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Miami Marlins first baseman Logan Morrison made sure that the Marlins got some love in an otherwise forgettable season with a majestic two-run blast to right-center field on Friday night.

The initial estimate of 484 feet would make it the longest home run hit by an MLB player in 2013:

With rookie ace Jose Fernandez carving up the Washington Nationals‘ lineup, the Fish jumped ahead 3-0. Morrison’s second plate appearance of the night came against Dan Haren in the bottom of the third inning following a Giancarlo Stanton walk.

The 26-year-old must have channeled all his emotions from what has to be a frustrating season into that left-handed swing. Or maybe he simply took advantage of a belt-high, 88 mile-per-hour fastball.

Whatever the case, it landed five rows deep in the second deck at Marlins Park, safely out of reach of the few fans who bothered attending.

Although Morrison began the evening with only five home runs in 64 games played this season, it’s not all that surprising to see him obliterate a baseball like this. In Bleacher Report’s new B/R MLB 500 series, Zachary Rymer noted that the vast dimensions of Miami’s home stadium naturally suppress offensive production. “Realistically, LoMo’s power is above average,” he writes.

Moreover, Haren is the perfect candidate to serve up such an epic no-doubter. Despite a midseason stint on the disabled list, he entered the start with an NL-worst 25 home runs allowed in only 26 appearances.

However, we’re certainly not done with this story. It’s still unclear how far Morrison’s round-tripper actually traveled.

As mentioned earlier, the Marlins made a generous calculation:

Logan Morrison’s 484 foot home run in the bottom of the 3rd is the longest in @MarlinsPark history. Your move, @Giancarlo818

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) September 7, 2013

The league evidently trusts Miami’s mathematicians:

.@LoMoMarlins did a number on this baseball. That number is 484. Feet: http://t.co/CDpBYQo6s5

— MLB (@MLB) September 7, 2013

Meanwhile, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald points out the discrepancy between that and ESPN’s approximation:

#Marlins calculate distance of LoMo homer at 484 ft, longest ever at #Marlins Park. ESPN Stats and Info: 467 (tied for 8th longest in MLB)

— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) September 7, 2013

Ultimately, the World Wide Leader is probably going to win this dispute. They collaborated with Greg Rybarczyk and his ball-tracking technology several years ago, a partnership which has since hatched the ESPN Home Run Tracker. Bleacher Report has spent all season recognizing those stats as official, and will continue doing so.

In terms of “True Distance,” here’s the list of this year’s most prolific launches:

That means the 17 feet in question would be the difference between first and eighth place. Following the game, expect Morrison himself to tweet on the subject from his popular personal account.

Follow @MrElyminator

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Last week, we took a look as to what players might not be with the Miami Marlins in 2014. 

Today, based on who we think will still be here, we’re going to take a look as to what the Marlins starting lineup will be next season.

The rules are simple. The Marlins chosen to start next season must be under team control in some fashion for the 2014 season. This means guys such as Juan Pierre and Placido Polanco, who signed one-year deals  with the Marlins in the offseason, were not selected because they had little to no shot of starting next year, especially considering their current roles as bench players. Also, this means free agents such as Brian McCann, Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury and Matt Garza will not be coming to South Beach anytime soon.

While you might be very familiar with the names on this list, keep in mind these players have earned the starting nod either through outstanding production or merely by default. 

Without further ado, let’s present the starting nine for the 2014 Miami Marlins in lineup card fashion.

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The Miami Marlins are 9-4 in their last 13 games versus left-handed starters, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Tuesday, as they prepare to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Courtesy of SBR Forum, the Marlins are plus-170 road underdogs in the pro baseball odds, with the betting total sitting at seven in the market.

Let’s take a closer look at this National League matchup from a betting perspective, while offering up a prediction along the way.

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The Miami Marlins made a sizable move to acquire Los Angeles Dodgers prospect pitcher Angel Sanchez on Saturday, and he brings a lot to the table that should excite Marlins fans.

The official MLB Twitter account reported the done deal, which involved Sanchez as one of three minor leaguers moving for right-hander Ricky Nolasco: 

Although Miami is already 17 games back from the NL East lead before the All-Star break, it has still been able to build a solid factory of high-profile prospects who should blossom into a decent team in a number of years.

Sanchez will be the newest addition to that future list of stars, as the 23-year-old looks to come in and make it to the MLB sooner rather than later. 

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about the Marlins’ newest addition, Angel Sanchez. 

*All stats, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of Baseball America.

