Lineup Against the Wall: Florida Marlins

No lie, I hate this team. Two championships in what, a 14-year history? That isn't right. And, also, the Bartman series. I watched that game at the Cherry Cricket in a huge drunken scrum of Cub fans. The wife and I shared a table with a stranger. I've never seen energy dissipate like that--the whole room just went pffffffft.

A pox on the Marlins. Grudging acknowledgment after you-know-where.


The one constant of the Marlins' existence, beyond money trouble and improbable victories, is the amount of elite-level talent that passes through their clubhouse doors. This installment of the squad is more of the same--Hanley Ramirez is one of the five best players in the majors and Dan Uggla, Cody Ross and especially Jorge Cantu are very solid. Cameron Maybin could blossom into a big-time talent, too, but chances are they'll have to wait on him a while. But then, we thought the same thing about Delmon Young. Anyway, the lineup:

Catcher -- John Baker
First Base -- Jorge Cantu
Second Base -- Dan Uggla
Third Base -- Emilio Bonifacio
Shortstop -- Hanley Ramirez
Left Field -- Cody Ross
Center Field -- Cameron Maybin (R)
Right Field -- Jeremy Hermida

Starting Pitchers:

Ricky Nolasco (R)
Josh Johnson (R)
Chris Volstad (R)
Anibal Sanchez (R)
Andrew Miller (L)

Relief Pitchers:

Leo Nunez (R)
Logan Kensing (R)
Renyel Pinto (L)
Kiko Calero (R)
Carlos Martinez (R)

Closer:

Matt Lindstrom (R)

The Bottom Line: This team had a winning record last year (84-77) after two seasons of sub-.500 ball. They could evolve into something ferocious this year. The starting pitching, anchored by Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco, is potentially dominant. The starting lineup can hit for power, there's speed, sheesh. The Mets are being picked to win this division by most people and the Phillies *did* manage to win last year's Series, but...I'm going out on a limb.

Projected Finish: 1st in the NL East