Marlins: Addition by Subtraction

from today's Miami Herald -

"Marlins: Immaturity was a problem in '07
BY BARRY JACKSON
After an offseason self-evaluation, second-year manager Fredi Gonzalez said he's ''going to do some stuff different'' -- including a bigger emphasis on defense after the Marlins committed a baseball-leading 137 errors last season. With spring training opening next week, defense and starting pitching are by far the biggest areas where Florida must show growth.
But two respected veteran Marlins (closer Kevin Gregg and catcher Matt Treanor) spoke last week of a behind-the-scenes dynamic that also must change: a need for more seriousness and professionalism. A lot of Marlins players are fine in those areas, but some behavior caused one Marlins employee to call last year's clubhouse the most immature he has ever seen.

''It's the understanding of the seriousness of what we're doing here. They're having a good time, and that's what we want to do, but there's a fine line that has to be drawn, and sometimes, we went under that line of where we needed to be -- before, during and after games,'' said Gregg, who obviously won't publicly identify line-crossers.

Gregg said Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera -- both now with Detroit -- were cast in a role ''where they were looked up to'' and they ``handled some things differently than I would have handled them. Being a first-year guy, I wasn't in a spot to say some things that probably should have been said.''

Treanor was more blunt: ''If you can't handle your business, I don't think you should be joking and laughing,'' he said. ``If you give a half-hearted effort because you'd rather be joking around in the clubhouse or worried what's going on after or before the game, you're not here doing your job. Maybe this year, I'm going to assume more of a leadership role . . . if I see stuff like that. This year, our clubhouse is going to be about business.

``We're going to be more professional, [showing] more respect for each other and what we're trying to accomplish. There was behavior [last year] you wish you could take back or maybe addressed [immediately] because if you let people do something, anytime there's not that full respect, we're not cohesive and that translates to our play. If people are acting up, it will be addressed a bit closer than years past.''

Sophomoric behavior is a part of any baseball clubhouse, more so with a team as young as the Marlins. But the extent of it troubled several players. Gregg and Treanor didn't offer examples, but other Marlins people spoke of players leaving visiting clubhouses a mess and other immature antics, including one involving Cabrera on the team plane. The Marlins weren't always happy with Cabrera (weight, body language, a few instances of tardiness), but his bat obviously will be missed.

Asked how Cabrera's departure will change clubhouse dynamics, Treanor said, ``Whatever Miguel did, he came out and [performed]. . . . [But] if you happen to be doing something that somebody follows you around, you have to look at yourself and say maybe it's not bad for me, but it is bad for somebody else.''

Treanor and Gregg don't blame Gonzalez for off-field shenanigans, with Gregg noting, ''Fredi can't be holding our hands. He's not our father. It's 100 percent on the players.'' Luis Gonzalez's leadership should help, and that's one reason the Marlins are paying him $2 million, with another $1 million in incentives.

''Players need to police themselves,'' Marlins executive Larry Beinfest said.

• Fredi Gonzalez asserted the ''discipline was fine'' and that he addressed any issue privately. One thing Gonzalez will change?

'We are going to emphasize defense more to the players, and make it a pride thing. Nobody is going to get lined up and shot. [But] you make a dumb error, we're going to look at you and go, `Come on' or even guys among themselves. Our pitching staff made [an MLB-high] 20 errors. Some of our young guys, this is their third year, they're not young anymore.''

I think it's pretty clear they are referring to Cabrera's attitude. He came into spring training out of shape and disinterested, his defense was horrendous, and there were reports of the attitude problem heading back to 04 and 05. Remember in Jack McKeon's last year, there were those rumors that Cabrera was late to batting practice, didn't shag fly balls and was selfish in the clubhouse? Here is what was reported in 2005 on ESPN.com:

If the Marlins' clubhouse were a baseball, it might be coming apart at the seams.
A.J. Burnett was sent home this week by the team after derogatory remarks he made about the franchise. But of even greater concern might be the attitude of budding star Miguel Cabrera.

The Palm Beach Post reported that Cabrera's teammates and some Marlins officials are concerned about the 22-year-old slugger's attitude and work ethic.
Cabrera was not in the lineup Monday, serving a one-game suspension for showing up late to a game in Atlanta on Sunday. He also wasn't in the lineup last Thursday in New York after not reporting on time to a medical treatment after fouling a ball off his knee the night before, the newspaper reported.
Also, Cabrera stopped shagging fly balls in July and August, instead sitting in the dugout with friends from his native Venezuela, the Post reported, and only resumed the pregame activity after a talk with Hall of Famer Tony Perez, a special assistant for the team.
"Sometimes fame comes too quickly," Perez told the Post. "He has the ability; everybody knows that. He's got a great future ahead of him, but that's up to him."
Cabrera's attitude has cost him respect in the clubhouse, some Marlins players told the Post. Marlins veteran Jeff Conine told the newspaper that a player should have a heart to heart with Cabrera.
Cabrera isn't in the mood for a lecture, however.
"[Forget] the veterans," he told the Post. "They haven't told me anything and they better not come tell me anything, either.
"I don't want to hear anything else. I want to play baseball, give what I have to give on the field of play, and win. That's all I want. ...
"Everyone here is a grown man," he told the newspaper. "Everyone knows what he's doing. And I'm not going to go crazy worrying about these things."
Perez told the Post he believes Cabrera is just going through a phase.
"I think he sees that baseball is what he wants to do, what he loves. He has all my support, but he has to be willing to listen. What you say can't go in one ear and out the other," he told the newspaper.