1. The Specs

A long-limbed pitching prospect, Sanchez uses the most out of his 6’3″ frame. This right-hander is from the Dominican Republic and will turn 24 in November, so he has plenty of seasoning.

With long arms and a wide wingspan, Sanchez is able to sprawl out and cover a lot more ground with his wind-up. This allows him to throw a deadly fastball and also offer up deception on more signature pitches. 

Despite his tall frame, Sanchez has a bit of filling out to do. He only weighs 177 pounds, and his lankiness is evident out on the mound.

Simply put, a couple of seasons in a major league weight program could do wonders for Sanchez’s power on the mound.

2. He Almost Threw a No-Hitter

It’s not too often at all that you hear about an MLB player throwing a no-hitter, much less a minor league player in single-A.

But Sanchez almost joined that elite group of players, and it was not too long ago. According to Hugh Bernreuter of MLive.com, the 23-year-old entered the seventh inning of a May 6 game with a no-hitter intact. 

He would end up giving up a hit to lead off the seventh, and his team actually lost the game after a reliever came in and gave up three runs. But that doesn’t take away the achievement that it is to toss a no-hitter throughout two-thirds of a contest.

3. Emergence in 2011

The Dominican Republic slinger wasn’t highly touted as one of the Dodgers’ best minor league prospects, but that all changed after he emerged as a big-time threat in 2011.

Pitching for the Great Lakes Loons of the Low-A, Sanchez went 8-4 on the season with a formidable 2.82 ERA. He also gave up just 72 hits in 99 innings. 

Perhaps the most amazing statistic from his 2011 breakout campaign was the fact that he held opponents to a .198 batting average. 

Just 21 years old at the time, people started talking more and more about Sanchez’s ability to become a big-time MLB pitcher after this breakout year.

4. 2012 Struggles Carried Into 2013

After putting lofty expectations upon himself from such a great opening season in the farm system, Sanchez struggled to get back to that talent level in 2012.

Spending the whole season with Rancho Cucamonga of High-A, Sanchez went just 6-12 on the season. Also, his ERA ballooned to 6.58, almost four runs higher than what he averaged the previous year.

The season was also a bigger sample size, as he tossed 130 innings in 27 appearances for the year. He gave up more hits (157) than innings pitched and almost gave up one run per inning. 

He was demoted back to Low-A with Great Lakes to start 2013, but it didn’t turn around his performances as he went 2-7 before going back to Cucamonga.

Really, he’s been struggling to emerge as a major league pitcher ever since the end of the 2011 season. Other than his near no-hitter, Sanchez needs to turn it around and use his skill set to emerge as a member of the Marlins. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

According to a report released via MLB, citing Joe Frisaro, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins have agreed to a multiplayer trade. The Dodgers will receive Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco, while Miami will receive multiple prospects.

A high-profile trade centered around L.A.’s need for instant pitching improvement and Miami’s desire to improve its farm system.

One of those players is right-handed pitcher Josh Wall. The question is, what do we need to know about Miami’s newest pitching prospect?

Let’s find out.

1. Future Closer

Wall isn’t the most consistent player in MLB, and that’s more of a compliment than an insult at this stage. He can’t seem to keep pitches over the plate, and when he does, he lets them hang and thus pays the price.

Just don’t debate the upside.

Wall was selected in the second round of the 2005 MLB draft by the Dodgers as a potential closer. While he may not have panned out in his early MLB career, Wall clearly has the upside to be something special.

It all starts with his size and power.

2. Size and Power

If there’s one thing you need to know about Wall, it’s that he’s a 6’5″ and 207-pound righty. While his control has been questionable in his short MLB career, he uses that supreme size to power pitches over the plate.

As a relief pitcher, that’s a trait that is undeniably attractive.

With the rise of power relievers such as Aroldis Chapman and Joel Hanrahan, Wall could be something special. Teams clearly value closers who can catch batters off balance with their power, and Wall certainly has nasty stuff.

That alone could make him a player receiving early playing time.

While he’s far from a long reliever and not quite a setup man, Wall can contribute in the sixth or seventh inning. Not only can he keep an offense at bay, but with the proper development of his breaking ball, Wall could make a powerful impact.

Unfortunately, he’s struggling to piece quality outings together.

3. Terrible Start to MLB Career

Thus far in 2013, Wall is 0-1 with an ERA of 18.00 and a WHIP of 3.29 in six appearances. While his statistics may be underwhelming, there’s no question that Wall has the upside to be a strong arm in any bullpen.

