Marlins Diehards: A Miami Marlins Blog

What Does Larry Beinfest Have in Common With Us?

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:30:00 +0000

"I don't even know who is here anymore," Beinfest said after the Marlins scored just one run during a three-game sweep this week by the Padres in San Diego. "It's been a bad run. It kind of started first day of spring training when [catcher Jeff] Mathis broke his collarbone and it hasn't really stopped since. It's been anything from hamstrings to whatever freak injuries – getting slid into. It’s been a little bit of everything."

BTB.

Via

Reminder: No One Attends Marlins Games

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:53:00 +0000

Stop me if you've heard this one before. The Marlins will close off the upper deck during weekday home games:

Facing some of the worst attendance figures in MLB, the Marlins have decided to close off the upper bowl during weekday series starting next week. The 37,442 capacity of Marlins Park will shrink to around 27,000.

Team Sr. Vice President PJ Loyello told the Miami Herald Tuesday that the move "will give an overall better fan experience." The move also saves the team money on game operations, since fewer concession stands, ushers, and janitorial staff will be needed if nearly half the stadium is off limits to fans.

Well, some of us probably like having a full section of the upper bowl to themselves during games. But it's a relative no-brainer for the team. Closing off the upper bowl means they don't need to pay for the staff needed to serve and maintain those sections, and people with tickets for the upper bowl will just get moved to better seats at no extra charge. Still, it's just another reminder that the fancy new stadium in Little Havana has done nothing to solve the Marlins' attendance woes.

Marcell Ozuna Errs Efficiently

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:28:00 +0000

Marcell Ozuna pulled off the rare Huge Mistake That Costs His Team Nothing Tuesday night, completely losing sight of a fly ball that never returned to the park:

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Ozuna was so believable that the broadcasters thought Venable's home run would fall for an out. He's damn near Loria-like in his ability to convince people that a disaster is not about to follow.

Week In Review

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Hill) — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Overview: The Fish had a nice week (stellar, by their standards). They won their first series of the year, taking two of three from the Mets. Then in Philadelphia the team rebounded after dropping the first two to earn a four game split.
Positives: The club finally has a winning streak (three is about all we can hope for). Four wins in a week doubles their previous high mark. All in all the team is starting to play better.
Negatives: Stanton hits the DL. The main reason for watching Fish games is going to be sidelined for a while.
Lines of the Week: Dual honors this week, because they're both very worthy (and we did leave the award vacant in the past). Jose Fernandez threw a gem on Saturday night (and the pen didn't blow it) to finally get his first win. On Sunday, Adeinny Hechavarria was inches away from hitting two grands slams in a blowout win over the Phillies.

Fernandez: W, 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 9 K, .423 WPA
Hechavarria: 2-4, 1 BB, 1 3B, 1 H, 7 RBI, .220 WPA

Highlight of the Week: The club had an array of nice defensive plays and a couple of walkoff wins, but watch Jose Fernandez go to work on the Phils.
Looking Ahead: The club heads out west for three in San Diego then three in Los Angeles to face the Dodgers.

Stanton prognosis goes from bad to worse

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Wed, 01 May 2013 17:18:00 +0000

And our #Monsterdong malaise has gone into plaid...

Giancarlo Stanton was diagnosed with a grade 2 hamstring strain, so he is expected to miss at least a month. Gonna be hard to pay attention to any game in which Jose Fernandez isn't pitching the way things are going now.

WARNING: This gif may make you cry

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:35:00 +0000

Sr. Monsterdong left Monday night's game with a leg owie, and now the Diehards haz a sad:

The team is calling the injury a right hamstring straing. More to come, obviously.

Return of the #Monsterdong

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:32:00 +0000

It took 24 games for us to get the first #Monsterdong of 2013, but Giancarlo Stanton made it count:

Made all the better by Dave Van Horne's call. Good choice, MLB.com video intern!

Stanton did not take long to hit his second #Monsterdong, doing so in the first inning of Sunday's series finale with the Cubs. We can bear the intense suckitude of the 2013 Marlins so long as it is served with a heaping side of Stanton homers.

Hope Your Week Was Better Than This Guy's...

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:42:00 +0000

What's the only thing worse than getting arrested for cocaine trafficking? If you answered "Getting arrested for cocaine trafficking while sporting a Florida Marlins face tattoo," then YOU'RE CORRECT!

