Kuzul

The Florida Marlins are generally viewed as one of professional sports’ most interesting teams. They’ve had an outstanding amount of talent throughout the years including Hanley Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera, Josh Beckett, AJ Burnett, Dontrelle Willis, Edgar Renteria, among others. Those players usually never get “the big deal” they deserve and are either traded or leave via free agency. Well, now everybody knows where that money is going. Right into the owners’ pockets.

A deadspin leak of the Marlins’ finances shows that the Marlins have not only been pocketing profits for everything they’ve accomplished to date, but the estimated $2.4 billion taxpayers will spend for the team to build a new $515 million stadium.

In 2008, the Marlins traded superstar Miguel Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers and had a $28.2 million payroll. The documents reveal that they made a $37.8 million profit. Then, in 2009, their payroll was $35 million and they made an $11.1 million profit. That’s almost $50 million in profit over a two-year period. Where is all this money going?

Marlins’ owners not only lied to the fans, they lied to the city. The Marlins will only be paying $155 million for the $634 million stadium. With such a little payroll and such a large annual profit, the Marlins really couldn’t pay for most of this stadium? Taxpayers shouldn’t be very happy about this.

It isn’t just the Marlins’ fault though; the city was extremely irresponsible as well. Miami-Dade County agreed to take out $409 million in loans with balloon payments and long grace periods to help fund the stadium without the consent of taxpayers.

Nobody should blame owner Jeffrey Loria and president David Samson for taking advantages of loopholes that allowed them to be fiscally successful. Somebody needs to take action though and that should be Major League Baseball. It’s too late to take back the swindling act the Marlins did on the city of Miami, but similar situations in the future can be prevented if somebody steps in. It’s time to take a stand against small market owners pocketing money and then spending minimally on the team’s payroll.

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Dan Uggla is a player who often gets little respect despite showing to be a tremendous source of power out of the middle infield year after year.

Unfortunately, he draws some criticism for the other aspects of his game, hurting his perceived value.

Obviously, we will have to reassess things once 2010 has come to a close, but thus far it appears that things are heading in a positive direction when it comes to his numbers:

451 At-Bats
.288 Batting Average (130 Hits)
28 Home Runs
79 RBI
83 Runs
4 Stolen Bases
.375 On-Base Percentage
.519 Slugging Percentage
.326 Batting Average on Balls in Play

The metrics behind the numbers are all reasonable, too, though that’s not to say that there aren’t concerns. His fly-ball rate has actually been trending down the past four seasons:

• 2007: 50.5 percent
• 2008: 48.1 percent
• 2009: 46.4 percent
• 2010: 43.4 percent

His HR/FB rate has been consistent the past three seasons, at 18.4 percent, 16.0 percent, and 18.9 percent. That’s good to see, but you would feel better about his fly-ball trend if the balls were becoming more line drives. Instead, it’s his ground balls that are up this season, going from 36.6 percent in 2009 to 41.6 percent this year.

The average itself is buoyed by some improved luck this season, though he has traded off good and bad years over his five career seasons. In the odd years he has hit  sub-.280 (.279, .274) and in the even years he’s been .309 or better (.309, .320, .326).

With that type of on and off, it’s impossible to get a good read on his ability with the bat and draw a conclusion on what to expect.

What you do like to see is the downward trend of his strikeouts over the past three seasons:

• 2008: 32.2 percent
• 2009: 26.6 percent
• 2010: 25.3 percent

The less he strikes out, the better average he is likely to have and the more productive he can be. You can drive in runs by simply putting the ball in play. When you swing and miss, it’s a complete waste.

With a few more weeks in the season, it’s impossible to get an accurate read on Uggla. If he goes on a strikeout binge, the numbers are going to be skewed significantly.

As of now, there’s a lot to like moving forward with Uggla, like the facts that his strikeouts have come down, and that he has shown the ability to maintain a fairly lofty HR/FB rate. However, there are serious concerns about his declining fly-ball rate and his ability to maintain the BABIP he has shown this season.

The bottom line? He’s proven to be among the better second basemen in the game, but he could easily regress back to a home run or bust type player. Enjoy the rest of 2010 and hope he can maintain what he’s shown, but we will have to reevaluate him in the offseason when we have a full slate of data and get a better read on what to expect in 2011.