With his combination of size and power, pitching for short periods of time could be up his alley—the question is, how telling are these numbers?

For a Marlins team that’s short on arms, Wall is worth the risk, as he truly can’t hurt Miami any more than it’s already reeling. Not only can he help with a bullpen that has been inconsistent, at best, but he has the long-term upside of a strong closer in the MLB.

With the price it paid, it’s clear Miami believes in Wall’s future.

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Before the season even began, Miami Marlins right-hander Ricky Nolasco stood out as a virtual lock to be traded.

Here we are a couple of months into 2013, and the word “virtual” no longer applies. We can go ahead and say that Nolasco is a lock to be traded.

Last week, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reported that the Marlins were open to trading Nolasco, a free-agent-to-be whose $11.5 million salary is by far the biggest on the club’s payroll. Now we’re starting to hear about potential suitors.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees have their eyes on Nolasco. Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com says that the San Francisco Giants are looking at Nolasco as a potential elixir for their uncharacteristic starting pitching woes.

With the buzz building, here’s a primer on all the trade-y goodness surrounding Nolasco.

Trade Value: Better Than You Probably Think

There are sexier pitchers on the baseball landscape than Nolasco. He’s no Cliff Lee, Matt Garza or Josh Johnson, each of whom could find his way to the trade block before long.

If there’s a word to describe Nolasco, it would be “solid.” Not great. Not even good. But solid, and he’s been even more solid this year than usual.

The one thing Nolasco has always been able to do is eat innings. He’s topped 200 innings twice since 2008, and last year he topped 190 innings. Of his 31 starts, 14 were of the quality variety.

Nolasco is already up to eight quality starts in 14 outings this year. Quality starts are hardly gospel, but in this case they do reflect how well Nolasco has pitched this season.

Nolasco came into 2013 with a 4.42 ERA over the previous five seasons. Anybody who checks out his showings in the FIP and xFIP departments over at FanGraphs, however, would notice that he deserved better. His FIPs and xFIPs tend to be lower than his ERAs.

The story is different this year. Nolasco‘s 3.80 ERA is right about where his FIP (3.65) and his xFIP (3.87) say it should be. He also owns a 102 ERA-plus, giving him a shot to finish the year as an above-average pitcher for the first time since 2008.

It helps that Nolasco has his highest strikeout rate since 2010. After striking out under 17 percent of the batters he faced in 2011 and 2012, he’s striking out close to 20 percent of batters this year. 

An increased swinging-strike percentage has helped as well. Another thing that’s easy to notice is the increasing use and effectiveness of Nolasco‘s sinker. Here’s some data from BrooksBaseball.net that are equal parts juicy and telling:

Nolasco told ESPN’s Jim Bowden back in 2011 that he was looking to improve his sinker. If these data are any indication, he finally has improved it to a point where it’s become one of his better pitches. He’s keeping the hits from falling with his sinker, and it’s also become a halfway decent strikeout pitch.

Along with his traditional four-seamer, slider, splitter and curveball, the sinker gives Nolasco five offerings that he can rely on. And while he is throwing fewer strikes this year, the size of his repertoire hasn’t hurt his command to an alarming degree. His walk rate is about where it was last year.

Nolasco was a back-end starter coming into the season. He’s more like a No. 3 now, which means that the price to acquire him has gotten a boost in Miami’s favor.

A source told Frisaro that the Marlins could probably get a mid-level prospect for Nolasco. A higher-level prospect is out of the question given Nolasco‘s spotty track record and impending free-agent status, but the Marlins might be able to generate some competition and get more than just one prospect for him. Maybe a mid-level prospect and a low-level prospect with some cash on the side. 

As for when the Marlins could move Nolasco…

Trade Timeline: Soon

The trade deadline is still well over a month away, but expect Nolasco to be long gone by the time it arrives.

The Marlins know they’re not contending this season, and they also know that Nolasco‘s trade value is only going to dip if he continues to make starts for them, because that would mean fewer starts for some other team.

As Stark pointed out in his report, the Marlins also have some reinforcements on the way. Per the team’s official site, Henderson Alvarez and Nathan Eovaldi are nearing their returns from injury. Once they’re ready, the Marlins will have an excuse to make some room in their rotation.

It’s plausible that Nolasco will be gone before the end of the month. If not, he’ll certainly be gone closer to the beginning of July than to the end.

