Florida Marlins

Previous Team Analyses

The Florida franchise lost two of its brightest stars this off-season, with Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis departing for Detroit and bringing a slew of prospects in return. Fortunately, this team has been through this situation many times in its short history, losing names from Gary Sheffield to Josh Beckett from the two Championship rosters. Here's the latest edition of their lineup (look for a few of these guys to end up on the trading block in the next few years).

Lineup:

• SS Hanley Ramirez
• RF Jeremy Hermidia
• 2B Dan Uggla
• LF Josh Willingham
• 3B Dallas McPherson/Jorge Cantu/Jose Castillo
• 1B Mike Jacobs
• CF Cameron Maybin
• C Matt Treanor

Rotation: 

• Scott Olsen
• Sergio Mitre
• Andrew Miller
• Rick Vanden Hurk
• Mark Hendrickson

Closer: Kevin Gregg

Thoughts...

When examining bad teams, I always start with the closers. Closer is the easiest position for a player on a bad team to have fantasy relevance, but of course, that isn't the case here. Gregg and his $2.5 million salary will probably be traded at some point this season, and it's unlikely he'll close for another team. Even while in Florida, he won't be among the elite closers, and I won't be drafting him early on draft day.

Hanley Ramirez is simply outstanding. There's been talk of him hitting third (with Cameron Maybin taking over the leadoff spot), which would be bad news for his owners, but he'll be a five category producer regardless. If he falls in the order, he likely won't steal bases at the same rate, and potentially could hit for a lower average (he only hit .297 in 165 ABs there last season). Ramirez offers better potential for five-category production than his counterpart Jose Reyes, but probably carries a higher risk of falling on his face without Cabrera around.

Speaking of Cabrera, let's discuss his replacements at third. ... Okay, that about covers it. None of the three potential replacements (Castillo, Cantu, or McPherson) will likely lock down the job, and none of them have the potential to produce like their predecessor. 

Cameron Maybin is an interesting prospect, and I expect he'll enter fantasy conversations in 2009. He has only 49 big league at-bats, so this season will likely be one that takes him up and down. Nevertheless, Maybin was an important part of the Cabrera trade for a reason, and he'll probably push Ramirez down in the order in the not-too-distant future. Andrew Miller, another important piece of the trade, will get the chance to join their rotation this year. My guess is the Phillies and Mets will knock him around, but he's too talented to struggle all season. You don't need to draft him, but keep his name on your radar in keeper and dynasty leagues. He'll be the ace of this staff soon.

Remember when Josh Willingham had catcher eligibility? Those were the days... Now that he's just an outfielder, he has little to no fantasy value. Dan Uggla's average plummeted to .245 last season. It's nice to get 30 HR from second base, but that average is awful. Aaron Hill later in the draft might look better in your lineup.

If we turn back the clock two seasons, Jeremy Hermida would be a popular pick late in drafts. Two seasons of injury and mediocre production have destroyed the hype surrounding him, meaning that he generally goes undrafted. After .300, 12 HR and 41 RBI in the second half last year, though, he may be worth watching in deeper leagues in 2008.

Overall, this Florida team isn't too exciting. In a couple of years, they'll have more fantasy stars (who will promptly be traded), but they're at the point in their cycle where they've just acquired prospects and are waiting for them to mature. Unless you're in keeper or dynasty leagues, I wouldn't look at this team beyond Hanley in the first round.