There are Plenty of Reasons to Watch the Marlins in 2012

Since their inception in 1993, South Florida’s MLB franchise has been through the entire spectrum of baseball experiences – mediocrity, being the best team in the World twice, and losing 100 games in a season.  One would have to think, what uncharted territories do the Marlins still have to venture through?  To this question I would answer, just wait for 2012.

Baseball dorks on computers, random baseball guys in suits and ties, and possibly even real-life baseball fans in South Beach are anticipating the final act of this winter – the landing spot of Yoenis Cespedes.  Thanks to limited scouting reports and the weirdest baseball video on YouTube ever, Cespedes has an ample opportunity of being a rock-star when he comes state-side, and from various reports, Miami seems to have a good chance at landing the Cuban outfielder.

Cespedes or no Cespedes though, the Miami Marlins, at least from where I’m sitting appear to be the most intriguing baseball franchise heading into 2012.  Here are a few reasons why:

Flammable Team Chemistry

It is no secret that there are some players on this roster prone to shenanigans.  Logan Morrisonhas the ability to swat the baseball pretty good, just as he has the ability to hop on twitter and make outlandish remarks.  The media in recent months has reported rifts in the organization pertaining to Morrison’s outspoken tongue, and it was speculated that such events possibly caused a demotion to the minors.

You also have to mention one Hanley Ramirez at this juncture.  Once thought of as one of the rising stars in the game, lackluster attitude and being caught red-handed dogging it on the field have diluted peoples’ faith in this player’s abilities.  Ramirez is 28-years-old, and has put up some serious numbers, nearly reaching 8.0 WAR in 2008, but his numbers dipped drastically in 2011.  Now with the addition of Jose Reyes, Ramirez will have to inevitably suck it up and relinquish his spot on the field.  At this point, only people tied into the organization have any idea how this transition is going.

Adding another log to the fire, throw newly acquired Carlos Zambrano into the fray.  “Big Z” is no stranger to screaming in teammates’ faces and pummeling Gatorade coolers.  But like the previous mentioned players, he still has a wealth of talent.  The question becomes, can this talent be harnessed?

Who is going to steer this crazy ship of baseball degenerates?  Fasten your seatbelts folks.  Ozzie Guillen.  Mr. Guillen, has been handed the keys to drive the ship.  It is on him to mute Morrison, warm Hanley up to player third base, and finding a way to get Big Z to chill out.  This thing just reads like a wicked soap opera.

Miami Makes it Rain

The Marlins made their plan apparent before the previous winter meetings.  They were going to wreak havoc on this free-agent class and spend some mucho dinero.  When the dust settled, they landed Jose Reyes, Heath Bell and Mark Buehrle.

Not unlike the franchises’ previous ups-and-downs, these signings appear to be a mixed bag.  The Reyes signing barring injury looks pretty good at the moment.  To make a long sabermetric story short, they got a star in Reyes for half the price the Detroit Tigers paid Prince Fielder.  Let’s go ahead and call that a good thing.  Perhaps they spent a little more on Buehrle than they should of, but keep in mind, they desperately needed some starting pitching.  And well, no disrespect to Heath Bell, they probably spent way too much money on that guy.

Once baseball gets underway though we’ll begin to see how these pieces pan out.  In a World where people analyze each transaction so thoroughly, it will be fun to watch the impact these three players have on their new team.

Hall of Famers in the Making?

There are some incumbents returning to the team that are in fact super stars in the making.  Mike Stanton is a man-child putting up staggering power numbers from the right field position.  Looking at his numbers in his first two seasons, it isn’t insane to compare his stats to the first two seasons of Reggie Jackson and Ken Griffey Jr.  Will Stanton keep up this torrid pace of blasting baseballs into the cheap seats, or will he take a step back as NL pitchers slowly adapt to his capabilities?

Josh Johnson had his 2011 cut short due to injury, but anticipates a healthy return in 2012.  The 27-year-old was off to the best start of his career before he ran into shoulder issues.  Johnson has the talent to rival Clayton Kershaw for the toughest lefty in baseball, the question will be can his arm hold up.

So even if Cespedes signs on with another team, the storylines are no doubt abundant and juicy with this team.  Every club enters spring training with question marks, it just seems the questions are a whole lot more intense in Miami.  Will the fans show up in droves to supplement these lofty contracts?  Will Hanley play ball at third?  Can J.J. stay healthy?  Can Reyes stay healthy?  How will the players react to Ozzie’s first meltdown?  Will Logan Morrison and his big mouth be re-tweeted too many times?  Philadelphia is still the class of the division no doubt, but if things go right for this team, they could be biting at Phillys’ heals as the season wears on.

I just hope people in Miami give it a fair chance before they switch back to Lebron and the Heat.  This could be a really fun team to root for.

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