What are your thoughts on Uggla? Has he turned the corner, or do you expect a regression?

Make sure to check out our extremely early 2011 rankings:

• Catchers
• First Basemen
• Second Basemen
• Third Basemen
• Shortstops
• Outfielders
• Closers

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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It’s been a couple of months since we had a stadium review here at The Ghost of Moonlight Graham, so I thought today would be a good day to have one.

The stadium that will be covered today is Sun Life Stadium, home of the Florida Marlins. Sun Life Stadium is more known more for having 100 different names over the last 30 years than it is for the crowds they get at the ballpark.

My buddy Tom visited the stadium a couple of weeks ago and I will let him tell you about his experience. Take it away Tom…

Sun Life Stadium

My wife approached me and said it was time for a family vacation. She set guidelines, it must be hot, have a beach, and accessible only by plane. That last one is to keep me from taking her to Long Island.

What do I do? I check to see when and where the Cardinals are playing the Marlins. So the family headed to South Beach, actually Fort Lauderdale, for a little R&R, fun in the sun and some St. Louis Cardinals baseball.

Pros

The Stadium was a breeze to find. It’s conveniently located between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, so the options of where to stay are great. We choose Fort Lauderdale because it is considerably more kid friendly than South Beach.

The Stadium itself is nice enough, there are more bathrooms then fans with plenty of family rooms, which was very convenient. The concessions are standard but what impressed me most was the number of staff at each concession stand.

The game had a 20 minute rain delay but I was thrilled with the amount of activities they had for kids to participate in. They had batting cages, spin the wheel, and other free games that lead to prizes.

I was very pleased with the quality of the seat I was able to get for the money I was willing to spend. We were right off the field adjacent to the visitor’s bullpen.

Lastly, and this was pretty cool, apparently Saturday night games are followed by a fireworks show and on field performance. For our game it was a high flying circus troop.

Cons

I’m getting used to empty stadiums, so I’m not going to dwell on the lack of support for the Marlins. They had an unusual pregame ceremony with at least half a dozen people throwing out the first pitch. They had Miss something another, guys from the radio station, a local Pastor, two guys in spandex from the circus troop.

Eventually Chris Bosh, from the Miami Heat took the mound for what was the seventh or eighth first pitch. I think that’s an oxymoron?

Sun Life Stadium is about the fifth name the stadium has had. I remembered Pro-Player and Land Shark but I didn’t realize this is the same stadium as Joe Robbie and Dolphin Stadium. Then someone referred to it as the Orange Bowl Stadium and my head nearly exploded. How confusing.

They are scheduled to get a new stadium with a roof in 2012 and I hope they pick a name and stick with it.

But the roof brings me to my last point, it rains in Florida every day. How did they not take that into account when selecting the City and Stadium for a team? I don’t have the numbers for rain outs or even rain delays but they have to be at or near the top.

Overall Game Day Experience

Despite another Cardinals loss, my daughter and I enjoyed ourselves and would rank Sun Life Stadium (I hope that’s still the name) a seven out of 10

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The Florida Marlins (62-61) begin a six-game road trip in Citi Field against the New York Mets (62-62).

The Marlins come in having won five of six and send their ace Josh Johnson to the mound. The Mets counter with knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey, who has been a pleasant surprise.

Johnson is coming off a good outing where he pitched eight innings of two-run baseball against the Pirates. That isn’t saying much, but it’s a great sign to see him bounce back from his worst outing of the year against the Reds.

The remainder of the season will be spent evaluating young talent. With Cody Ross heading to the Giants in a waiver claim, expect Cameron Maybin to be called up to the majors.

This will be Maybin’s last opportunity to demonstrate his worth to the front office. Who would’ve thought that the best prospect the Marlins received in return for Miguel Cabrera would be “the hopper” Burke Badenhop, Marlins long reliever?

In the end, the rest of the season will be a showcase for the Marlins’ young talent. If I were the Marlins organization, I would send a clear message to the fanbase by signing our best player this year—”and his name is Dan Uggla!”

For a more in-depth preview of the series, check out an article written by fellow Bleacher Report writer Frank Gray, editor of the Mets Gazette. He’s an excellent writer and colleague and should be your primary source for anything Met-related.

