Random Marlins Notes

[brewersfan19]

Man I forgot how much good young talent the Marlins have!!! Yikes!!! They could be a dongerous team this year!!!!! Fredi Gonzalez is a lucky man!!!! We will just see how much influence that Giardi had with these youngsters.

[browntown653]

The main thing that scares me for them is their pitching. They got so many contributions from the young staff last year and it's highly unlikely they'll all repeat their performances or stay healthy. I foresee a down year for Florida this year and 4th place in the NL East.

[DravenX]

Josh Johnson (elbow) threw Wednesday from flat ground and reported no problems afterward.
He's expected to throw again Thursday after being shut down last month with pain above his elbow. ''I threw 25 to 30 [times] and everything felt fine,'' Johnson said. ``I cut loose with a few of them.''

Josh Johnson's flat-ground throwing session was cut short Thursday after he experienced what was described as minor discomfort in his right forearm.
Another red flag. "It didn't feel as well today as it did (Wednesday)," he said. Johnson will try to throw again Saturday.

Anibal Sanchez (shoulder) threw off the mound again Friday and is close to facing hitters in batting practice.
He's about four or five days behind the Marlins' other pitches, according to manager Fredi Gonzalez. "No news is good news," Gonzalez said. "Usually [bad] news filters down. But [pitching coach] Rick [Kranitz] said everything was outstanding. He will be ready to throw BP in the next day or two."

With Josh Johnson still having problems, the Marlins will likely be forced to keep Ricky Nolasco in the rotation rather than make him their closer.
MLB.com believes that makes Kevin Gregg the favorite for saves on the roster. Taylor Tankersley, Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom will also be in the running for the job if Nolasco remains a starter.

Josh Johnson, still limited by a sore right triceps, did not throw as scheduled Saturday, putting his status for Opening Day in serious doubt.
He said he doesn't know when he'll resume throwing. If Johnson is forced to open the season on the DL, the Marlins will likely make Ricky Nolasco their fourth starter and put either Sergio Mitre or Yusmeiro Petit at the back of the rotation.

Source: RotoWorld

[DravenX]

Sergio Mitre, who would be the favorite to replace an ailing Josh Johnson in Florida's rotation, is being brought along slowly after last year's shoulder troubles.
The Marlins haven't given any indication that he's had a set back, so it's unclear what the hold up is here. Mitre was also basically a non-factor at the end of last year, though he spent the rest of the year on the active roster after coming off the DL on Aug. 9. If Mitre isn't going to be ready, either Yusmeiro Petit or Jose Garcia could be the Marlins' fifth starter. A move back to the rotation for Renyel Pinto doesn't appear to be an option.

Marlins prospect Sean West was sent to be examined Thusday after developing shoulder soreness.
West also had some shoulder troubles early last season. "I'm just having some soreness from the offseason," West said. "They're giving me a couple of days off, just precautionary stuff. No big deal. I've been throwing a lot in the offseason. Everyone has breaks. I'm getting my break now. I should be good in a few days."

Source: RotoWorld

[DravenX]

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez would prefer not to platoon Mike Jacobs this season.
"I'm not going to play the lefty-righty stuff with him," Gonzalez said. "If it's his turn to play and there is a lefty starter, he's going to play." Jacobs was also a full-time player at the beginning of last season, but he went on to hit just .182/.234/.295 in 88 at-bats against lefties. Aaron Boone could take over for him versus southpaws if he struggles again at the start of this season.

Source: RotoWorld

[DravenX]

Reggie Abercrombie started in center field Tuesday, but manager Fredi Gonzalez said he expects the battle for the starting job to "go down to the wire."
Abercrombie is up against Alex Sanchez and Eric Reed, with Alfredo Amezaga also in the mix somewhat. ''I think it's everybody's job to win,'' Gonzalez said. ``I don't think it's anybody's to lose.''

Kevin Gregg allowed a run on two hits and a walk in his inning Wednesday against the Cardinals.
Gregg seemed like a sleeper after initially being acquired by the Marlins from the Angels in November, but he has all of a sudden become the favorite for saves in Florida, according to multiple reports. Gregg is a better bet than rookies Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens, but we're not optimistic that he'll outperform Taylor Tankersley.