Known Suitors: Orioles, Yankees and Giants

Per the reports from Stark and Knobler, we know that a trade for Nolasco is being pondered by Dan Duquette of the Orioles, Brian Cashman of the Yankees and Brian Sabean of the Giants.

The Yankees’ interest is, well, interesting.

The Bombers have three solid starters in CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte, and Phil Hughes isn’t bad for a back-end guy. The No. 5 spot in their rotation is in flux, but the Yankees could just wait and hope that Michael Pineda is the guy for the job. After missing last year recovering from shoulder surgery, he’s finally nearing major league action.

It’s easier to understand the Orioles’ interest in Nolasco. They’re hanging in there in a tough AL East, but their starting pitching is once again a question mark. The O’s have a rotation ERA near 5.00, and Nolasco would bring some much-needed stability.

The fit in San Francisco, however, is quite good. The Giants are in need of stability with Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum struggling and Ryan Vogelsong on the disabled list with a busted hand.

If the Giants were to acquire Nolasco, they could use it as an excuse to move Lincecum to the bullpen down the line. That worked out well for them last postseason.

Any one of these three teams can pay the price for Nolasco, but the Giants might be a little more desperate. Whereas the Yankees and Orioles have other internal options to turn to, starting pitching depth is one of the Giants’ biggest organizational weaknesses.

As for other teams that could give Nolasco a look…

Additional Potential Suitors: Angels, Dodgers, Rockies, Royals, Indians

If the Angels and Dodgers are going to salvage their respective seasons, they’re going to need to stabilize their starting rotations.

The Angels’ rotation is intact for now with the return of Jered Weaver, but an upgrade over Joe Blanton would be a welcome addition. Tommy Hanson is no sure thing either.

The surplus of starting pitchers for the Dodgers in spring training is long gone now, as Aaron Harang was traded and Chad Billingsley, Chris Capuano, Ted Lilly and Josh Beckett are all on the disabled list.  

Billingsley is gone for the year, and Beckett’s status is up in the air at best. Nolasco would be a good get and a decent No. 3 behind Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke.

The Rockies, meanwhile, have been lying low as contenders virtually all season. We know they can hit, but in Colorado it’s always going to come down to pitching. The Rockies’ pitching has been solid, but the rotation hasn’t been nearly as strong as the bullpen.

The Royals are hanging around in the AL Central race, in large part because they’ve gotten exactly what they wanted out of James Shields, Jeremy Guthrie and Ervin Santana. Wade Davis has been a different story, however, as he has an ugly 5.77 ERA. Acquiring Nolasco would give the Royals an excuse to move Davis to an already very strong bullpen.

The Indians’ starting pitching was holding steady for a while but not so much lately. Nolasco would be an upgrade over the hit-or-miss Scott Kazmir, and he would be a nice placeholder for Trevor Bauer until his time comes next season.

Those are the clubs that stand out, but Nolasco could appeal to just about any team. He could solidify any rotation, and it’s not going to cost an arm and a leg to rent him.

Unless, of course, the Marlins feel like throwing Giancarlo Stanton into a Nolasco trade, but…nah.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Another banner month for the Miami Marlins.

Not.

After an 8-19 April, the Marlins managed to outdo themselves with a 6-22 May. Very impressive.

Included in that torrid month was a season-long nine game losing streak, and the Marlins never won more than three consecutive games.

And now, the report card is out on Marlins players for their miserable May, although a few did receive high marks. So delve in and, from worst to best, see what grade each Marlins received for the second month of the 2013 season.

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Alex Sanabia has been caught.

The 24-year-old righty for the Miami Marlins was caught spitting on the ball after giving up a home run during Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

You know you suck at cheating when your spit literally BOUNCES off the ball. Alex Sanabia needs a lesson in loogies. twitter.com/JeffPassan/sta…

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) May 21, 2013

The video gives a spitting image of what he did (Sorry, couldn’t resist).

Ironically, umpires Sam Holbrook and Joe West didn’t catch it.

The Twitter world has taken notice, as well.

Marlins pitcher Alex Sanabia spit on the baseball and then pitched brilliantly. He knows that’s cheating, right? sportsgrid.com/wzbuf

— SportsGrid (@SportsGrid) May 21, 2013

Did @sanabia28 forget there are cameras in the show? #Spitball twitter.com/TotalConoMove/…

— Total Coño Move (@TotalConoMove) May 21, 2013

If Sanabia would have given up more runs during the game, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. But he got 14 of the next 18 batters out, as he left the game in the seventh having only given up that one run.

