Coming off another last-place finish, the Miami Marlins opened their 2014 spring camp with plenty of optimism.
“You know on the darkest days, it’s only going to get better,” manager Mike Redmond said.
The Marlins went 62-100 in 2013. Even after a busy offseason, questions still abound. Right-hander Jose Fernandez and right fielder Giancarlo Stanton are Miami’s undisputed marquee stars, but the Marlins will need much-improved performances from everyone on the team if they hope to avoid another year of triple-digit losses.
At the very least, the Marlins will get a fresh start with a revamped roster featuring new and experienced faces in the lineup and bullpen. Among veterans acquired: catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, first baseman Garrett Jones, second baseman Rafael Furcal, third baseman Casey McGehee, infielder Jeff Baker and reliever Carlos Marmol.
“We felt we needed a cultural change in the clubhouse, and we made it a point to sit face-to-face with these guys before we brought them on board,” general manager Dan Jennings said. “There was a common denominator in each guy we brought in. That was ‘team first.’”
After a front-office shake up that saw long-time GM Larry Beinfest part ways, new baseball operations president Mike Hill is counting on the new position players to take advantage of the spacious gaps at Marlins Park.
Miami will once again rely on starting pitching. The question is whether those starters will get ample run support. Last year, Miami scored 513 runs — 136 fewer than the NL average.
The Marlins also are assuming Fernandez will at least come close to duplicating his 2013 season, when he went 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA. He earned the National League Rookie of the Year award and finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting.
That will be a tough performance to repeat, but Fernandez said he expects better endurance after riding his bike this winter at least 500 miles per week.
Stanton needs to have a better year if the Marlins want to sniff anywhere above last place. He hopes the new lineup will lead to him seeing better pitches to hit.
Furcal participated in the playoffs in 12 of his 14 seasons, so the team hopes his leadership rubs off on younger players.
Redmond, a former catcher, hopes his players use last year’s rough season as incentive to achieve in 2014. He will remind them of how he won a World Series ring with the Marlins in 2003, a few years after he and other players endured a stretch that included 206 losses in 1998-99.
“As tough as it is at times, that experience is going to help a lot of players down the road,” he said. “It will. Sometimes it’s hard to convince people of that but I’ve already been through it. I’ve seen the success come at the end of it.”
NOTES, QUOTES
–RHP Carlos Marmol signed a one-year, $1.25 million contract with the Marlins, a move the team hopes will bolster the back of the bullpen. To make room on the 40-man roster, Miami designated RHP Chris Hatcher for assignment.
Marmol, 31, recorded 117 saves over parts of eight seasons with the Cubs. He was traded to the Dodgers last year, and between the two teams, he went 2-4 with a 4.41 ERA in 2013. He has battled control problems, too. He issued 95 walks in 104 1/3 innings over the past two seasons.
–INF Jeff Baker signed a two-year deal with Miami less than two weeks before the start of camp. He offers versatility: He plays first, second and third base along with the corner outfield spots, and he is a right-handed bat off the bench. He has a lifetime .298 batting average against left-handed pitchers and a .236 average against right-handers.
“We are very excited to add such an experienced player in Jeff Baker,” said Mike Hill, Miami’s president of baseball operations. “Offensively and defensively, we like the options that his versatility will provide (manager) Mike Redmond.”
–INF Casey McGehee signed with the Marlins, who plan to start him at third base. Ty Wigginton is a candidate to step in, but he signed a minor league contract and has to win a roster spot. Wigginton’s experience is a clear advantage to at least winning a bench spot.
–1B Garrett Jones offers Miami something it sought but lacked for years — a left-handed power threat who plays first base. However, he must show he can hit left-handed pitching. If he struggles, he will platoon — a role he held for Pittsburgh in 2013, when he batted .233/.289/.419 with 15 homers and 51 RBIs in 144 games.
–LHP Mike Dunn got an early start on spring training by working out earlier in February with troops at the Fort Bragg Army post in North Carolina. Dunn, Miami’s setup man, took part in military exercises, including a controlled 34-foot tower jump.
–The Marlins have a special interest in the new season of “Survivor,” which premiers on CBS on Feb. 26. Team president David Samson is starring in the upcoming season of the endurance-contest reality show.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “You know on the darkest days, it’s only going to get better.” –Manager Mike Redmond, on reminding his players that he won a World Series with the Marlins in 2003, just a few years after the team lingered at the bottom of the division.
ROSTER REPORT
PROJECTED ROTATION:
RHP Jose Fernandez
RHP Nathan Eovaldi
RHP Henderson Alvarez
RHP Jacob Turner
RHP Tom Koehler
Two rotation spots are up for grabs. At age 21, Fernandez, the 2013 NL Rookie of the Year, is the ace on a rotation lacking in depth. Alvarez (5-6, 3.99 in 2013) ended the season with a no-hitter, but he and Eovaldi (4-6, 3.99) need to make strides after inconsistent seasons. All three are locks. After that, Koehler and Turner are the leading candidates for the final spots. Koehler, though, could open the season as a long reliever.
LHPs Brian Flynn and Brad Hand are options, along with veteran RHP Kevin Slowey, a non-roster invitee, to plug gaps if Turner and Koehler struggle this spring.
PROJECTED BULLPEN:
RHP Steve Cishek (closer)
RHP A.J. Ramos
LHP Mike Dunn
RHP Carlos Marmol
RHP Carter Capps
RHP Arquimedes Caminero or RHP Kevin Slowey
LHP Dan Jennings
Cishek (34-for-36 in save chances last year) is firmly in place as the closer, with Ramos and Dunn setting up. Marmol, who threw 96 mph in the Caribbean Series, will compete for the setup role, but he needs to prove his control issues are behind him. Capps is the fourth lock. Two spots are up for grabs, with candidates including Slowey in a long-relief role, Jennings amd Caminero.
PROJECTED LINEUP:
1. 2B Rafael Furcal
2. LF Christian Yelich
3. RF Giancarlo Stanton
4. 1B Garrett Jones
5. C Jarrod Saltalamacchia
6. 3B Casey McGehee
7. CF Marcell Ozuna
8. SS Adeiny Hechavarria
The Marlins are gambling that new faces will help offer protection to Stanton, who is coming off a subpar year. Jones hit 15 home runs last year in a platoon role for Pittsburgh, and Saltalamacchia hit 14 homers for Boston. McGehee is a bigger gamble; he hit 28 home runs in 2013 — in Japan. Furcal missed all of last season recovering from elbow surgery.
TOP ROOKIES: LHP Andrew Heaney, the organization’s top prospect, should open the year at Double-A Jacksonville, but a call-up in 2014 isn’t out of the question. Heaney, 22, went a combined 9-3 with a 1.60 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) in Class A and Double-A last year.
LHP Justin Nicolino, who could join Heaney in the majors this year, might open the year at Triple-A New Orleans. Nicolino, 22, finished 8-4 with a 3.11 ERA in 27 starts in Class A and Double-A in 2013.
3B Colin Moran, the Marlins’ top draft pick last year, will open the season at Class A level but will start the year in major league camp. He is at least a year away.
MEDICAL WATCH:
–C Jeff Mathis (broken right thumb) was hurt last September. He should be fully recovered at spring training.
–RHP Kevin Slowey (right forearm tightness) is on track to head into spring training healthy.
–OF Marcell Ozuna (torn ligament in left thumb) tested his thumb in the offseason by playing some winter ball in the Dominican Republic. He is expected to arrive for spring training healthy.
–2B Rafael Furcal (Tommy John surgery in March 2013) missed all of last season. Switching from shortstop to second base in 2014 should help the recovery of his throwing elbow.