The article is a must read and features yours truly in a five-question interview.

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It’s official. The Marlins have taken the word frugal to an entirely new level.

Deadspin.com released the Marlins’ financial statements for the last two seasons, when the team had a combined operating income of around $50 million, with a net profit of $33 million.

This is a farce and an outrage, considering they have consistently ranked at the bottom of the league in payroll for the last six to seven years.

It’s something the league addressed in the offseason urging the Marlins to spend more from their revenue sharing allotment. So they extended ace Josh Johnson. Big whoop.

The following is an open letter to Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria.

Dear Mr. Loria,

On behalf of the entire Marlins fan base, I am saddened, angry, and hurt after learning about the financial details of the Marlins over the last two seasons.

I know you were left with a terribly, scummy lease during your entire tenure as Marlins owner and you don’t profit much from stadium ventures like concessions and so forth. But that is not our problem!

You’re the owner, the top dog, and it is your moral obligation to this city, to your players, fans, and coaches to do your best to put the best possible product of baseball on the field.

Instead of allowing this young team to grow, you’ve handcuffed them. You shipped out one of the best young stars in baseball in Miguel Cabrera a few years ago for what reason exactly? The only answer is you didn’t want to pay him.

The entire point of revenue sharing is so teams on smaller financial scales like the Marlins can go out and compete! Yet you decide that money is better used in your pockets than on the field.

We are sick and tired of this same old routine. The team stockpiles great young talent via one of the best farm systems in baseball. The factory puts out stars like Josh Beckett and Cabrera but once it’s time to deliver them their big payday, you ship them out for prospects. What is the point of trading a star for a prospect who may or may not be a star one day?

Now you’re furious with Deadspin who exposed the Marlins financial documents? They did a service to the fans. Now you’re the one put in an uncomfortable corner. It’s on you now to give us a reason why we should go spend our hard-earned cash to watch this team play.

We are tired tired of this.

After both of the Marlins’ World Series wins, ownership has held a fire sale, drying up every crevice of talent there was. Marlins fans have been beat on for too long. We’ve endured the pain of seeing our champions stripped from our hands just days after victory, twice.

Every Marlins fan should punish you by not going to another game for the rest of the season. Maybe then you will learn your lesson. Loria you’re officially in timeout.

The good news it’s not too late. In fact, if you want any respect at all from this community you will do the following”

1. Offer free admission to select games next season.

2. Pay Dan Uggla. Extend Mike Stanton when the time comes! Lock up the young talent on this team for once! Bring in some quality relief pitching for crying out loud.

3. Sign a big-time free agent, something unheard of in Marlins history.

4. Hold an event in which you will sent in a chair and get pied in the face by every Marlins fan, past or present, in South Florida.

It’s not always about the future, Jeffrey. The present is here and you’re not in your new stadium yet. Tough!

There is no reason why you shouldn’t spend this offseason and put a great quality product on the field next year. I don’t care if you have to suffer financial losses to get it done. Do what you have to do.

You owe it to the players. You owe it to the coaches. Above all, you owe it to the fans.

Sincerely,

A Marlins Fan

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Maybe a third times the charm for Florida Marlins’ OF Cameron Maybin?

With Cody Ross shipped off to San Francisco, the Marlins will call up the 23-year-old today to take Ross’ place on the roster. This will be the third time Maybin will be given a chance to win a starting job since coming over from the Detroit Tigers in 2007.

Maybin has been a huge disappointment since coming over to the Marlins in the Miguel Cabrera trade. As a matter of fact, if you look at that trade for the Marlins, it’s been a disaster so far. Neither Maybin nor Andrew Miller have been anything the Marlins thought they would be.

The Marlins gave Maybin the starting job at the beginning of the 2009 season and he managed to hit just .250 with a .318 OBP. He was sent down after 54 games.

In 2010, the Marlins gave Maybin his second shot at becoming the every day center fielder and once again, he failed. Maybin lasted just 51 games this time around as he hit .225 with a very weak .290 OBP before getting sent down to Triple-A.

So now the question is—can Maybin succeed this time around?

I think he can. I will base my reasoning on three factors:

1. He is still only 23-years-old. Maybe the worst thing that ever happened to Cameron was that he hit a home run off of Roger Clemens in his second major league game back in 2007. He hit that home run when he was 20 years old.

