The Miami Marlins

I still like this logo better 

For a long time this off season I really thought the Marlins were up to something big. They were extremely reluctant and still are in trading Giancarlo Stanton and they made some notable additions to their team. They signed powerful catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a deal. They also acquired Brian Bogusevic, Garret Jones, and Rafael Furcal.

Almost all of the additions the Marlins made this off season were to their lineup. They switched out Polanco for Furcal, Morrison for Jones, and Pierre for Bogusevic, but some younger faces are likely to make the starting lineup. Here is how the lineup for the Marlins might look like in 2014.

1. S. Rafael Furcal              SS 85 OPS+ in 2012
2. L. Derek Dietrich            2B 85 OPS+
3. R. Giancarlo Stanton       RF 131 OPS+
4. L. Christian Yelich          CF 112 OPS+
5. S. Jarrod Saltalamacchia C 118 OPS+
6. L. Garrett Jones              1B 99 OPS+
7. R. Casey McGehee         3B 77 OPS+ in 2012
8. L. Brian Bogusevic           LF 112 OPS+

Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Fernandez

The pitching rotation for the Marlins is also up in the air, but anchored by one very special talent, Jose Fernandez. This guy puts endless amounts of work into improving his body and becoming better at everything he does. He came up and made his debut for the very first time in 2013 and finished 3rd in Cy Young voting. His ERA was the second lowest for a starting pitching, only one better was Clayton Kershaw. Here his how the rotation for the Marlins may look in 2014.

1. R. Jose Fernandez        176 ERA+
2. R. Henderson Alvarez  108 ERA+
3. R. Jacob Turner           103 ERA+
4. R. Nathan Eovaldi        114 ERA+
5. L. Brian Flynn                46 ERA+

In the bullpen for the Marlins is closer Steve Cishek along with some other significant names. The pair of lefties, Brad Hand and Mike Dunn can be used to mix and match in late innings. The one time great pitcher Carlos Marmol will be a Marlin for the 2014 season along with several other young players who hope to make the team.

In a Land Far Far Away...

Seattle and Miami are geographically the two teams furthest apart from one another and their 2013 off seasons are far apart as well. The Miami Marlins traded almost all of their team while the Seattle Mariners are making a push to make the playoffs.

Beware the Giancarlo. He's Better than Mike

The Marlins were the favorite for the National League West in the beginning of 2012, but that idea quickly dissipated as they began trading parts of their team. As the season went on, more and more players were being traded and then in the off season the Marlins made the huge trade with the Blue Jays which upset people in the MLB front office and many team owners. It's not the first time the Marlins have done this, and it will definitely effect the decisions of the free agents in future years.

1. L. Pierre CF           95 OPS+
2. R. Polanco 3B        71 OPS+
3. R. Stanton RF        158 OPS+
4. L. Morrison 1B      91 OPS+
5. R. Mathis C           71 OPS+
6. L. Coghlan LF       81 OPS+ in 2011
7. R. Hechavarria SS 74 OPS+
8. L. Dobbs 2B         89 OPS+

The Marlins' pitching rotation was regarded as one of the better ones in baseball, but now it is not even average. I don't know who they may choose to be the 5th starter, but here is how it looks as of now:

1. R. Henderson Alverez 4.85 ERA
2. R. Rickey Nolasco 4.48 ERA
3. R. Nathan Eovaldi 4.30 ERA
4. R. Jacob Turner 4.42 ERA

In the bullpen is underrated reliever/closer Steve Cishek. He had an ERA around 2.60 for the past two seasons. He may be the next one to be traded. Also Ryan Webb, Jon Rauch, and Wade LeBlanc are in the pen for the Marlins.

I project 59 wins for the Marlins, possibly even fewer if they continue to trade parts of their team.

The Mariners made some beautiful additions to their team this off season, especially their lineup. The biggest acquisition was Michael Morse. He will play the outfield and most likely bat third in the upgraded Mariners lineup. The 3-4-5 combo for the Mariners all start with the letter 'M' comment what you think their nickname should be. Also the fences are coming in at Safeco Field. So all the players are happy to hear that.