Via Miami New Times

Normally I feel a tinge of guilt when reading the New Times' Mugshot Friday post, but not this time!

From the arrest report:

Arrested: 4/23Charges: Cocaine Trafficking, Drug and Firearm Possession

As an aside, from now on when I hear someone complain about the demise of the old Marlins logo, my retort will always be: "If you like it so much, where's your face tattoo????"

Jeffrey Loria is Still the Worst

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:04:00 +0000

We like to call Jeffrey Loria "George Steinbrenner with Less Money," and his latest move is pure Stein:

Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria personally mandated the lineup card change that flip-flopped starting pitchers Jose Fernandez and Ricky Nolasco in a doubleheader Tuesday and left Marlins players furious with his continued meddling, three sources with knowledge of the situation told Yahoo! Sports.

Loria insisted Fernandez, the team's prized 20-year-old rookie, pitch in the first half of the doubleheader at frigid Target Field instead of the scheduled Nolasco because the day game was expected to be warmer. The temperature at Fernandez's first pitch (38 degrees) was actually colder than at the beginning of Nolasco's start (42 degrees).

Nevermind the fact that the difference between 38 degrees and 42 degrees to someone who has lived below the 30th parallel all his life isn't even noticeable, it's as if Loria wants Redmond to fail. We're not huge proponents of team chemistry, but forcing your rookie manager to break protocol and give a 20-year-old rookie privilege over a veteran and staff ace is not exactly a great clubhouse move.

Indeed, if Loria was truly concerned about Fernandez' arm in the cold Minnesota weather (a legitimate concern), he should have asked Redmond to skip his start. The Marlins would have had to call someone up from the minors to pitch for him, but that happens often for double-headers. Instead, he gets to read another round of press about what a terrible owner he is. Nice move, Jeff!

UPDATE: Loria says he didn't do it.

"I had nothing to do with the decision," Loria told FOXSports.com on Friday. "I was informed of the decision by the baseball department. I told them it was their call.

"I don't make decisions on who to pitch and when, how to go about it — that's not my role. Sometimes they call me and tell me what they're doing. But I don't call them up and say, 'This is what is going to happen.' That's not true."

Loria could certainly be telling the truth, but his past actions have not exactly made him a trustworthy character. Certainly there will be more to follow.

Series Recap: ALL OF THE L's

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Hill) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:17:00 +0000

Overview: The Marlins lost three of four in Cincinnati.
Positives: The Miami Heat playoff run starts in two hours.
Negatives: It's hard to overstate how poor the Fish have been this year. They've yet to win back to back games and less than a month into the campaign, they're already eleven games under .500. And you know what the worst part of all is? ~~I never learned to read.~~ We still has no MONSTERDONGZ. :(
Line of the Week: [vacant]
Highlight of the Week: Placido Polanco made a nifty scoop and throw to end a Reds threat.
Looking Ahead: The team takes a brief trip to Minnesota for two against the Twins.

Series Recap: Offense Awakens (One Night Only)

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:05:00 +0000

Overview: The Marlins dropped two of three games to the Washington Nationals.
Positives: Miami exploded for 8 runs on Tuesday, they can score! And Alex Sanabia pitched well! For one night, everything was okay. Giancarlo Stanton missed the entire series, but he is set to return Thursday.
Negatives: Sure the Marlins combined for four runs during the other two games, but at least they won one game, right?
Line of the Series: Speaking of Sanabia, here's his line from Tuesday:

6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 0.231 WPA

Highlight of the Series: Adeiny Hechevarria lit up the home run sculpture for the first time this season.
Up Next: Miami hosts Cincinnati for four games beginning Thursday night.

"You Mean We're Allowed to Do That?"

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:29:00 +0000

Via Fish@Bat

In the 8th home game of the 2013 season, the Miami Marlins hit their first home run of the season at Marlins Park. Finally, that ugly beauty in centerfield blew its majestic wad, and for a brief moment all was right in Marlinworld.

Thanks, Adeiny. We're totally going to learn your name. You earned it, buddy!

