Kuzul

He has been hyped since he was a top draft pick for the National League East team that selected him. Sound familiar?

After dominating the Minor Leagues, he made his major League debut on June 8, 2010. Sound familiar?

He performed very well in his first game. Sound familiar?

However, his game was not shown on the MLB Network, but I still switched back and forth between four games last night. Being in the Southern New Jersey area, I get the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Philadelphia Phillies local cable stations.

Despite the prestige that Stephen Strasburg was getting about two hours south, Florida Marlins rookie Mike Stanton was getting three base knocks off of three separate, and distinctly, different pitchers.

Stanton beat out two infield hits, showing good speed for a big man, and smacked a rocket line drive off to right field against the tough Jose Contreras.

His final at-bat produced an infield single off of Phillies closer Brad Lidge. If not for Lidge getting his glove on the ball, the grounder would have been through the middle for a run scoring single, keeping the Marlins late rally alive.

After humiliating the Double-A Southern League for the better part of the last two months, Stanton was brought up to the Majors, skipping Triple-A entirely.

At Double-A Huntsville in 2010, Stanton played in 52 games and hit 21 home runs with 52 RBI. He slashed .311 BA/.441 OBP/.726 SLG. Simply amazing numbers.

His Minor League numbers can be viewed here .

And what is most impressive is that he cut down his strikeout rates from a high of 33 percent in his 2007 rookie season (age 17), to 28 percent in Low-A (age 18), to 21 percent in High-A (age 19). When Stanton advanced to Double-A in the middle of last season, he did strike out in 29 percent of his plate appearances.

But, this year at the same Double-A level, Stanton has whiffed on only 22 percent of his PA.

At age 20, Stanton is cutting down on the worst thing a hitter can do—that is to strike out.

He was drafted 76th overall in 2007 , a second-round pick out of Notre Dame HS in California. And for those who are saying, “How can so many players be picked ahead of Stanton,” please be aware that Stanton had a full ride scholarship offer to the University of Southern California (USC) for baseball and football.

Pete Carroll, then coach of the Trojans, viewed Stanton as his future starting tight end, even personally visiting him to persuade the youngster to attend school . So there were other factors involved, including another sport.

But he decided to sign with the Marlins for a little under $500,000. A bargain, you think?

Stanton hit terribly his first season in the pros, a brief session in Rookie and Short season league. In his short season stay in the New York Penn League as a 17-year-old, Stanton played mostly against top college players, and the results were indicative of the difference in ages.

I spoke to a current NY Penn League coach and asked him if he remembered Stanton. He did because not too many current-season-drafted high school kids get an opportunity to play there. It is mostly college kids, Latin players, and older high school kids usually drafted a year or two earlier.

The Latin players and high schoolers have had the advantage of at least a full year of instructional ball before they are fed to the wolves.

Stanton had no such prep time and struggled.

Stanton was overmatched, but kept his composure.

That is likely what the Marlins wanted to see. Does a player with such enormous talent and potential like Stanton have the temperament to withstand any failures, in a game widely known for failures?

He did, and that is probably the reason he was allowed to skip Triple-A. He has the positive make up that if he struggles at the Major League level (and he will at some point this season), he will handle it like a professional.

That early test at age 17 allowed Stanton to get to the Majors earlier than he was “supposed to.”

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Two of baseballs’ most touted prospects premiered in the MLB tonight, but sadly one was quite overshadowed by the other. 

Mike Stanton, the young Marlins outfielder who was just called up today went 3-5 with two runs was the one who was sadly overshadowed by the toast of town in Washington, Stephen Strasburg.

Stanton is ranked the third-best prospect in the game according to MLB.com, while Strasburg is touted as the top prospect in all of baseball by basically every scout.  What is also interesting is that yesterday the Nationals drafted another highly touted prospect in Bryce Harper.

In the next couple of years, the NL East could become an MLB powerhouse.  Just think; the Phillies are already a powerhouse, the Nationals have Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper, the Marlins have Mike Stanton, the Mets have a young Ike Davis, who hit a walk-off home-run tonight and Jenry Mejia and the Braves who have Tommy Hanson.

Strasburg, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 MLB draft, also made his MLB debut tonight.  Strasburg pitched 7.0 innings giving up two earned runs and threw an astounding fourteen strikeouts, the most since 1900. Strasburg struck out every member of the Pirates roster.