Taylor Tankersley was diagnosed with left shoulder inflammation and is on no-throw status for five to seven days.
OK, now it's clear why Kevin Gregg is the favorite to act as the Marlins' closer. An MRI reportedly found no structural damage in Tankersley's shoulder. Still, his status for Opening Day is in jeopardy. Along with Gregg and Tankersley, Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens are candidates to open the season in the closer's role.

A league source told MLB.com that Josh Johnson has a significant problem with his elbow and could miss an extended portion of the season.
The Marlins haven't suggested anything of the sort, but it wouldn't come as much of a surprise. Sergio Mitre, Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia are candidates to win the rotation spot vacated by Johnson.

Marlins released RHP Travis Bowyer.
Bowyer missed all of 2006 after shoulder surgery, and the Marlins were left with little idea when he might be ready to pitch this season. It's likely that he'll be re-signed to a minor league deal if he clears release waivers.

Yusmeiro Petit allowed three runs and six hits over two innings Thursday against the Orioles.
Especially with Sergio Mitre a little behind, Petit has a great chance of becoming the Marlins' replacement for Josh Johnson in the rotation. However, he'll have to do a lot better than this. He's not much of an NL-only sleeper just yet.

Alex Sanchez went 1-for-3 and swiped a pair of bases as the Marlins beat the Orioles on Thursday.
Sanchez has slowed down as a basestealer in recent years, but he may need to get that part of his game back if he's going to make the Marlins as either a regular or a bench player. He's the best hitter of the team's center field candidates, even if he does little besides hit singles.

Josh Johnson, who fears he has a nerve-related problem, is scheduled to have another MRI on his sore elbow.
A previous MRI showed no ligament damage, but if Johnson needs nerve transposition surgery, he'd likely miss at least the first three months of the season. At least it would be an injury he should be able to come back strong from.

Source: RotoWorld

[DravenX]

Marlins re-signed RHP Travis Bowyer to a minor league contract.
They made the move as soon as he cleared release waivers. Bowyer may not pitch at all this year after August shoulder surgery. Marlins GM Larry Beinfest said back in December that he still sees Bowyer as a closer of the future, but it's pretty unlikely that the right-hander will develop into more than an erratic middle reliever.

Source: RotoWorld

[DravenX]

Dontrelle Willis surrendered one run in two innings Friday against the Orioles.
Willis allowed two hits, walked one and struck out two. With no WBC to interfere with his spring, the hope is that we'll see a more consistent Willis this year. He walked a career high 83 last season and hit as many batters (19) as he did in his first three years combined.

MRIs showed no damage to Josh Johnson's rotator cuff or labrum and a bone scan also came back normal, agent Matt Sosnick said Friday.
The Marlins are trying to rule out everything besides a nerve problem. An earlier MRI showed no structural damage within his elbow. "They think it's probably a nerve thing," Sosnick said. "The worst-case scenario is probably that he would be out eight to 12 weeks, but they have to figure out what this thing is." Actually, if Johnson needs nerve transposition surgery, he could be out longer than that. Still, that wouldn't be such a bad outcome, as it wouldn't be a lingering problem once it's taken care of.

Anibal Sanchez walked four while getting four outs Saturday in his start against the Cardinals.
Sanchez didn't allow a hit, so he also didn't give up any runs. However, he wasn't able to pitch two innings as scheduled. We'd typically be willing to write off an outing like this so early in the spring, but since Sanchez had some shoulder troubles before reporting to camp, any struggles from his are particularly worthy of note.

Source: RotoWorld

[DravenX]

Marlins prospect Sean West is scheduled to visit Dr. James Andrews for another examination of his sore left shoulder.
A recent MRI revealed only inflammation. The Marlins will be hoping that Andrews finds nothing more.

Sergio Mitre faced hitters Friday for the first time this spring and could get into a game before the end of next week.
Mitre is being brought along slowly after last year's shoulder troubles. As a result, he'll probably have to be effective right away in order to claim the expected opening in the Florida rotation.