Series Recap: Phillies

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Hill) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:31:00 +0000

Overview: The Marlins lost two of three to the Phillies at home.
Positives: They won a game, something they've only done one other time this year. Jose Fernandez once again dazzled on the mound and even gave himself the lead withi an RBI single
Negatives: The Fish are still woeful at the plate. They've scored one or zero runs in seven of their twelve games and could only muster four in this three game set. The team also blew chances in each of the losses. Giving up the lead in a tie game in the last inning.
Line of the Week: Fernandez's six shutout innings.

ND, 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5K, 0.353 WPA

Highlight of the Week: Should celebrate each win like it's the last, because it may be. Chris Coghlan's walk-off single.

Your browser does not support iframes. Looking Ahead: The Marlins stay home for three with the Nationals then head to Cincinnati for four.

Good Fastball, Can't Dress Himself

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:09:00 +0000

Jose Fernandez can pitch, but he still has not mastered the art of putting on a jacket:

BTB

At least the Marlins are finding new ways to embarrass themselves...

gif via HBT

Off-Day Guide: April 11

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:42:00 +0000

Note: We're reprising the off-day guide this season. Every day/night the Marlins are off, we'll give you TV and reading recommendations. Enjoy!

7:30 (NBCSN): Penguins at Lightning. JUST KIDDING, hockey is dumb.
8:00 (NBC): Community/Parks and Rec/The Office. The likely final season of Community has been pretty meh, but it's still one of the best comedies on network TV (and we'll watch anything with Alison Brie and/or Donald Glover). Same goes for The Office (another show making its swan song), but there's no assailing Parks and Rec.
8:00 (TNT): Knicks at Bulls. The Miami Heat will probably play one of these teams in the playoffs, so you can get some early scouting in. Followed by Thunder at Warriors at 10:30 for the west coasters and night owls.

Something from my Netflix streaming queue: The Long Goodbye (dir. Robert Altman) is one of the major influences on The Big Lebowski. Elliot Gould's Phillip Marlowe is a proto-Lebowski, stumbling his way into solving a murder while interacting with a host of oddballs in 1974 LA. Been meaning to rewatch this one, Gould cracks wise with a subtle sarcasm that always satisfies.

Book rec: If you have not read Nate Silver's The Signal and the Noise yet, stop what you're doing and get this book ASAP. A fantastic read throughout, with diversions into baseball stats, earthquake predictions, and gambling on basketball.

Series Recap: Are We Having Fun Yet?

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:16:00 +0000

Overview: The Marlins were swept by Atlanta in the first home series of the season, dropping their record to 1-8.
Positives: ????
Negatives: The Marlins were shutout twice, bringing them up to four shutouts in the first nine games; apparently there's an attendance problem?
Line of the Series: Kevin Slowey pitched a good game on Monday, but since his teammates could only muster 2 hits, he got charged with a 2-0 loss:

7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.438 WPA

Highlight of the Series: Kudos to the fan that snuck a raccoon into Marlins Park.

Did a Marlins fan bring a raccoon into the ballpark tonight? PIC (via @mike_cugno) twitter.com/AKuperstein/st…
— Adam Kuperstein (@AKuperstein) April 11, 2013

Looking Ahead: The Marlins are off Thursday, then host the Phillies over the weekend.

Help Us, Barack Obama, You're Our Only Hope

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:57:00 +0000

Sure, the president has a flagging economy, belligerent North Korea, and other pressing issues to deal with, but that hasn't stopped a Marlins fan from petitioning the Obama administration to do something about Jeffrey Loria.

A petition was posted at WhiteHouse.gov Monday asking the President to champion legislation forcing teams that take public funds to build a stadium or arena to meet minimum payroll requirements or else be forced to sell the team.

The petition was written by the same dudes who got kicked out of Marlins Park last night. They have their own website, too: Rage Against the Marlins.

Problem 1: minimum payroll hardly guarantees a team will be competitive. (Exhibits A and B, the 2012 Marlins and Mets, who spent a combined $211 million in player salaries and lost 93 and 88 games, respectively)

Problem 2: This petition is one of the worst pieces of writing I've ever seen. The body, which is comprised of only two sentences, is below:

We call upon congress to create legislation that requires any major league sports franchise that operates within the United States, who take public tax money to help build a stadium or arena, must maintain a competitive payroll at all times, of at least 90% of the entire leagues average opening day payroll for the previous five years, for the first ten years after taking said money, and the failure to do so would invoke proceedings upon which the governing body of the league, in which the franchise in question resides, would be forced to immediately buy said franchise for fair market value, and the ownership group in question would be forced to sell it to them without dispute.