If I hit a home run off of Clemens when I was 20, my head would explode. Perhaps now, Maybin has had a chance to mature and understand that hitting in the major leagues isn’t easy.

Most kids Maybin’s age are just getting their first crack at the major leagues. For Maybin, this will be his fifth shot.

2. Maybin killed it in Triple-A. The Marlins sent Maybin down to Triple-A New Orleans and Maybin proceeded to tear the cover off the baseball. He put up a .338/.407/.508 hitting line with four HR’s in 130 AB’s.

Triple-A success obviously doesn’t always turn into major league success, but his performance has to have given him confidence that he can perform at the big show.

3. A better approach at the plate. If you watched Maybin at the beginning of this season, you would have seen the worst approach at the plate of any major league hitter. I know that is a harsh statement, but it’s true.

When Maybin came to the plate in April and May, he had no idea what he was doing. Pitchers had their way with him as his 30.8 K percentage indicates.

In Triple-A, Maybin seems to have found himself. Maybin’s K percent of 18.5 percent was the lowest of his career at any level. Some of that can be attributed to facing lower level pitching, but I think some of it is Maybin having a better understanding of the strike zone and a better approach at the plate.

The next 30 games or so will be very big for Maybin’s career. If he fails again, he might not get another chance in a Marlins’ uniform.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Last week I wrote about Jair Jurrjens, the home warrior. I thought it would be fitting to write this week about a guy who has truly been a road warrior this season.

With no disrespect to Animal or the late Hawk, Florida Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco was a true road warrior this season. Despite his season ending prematurely (he wants to pitch, but that would be a dumb idea) because of a torn meniscus in his right knee, Nolasco really was a stud on the road this season.

Nolasco was rock solid on the road this year

Overall on the season, Nolasco is 14-8 with a 4.22 ERA, a 1.23 WHIP, and averaging 8.5 K/9. It has been a solid season for Nolasco considering he was sent down to the minors last season.

On the road, however Nolasco really shined. In 14 starts, Nolasco was 10-2 with a 3.35 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and averaged 8.3 K/9.

The biggest difference for Nolasco on the road versus at home is that he kept the ball in the ballpark.

At home, Nolasco was giving up 1.8 HR’s/9 and on the road he only gave up 0.9 HR’s/9. What’s interesting about Nolasco’s splits is that this flyball percentage is about the same (41 percent) on the road versus at home, and he is the complete opposite of the Marlins’ pitching staff as a whole.

The Marlins’ pitching staff has a lower ERA at home than on the road (3.77 to 4.13) and gives up less HR’s/9 at home (0.67) than on the road (0.89). Perhaps Ricky should do the opposite and go from tuna on toast, coleslaw, and a cup of coffee to chicken salad on rye, not toasted, and a cup of tea in order to fit in with the rest of his staff.

Why Nolasco struggled at home this year, while the other Marlin pitchers enjoyed success is beyond me. But what I do know is that Nolasco really had one heck of a season on the road and was a true road warrior.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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According to a report by The Miami Herald‘s Clark Spencer, Marlins starting catcher Ronny Paulino has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

The suspension would put the Marlins catcher out for the rest of the regular season with 40 games left to go for the Marlins, as it will be effective immediately. 

Paulino started the year off as the Marlins’ backup catcher to John Baker, but when Baker went down with an injury, Paulino assumed the bulk of the catching duties.

He becomes the first Marlins player to receive such a suspension since the steroid policy was enacted in 2006. He is also the first major league position player on a 25-man roster to be suspended for PEDs this season. 

Paulino played in 91 games this season and hit .259 with four home runs and 37 RBI. Paulino hit .282 in the first half but since the second half has started has hit only .195 with a home run and seven RBI. 

If Ronny Paulino were to sign a contract with any team next season, he would miss the first 10 games of the season since he is to miss the remaining 40 games with the Marlins. 

The Marlins called up catcher Brad Davis from Triple-A New Orleans to replace Paulino. Brett Hayes becomes the Marlins’ everyday catcher for the rest of the season, even if the injured John Baker were to return. 

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Entering his final year of arbitration this offseason, Cody Ross is looking at what could be his final year with the Marlins in 2011. Yet many obstacles stand in his way for him to simply return for his fifth season with the Fish. 

