR</p>
<p><span>Steve Cishek</span> (<a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/24/5524034/fish-stripes-2014-marlins-season-preview-steve-cishek/in/5243767">preview</a>): 3.12 ERA, 0.5 WAR<br><span>Mike Dunn</span> (<a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/25/5539910/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-mike-dunn-carlos-marmol/in/5243767">preview</a>): 3.57 ERA, 0.4 WAR<br><span>Carlos Marmol</span> (<a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/25/5539910/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-mike-dunn-carlos-marmol/in/5243767">preview</a>): 4.21 ERA, -0.1 WAR<br><span>A.J. Ramos</span> (<a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/26/5544272/fish-stripes-2014-marlins-season-preview-a-j-ramos-carter-capps/in/5243767">preview</a>): 3.61 ERA, 0.2 WAR<br>Remainder of bullpen: -0.5 WAR</p>
<p>The presumption around the league is that the Marlins have some promising young pitchers who could shake some things up in 2014. The expected reality, however, is that outside of Fernandez, Miami's starters are still raw. Eovaldi has yet to figure out how to strike out hitters. Alvarez does not have the stuff to do that. Jacob Turner looked about as broken as a pitcher could be in the second half last season. And outside of <span>Andrew Heaney</span>, none of the Marlins' pitching prospects have upper-rotation ceilings, though they could all turn into mid-rotation starters.</p>
<p>The bullpen was a relative strength last year, but it seems difficult to expect a second straight year of great performance. Even if you bump up Cishek to one win (according to FanGraphs, he only has one one-win or more season under his wings), the whole crew is probably worth just about one win as a unit.</p>
<p>Overall, if you are generous about Cishek's impact as a closer, the whole pitching staff may be worth <i style="font-weight: bold;">8.8 WAR</i>, just under nine wins. As a comparison, only five teams in baseball last year had less than ten WAR according to FanGraphs on the pitching side, and that did not include the Marlins, who put up 14 wins last season on the pitching side. Part of the loss will come from regression on the part of Eovaldi, Alvarez, Fernandez, and Cishek, with no accompanying step up for the other pitchers. The rest of the bullpen will also take a hit, to the tune of about three wins.</p>
<h5>Overall</h5>
<p>How good would the Fish be in 2014 based on these projections? Consider that the total is <i style="font-weight: bold;">close to 23 Wins Above Replacement</i> and you can get an idea of how good a team like that is. According to a replacement level of 42 to 48 wins, the Marlins would be expected to be a <i style="font-weight: bold;">65- to 71-win team</i>.</p>
<p>What kind of teams were around this level in 2013? According to FanGraphs, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Seattle Mariners</a> (71 wins), <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.gaslampball.com/">San Diego Padres</a> (76 wins), and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brewcrewball.com/">Milwaukee Brewers</a> (74 wins) were all fairly close to that total. Only six teams, including the Marlins in 2013, had fewer WAR than the 23-WAR Padres, and only two of those teams (Mariners, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Philadelphia Phillies</a>) won more than 70 games.</p>
<p>The Marlins' goal in 2014 should be to hit the 70-win mark. If the Fish can pull that off, they will at least be advancing in their maturation towards an eventual contender status down the road. But the roster the team built barely upgraded itself over last year's version, with only the catcher position figuring to be a whole lot better in 2014. If the pitchers do not take a leap and the team simply treads water with veterans, how much better can we expect them to be this season?</p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/27/5554960/miami-marlins-2014-season-preview-jose-fernandez-nathan-eovaldi-overallMichael Jong2014-03-27T09:01:19-04:002014-03-27T09:01:19-04:002014 Marlins Season Preview: Rest of the bullpen
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/89gmnP2QRP-b2dgaWqx_mO5wtyE=/0x870:3020x2883/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/30685891/20140301_jla_bb1_165.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Miami Marlins appear to have their bullpen situation set. What can the Fish expect out of Henry Rodrgiuez, Kevin Slowey, and Brad Hand in 2014?</p> <p>With the demotions of <span>Carter Capps</span> and Arquimedes Caminero from the Spring Training roster, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Miami Marlins</a>' bullpen appears set (wish they had informed me before I did my write-up on Capps!). <span>Henry Rodriguez</span>, Kevin Slowey. and Brad Hand are highly expected to make the final roster in the last few roles available, so let's quickly glance at what each player is expected to offer.</p>
<h5 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0.75em; margin-bottom: 0.75em;"><span>Bullpen</span></h5>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Closer:</b> <span>Steve Cishek</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Setup:</b> <span>Mike Dunn</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Setup: </b><span>Carlos Marmol</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Middle Relief: </b>A.J Ramos</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Middle Relief:</b> <span>Henry Rodriguez</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">LOOGY:</b> <span>Brad Hand</span> / <span>Dan Jennings</span></span></div>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Long Relief:</b> <span>Kevin Slowey</span> / Brad Hand</span></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Minor League Options: </b><span>Arquimedes Caminero</span>, <span>Sam Dyson</span>, <span>Steven Ames</span>, <span>Nick Wittgren</span></span></p>
