Second Half Thoughts

Rather than give a review of the first half, which, unfortunately could be summed up in one word: mediocre, I felt it more appropriate to give a look ahead to the second half, that gets underway tonight with Strasburgmania coming to Miami.


What to expect:

Come August 1, I think that one, perhaps two position players will find themselves with a new address. The names floated about include Cody Ross, Jorge Cantu, Dan Uggla and even Ronny Paulino. Of the aforementioned four, only Cantu is a free agent at the end of the year, while Cody and Dan carry with them the Marlin dreaded 6th year arbitration status that, at least for Uggla, figures to be a nine figure payday.

That, combined with at least a passing interest in getting Chris Coghlan back to the infield, makes Cantu the most likely trade bait. Nevertheless, the Marlins tried mightily to move Uggla this past offseason so he is potentially in play too, despite a strong first half that has many, myself included, thinking he deserves an extension that would have him alongside Hanley in the new ballpark

Beyond moving Coghlan to the infield, the organization has top prospect Logan Morrison tearing up AAA to the tune of.302/.412/.475. At some point, the first-baseman turned left fielder should be up with the big club, and a move of Coghlan to the infield would expedite that. Long term, Morrison still figures to be a first baseman with left-field merely serving as a temporary home. In the “it’s a great problem to have” department, both Logan and incumbent first baseman, Gaby Sanchez, profile in the Nick Johnson mold of first-baseman who hit in the top third of the order, not the middle third. Eventually, that situation will sort itself out, but in the near term, more offensively oriented talent is on the horizon.

On the pitching front, Josh Johnson is a Cy Young contender, Ricky Nolasco is basically turning into Javier Vazquez 2.0 and the rest of the rotation is, unsurprisingly, a hodgepodge, though Anibal Sanchez has almost undoubtedly exceeded expectations. The bullpen has been atrocious, but the Marlins are hoping to have found an internal solution in the sensational Jhan Marinez. Marinez is just shy of his 22nd birthday but has found seemingly dominant stuff, registering 60 strikeouts in 40 minor league innings between A Jupiter and AA Jacksonville. His recent promotion has the Marlins feature a trio of strikeout pitchers (Marinez, closer Leo Nunez and lefty specialist Taylor Tankersley) amid a bullpen full of question marks. While it seems that the bullpen ultimately will be the reason for 2010 being a disappointment, the Marlins are trying to lay the foundation for what hopefully is a power pen in ‘11 and beyond with Marinez, Nunez and fireballer Jose Ceda waiting in the wings.

Ultimately, the second half will be more about developing for 2011 than it will be for contending in 2010. The Marlins are, quite fittingly, a model of consistent mediocrity, posting identical home and road records (21-23) and having never won nor lost more than 4 games in a row all season, little hope seems to exist for a Rockies-like run needed to overcome the surging Atlanta Braves. Proponents of a second half surge will point to the 12 head to head matchups left with Atlanta in hopes of gaining ground, but that ignores what the Marlins have shown themselves to be: a .500 team with a few spectacularly talented players.