It is quite dissappointing that two of baseballs’ most promising prospects had to make there MLB debuts on the same day due to the fact that both could have been the event that Strasburg’s debut was.

All I can hope is that Stanton does not live in the shadow of Stephen Strasburg for his entire MLB career.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In addition to the hype surrounding the MLB draft on Monday night and Stephen Strasburg’s Major League debut on Tuesday night, fantasy owners now have Mike Stanton’s long-awaited arrival to look forward to.

Stanton’s absence from Double-A Jacksonville’s lineup on Sunday almost certainly confirms this, as the young outfielder is expected to join the Marlins on Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Fantasy managers have known about Stanton for a while, but his expected call-up begs the question: What will his fantasy impact be in 2010?

Before we can answer this, it’s important to understand just how good the 2007 second-round pick has been:

2008 (High-A): 468 at-bats, 89 runs, 26 doubles, three triples, 39 homers, 97 RBI, 153 strikeouts, 58 walks, .293/.381/.611.

2009 (High-A and Double-A): 479 at-bats, 76 runs, 24 doubles, five triples, 28 homers, 92 RBI, 144 strikeouts, 59 walks, .255/.341/.501.

While his power stroke dominated Minor League pitching in ‘08 and ‘09, Stanton has actually exceeded expectations in 2010:

2010 (Double-A): 190 at-bats, 41 runs, 12 doubles, two triples, 21 homers, 52 RBI, 53 strikeouts, 44 walks, .311/.441/.726.

Dave Winfield comparisons are plentiful, as all five of Stanton’s tools rate as solid-average or better. The 20-year-old has “light-tower power” and the ability to swipe 20 bases per season according to Baseball America , though he has yet to develop baserunning instincts.

BA also notes his tremendous work ethic and modest personality.

If there’s any reason to doubt Stanton, it’d be due to his high strikeout totals. Though his pitch recognition has improved, “he still gets caught guessing too much.” This will likely hamper his fantasy value for the rest of 2010.

It’s important to note, however, that the Marlins plan to give Stanton regular at-bats. This means Chris Coghlan, Cameron Maybin, and Cody Ross are likely to split time among the remaining outfield positions.

Given Coghlan’s recent resurgence (six multi-hit games in his last seven contests), and Ross’s steady production (six HRs, 33 RBI, .300 average), Maybin (.225 average in 182 at-bats) likely stands to lose the most playing time in the near future.

Stanton is expected to bat seventh in Florida’s lineup, but could move up if his production warrants it.

Although Jason Heyward has become a top-50 player, you shouldn’t expect similar immediate success from the 20-year-old Stanton. He will undoubtedly display wicked power, but his batting average will likely limit his value.

In the long term, Stanton’s ceiling is higher than that of Ike Davis , but lower than Justin Smoak’s . Still, the Marlins outfielder has 40-HR potential, making him an exceptionally valuable commodity in all keeper/dynasty formats.

FBI Forecast: 325 at-bats, 40 runs, 13 HRs, 45 RBI, .260 batting average.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: FANTASY BASEBALL INSIDERS

Follow Fantasy Baseball Insiders on F acebook  & Twitter

Fantasy Baseball Insiders’ Prospect Report:

• Does Rangers’ Justin Smoak Have Fantasy Value in 2010?
• Does Mets’ Ike Davis Have Fantasy Value in 2010?

More from Fantasy Baseball Insiders:

• Buy or Sell: Troy Glaus
• Buy or Sell: Pitcher’s Edition
• What’s Wrong With Josh Beckett?
• Padres’ Kyle Blanks, Reds’ Drew Stubbs Headline 2010 All-Breakout Team

More 2010 Fantasy Baseball Insiders Player Projections:

• Mat Latos
• Cole Hamels
• Livan Hernandez
• Mike Pelfrey
• Delmon Young
• Drew Stubbs
• Nolan Reimold
• Jay Bruce
• Geovany Soto
• B.J. Upton
• Shin-Soo Choo
• Matt Wieters

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Maybe the heat’s finally getting to me to the point that I feel the need to write this.

You see, all this weekend I’m covering the University of Miami’s Coral Gables Regional at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field.