<h5>Henry Rodriguez</h5>
<p>Rodriguez is a nomad reliever who has worked for three different organizations in his short career so far. Throughout his time with primarily the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.federalbaseball.com/">Washington Nationals</a>, he has been known for high strikeout numbers and higher walk rates; he boasts a career 22.2 percent strikeout rate but a 15.1 percent walk rate. His last good year was in 2011, when he threw 65 innings and whiffed 70 batters while walking 45 on the way to a 3.56 ERA and 3.29 FIP (thanks to some home run luck). Since then, he has struck out 43 batters and walked 42 of them in parts of two seasons.</p>
<p>The Marlins are counting on him to provide strikeouts, but they aren't leaning on him for much and will likely have a short leash. The Fish cut <span>Jon Rauch</span> last year after 20 difficult innings despite signing him to a Major League contract; the team will surely not hesitate letting Rodriguez go if he falters. But on the off chance that he has figured out how to stop walking people (three walks in nine innings versus 14 strikeouts in Spring Training), the Marlins could have their <span>Chad Qualls</span> of 2014.</p>
<p><b>Proejction: 35 IP, 4.33 ERA, -0.1 WAR</b></p>
<h5>Kevin Slowey</h5>
<p>Last year, Slowey won the fifth starter job away from <span>Jacob Turner</span>, but the team quickly needed more than just him after injuries to <span>Nathan Eovaldi</span> and <span>Henderson Alvarez</span> forced their hand. Slowey started off well, posting a hot 2.15 ERA and 3.18 FIP in the month of April. thanks to Slowey avoiding his problem with home runs. After that point, the streak of luck did not last, and he allowed nine homers in 45 1/3 innings in the next two months.</p>
<p>At this stage, we have a good idea of who Slowey is. He throws soft stuff, but has excellent control and pounds the strike zone without impunity. The good news is that that leads to decent strikeout numbers and low walk rates. The bad news is that hitters turn on that slow stuff hard on occasion, leading to a huge rate in home runs. Barring an injury, Miami won't be depending much on Slowey, as he will be the team's primary long reliever. Steamer has him projected as a part-timer primarily out of the pen, and his 4.04 projected ERA in that role makes him a replacement-level player. Slowey's work out of the pen indeed should not lead to major improvement, primarily because his game is predicated not on fastball velocity or "all-out" effort, but in pinpoint precision.</p>
<p><b>Projection: 45 IP, 4.06 ERA, 0.0 WAR</b></p>
<h5>Brad Hand</h5>
<p>Hand played well enough in Spring Training to earn a starting job, but with Jacob Turner entrenched and <span>Tom Koehler</span> pitching equally as well, Miami had no room for the former pitching prospect. Hand is out of options, so the Fish have to play him on the roster or risk losing him via waivers, but the team has an excellent role for him as a lefty-only reliever. Dan Jennings played this role passably last season, but the club will opt to keep as many pitching options available to them open, so Hand should get the nod.</p>
<p>Hand's game has involved high strikeouts and high walks, but only the walks had been up until this Spring Training. But he just came off a 16-inning stretch during which he whiffed 18 batters with just five walks, which was highly impressive to the Fish. The Marlins need him to do just that, but on a simpler task: versus left-handed hitters out of the bullpen. Last season, Hand pitched similarly to lefties and righties in Triple-A, but he posted a better walk rate (6.8 percent) then against righies (13.9 percent). The Marilins would be happy if he could stay in control against southpaws, but his role at this time will be limited enough that it may not matter. Hand could also step in and spot start or serve as long relief in a pinch.</p>
<p><b>Projection 50 IP, 4.23 ERA, -0.1 WAR</b></p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/27/5548798/fish-stripes-2014-marlins-season-preview-rest-of-the-bullpenMichael Jong2014-03-26T12:00:23-04:002014-03-26T12:00:23-04:002014 Marlins Season Preview: Ramos, Capps
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NXFXKKk8EO_v0a9m1F3JYlvKB2I=/0x620:2967x2598/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/30685931/20140215_mje_bb1_841.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The latest Fish Stripes 2014 Marlins Season Preview talks about an incumbent crafty righty with high strikeout numbers. How will A.J. Ramos fare in 2014?</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Marlins</a> have bullpen options new and old in this upcoming 2014 season, and this latest duo of pitchers likely to work primarily in the seventh inning represent relatively new faces and exciting prospects for a possible future closer job. Both <span>A.J. Ramos</span> and Carter Capps* figured they would hold more important roles on the team in 2014, but the signing of Carlos Marmol has forced both back closer to the seventh inning, where they will pitch more often but with less on the line.</p>
<p><i>*Then Capps gets demoted and ruins my article for me.</i></p>
<h5 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0.75em; margin-bottom: 0.75em;"><span>Bullpen</span></h5>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Closer:</b> <span>Steve Cishek</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Setup:</b> <span>Mike Dunn</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Setup: </b><span>Carlos Marmol</span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Middle Relief: </b>A.J Ramos</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Middle Relief:</b> <span><span>Carter Capps</span> <span>Henry Rodriguez</span></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">LOOGY:</b> <span>Brad Hand</span> / <span>Dan Jennings</span></span></div>