Source: RotoWorld

[DravenX]

Ricky Nolasco was scratched from his scheduled start Monday because of back spasms.
"It's nothing major," manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "It happened a couple of days ago, and we decided to scratch him." Chris George is filling in.

Source: RotoWorld

[browntown653]

Chris George?????

2001 - 5.60 ERA
2002 - 5.60
2003 - 7.11
2004 - 7.23
2005 - no major league stats
2006 - see above

...good luck with that Marlins!

[DravenX]

Reggie Abercrombie had two hits and threw out a man at third in Tuesday's game against the Orioles.
Abercrombie is off to a 3-for-7 start as he attempts to beat out Alex Sanchez and Eric Reed to become the Marlins' center fielder. The team is still on the lookout for an upgrade.

Chris George gave up four runs and four hits in 1 2/3 innings while starting in place of Ricky Nolasco against the Orioles.
George is getting mentioned as a sleeper candidate to act as the Marlins' fifth starter, but it's hard to imagine him getting the job. The former Royal has a 6.48 ERA in 237 1/3 career innings as a major leaguer, and he finished with a 5.62 ERA in 19 starts and three relief appearances for Triple-A Albuquerque last season.

Source: RotoWorld

[DravenX]

Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Monday that Taylor Tankersley (shoulder) is expected to begin throwing by the end of the week.
"Probably in three days," Gonzalez said. If healthy, Tankersley remains a leading candidate for the closer job.

Josh Johnson has been diagnosed with an irritated ulnar nerve that will likely force him to miss at least the first two months of the season.
It doesn't appear that he'll need surgery, which is good news. "If it was real bad, I'd probably be out for four months," Johnson said. "It's good to know exactly what it is." Yusmeiro Petit, Sergio Mitre, Jose Garcia, Wes Obermueller and Chris George are the candidates to replace Johnson in the rotation.

Eric Reed went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs Tuesday versus the Red Sox.
Reed's case for becoming the Marlins' starting center fielder is boosted by his defense, even if he did commit an error today. If he hits, he'll have a pretty good chance of beating out Alex Sanchez and Reggie Abercrombie.

Yusmeiro Petit fanned five in three scoreless innings Tuesday versus the Red Sox.
The Red Sox had four regulars, plus Wily Mo Pena and Eric Hinske, in the lineup for today's road game, so it wasn't as if Petit was facing a 'B' team. A couple of more showings like this will really set him apart in the competition to replace Josh Johnson in Florida's rotation.

Source: RotoWorld

[Witlon]

Good to see Johnson won't be missing the season, he's a huge part of the future and current success of that young Marlins team, and it's good that he doesn't need TJ.

[DravenX]

Sergio Mitre (shoulder) is expected to make his spring debut Friday.
Mitre reportedly "stepped up his throwing program Tuesday" because of Josh Johnson's injury, throwing a simulated game. If healthy, he's the favorite to claim Johnson's spot in the rotation.

Aaron Boone went 0-for-5 on Wednesday and is 1-for-18 with five strikeouts this spring.
Boone isn't doing anything to change the Marlins' minds about using Mike Jacobs as their full-time first baseman. Boone should be able to outhit Jacobs versus lefties, but he probably won't get the chance unless Jacobs is particularly awful at the start of the year.

Randy Messenger retired six Orioles on Wednesday and has yet to allow a hit in 4 1/3 innings this spring.
Messenger has a 5.55 ERA in 88 appearances over the last two seasons, so don't get your hopes up. However, if he pitches like this for much longer, he will be in the mix for saves in the Florida bullpen.

Dontrelle Willis tossed three scoreless innings and struck out three Wednesday in a 2-2 tie versus the Orioles.
With Erik Bedard starting for Baltimore, two of the game's best young lefties hooked up and traded zeroes for three innings. Both allowed one hit and no walks. Bedard had one more strikeout. Willis has made both of his starts versus Baltimore and has given up one run in five innings to date.

Source: RotoWorld