What this means is over nine hours a day of college baseball in the 90-plus degree heat and humidity that only Miami can offer.

Through all the sweat and sunburn, what really came into my head were valid reasons- what some might call excuses—as to why the Florida Marlins can’t seem to fill Sun Life Stadium.

You see, it’s a multifaceted problem.

Contrary to popular belief, the Marlins actually have fans. Their TV ratings are near the top for all MLB baseball teams.

Yet, Florida ranks second to last, just ahead of the Cleveland Indians, in attendance, averaging 16,267 fannies a game.

ESPN and other media outlets poke fun at the empty blue and orange seats. Announced crowds are clearly smaller in number. 

But why?

1) To quote LMFAO, “I’m in Miami, trick.”

If you’ve ever visited the tropical paradise, there’s tons to do. Why would a tourist or native want to see a baseball game when they have South Beach’s water and nightlife?

Then there’s the weather.

Temperatures reach the 90s on a daily basis. If you’ve ever seen a Sunday afternoon game on TV, you feel for the fans in right field. 

Owner Jeffrey Loria couldn’t pay people to sit in those seats.

And in the summer, when baseball is the only sport in town, rain can come at a moment’s notice. The Marlins experience delays several times a year.

2) Sun Life Stadium.

Just the mention of its name should be enough, but for further explanation, remember that it’s a football stadium.

The Miami Dolphins play in front of 75,192 fans every Sunday. Under 40,000 seats are made available during baseball games, so do the math.

Located in Miami Gardens, Sun Life Stadium can be a half-hour drive for residents in communities such as Coral Gables. With horrible public transportation (the Metrorail doesn’t go to the stadium) and poor road systems, Interstate-95 is the only way to get to the game from southern Miami-Dade County.

During rush hour the drive can take more than an hour. Who wants to do that for 82 games a year?

3) Who’s on first?

Even with two World Series since 1997 and a flawless postseason record in two appearances, Florida’s ownership has done a poor job of keeping the talent because of a small payroll.

After 1997, then-owner Wayne Huizenga made the term “firesale” a household name in South Florida. Something similar happened following the 2003 team, but stretched out over a couple of years.

Look at pretty much any team in baseball and you’ll find a former Marlin.

Derrek Lee. Josh Beckett. A.J. Burnett. Mark Kotsay. Mike Lowell. 

4) Unlike “Fiddler on the Roof,” there’s no tradition.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have been around for ages. They play in a couple of America’s most historical cities.

Although the City of Miami was incorporated in 1896, its population didn’t begin to boom until the late 1950s when Cubans fled Fidel Castro’s regime. As a ball club, the Marlins’ first season was in 1993. 

It’s hard to build a foundation for an organization without years in your own stadium. The Marlins don’t receive the profits for parking and concessions since Sun Life Stadium is controlled by the Dolphins.

5) Miami is the sixth borough.

That’s the common joke about Miami. With its picturesque winter weather, northerners, particularly those from New York, decided to move down to South Florida. 

Here in lies a major problem: These people aren’t going to give up their childhood allegiance to the Mets or Yankees for a club that just happens to be in their new hometown.

Mets and Phillies games almost always draw crowds upwards of 30,000. When the Yankees came for interleague play last year, more than 40,000 tickets were sold for each game.

Until 2012 when Marlins Stadium opens at the old site of the Orange Bowl, crowds will continue to be small.

By then, maybe Florida will have sold all the remaining unsold tickets from Roy Halladay’s perfect game.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Mike Stanton is on his way to the Florida Marlins.

No, not that Mike Stanton. 

It’s the 20-year-old Los Angeles native, an outfielder currently in the Florida Marlins farm system. 

Several outlets have recently announced that Florida would call up Stanton sometime next week.  Some say they might be rushing the young outfielder who can’t even legally consume alcohol yet, but who can blame them for rushing?  In 50 games this season at double-A Jacksonville, Stanton is hitting .299 with 20 HR and 51 RBI. 

While Mr. Stanton will be given a starting job in the outfield from day one, that also means that one of the current Marlins outfielders will be losing a very decent amount of playing time. 

Florida isn’t calling this kid up just to give him a taste; they plan on keeping him here. 