While the cameras caught the spit in the second inning, one has to wonder if it was missed at any point the rest of the game, as well. What about the rest of the season?

But while some people are outraged that this happened, Deadspin’s Barry Petchesky offers some different insight.

Spitballers load up a ball, and they keep the load on the ball. That little bit of baggage messes with the rotation and causes the ball to move unnaturally. They don’t vigorously rub a substance into the cowhide, as Sanabia did. Especially not when it’s spit, which almost surely dried out by the time he delivered the next pitch. While Sanabia absolutely violated the letter of the law, it’s hard to imagine he was doing anything other than trying to get a better grip.

There’s no doubt MLB is going to have to do something about this.

As Petchesky noted in his story, before Joel Peralta was suspended for eight games last year for pine tar on his glove, nobody had been suspended since 2005. And any of the suspensions that happened then were for sandpaper, glue or pine tar. None had to do with actual spit.

So, what’s next for MLB and Sanabia? A suspension? A stern talk?

Any way you look at it, MLB will have the final say in this matter. It won’t go away until something is done.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Heading into the season, the last thing the Miami Marlins needed was something bad to happen to young slugger Giancarlo Stanton.

These being the Marlins, it’s only natural that something bad has indeed happened to Stanton. And now the Marlins should be worried.

Very worried.

The 23-year-old Stanton injured his right hamstring running through the first base bag during Monday night’s game against the New York Mets at Marlins Park. The pain was bad enough to make him hit the deck immediately, and the injury itself was bad enough to put him on the disabled list on Tuesday.

It’s not that we’re talking about a contender losing a star player. We’re talking about a can’t-bear-to-watch awful team with an already disillusioned fanbase losing its main attraction.

That’s the reality team owner Jeffrey Loria is presumably cursing, and for good reason.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Marlins are drawing 19,331 fans per game. That’s second-lowest in baseball next to the Cleveland Indians, and it represents an average of almost 11,200 fans fewer than the Marlins were drawing last season.

So business is already bad, and now the Marlins better get ready for it to get worse. Stanton won’t be there to hit any light-tower home runs as long as he’s out, so you have to figure many fans aren’t going to bother turning up.

But attendance is a mere short-term concern. The bigger concern is how Stanton’s injury could impact the Marlins franchise long-term, and his injury has the potential to do some significant damage.

It’s no minor injury, after all. Here’s the word from Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald:

Will Carroll, B/R’s resident injury expert, took a look at the situation and wrote that the time frame for recovery for such an injury is four-to-six weeks.

But there’s always the possibility that Stanton actually has a Grade III strain or a strain in a “bad location.” If that’s the case, the rest of his season could be compromised. 

Not that I have Carroll’s expertise, but even a lesser hamstring injury could impact Stanton’s entire season. We saw Matt Kemp have his once epic-looking 2012 season derailed by a pair of Grade I hamstring strains. He spent 58 days on the disabled list with those two injuries, according to Baseball Prospectus, and he just wasn’t quite the same player when he was able to play.

Whatever the case, what the Marlins need is for Stanton to bounce back from his hamstring injury the same way he bounced back from last year’s knee surgery. He was actually better after the surgery than he was before it, posting a 1.057 OPS and hitting 18 homers in only 43 games. 

If Stanton bounces back from his hamstring injury like that, he’ll still have the one thing that’s vital to the Marlins’ long-term future: trade value. The Marlins haven’t come out and put a Stephen Strasburg-esque countdown in place, but we know that they’re going to deal Stanton eventually.

It’s either that or hold on to him, and that’s a matter of first allowing him to go to arbitration, which will make Stanton much more expensive, and then signing him to an extension to keep him away from free agency, which is the hopeless fantasy of hopeless fantasies.

When fully healthy, Stanton’s the kind of guy who could fetch any prospect in the game. T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com recently wrote that the Texas Rangers would deal Jurickson Profar, widely considered the best prospect in the game, for Stanton in the “blink of an eye.” A New York Mets official told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that he would trade Zack Wheeler and Travis d’Arnaud for Stanton “in a heartbeat.”

And so on. A fully healthy Stanton is the key to an overwhelmingly good cache of young players with which the Marlins could aid their rebuild. If you’re into geek references, he’s like the AllSpark or the Cosmic Cube for the Marlins’ ongoing rebuilding effort.

A not-so-healthy Stanton? That’s a not-so-valuable Stanton.

