Kuzul

For a team that's probably going to finish last in the National League East for the third consecutive year, the Miami Marlins don't have many issues thus far.  Ricky Nolasco has already been named the Opening Day starter—shocking. Jacob Turner, Nathan Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez are still slated to follow Nolasco while Wade LeBlanc continues to make his case to be the team's No. 5 starter after throwing four shutout innings Sunday against the Atlanta Braves.  Among position players, second baseman Donovan Solano has hit .480 in 25 at-bats and Casey Kotchman is batting .435 in 23 at-bats. Kotchman is trying to win a spot on the team which, in his case, comes with the designation of starting first baseman if Logan Morrison isn't ready when the season begins.According to Morrison's agent, Fred Wray, Morrison could be playing by April 15 after having surgery to repair a torn patella tendon in his right knee. Meanwhile, with ...

We are still a little over a year away from the Florida Marlins entering their new stadium; however, noteworthy is their recent trip which involved members of the Marlins brass (Jeffrey Loria and David Samson) and players Hanley Ramirez, John Buck, Gaby Sanchez, Logan Morrison, Chris Coghlan and Mike Stanton who took the unofficial first batting practice at the new stadium while being on hand for the first seat installation.  Now it was just batting practice, but a few home runs throughout the process may have forecasted a potential flaw with the plans of the stadium. Of note: a few baseballs came close to leaving the stadium, specifically one hit by Mike Stanton which cleared the stadium by essentially shooting through the invisible glass panels in left field and exiting the building.  Even Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria felt worried his "Pitcher Park" would end up being something else, perhaps being a repeat ...

Everybody knows about Hanley Ramirez: 2009 batting champ, five-tool stud and perennial first rounder.Everybody should know about Josh Johnson: Cy Young contender, career ERA of 3.10, a ton of potential.But what else, if anything, do the Marlins have to offer fantasy owners?In spite of the organization's everlasting dedication to penny pinching, the Marlins have a handful of players that are sure to impact this year's fantasy season.Here they are, by order of importance, along with their 2011 projection: 1. Michael Stanton—.265 BA, 36 HR, 93 RBI The first thing you notice when you watch Michael Stanton is how hard he hits the ball. He is listed at 6'5", 235 pounds, and he's only 21-years-old. The guy is like an athletic version of Adam Dunn. However, his plate discipline is abysmal. He's going to challenge Mark Reynolds for the major league lead in strikeouts. Nevertheless, his upside is still tremendous. He's going to hit his ...

The Florida Marlins enter this year with a new ball club. They have so far made some necessary subtractions and some great additions,but as the Marlins make these changes division rivals are making strong notable improvements and these worry fans within the NL East.Never the less the Marlins have made some big moves this off-season and here we will review their importance and value to help the marlins offense secure a playoff spot this 2011 season.This review will take an in depth look at each position and how it has changed for the 2011 season.Begin Slideshow

With the majority of the major offseason activity behind them (trading Dan Uggla, Andrew Miller and Cameron Maybin; acquiring Omar Infante, Mike Dunn, Dustin Richardson, Ryan Webb, and Edward Mujica; signing Javier Vazquez John Buck, and Randy Choate; extending Ricky Nolasco until 2013), we take a glance at the potential Florida Marlins lineup, starting rotation, bullpen, and bench and put it all together to come up with bold predictions for the 2011 season in a crowded NL East. Let's take an early look at what we can expect to see from the fish in their final season at Sun Life/Land Shark/Dolphin(s)/Pro Player/Joe Robbie Stadium.Begin Slideshow

Come March, when Spring Training rolls around, the Florida Marlins will without a doubt turn to Matt Dominguez for a shot to claim the third base job. Originally, Chris Coghlan was destined to man the hot corner until the Dan Uggla and Cameron Maybin trades left him in the outfield only this time in center. But what if Matt Dominguez isn't ready with the bat? His defense is major league ready at this point but at 20, many wonder whether the offense is a year or two away. He hit .252/.333/.411 with 14 HRs, 81 RBI in 138 games. If the worst case scenario were to occur and Dominguez end up back in AA Jacksonville, who can replace him at third base?One automatic name that pops up is Emilio Bonifacio, the team's speedy utility player but the last time he maned third base, he committed 14 errors in 86 games back in ...

The Marlins, a young franchise, with two World Series titles on their resume, have to be excited for the future.  Over the years they have been the subject of ridicule for their attendance numbers and low payroll.  The fan base has witnessed not one, but two World Series teams get dismantled for financial reasons.However, now more than ever, the enthusiasm behind this team is growing and here are the ten reasons why:Begin Slideshow

In MLB, a sophomore slump, also refer to as sophomore jinx, is identified when a player is not able to live up to the standards set by their rookie season.  Reasons to blame for the "slump" may be injury or lack of adjustments. Pitchers seem to be more likely to regress because of fatigue. The innings pitched in their rookie season may have dramatically surpassed the prior season; think of the "Verducci Effect". A young hitter will have to succeed by making adjustments. As the league sees the player, more videos and scouting reports will be available. Success will be determined on how fast the hitter adjusts to the new pitches being thrown and the location. But is this term overused by many or is this cliche warranted? Are players susceptible to this "jinx? To answer these questions, I reviewed the second year seasons of the top 90 rookies to enter the Major Leagues since 1995. The number of players identified ...

In 2012, the Florida Marlins will move into a new ballpark in downtown Miami and will be renamed the Miami Marlins with an all new logo, color scheme, and young nucleus. Most of their stars will be 30-years-old or younger, and I will highlight that here. Certainly, they have one of the most talented nucleus of players in the Major Leagues, and there is no telling what they can do once they move into a new environment, a true baseball stadium with the top players in the game. Begin Slideshow

Throughout the history of the game and the history of sports, there have been over a million trades done which have forever changed the direction of a sports franchise or landscape forever. You can call it the butterfly effect because thats what it is, a small trade here and there can cause big changes later on (managerial changes, free agent signings, new stadium, or even a World Series). In the case of the Florida Marlins, a Major League Baseball franchise that has been around since 1993, they have won a couple of World Series (1997 and 2003). The little known story behind both of those titles have been the trades they made in order to win them. I'll chronicle that here and run down over the trades that forever changed the Florida Marlins and made up what they are today. Without these trades, this franchise, would not be here right ...