Florida’s current three starting outfielders are Chris Coghlan, Cameron Maybin, and Cody Ross, from left-to-right. 

In less than a week, one of those starting outfielders will be a fourth outfielder. 

So who’s the most likely candidate to take a seat while Stanton gets to show off his stuff?

Let’s look at each guy’s credentials.

Chris Coghlan

.254 BA, 3 HR, 15 RBI

He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2009, leading the entire National League in hitting in the second half of last year. 

He certainly didn’t look like ROY material in the beginning of 2010, batting just .195 with 3 RBI in the first month of the season. 

He’s definitely straightened up since, though. 

In his past 26 games, he’s hitting .310 with 11 RBI, mostly coming out of the one or two-hole in the lineup.  He’s also been reliable in left field, recording five outfield assists and only one error on the season, thus far. 

Cameron Maybin

.227 BA, 5 HR, 19 RBI

Talk about a long way to fall. 

In 2005, Maybin was tabbed the third-best hitting prospect in the MLB draft.  Two years after being selected 10th overall by the Detroit Tigers, he was traded after the 2007 season, as one of the main cogs in a package that netted the Tigers Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins. 

Maybin has disappointed in his first three years in Florida thus far, hitting only .261 with 9 HR and 33 RBI in 110 games.  He’s still only 23, so his talent is still extremely attractive to keep in the lineup. 

Cody Ross

.299 BA, 5 HR, 30 RBI

The veteran of the three current outfielders, 29-year-old had a career year in 2009, nailing 24 homers with 90 RBI.  Ross has been a starting outfielder for Florida since 2008, which is seniority, which might give him an edge in keeping his job once Stanton finds his way to the bigs. 

The only downside the Marlins could see to keeping Ross in the starting outfield would be they see the potential of Coghlan and Maybin to be more valuable than the assets they already know they would get from Ross. 

Coghlan has proven he can hit big league pitching for an extended period of time, and that swing of Maybin that had scouts calling him one of the best players in the 2005 draft has to still be there somewhere… right?

Not an easy call for Marlins’ manager Fredi Gonzalez to make.  But it’s sure an easy call for me to make, because I don’t have to make the lineup card everyday. 

In my opinion, Maybin has struggled for a little too long to be ignored now.  Very few players come up to the majors, struggle mightily for the first few seasons as Maybin has done, and then have successful big league careers. 

Coghlan is a current .301 career hitter and maybe the best defensive outfielder on the team right now, so you’d be crazy to take him out. 

Ross is currently the right fielder, but can easily move over to center field to accommodate Mike Stanton, who is also a right fielder. 

These next couple of years will be Ross’ prime, and when he gave you decent power and RBI numbers last year, it’s not fair to sit him either. 

Maybin has performed the worst of the three, it’s just a fact.  It’s not in the stats, but as a nightly viewer of MLB highlights, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen Maybin overrun or misjudge a fly ball in the outfield. 

When Stanton gets called up within the next few days, Maybin should be the one to take a seat. 

If he’s not, it’ll be a pretty big injustice, because the choice wouldn’t have been made due to baseball priorities. 

Sorry Cameron, but right now, you are the weakest link.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Are you a Roy Halladay fan?

Would you like a ticket to his perfect game?

Well, you are in luck, ’cause the Marlins organization is selling the remaining tickets.

Earlier today, the Fighting Fish announced that they were going to be selling the remaining tickets that were left from Halladay’s historic performance.

How many tickets are left, you may ask?

Just over 25,000 fans showed up Saturday, but many were not necessarily there to see baseball. You see, since the Marlins are not overly popular in South Florida, the organization has come up with the “Super Saturday” gimmick.

Every Saturday home game, they hire a band and shoot off fireworks, in order to draw a crowd to an often-empty Sun Life Stadium. This week, I do believe it was the band O.A.R., which is an upgrade to the Orange Bowl halftime show I saw in the same stadium (K.C. and the Sunshine Band).

Either way, now there is a total of just over 15,000 tickets left for sale. The team says it will continue to sell them until they are gone. As of last check at around 7 p.m. Eastern time, they had sold more tickets from this game, mainly to Phillies’ fans, than tickets to Monday’s Memorial Day win over the Brewers.

