Spring Battles Take Shape

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Swimming Upstream
Spring Battles Take Shape

A dozen games into spring training, the Marlins seem to have a handle on their key position battles.

At third base, presumed front-runner Jose Catillo has struggled with the bat. After 11 games and 34 at-bats, his batting average is barely above .200, and he has managed only three extra base hits, including one homerun. Meanwhile, his presumed competition, Jorge Cantu has been hitting at an absolutely torrid pace. Cantu leads all prospective Marlins infielders with a .414 batting average and is second on the team in total bases with 18. Dallas McPherson, the former phenom and dark-horse candidate to win the job has shown all the rust that would accompany a year and a half layoff from the game. His batting average is a paltry .067 and he’s struck out 7 times in 15 at bats. In what would have been a shock a mere week ago, it appears Cantu is primed to become the Marlins starter at third.

Going into camp, the Marlins assumed that while their rotation was not perfect, they at least had four pitchers locked into the first four spots in the rotation with two or three more to compete for the fifth and final spot. Now, with injuries to Sergio Mitre and Scott Olsen, the two candidates to be the Marlins’ opening day starter, the Marlins are left with as many as 4 potential question marks in their rotation as only Mark Hendrickson has made a convincing case for a spot in the rotation. Mitre and Olsen are hurt, and rookie Andrew Miller, the final pitcher initially penciled into the rotation, has shown marked control issues walking 10 batters in 13 innings. Injuries, understandably, have clouded the race for a rotation spot a little further, but expect to see Hendrickson, Miller and last year’s fifth starter Rick Vandenhurk make the rotation with Ricky Nolasco and possibly former first round pick Chris Volstad as injury replacements if Olsen and Mitre are unable to start the season due to injury.

Finally, centerfield remains a position that is unsettled due in large part to an injury to the assumed favorite to start, Cameron Maybin, the prize of the Marlins off-season trade with Detroit. Alejandro De Aza has picked up right where he left off last spring leading the Marlins in batting average (.435) home-runs (3) total bases (22) RBI (8) and stolen-bases (2). Because Cody Ross is out of options and generally viewed as a positive guy both on the field and in the locker room, he will likely break camp with the team, but it appears that it will only be in a reserve role. Short of the Marlins rushing Maybin back from his hamstring injury and into the lineup, De Aza will be the opening day starter in center giving Maybin more time to recover and tune up in the minor leagues.