If he acted that way with a room full of oldtimers like Hall of Famer Tony Perez, Lowell, Conine, & Delgado, imagine how he acted on a losing team full of rookie and second year players. I am not saying the Marlins won't desperately miss his stats, but maybe they'll have a more mature attitude and it translates to the field.

Screw it, I am going to talk about the Marlins

There was a pretty interesting article on Baseball Prospectus.com. For instance, did you know that the Marlins middle infielders had the most combined extra base hits for a 2B-SS combo in the history of baseball?


"Florida Marlins
Rule 5 picks are supposed to be for strong-armed relievers and toolsy outfielders in A-ball. You’re not supposed to be able to grab a major-league-ready middle infielder who can step into the everyday lineup and hit .282 with 27 homers. Nevertheless, that’s what Dan Uggla did for the Marlins as a rookie. Even though he was 25 years old and looked like the perfect candidate for a sophomore jinx, he might have had an even better season last year: his average dropped to .245, but he drew 20 more walks (going from 48 to 68), and his surprising power took an even more surprising step forward, as he hit 31 homers, and chipped in 49 doubles and three triples. That’s 83 extra-base hits from a middle infielder. Impressive? Here’s the list of every second baseman or shortstop who had amassed 83 or more extra-base hits in a season prior to 2007:Ernie Banks
Nomar Garciaparra (twice)
Charlie Gehringer
Rogers Hornsby (four times)
Cal Ripken
Alfonso Soriano
Alex Rodriguez (four times)
Robin Yount
That’s five Hall of Famers and, in A-Rod, a top-shelf Hall of Famer in the making. There may be more, because I think Soriano has a real shot at the Hall of Fame—let’s face it, once Jim Rice gets in next year, the standards for entry make every outfielder better than Joe Carter a viable candidate. Nomar looked like a sure Hall of Famer until roughly the moment he left the Red Sox, and still has a shot if he can pad the superstar-shortstop portion of his career with a lot of counting numbers in the overrated-first baseman portion of his career. (Hey, it worked for Ernie Banks.)
And then there’s Uggla... and then there’s also the two other guys who earned a place on that list by turning the trick last season. One was Jimmy Rollins, who won the MVP award and has a shot at the Hall of Fame himself. Rollins needs 193 hits this season to reach 1500 before his 30th birthday, which would put him in excellent position for a 3000-hit career.
The other guy is Uggla’s teammate, Hanley Ramirez. A feat that had only been accomplished by eight players previously—all Hall of Famers or potential Hall of Famers—was accomplished by both members of a single double-play combination. Together, Ramirez and Uggla combined for 166 extra-base hits. Needless to say, no double-play combination has ever combined for that many extra-base hits in a season. The runner up? Let’s just say it was a good year for middle infielders in the NL East:
Year Team Shortstop 2B 3B HR XBH Second Baseman 2B 3B HR XBH Total
2007 FLA Hanley Ramirez 48 6 29 83 Dan Uggla 49 3 31 83 166
2007 PHI Jimmy Rollins 38 20 30 88 Chase Utley 48 5 22 75 163
2001 SFG Rich Aurilia 37 5 37 79 Jeff Kent 49 6 22 77 156
2006 PHI Jimmy Rollins 45 9 25 79 Chase Utley 40 4 32 76 155
2005 BAL Miguel Tejada 50 5 26 81 Brian Roberts 45 7 18 70 151
2005 TEX Michael Young 40 5 24 69 Alfonso Soriano 43 2 36 81 150
1996 SEA Alex Rodriguez 54 1 36 91 Joey Cora 37 6 6 49 140
2003 TEX Alex Rodriguez 30 6 47 83 Michael Young 33 9 14 56 139
1950 BOS Vern Stephens 34 6 30 70 Bobby Doerr 29 11 27 67 137
Incidentally, if you’re looking for evidence on how much the offensive standards for middle infielders has changed in the past 20 years, you’ve found it. If we use the play-by-play database (which only goes back to 1957, so far) and calculate the exact number of times that the second baseman or shortstop then in the game managed an extra-base hit, the Phillies get a boost from Tadahito Iguchi, who filled in for Utley when the latter spent a month on the DL. That list looks like this:
Year Team XBH
2007 Philadelphia 174
2007 Florida 173
2001 San Francisco 159
1997 Boston 158
2006 Philadelphia 156

Consider this particular duel to be still unsettled, as all four players involved will be under their clubs' control for the next four seasons. On one side, you have Rollins and Utley, the MVP and near-MVP of the National League, each earning over $7 million in 2008 (and underpaid at that). On the other, you’ve got Ramirez and Uggla, who were paid less than a million dollars last year. Unless the Marlins have some long-term deals in the offing, they likely will make less than a million dollars this year—combined."



Not too shabby.