Miami Marlins (69-93)
– Last place NL East
The Marlins entered the 2012 season with a brand new stadium, name, logo,
manager, and multiple high price free agents, but none of these things could
help lead the Marlins to a winning record.
The Ozzie Guillen experiment was a complete catastrophe, which is not
really a surprise given Guillen’s reputation.
The team became a seller at the deadline and at some point traded away
many key parts, including superstar Hanley Ramirez, top starting
pitcher Anibal Sanchez, and recently signed closer Heath Bell.
Not even a state-of-the-art stadium featuring a huge
Marlins sculpture in left-center field and an aquarium
built into the backstop could help the Marlins in 2012
(image courtesy of wikipedia.org)
Pitchers- The
pitching staff was overhauled in the off-season, adding starters Mark Buehrle
and Carlos Zambrano, and closer Heath Bell.
Buehrle was the only successful one of the bunch, leading the team in
innings pitched and wins, while Zambrano was demoted to the bullpen and Bell
lost his job to Steve Cishek. Bell was
the epitome of bad, blowing 8 saves in 27 opportunities, all while keeping his
ERA in the low 5’s. This was not the type of
production the Marlins expected from Bell when they signed him to a 3 year, $27
million dollar deal following his All-Star 2011 season with San Diego. He was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks immediately following the season. The starters were mostly solid all year, led
by Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, and Buehrle.
Anibal Sanchez was also very good before he was traded to the Detroit Tigers in
July. Youngsters Nate Eovaldi and Jacob
Turner, acquired from the Dodgers and Tigers respectively, were very good after being acquired at the deadline. They both have a bright future, as Turner is only 21 and Eovaldi is just 22.
Infield- There
was quite a bit of turnover in the Marlins infield in 2012. Shortstop Jose Reyes joined the team in the
off-season after signing a $106 million dollar contract. He didn’t disappoint,
hitting .287 and stealing 40 bases from the leadoff spot. Trades throughout the season greatly affected the rest of the Marlins infield. The team lost 3rd baseman Hanley
Ramirez (Dodgers), 1st baseman Gaby Sanchez (Pirates), and 2nd baseman Omar
Infante (Tigers) to trades in July and also brought in 1st baseman Carlos
Lee from the Houston Astros. Greg Dobbs and Donovan Solano did a
good job filling in for Ramirez and Infante. The 24 year old Solano was 2nd on the team in batting average
after replacing Infante. Another piece
from the Anibal Sanchez trade, catcher Rob Brantly, also ended the season
strong, hitting .290 after arriving in Miami.
Outfield-
Injuries were a problem in the outfield for the Marlins in 2012. Logan Morrison, Emilio Bonifacio, and Chris
Coghlan all missed significant time.
Missing Bonifacio at the top of the lineup was a huge blow, considering
he stole 30 bases in just 64 games. The
biggest surprise was replacement Justin Ruggiano, who led the team in batting
average at .313 and hit 13 home runs in just under 300 at bats. The rock in this outfield is Giancarlo
Stanton, who solidified himself as one of the game’s best young power hitters
in 2012. Stanton hit 37 home runs,
despite missing a month of the season, and he also lead the team in RBIs with
86.
Check back on Thursday for Wade Arthur’s take on the Boston
Red Sox
.
Also, we're going to be trying out a new feature, the Twitter account of
the day, featuring our pick of the player on the team we’re reviewing with the
most entertaining twitter account.
Today’s choice is outfielder/first baseman Logan Morrison.
Check him out on Twitter at @LoMoMarlins
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