2009 Florida Marlins Season Outlook
Posted 3/14/2009
The Florida Marlins have a lot of young talent in their organization, and it's only a matter of time before we see the results at the major league level.
Florida is led by All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who is among the best players in the game. Ramirez can do a little bit of everything, whether it be crushing the ball over the fence, stealing bases or playing great defense.
Third baseman Jorge Cantu had a career year and combines with Ramirez to form a potent left side of the infield. You would be hard pressed to find many better combinations in the big leagues.
The Marlins grew impatient with first baseman Mike Jacobs and traded him away to the Kansas City Royals in the offseason.
The outfield is very young but very talented. It's just a matter of those players gaining more big league experience and fulfilling their potential.
The team sees a lot of talent in Jeremy Hermida, but he has been disappointing in limited time at the major league level. They also expect a lot out of Cameron Maybin, who should make the club out of spring training.
The starting rotation is already filled with a ton of young pitchers with a high ceiling. Not only is there a lot of youth and talent, but the depth of it might be the most impressive part.
Josh Johnson returned last year from a serious arm injury and showed that he still has plenty of talent. He will likely be the ace of the rotation in 2009 now that he appears completely healthy.
Anibal Sanchez is another quality arm in the rotation, and big things are expected out of Andrew Miller. Miller came over to the Marlins in the trade that sent third baseman Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers.
The team did lose headcase Scott Olsen in the offseason to the Washington Nationals. Olsen always had plenty of talent, but just never seemed to be able to put it all together.
Florida should show a lot of improvement in 2009, and I think they could even make a run at the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets for the National League East title. They are definitely one of the darkhorses to keep an eye on this year.