A prime example would be Jeff Loria & the way he has swindled the tax payers of Dade County for his benefit only.

So much bad grammar going on here: failing to capitalize Congress, missing apostrophes, the fact that the first paragraph is one humongous run-on sentence, and the silly use of the legal "said" to make it look like a more intelligent sentence than it actually is.

Not to worry, though, this petition has only 76 of the 100,000 signatures needed to elicit a response from the White House.

If Marlins fans really want Loria to sell the Marlins, their best shot at making it happen is by not spending a single dime on the team (tickets, merch, etc.) and hoping Loria's losses pile up enough to make it worth his while to sell. Any thought that a sitting President will force someone to sell his or her own business is pure fantasy.

Free the Marlins Park 5 or 6

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:07:00 +0000

The "F JEFF" shirt also comes in handy during Dolphins season...

Via the PBP, these dudes were ejected from Marlins Park last night, WE WONDER WHY????

It's pretty adorable when they see Dave Hyde and get all excited, though.

They technically weren't ejected for protesting, but for refusing to show ID when approached by police in the stadium. Quoth David Samson, "It's a pretty simple thing: When police ask for ID and you don't show it, that's it. No other questions are asked. You are escorted."

If you think these guys didn't want to get ejected from Marlins Park, then you're just plain naive, and we have no use for you.

Also, when their photo was tweeted on Monday night, we made a joke about the fact that they paid for tickets to their own protest, thus enriching Jeffrey Loria in the process. According to the Post, they scalped tickets and parked in someone's yard near the stadium, not giving Loria a dime (Someone else gave Loria money for their tickets before they bought them, but let's not split hairs here). THAT'S GOOD PROTESTIN'. The Diehards approve.

If you buy tickets before your protest, you're doing it wrong... RT @joecapmarlins: Protesters at #marlins park twitpic.com/ci0pkp
— Marlins Diehards (@MarlinsDiehards) April 8, 2013

Series Recap: The Squeakquel

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:02:00 +0000

Overview: The Marlins won on Friday, then drop Saturday and Sunday against the Mets.
Positives: The Marlins can in fact score 7 runs in one game, and Alex Sanabia can in fact throw 6 scoreless innings.
Negatives: Two days after notching an Alfonseca save, Steve Cishek went full Kevin Gregg on Sunday (WPA of .820 in his blown save), Hermida's Island lives (Marlins stranded 12 runners on Sunday, going 2-14 with RISP), still no first #Monsterdong of the year :(.
Line of the Series: Before Cishek ruined the day, 21-year-old rookie Jose Fernandez did something no Marlin rookie had ever done in his first start: strike out 8.

5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Highlight of the Series:

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Looking Ahead: The Marlins' home opener is Monday, starting a three-game set against the Braves.

Marlins at Mets: Mini Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Hill) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:13:00 +0000

We were asked by Mets Menu if we wanted to answer some questions about the first Marlins-Mets series this year. I did the dirty work and gave some responses that you can find at the link below.

http://metsmenu.blogspot.com/2013/04/new-york-mets-vs-miami-marlins-rapid.html

I hate to sound so pessimistic (or do I?) but it's been a rough go for the Fish thus far. If you follow our Twitter feed you've seen the commentary about the team's dire play amongst us, other Marlins bloggers and even the beat writers at times. Let's hope the club breaks out in New York, beating the Mets is always great.

Series Recap: #MarlinsStreak 3

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Hill) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:13:00 +0000

Overview: The Marlins were swept in DC, losing 2-0, 3-0 and 6-1 to the Nationals
Positives: The starting pitching wasn't too bad. Ricky Nolasco and Kevin Slowey had decent outings despite the low inning total. LeBlanc wasn't awful. Despite all the jokes, the Fish were in every game and just need to string a few hits together and perhaps they may take a lead sometime soon.
Negatives: Where do we begin? The first two days at the plate were awful (0 R, 7 H). In the finale they managed eight hits, but also stranded eight and scored just a run. Have your pick of the lot of which hitter is struggling, they all look pretty uncomfortable. As mentioned earlier, the team pitching was good (3.38 ERA) but they allowed Bryce Harper to go off. And the defense fell apart in game three. There's also the matter that the club doesn't have a first baseman. The win column seems like an unreachable enchanted land.
Line of the Series: Error 404 Not Found
Highlight of the Series: Placido Polanco made a nice catch in foul territory reaching into the seats.
Looking Ahead: The Fish visit New York for three against the Mets.