So, how do you go about buying your ticket, and how much will it cost? All you have to do is pay full price, as long as they are available, and head on over to the Marlins’ website.

On a side note, I attended my first game there in 2007. It was a Friday night matchup against the Braves for which me and my buddy had not bought tickets in advance. A scalper offered us two “fish tank” seats, otherwise known as outfield seats, for $5 each.

The joke, you ask? The parking was $10.

What are your thoughts on what the Marlins’ organization is doing? Is it good for fans and collectors? Should they be allowed to sell you tickets to games that you never even attended? Would you pay $45 for an infield box seat to a game you didn’t attend.

If only I had gone and bought a $5 fish tank seat…

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A perfect Halladay in Philadelphia is just what the Phillies needed. On Saturday, Roy Halladay threw the 20th perfect game in Major League History against the Florida Marlins. It was a fantastic pitchers duel that was won out by Halladay and the Phillies by the score of 1-0. The Marlins became the second Major League Baseball team from Florida this year to have their bats silenced by a perfectly pitched game. Tampa Bay Rays was the first victim on May 9, 2010 when Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics sat all 27 of the Rays’ batters.

Halladay’s perfect game could have not come at a better time as the Phillies have struggled to score runs; therefore, their pitching has been paramount. The lack of run support did not matter Saturday as the Marlins could not in the famous words of Wee Willie Keller “hit them where they aint” and the Phillies can thank Halladay for it.

In Halladay previous start, he was hit hard by the Boston Red Sox during Interleague play, but it is safe to say he recovered nicely. Halladay had 11 strikeouts, and Phillies’ defense took care of the rest. Perfect games by Halladay and Braden marked only the second time that two perfect games were pitched in the same year. The feat has not been accomplished since 1880.

On Saturday, he came within pitch from giving a batter free pass to first base seven different times but it never happened. Phillies acquisition of Roy Halladay continues to payoff in the best way. It was more of a payoff in a perfect way on Saturday. Fans were able to enjoy a perfect Halladay in Philadelphia.

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Roy Halladay’s perfect game against the Florida Marlins Saturday night was only the 20th in the MLB’s extensive history, and only the second in Phillies history. Halladay looked spectacular in every facet of his game and his defense picked him up during the rare occasions he needed them.

However, even after such a great performance defensively, there are still plenty of reasons to be worried about this team.

For instance, they’ve scored only four runs over the past five games. They were shut out three times against the Mets, scored three runs on the Marlins for a win, and most recently scored only one run to ensure Halladay’s efforts didn’t drag him into extra innings.

But for a team that has lived and died on its ability to score runs, it’s a bit unsettling to see them struggle so mightily for such a long stretch.

The Phils’ offense has been anemic, to say the least.

Halladay can’t pitch every day, and there are certain pitchers in this rotation that will need the offense to score a lot of runs if they want to win.

(Here’s looking at you, Jamie Moyer.)

Without that offense, this is a slightly above-average team because of the outstanding defensive play and, for the most part, very good pitching. Above-average might still sound like a good thing, but slightly above-average teams don’t win the World Series—they get knocked out of the first round in five games.

And what’s troubling about Halladay’s perfect game is that the Phillies couldn’t even score on a base hit, sac fly, or something to that effect. Instead, they have to rely on a boneheaded play by Cameron Maybin to bring Wilson Valdez across the play on an error.

Needless to say, you’re not going to win many playoff series by scoring four runs in five games.

Of course, they have been working without Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz has been banged up, and most recently Placido Polanco has been forced to miss a couple games with a shoulder injury. But if they want to repeat what they accomplished in 2008, they’re going to have to do it while fighting through some injuries.

It’s time for Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth to step up and start playing the way we’ve seen they can. They’re going to be the guys who put the runs on the board. If they don’t take it upon themselves to get the offense moving in the right direction, it’s going to remain in neutral all season long.

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The rumor mill is swirling with talk of the Marlins potentially recalling super prospect Mike Stanton as soon as today (Mike Lamb was recalled instead). 

It never made sense (especially considering the financial implications of waiting another week), but there is no doubt that now is the time to stash him away if you are in need of a power boost.

