Kuzul

The Pittsburgh Pirates didn't land any of this year's most coveted trade chips, but they approached the July 31 deadline with a level head and the necessary poise.Pittsburgh added four players either at, or prior, to this year's trade deadline. Check out NBC Sports' Matthew Pouliot's overview of the Pirates new acquisitions:They certainly got more interesting with Travis Snider in right field and Sanchez replacing Casey McGehee in the first base platoon. Snider hasn’t been quite as much of a disappointment as everyone thinks—he has a .248/.306/.429 line and 31 homers in 835 at-bats—and he’s just 24 years old. Sanchez is a career .298/.390/.488 hitter against lefties. He’s been way off this year, but if the Pirates can get him straightened out, he’ll be a nice part-timer. Again, I’m not sold on the moves—Brad Lincoln was looking pretty good since a switch to the pen—but factor in the Wandy Rodriguez ...

Neal Huntington was active at the trade deadline, making two key moves to update the Pirates' offense as this team chases its first playoff berth in 20 years. He was able to improve the Bucs both in 2012 and down the road without parting with any key assets (via ESPN).Many are criticizing Huntington for failing to acquire a big name bat like Hunter Pence or Shin-Soo Choo but, given the high prospect costs associated with those players, the Pirates' decision to pursue younger, cheaper players was the right one.In acquiring Travis Snider and Gaby Sanchez without giving up any major pieces, the Pirates immediately get somewhat better while potentially improving the team substantially in the short-term future. The Pirates Add Another Young Power BatThe Pirates' more noteworthy trade saw them acquire outfielder Travis Snider from the Blue Jays in exchange for relief pitcher Brad Lincoln.Both Snider and Lincoln have substantial pedigree, ...

It's no secret the Miami Marlins were in heavy pursuit of free agent slugger Albert Pujols this past offseason and dangled nearly $200 million for 10 years to get him signed, sealed and delivered to sunny South Beach. Fast forward to May 15 and the front office should be breathing a sign of relief they missed out on him, but maybe kicking themselves that they didn't deal their own first baseman, Gaby Sanchez, after an All-Star season in 2011. Here is the tale of the tape on both Sanchez and Pujols this season (via ESPN): Sanchez, who had a 2.4 WAR (wins above replacement) in 2011, currently has a WAR of -0.8. And while Pujols is getting all the headlines—and with good reason after signing a massive contract with the Angels—Gaby's struggles have gone under the radar. A deeper look reveals Sanchez's struggles could be tied with an increased tendency to extend the strike ...

Gaby Sanchez hit .302 over 1,753 minor league at-bats. The Marlins gave him cups of coffee in the major leagues in 2008 (eight AB) and 2009 (21 AB), before finally handing the former fourth-round draft pick the full-time first base job in 2010. He did deliver, posting the following line: 572 At Bats.273 Batting Average (156 Hits)19 Home Runs85 RBI72 Runs5 Stolen Bases.341 On Base Percentage.448 Slugging Percentage.299 Batting Average on Balls in Play Now the question for fantasy owners is if he cannot only replicate those numbers, but if he can expand on them. Let’s be honest, for as nice as the numbers are, they are far from what we are expecting from a first baseman. Where’s the power? Where’s the big-time average? Over his minor league career, Sanchez hit just 62 HR, or a home run once every 28.3 at-bats (only slightly better than his 30.1 mark in ...

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 ...

Gaby Sanchez did a great Jorge Cantu impression last year, hitting .273 with 72 runs, 19 HRs, 85 RBI and five SBs. The Marlins have essentially had that line from their first basemen for the past three seasons.Sanchez did not excel in any particular category, but he was solid enough to be a useful fantasy option. I wouldn’t dare use him as a starting first basemen, but he has use in the corner infield slot.Don’t expect raw power from Sanchez—that’s just not his strength. He hit 62 in 1753 at bats (28.3 AB/HR) in the minors. Last year for the Marlins he hit 19 HRs in 572 at bats (30.1 HR/AB). However, with 16 HRs in 318 ABs (19.9 AB/HR) in 2009 for Triple-A New Orleans, there is potential to improve in that category.What he has done well is hit for average and drive in runs. He hit .314 for Double-A Carolina ...

In the 2010 season, the first basemen of the Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard, spent a great deal of time on the disabled list.  When doing the math by analyzing the innings played, it shows that Howard played in about seventeen fewer games in 2010 than he did in 2009. Of 162 games, missing seventeen games does not sound like that much. Howard usually plays well over 150 games per year.  In 2008, Howard started 156 games and 155 in 2009.  With the injury, Howard only started 139 games in 2010. Even with missing so much time during the 2010 season, he still produced numbers better than most other players in baseball.  Of 1000+ baseball players, Howard produced numbers good enough for him being tied at 14th rank with the number of home runs. He was 11th in the number of runs batted-in. Howard was also ranked 49th for on-base percentage, 25th in ...

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