COMMENTARY | A new stadium, a new-look uniform, a slew of new players, and even a new name all converge to attempt to bring the spirit of ’97 back to the Miami Marlins. For a moment let’s forget about the new stadium and its $2.3 million sculpture in the outfield and focus on brass tacks. The Marlins have been one of the most active teams in this year’s free agent market. Baseball hasn’t seen anything like it since the Marlins sold off all of their players in a team-wide firesale back in 1998.
Let’s start at the top shall we?
Ozzie Guillen (Manager)
Guillen is certainly a gamble for the Fish. On one hand, he is the creator of “Ozzie-ball,” which he used to defeat the Houston Astros in the 2005 World Series. On the other hand, he is the man known for temper tantrums and inappropriate tweeting. It will certainly be an interesting social experiment having a manager like Ozzie with a hot-tempered pitcher like Carlos Zambrano, and things may get highly entertaining in South Florida.
Jose Reyes (Shortstop)
This is one of the biggest moves in baseball this year. The only thing anyone really needs to know about Jose Reyes is that he has a .292 lifetime batting average. Only in baseball can you fail 70 percent of the time and be an all-star. Speaking of all-star, he has been one of those four times as well as MLB’s leading base stealer three times. The major complaint about Reyes is that he tends to be injury prone, but if you can keep this guy on the field, he’s a sure thing.
Heath Bell (Closer)
Bell has been one of the least talked about pitcher signings of the off-season, but he is probably one of the most important. He may not have the flash of Carlos Zambrano, but unlike Zambrano in the past few years, Bell has had the numbers. Last year Bell racked up 43 saves with a 2.44 ERA, the year before that (2010), Bell finished with 47 saves and a 1.93 ERA. Assuming these trends continue, this guy is a total rock in the ninth inning.
Carlos Zambrano (Pitcher)
Between 2003 and 2008 Big Z was the undisputed ace of the Chicago Cubs. In those years he had not fewer than 13 wins, and no less than a 3.95 ERA. The good times in Chicago were not to last though. By 2011 Zambrano’s ERA had crept up to 4.82 for the season. The Cubs even tried him as a closer for a short time. As Zambrano grew more frustrated, his hostile temper began to creep out and distract teammates and fans alike. Big Z’s frustration led to meltdowns such as beating up Gatorade coolers and simply walking off the mound and out of the ballpark. The Cubs sent Zambrano to anger management therapy in 2011. The Marlins president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest hopes that fellow Venezuelan Ozzie Guillen will be able to get the most out of Zambrano and resurrect some of that all-star magic.
Mark Buehrle: (Pitcher)
Ah yes, almost forgot to mention, Ozzie has brought an old friend to the mix. Longtime White Sox ace Mark Buehrle is a 6-foot-2 lefty that can still throw gas. Buehrle has a lifetime 3.83 ERA, and is good for 10 to 15 wins a year. Granted, Buehrle isn’t the youngest kid on the block but last year he put up 13 wins with a 3.59 ERA, so recent performance seems to be consistent with his career numbers indicating that he’s still got more in the tank. The big question is, how much more?