If Stanton is still hurting around the trade deadline, the Marlins aren’t going to be able to go get a Profar, a Wheeler or a whoever for him. Stanton will still be an insanely talented player with a few years of team control ahead of him, but, you know, damaged goods are damaged goods.

The smart play for the Marlins in a situation like that would be to hold on to him and hope for a strong finish. If he were unable to provide one, his winter trade value would be just as uncertain as his deadline trade value had been.

Sure, a winter of recovery would have the potential to make Stanton an elite player again, but the warning signs would be clear and present. For a guy who’s only been in the league since 2010, he already has a number of injuries under his belt.

Most of them have been minor, but last year’s knee injury wasn’t minor and this year’s hamstring injury isn’t minor. A team looking at Stanton from afar would have every reason to fear that more non-minor injuries would be waiting in the wings. A fear like that makes one grip top prospects tighter.

This would put the Marlins in a corner. The longer Stanton stays under their control, the more his salary is going to rise and the more his trade value is going to decline, regardless of whether he were to turn things around in 2014 after a lost season in 2013.

The Marlins would then be kicking themselves for not trading Stanton this past offseason while they were trading pretty much everyone else under their control. It was easy to read their intentions—did they dare trade the only player with drawing power they still had?—but there’s no denying the opportunity was there to make a damn good baseball trade.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports was one of the leaders of the “Trade him now!” bandwagon, writing that the chance to do a Hershel Walker deal was right there in front of the Marlins. Besides which, who exactly were they hoping of attracting after the various stunts they had pulled throughout the past year?

“They basically said eff you to their fanbase,” said a National League general manager, “so why not now?”

The Marlins passed, and as recently as April 14 Peter Gammons of MLB Network was reporting that they weren’t interested in moving their prized slugger.

Now it’s looking like the Marlins’ hard-to-get act with Stanton could backfire in a significant way. All it will take is for his already bad-looking hamstring injury to get worse and linger for a while.

Stanton would surely still be traded somewhere down the line, but not for a bushel of top prospects. He’d maybe only fetch one, with assorted decent prospects on the side. Or maybe two, with no decent prospects on the side.

Either deal wouldn’t be bad without context, but the context in this scenario would be that the Marlins once had a chance to do a franchise-altering deal. And without a deal like that, the Marlins’ rebuilding process is not going to move as quickly as it otherwise could have, or arrive at as special a destination as it otherwise could have.

That’s a notion that should have Mr. Loria feeling uncomfortable. After all he’s done, Loria owes the people of Miami something special.

Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Giancarlo Stanton looks like Superman, but injuries have been his kryptonite. On a hustle play in extra innings Monday night, Stanton racked up another injury. This time it is a hamstring strain that could cost Stanton a month or more, depending on the severity.

The Marlins pushed Stanton to the disabled list on Tuesday morning, even before an MRI could be taken. The Marlins medical staff needs to have clear indication that this is a significant strain.

Manual testing, as well as Stanton’s assertion that he heard a pop, indicate at least a Grade II strain. That type of injury will leave what doctors call a “palpable defect,” which means that someone with their hand on Stanton’s leg would be able to feel the hole that the tearing has left in the muscle.

The injury is to his right leg, which is his “power leg” when hitting and the same one he had knee surgery on last season. Stanton was able to come back from that minor knee surgery and showed no issues with his power, so there’s a positive in his ability to return to production. 

If this is a normal Grade II strain, the time frame is usually four to six weeks for a return. Stanton isn’t a speed player and has enough power to deal with a minor deficit in push when he returns. 

However, if this turns out to be a more serious injury, such as a Grade III strain or even just one in a bad location, it could end up effectively ending Stanton’s season. An MRI is scheduled for later on Tuesday to determine just how bad this is, giving us a more distinct timeline soon.

Stanton is joined on the DL by Joe Mahoney, also with a hamstring issue. While Stanton’s injury is the clear, traumatic result of a hustle play, any cluster of injuries has to be noted. The Marlins have often been among the bottom 10 in injury statistics, largely because they use a lot of replaceable players who cycle through. They have also had substantial injuries to major stars, including Stanton, which have hurt them in terms of days, if not dollars. (Stanton makes just over the major league minimum for a player with his service time.)

The state of the Marlins does have to be taken into account. The team is out of the playoff race already, but it has Stanton as about its only gate attraction. Moreover, many around baseball expect Stanton to be traded before he hits arbitration after this season. The haul of prospects he could bring back would kick-start the latest rebuilding effort by Larry Beinfest. 

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