First, Ross is having a down year by power standards. He has only belted 10 out of major league ballparks this season versus 24 in 2009, 22 in 2008, and 12 in 66 games in 2007.

Second, Cody Ross is costly for the budget-strict Florida Marlins. Ross is earning $4.4 million this season and figures to earn at least $5 million in arbitration. The Marlins would figure to win any case if Ross demands more than $5 million because Ross has had a down year yet that would expensive because the Marlins are trying to extend second baseman Dan Uggla and pitcher Ricky Nolasco this offseason with Anibal Sanchez and Michael Stanton on the contract horizon.  

The Marlins also have to have their “center-fielder in waiting” Cameron Maybin on their 25-man roster next season or he’ll have to be placed on waivers first before heading down to the minor leagues. Simply put, Maybin is out of options come next season. 

Maybin has struggled in the majors but has impressed in the minor leagues this season. Thru 30 games at (AAA) New Orleans, Maybin has hit .342 with three home runs, 21 RBIs to go along with five stolen bases. The true test will be during September when Maybin is called up to the majors for the third consecutive season when rosters expand to 40. If Maybin plays well, Ross might find himself out. 

If Ross had his usual season, would this still be the question? Maybe, because the Marlins’ only benefit of the Miguel Cabrera deal has been long reliever Burke Badenhop. Andrew Miller has lost his control like the other pitcher in the deal, Dontrelle Willis. Yet despite his horrid minor league numbers, 2-9, 5.35 ERA, is getting called back up for relief help.

The Marlins would certainly want to give Maybin a shot to fully develop being the most attractive part of that deal. Cameron Maybin is only 23-years-of-age so he still has time. 

Yet, at the end, the Marlins would be able to trade either player because they are under club control. Cody Ross might fetch more value because he is a veteran major-leaguer. The Marlins might pull off a similar deal when they traded Mike Jacobs to the Royals for Leo Nunez. The objective would be to get a bullpen arm or two in any deal. 

If I were Larry Beinfest or Michael Hill I would trade the fan favorite Ross while you can get value and take a chance with Maybin. If he doesn’t pan out, you still have Emilo Bonifacio and then Christian Yelich in a few years.

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The signing of Christian Yelich came last night for the Marlins although it didn’t receive the hype of a Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg signing.

Yelich signed for $1.7 million as the deal got done with minutes left until the midnight deadline. Yelich was the Marlins’ first-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.

Taken out of Westlake High School in Westlake Village, California, Yelich stands at 6’4″ and weighs 190 pounds.

With Westlake, he hit .428 with nine home runs and 28 stolen stolen bases. 

Anything sound familiar?

Well, he follows a recent trend of the Marlins picking high school bats from California in early rounds. First-rounder Matt Dominguez (2007), second-rounder Mike Stanton (2007), and first-rounder Kyle Skipworth (2008). 

Nevertheless, Yelich, 18, projects to be an outfielder, more specifically a center fielder with speed to hit at the top of the order. 

On a major league level, Yelich has a swing which has been compared to Mark Grace and some have compared him to James Loney.

But for better description, Yelich could be described as a cross between Logan Morrison (power and plate discipline) and Chris Coghlan (speed and defense). 

Outlook

The long-term plan would be for Christian Yelich to be up in a few years, similar to Mike Stanton.

This would be a best case scenario. 

Yelich figures to be in the Marlins minor league system in 2011 and 2012 and could figure to be up sometime in 2013.

Yet this all depends on the outfielder alignment for the Marlins in the next few years.

Currently, rookies Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton occupy the corner outfield positions and figure to man them for many years to come with the veteran Cody Ross nestled in center.

Another outfielder, 23-year-old Cameron Maybin, who was sent down because of his early season struggles has bounced back nicely in Triple-A New Orleans, hitting .336 with two home runs, 17 RBI to go along with five stolen bases in 28 games.

He figures to be their center fielder if the Marlins do not tender Cody Ross this offseason.

But anything can happen in a few years and the Marlins could always take a page from 2003 when they traded Adrian Gonzalez if they were ever in contention and trade Yelich, but for now, Christian Yelich figures to be something special in the minor leagues for the Marlins. 

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