Love Him or Hate Him, but respect Mike Lowell
October 30, 2007
So Mike Lowell wins the 2007 World Series MVP and people around here just bash him.
Some people around here feel the only reason that Josh Beckett is a member of the Boston Red Sox is cause of Lowell.
The fact that Lowell gave the Florida Marlins a “hometown” discount when he was a free agent following the 2003 season. Lowell signed a four-year, 32-million dollar contract in December 2003 following a season in which he hit .276 with 24 home runs and 92 RBI along with 44 doubles.
The contract that was signed was contingent on the Marlins getting a stadium deal locked up (which of course we know still hasn’t happened). Read more
Important Off-Season Looms For Marlins
October 27, 2007
Once the formality of the World Series is over, the time for arm-chair quarterbacking begins. The off-season will fully get into gear as soon as the Red Sox finish disposing of the Rockies (c’mon, you don’t think the Cinderella team can come back, do you?). For the Marlins, coming off a disappointing 2007, their off-season is very important, as 2008 is the year many inside and outside the organization have pegged this team to make a run.
One could say that because of the Marlins payroll constraints, every off-season is important, because there is no room for error. If the Marlins put all (or most) of their monetary eggs in one basket, they MUST get a return for their investment. It’s that simple. They’re not going to out-bid teams for players, so they need to make smart decisions on who they dole their money out to. The Marlins have some holes this season that throwing some money at could fix. Read more
Where are the Catchers now?
October 20, 2007
This is the start of a feature I’ll be doing over the next several entries. I am going to break down each position on the field and analyze every player that has been a regular starter there for the Marlins over the years and let you know where they are now. The first will be catchers so let’s get this started.
1993-1994
Benito Santiago - He was the first catcher for the Florida Marlins, and hit the first home run in franchise history as well. Before signing with the Marlins in December of 1992, Santiago had played in parts of 7 seasons with the San Diego Padres. In 1993, he hit .230 but he did improve on that in his second season with a .273 batting average. More importantly his defense improved over the two year span going from 11 errors in 1993 to 5 in 1994. After 1994, the Marlins elected to go another route and did not re-sign Santiago. He’d go on to play 11 more seasons with the Reds, Phillies, Blue Jays, Cubs, Giants, Royals, and Pirates. Santiago signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets in 2006 but did not make the big leagues and is considered retired. Read more
A-Rod in Teal? Don’t Bank On It
October 19, 2007
Lately there have been rumors floating around about the possibility of Alex Rodriguez being a Florida Marlin in 2008 and beyond. These rumors all started with reports from Buster Olney of ESPN. On the surface, Marlins fans can’t help but be excited about the prospects of this however they should be just as skeptical. Let’s be realistic here, Alex Rodriguez is going to command just about the same amount of money the entire Marlins payroll earned in 2007. There’s about as much of a chance of Alex Rodriguez donning the teal and black as there is of former skipper Jack McKeon giving up cigars.