Mike Stanton takes home a MiLBY

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The Florida Marlins invited Mike Stanton to their annual Fall Instructional League program last month, but the slugger didn't really need all that much instruction. Stanton won't turn 19 for another few weeks, but that didn't prevent him from making the South Atlantic League his own personal playground this season. The California native hit .293 for Greensboro while leading the circuit in home runs (39), slugging percentage (.611) and extra-base hits (68). He also finished third with 97 RBIs. The Marlins made Stanton a second-round pick in 2007 and he put together a rather bland 56 at-bat run through the Gulf Coast and New York-Penn leagues last summer. But his offensive explosion this year catapulted him to the forefront of the game's top young prospects, earning him the MiLBY Award for Best Class-A Player. While he wasn't vacationing at Instructs earlier this fall, Stanton wasn't breaking down a bad swing or figuring out how to get from first to second without tripping over his own feet. "He had a great year and we didn't have a whole lot for him to work on," said Jim Fleming, Florida's vice president of player development. "We just wanted him to punctuate some of the things he did during the process of this season. We wanted him to take a step back and look at the adjustments he's made and how they have affected him. "It was kind of like reviewing the year. We wanted to make sure he was solid with what he did and how things worked. From there we did some offseason training things that we wanted him to work on in the weight room. Mike is such a fast learner and sees things so well that he picked up on what we wanted. We had that exact talk: refine some things and continue to grow." Stanton will be hard-pressed to live up to the expectations he created this season. Whether he's in Class A Advanced or Double-A next spring, he'll likely be the talk of the league. How could he not be after finishing tied for second in the Minor Leagues in home runs in his first full season? Stanton admits he didn't know what to expect coming into the season. He wasn't sure how his body would hold up or how difficult the competition would be. But his body clearly didn't hold him back and the numbers he put up show how he dealt with the competition. "I wouldn't say I was swinging for the fences the whole time," Stanton said. "I don't really know. [The homers] just kind of came in spurts. I'd go six or seven games without one and then have three in four games, three in five games and go back. I would say it was more of a rhythm thing. Get back in the rhythm, remember it and repeat it. Then prepare the same way for the next day. "I wouldn't say it was easy. I'd say that if you put in hard work, it pays off. Keep battling and not taking days off. And if you have a day off, take time to observe the whole game from the bench and learn from that." Of all his accomplishments this season, Stanton said the one thing that stood out were the intentional walks he received. He was given a free pass to first base seven times, with five coming in August and September after his prowess had long been established. "The respect they gave me stood out," he said. "I got walked a couple of times in a tie game with no one on. That's pretty memorable to me." Stanton's other two intentional walks came in April, when he hit .307. He remained steady at the plate throughout the season and had 20 home runs and 56 RBIs by the end of June, demonstrating to the Marlins that he was able to handle life at the plate. They began working with him on his outfield defense, which might have been put off had Stanton struggled offensively. Working on making better throws from center and right fields became a priority, as did taking better routes to the ball. Stanton was a first baseman until late in his high school career and never really had to work on developing his arm. This season proved to be valuable in that respect. He committed only five errors and had six assists. "I'd say my defense was the biggest stride I made this season. That and my throwing," Stanton said. "I worked on getting the right form and getting my mechanics better. I got better drop steps and routes to the ball. Playing the outfield and getting used to it was one of the best things for me. "You never realize about [the throwing] until you're in it and have to go through it. My throwing mechanics weren't as good as most." Look for them to be better next season in the Florida State League. "Mike didn't have a lot of game experience coming into this year," Fleming said. "But he caught up in a year. There are still great challenges for Mike, but it's now more about the game than the mechanics."

Stanton takes Class A MiLBY