Marlins Park Visitor's Guide

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 20:49:00 +0000

Yours truly contributed to the latest blogger series for Big League Stew. This time around we were asked to provide ten tips to optimize your next trip to Marlins Park. Read the whole thing here.

Thanks again to 'Duk at BLS for the invitation.

"People will look back in two years from now and say, 'They did the right thing,' period."

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:14:00 +0000

Jeff Loria is still defending Fire Sale III: Full Throttle:

"It's the beginning of a new era for us and it's exciting," he said.

The Marlins fielded an Opening Day lineup on Monday that featured only one position player from Opening Day 2012, when the team christened its new stadium with a roster full of high-priced stars. But Loria once again said the trades of last year, which sent Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle (and others) away in exchange for prospects and role players was necessary for the team to compete.

"People will look back in two years from now and say, 'They did the right thing,' period," he said. "Give these guys a chance. Give us a chance. Watch them mature because they’re quality."

The big problem with Loria's assumption is that there is no such thing as a sure-fire prospect in Major League Baseball. A look at the Marlins' past top prospects provides ample evidence to that effect. Consider some of the "future All-Stars" the Marlins have drafted in the first round:

Jeremy Hermida (career OPS+: 96)
Matt Dominguez (written off when the team discovered he can't hit)
Chris Coghlan (won Rookie of the Year, the OBP fell to .335 to .296 to .212)
Chris Volstad (shudders)

The last time the Marlins traded a perenial All Star for some prospects, the result was three lackluster seasons out of Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller (both of whom were high first-round picks).

Maybe Adeiny Hechavarria, Rob Brantly, Henderson Alvarez, Nate Eovaldi, Rob Brantly, Jake Marisnick, Justin Nicolino, et al will turn out to be a core that can augment Giancarlo Stanton and help the Marlins compete for pennants in 2015 and beyond, but the odds of so many prospects panning out are quite low.

Misadventures of the Tangerine Troops: An Entire Podium

noreply@blogger.com (Ted Hill) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:16:00 +0000

Three medal winners in just the second game of the season!

Gold: If you've been following the team and/or our Twitter account, you know the Marlins offensive ineptitude knows no bounds. Still without a run for the season, they squandered perhaps their best chance yet in fine fashion.

Still a 0-0 game, the Fish led off the top of the 5th with a double by Ruggiano and oddly enough a walk by Miguel Olivo. Miami's Win Expectancy was up to 62.1%.

Then this...

The double play bad enough (a -.134 WPA and the Marlins would strand Ruggiano at third), Kotchman, who may only be on the team due to spring injuries, injures himself in an embarrassing tumble over the bag. He left the game and is day to day.

Silver: The next inning, Kevin Slowey's otherwise brilliant outing was spoiled when he allowed a home run to opposing pitcher Gio Gonzalez.

Bronze: Donovan Solano goes full-Uggla and allows a ball through his legs to lead off the seventh. That runner would later score to put the game out of reach at 2-0.

Fish try to ~~avoid the sweep~~ score runs today at 4:05pm ET.

No One Wants to See the Marlins: the Data

noreply@blogger.com (David Hill) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:28:00 +0000

Via Deadspin comes some cool visualizations of MLB ticket prices from Quartz (a digital business publication). We recommend you read the full piece, but we'll call out a few data points that will be no surprise to Marlins fans. In 2012 (which was the third-best season in terms of attendance in team history), the Marlins played just one game in which tickets sold for over $100 on average (the first game at Marlins Park). Most games were below the median ticket price ($39.69).

(click to embiggen)

Also unsurprisingly, the Marlins had a generally negative effect on secondary market ticket prices last season (though tickets to away games were 15% more expensive than home tickets):

(click to embiggen)

The only road games where tickets were significantly more expensive than the average home Marlins game came against teams with strong attendance numbers (St. Louis, Philadelphia) and/or teams in pennant races at the time (Tampa, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh). In other words, people weren't going to see the Marlins.

And this was during a season when the Marlins received a ton of notoriety. Surely the numbers will be even worse in 2013...