1. R. Guttierez CF 107 OPS+
2. L. Ackley 2B     79 OPS+
3. R. Morse RF      112 OPS+
4. S. Morales DH   121 OPS+
5. R. Montero C     95 OPS+
6. L. Ibanez LF       104 OPS+
7. S. Smoak 1B      87 OPS+
8. R. Ryan SS         61 OPS+
9. R. Andino 3B      61 OPS+

The Royal Emblem

The top of the Mariner Monarch is now getting paid as if he were royalty. King Felix signed a huge contract extension, the greatest in value for any pitcher in fact. Felix Hernandez does deserve that money. He brings the fans into that ballpark and has already proved what he can do at such a young age. But there is more to the rotation, here they are:

1. R. Felix Hernandez 3.06 ERA
2. R. Hisashi Iwakuma 3.16 ERA
3. L. Joe Saunders 4.07 ERA
4. R. Blake Bleavan 4.43 ERA
5. R. Hector Noesi 5.82 ERA

Todd Wilhelmsen impressed everyone in 2012 as he took on the closer's role and pitched to a 2.50 ERA. The bullpen for the Mariners isn't too deep, but Charlie Furbush and an improved Oliver Perez are in the bullpen. If the Mariners begin to seem as if they might make the playoffs expect the bullpen to be the first thing they look to improve. Francisco Rodriguez would be a great fit for what the Mariners need right now.

I project 82 wins for the Mariners in 2013.

Top Players 25 and Younger

If you want a successful franchise you're going to need young players with talent. In this post I will name and evaluate the top players by position of the age 25 or younger.

Pitchers:

Clayton Kershaw (23) - Kershaw holds a 2.66 ERA over the past 3 years for the LA Dodgers. That also gives him a 143 ERA+ over that span. That means he is 43% better than the average pitcher which is really good. consistently getting around 200+ innings pitched and 200 strikeouts every year, Kershaw has proven the pitcher that he is at a young age.

Felix Hernandez (25) - King Felix has been in the major leagues since he was 19. Everyone knows about his dominance of the game collecting the 2010 Cy Young award. He has a 2.74 ERA over his past 3 seasons which translates to a 152 ERA+. That means he is 52% better than the average pitcher. 200+ strikeouts and well over 200 innings pitched in his past 3 seasons make him one of the most dominate young pitchers.

Neftali Feliz (23) - A 2.55 ERA for a closer  is pretty decent. At a young age its more respectable. With 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings Feliz makes an excellent closer. he can absolutely develop into a star with the years to come.

Offensive players:

Buster Posey (24) - Posey is an excellent catcher. Although getting injured in the 2011 season ended his season early he earned the rookie of the year in 2010. He had an average on base percentage of  .362 over his past 2 seasons, which is excellent. If you juxtapose that with a 162 game average of 22 home runs and 88 RBI's Posey could be a deadly force down the road for the the Giants.

Billy Butler (25) - Playing in the Kansas City Royals' home field Kaufman Field can destroy offensive players' numbers. For Billy Butler that is not a problem. Holding a .370 on base percentage over the past 3 years is miraculous. With about 18 home runs and 90 RBI's a year if Butler was added to a team with more offense he can provide a lot of run support.

Pablo Sandoval (25) - Sandoval holds a .355 on base percentage over the past 3 seasons. A disappointing 2010 brings that number down, but about 20 home runs a year proves otherwise. Being a switch hitter, Sandoval can provide plenty of offense for a ball club .

Mike Stanton (22) - Micheal Stanton is a power house. He has a 162 game average of  34 home runs and a 132 OPS+. That means he ranks 32% better than the average offensive player. With the new Miami Marlins Stanton can put up some big numbers. Although his on base percentage is only .344 over 2  seasons, he can drive runs in like no tomorrow.

Evan Longoria (26) - Even though Longoria is 26 I included him in this post becuase of his incredible numbers. Averaging 28 home runs a year 105 RBI's and a .363 on base percentage, Longoria is a big part of any offense. He can be a number 3 or a number 4 hitter on any team and can play stellar defense.