Chris Coghlan has been awful this season, hitting just .212 with two home runs, 12 RBI, 18 R and five SB over 165 AB. The 2009 NL Rookie of the Year was buoyed by a .365 BABIP last season, but that has taken a huge hit as expected (.266 in 2010), helping lead to the poor average. The other issue is the strikeouts, increasing to a rate over 24 percent.

Coghlan lacks big speed and power, meaning he never had much of an opportunity to be a must-use fantasy OF option, even in five-outfielder formats.

The fact that he could be the odd man out to make room for Stanton should be music to fantasy owners’ ears, because they no longer would need to decide on his potential value.

Cameron Maybin, the perpetual breakout option, has shown signs of coming around and has the potential to force Coghlan to the bench full-time. Still, the likelihood is that the two share time in LF, as neither has been overly impressive. In 155 AB, Maybin has hit .239 with four home runs, 16 RBI, 29 R and four SB.

The major problem with Maybin is that he continues to simply look overmatched at the plate.  He’s currently striking out 31.6 percent of the time, consistent with his 31.3 percent career mark. He’s only gone back-to-back games without a strikeout twice this season. He is currently tied for 10th in the league with 49 Ks, an unacceptable number considering his lack of power.

The only other way he could get around it would be with exceptional stolen base totals (like Will Venable, who has 12 SBs despite 50 Ks), but he’s not doing that either.

The current Marlins OFer who appears safe is Cody Ross, who would likely take over full-time duty in center field. Ross has been heating up of late, with his average up to .308 with four home runs, 26 RBI, 23 R and two SB. 

There is a concern with his power, a big reason why fantasy owners were originally drawn to him, but there’s an anomaly in his underlying statistics. 

Ross’s HR/FB rate is consistent (currently at 11.8 percent), but his fly-ball rate has seemingly fallen off a cliff. Just look at his last three years:

2008 – 43.3 percent
2009 – 47.6 percent
2010 – 25.6 percent

There’s just no way that continues. He’s shown that the power is there, he just needs to start getting the ball in the air once again.

For his major league career he’s at 42.3 percent. From 2005-2007 in the minor leagues he was at 50.1 percent.

There’s little doubt that the power is coming, all the Marlins (and fantasy owners) need to do is not panic. He has been productive in other areas thus far, but the best is yet to come.

The Marlins aren’t going to recall Stanton to have him platoon, so someone is going to lose playing time. In looking at the numbers, the move that makes the most sense, at least offensively, is for Coghlan and Maybin to share time (unless one gets hot), leaving Ross and Stanton to play virtually everyday.

While we still don’t know exactly when Stanton will join the Marlins, in all likelihood it will be sooner rather then later. If you are in a five-outfielder format and are using either Coghlan or Maybin, it’s time to start looking at a potential replacement before it’s too late.

What do you think?  Should the Marlins use a Coghlan/Maybin platoon or should one play more then the other?

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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In late September the Atlanta Braves lost two of the three to the visiting Florida Marlins to close out the regular season.

By then, the Philadelphia Phillies had already closed out the National League East division and the battle at Turner Field was for second place.

Fast forward eight months later.

The two teams are a half game apart in the standings and will once again face each other Tuesday night at Sun Life Stadium.

For all the talk about division rivals playing way too many times during a 162-game schedule, the Marlins (23-22) and Braves (23-21) somehow managed to complete almost 30 percent of the season before sharing the same diamond. 

Jason Heyward, meet Anibal Sanchez.

Mike Stanton…Scratch that.

After a quick three-game set, Florida and Atlanta won’t meet again until July. And in the final month of the season they will play six games, which could decide the division or wild card.  

Instead of complaining about interleague play, those with pull should find a way to expand upon it and fix the unbalanced schedule.

Despite its inception in 1997, the Marlins and Chicago White Sox didn’t meet until 2007. Three more games this past weekend and the tally stands at six.

Those who don’t follow the sport complain that the season is too long. How can a game in April matter when there are still five months left? 

Playing different teams more often makes the game more exciting.

Former players reappear.

Legendary managers sign autographs before the game.

Last year when the New York Yankees visited, the average attendance was over 40,000 fans.

If Major League Baseball wants the Marlins to fill a football stadium until they move into their own ballpark in 2012, give them a schedule that breaks away from the monotony and routine. 

Until then, it’s Atlanta and Florida in a best-of-18 series.

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