<p id="paragraph1" class="pgh-paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Long Relief:</b> <span>Kevin Slowey</span> / Brad Hand</span></p>
<p id="paragraph2" class="pgh-paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em;"><span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Minor League Options: </b><span>Arquimedes Caminero</span>, <span>Sam Dyson</span>, <span>Steven Ames</span>, <span>Nick Wittgren</span></span></p>
<h5>A.J. Ramos</h5>
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<th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5; font-weight: 400; text-align: left;"><font style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">PROJECTION</font></th> <th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5; font-weight: 400;"><font style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">IP</font></th> <th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5; font-weight: 400;"><address style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><font style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">K/9</font></address></th> <th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5; font-weight: 400;"><font style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">BB/9</font></th> <th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5; font-weight: 400;"><font style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">ERA</font></th> <th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5; font-weight: 400;"><font style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">FIP</font></th> <th style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5; font-weight: 400;"><font style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">WAR</font></th>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5; text-align: left;"><span>Steamer</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;">55</td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>9.4</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>3.7</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>3.61</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>3.60</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>0.2</span></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5; text-align: left;"><span>Oliver</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>71</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>9.9</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>4.6</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>3.70</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>3.71</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>0.1</span></td>
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<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5; text-align: left;"><span>ZiPS</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>75 2/3</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>9.4</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>4.4</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>3.45</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>3.58</span></td>
<td style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 4px; border: 2px solid #ccd1d5;"><span>0.3</span></td>
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<p id="paragraph3" class="pgh-paragraph" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 1em;">Last season, Ramos put up an impressive line during his rookie season, and on many bullpen-starved teams, that would have led to closer speculation. Typically, a year in which a rookie right-hander puts up a 25.4 percent strikeout rate and throws 80 innings out of the pen with a 3.18 ERA and a supportive 3.24 FIP would earn a pitcher recognition within the team and a promotion in the bullpen order. But for Ramos, the Marlins found a way to force him back down into the seventh inning by signing Marmol. Steve Cishek has <a href="http://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/24/5524034/fish-stripes-2014-marlins-season-preview-steve-cishek">earned his job as closer</a>, so there was no chance the Fish would replace him in that position unless he was traded.</p>
<p>So Ramos is rewarded after a successful rookie year with the same heavy-innings, lower-leverage role that he occupied last season. Given his flaws, however, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Ramos is essentially the right-handed version of what Mike Dunn used to be; Ramos's impressive strikeout rate (which still did not beat out Cishek's) was mirrored by an equally-high 12.7 percent walk rate. The reason why the ERA and FIP were so low was because Ramos only allowed four home runs all season despite a heavy fly-ball repertoire (38.7 percent ground ball rate in 2013).</p>
<p>The good news is that, if you account for all of his batted balls (including his low line drive rates), Ramos looks closer toa 3.50 ERA rather than his true marks from last year or his xFIP, which had him at closer to 4.10 based on just his fly ball rate. Ramos still has to figure out how to face left-handed hitting, as he walked 16.2 percent of lefties versus just 9.6 percent of righties. His control is the only issue against them, as his changeup has been ridiculously effective at earning swings-and-misses (56 percent whiff rate versus lefties in 2013). Once he figures that out, Major League hitters better watch out, but until then, Miami will have to use him in a more limited role and let him learn on the job.</p>
<p><b>Projection: 75 IP, 3.61 ERA, 0.2 WAR</b></p>
https://www.fishstripes.com/2014/3/26/5544272/fish-stripes-2014-marlins-season-preview-a-j-ramos-carter-cappsMichael Jong