When you look at the work that Larry Beinfest and Michael Hill have done there may be only one thing you can say; Wow!

 

It’s been about 7 seasons since the Marlins have won a World Series, about 4 years since they made the Hanley Ramirez acquisition, and it’s been like 20 minutes since I last raved about the Marlins. There is just so much to admire about the work that Larry and Michael put in every day, making under the radar acquisitions and fiddling with their roster until they are satisfied, and really having sucess in the front office, drafts, scouting, key Minor League Signings, and most of all, winning with the lowest payroll in Baseball.

There is nothing that makes me think that Hanley Ramirez wont maintain a .330 AVG throughout the next 5 seasons. There is nothing that makes me think that Josh Johnson wont win 15 games and average a 3.00 ERA for the next 4 seasons. I also have no reason to think that the Marlins can’t get back to the World Series very soon. There is a good chance we will see Mike Stanton by Memorial Day. We will probably see either Gaby Sanchez or Logan Morrison get the job and at the very least, play well. But the one thing that has really impressed me this spring; the Marlins Minor League Signings. I think the A’s will have late season success with Cedric Bowers. Enrique Gonzalez has pitched some good innings for the Tigers. But listen everybody, Scott Strickland, Jose Veras, Clay Hensley, and Mike Lamb could all be on the Marlins Opening Day Roster. You see the thing is, they could have signed three expensive relief pitchers to fill the void and they could have signed Hank Blalock or Darin Erstad to be the back up first baseman. But there is really nothing wrong with taking chances on certain players. Jorge Cantu for example was an accident. Did anyone really think that he would be one of the more productive hitters in the NL for the past two seasons after the Marlins signed him to a Minor League Deal? Does anyone expect Clay Hensley to be a productive? Well if you don’t you should.

 

Rumor has it that the Marlins are interested in Mike Lowell. I’m going to have to shrug my shoulders on this one due to the fact that the Fish don’t like to spend money and Mike Lowell really can’t move that well. How about Eric Chavez? Chavez has been healthy this spring and if he gets his release by the A’s, the Marlins can yet again take a gamble. With that said, I think LoMo and Gaby Sanchez will get one of the jobs now that Jorge Jimenez has been returned to the Red Sox.

 

What I also think is very attractive about the Marlins is they win with not much of a fan base and the lowest payroll in Baseball. Their 2010 payroll is about 36-37 million. So if they win 80-90 games this season with that payroll, doesn’t that make some over paid players look theives? Well let’s see. Just as an example, Aaron Rowand, Oliver Perez, and Carlos Silva combined will are owed that in 2010. So the point is, obviously it takes a good General Manager to decide how to spend his teams money and how to build the team. There are lot’s of ways to build a team. One of those ways is good drafting.

 

In essence, the Marlins team wasn’t put together by spending 8 or 9 figures in the free agent market. They have done a great job drafting and scouting. Drafting especially, is the key. Here are the homegrown Marlins

 

Those are just a few Marlins who came out of the draft. Even better,

Cody Ross was acquired for the old “player to be named later or cash” trade.

Jorge Cantu was a minor league signing.

Dan Uggla was a Rule 5 Draftee.

Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller were brought in in the famous Willis and Cabrera trade. Willis and Cabrera were also homegrown Marlins.

Hanley and Anibal Sanchez were acquired in the famous Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell trade. Josh Beckett is also homegrown.

Leo Nunez was acquired for Mike Jacobs. I don’t even need to explain the Mike Jacobs story but you all know it.

Brian Sanches was a Minor League Signing.

 

So we can all agree that the Marlins management really has a good idea of how to find players, spend money, and simply make the right choices and decisions. The Marlins are a unique team. They are young. Very Young. But don’t get the word young confused with inexpierenced. The Marlins are moving in to their new ballpark soon. Thats something for the Marlins to look forward to. They have the second best player in Baseball and one of the NL’s best pitchers locked up. And the Marlins simply just have what it takes to win. Simple as that.

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When you look at the work that Larry Beinfest and Michael Hill have done there may be only one thing you can say; Wow!

 

It’s been about 7 seasons since the Marlins have won a World Series, about 4 years since they made the Hanley Ramirez acquisition, and it’s been like 20 minutes since I last raved about the Marlins. There is just so much to admire about the work that Larry and Michael put in every day, making under the radar acquisitions and fiddling with their roster until they are satisfied, and really having sucess in the front office, drafts, scouting, key Minor League Signings, and most of all, winning with the lowest payroll in Baseball.

There is nothing that makes me think that Hanley Ramirez wont maintain a .330 AVG throughout the next 5 seasons. There is nothing that makes me think that Josh Johnson wont win 15 games and average a 3.00 ERA for the next 4 seasons. I also have no reason to think that the Marlins can’t get back to the World Series very soon. There is a good chance we will see Mike Stanton by Memorial Day. We will probably see either Gaby Sanchez or Logan Morrison get the job and at the very least, play well. But the one thing that has really impressed me this spring; the Marlins Minor League Signings. I think the A’s will have late season success with Cedric Bowers. Enrique Gonzalez has pitched some good innings for the Tigers. But listen everybody, Scott Strickland, Jose Veras, Clay Hensley, and Mike Lamb could all be on the Marlins Opening Day Roster. You see the thing is, they could have signed three expensive relief pitchers to fill the void and they could have signed Hank Blalock or Darin Erstad to be the back up first baseman. But there is really nothing wrong with taking chances on certain players. Jorge Cantu for example was an accident. Did anyone really think that he would be one of the more productive hitters in the NL for the past two seasons after the Marlins signed him to a Minor League Deal? Does anyone expect Clay Hensley to be a productive? Well if you don’t you should.

 

Rumor has it that the Marlins are interested in Mike Lowell. I’m going to have to shrug my shoulders on this one due to the fact that the Fish don’t like to spend money and Mike Lowell really can’t move that well. How about Eric Chavez? Chavez has been healthy this spring and if he gets his release by the A’s, the Marlins can yet again take a gamble. With that said, I think LoMo and Gaby Sanchez will get one of the jobs now that Jorge Jimenez has been returned to the Red Sox. 

The great thing about the Major League Baseball draft is there are 50 Rounds. There used to be more, but 50 Rounds is still a lot. You could get the best player in the world with the 30th pick in the 50th round. You could also get an ace with the number 1 overall pick. That’s whats most exciting! You never know what will happen with the players who come out of the Amatuer draft. So Alibay Barkley (last pick in the 2009 draft) who is actually from my neck of the woods in NY could eventually be the best player is Major League Baseball while Stephenn Strasburg could eventually be signing Minor League Contracts year after year. Is that going to happen? Probably not. But again you never know.

 

I like to look back at the 2005 draft which brought a lot of talent to our game today. I also like to dwell on the 2008 draft. Especially the 2nd round. Who would have thought that many of last season’s trades at the deadline, or even Baseball America’s top 10 prospects by team would consist of a whole bunch of kids drafted in that round?

 

Out of the 30 picks in that round, 3 of them were traded last summer. 3 is actually a lot if you consider the duds and players who went to college instead of signing with a Major League team. Those players are Shane Peterson, Tyler Ladendorf, and Jason Knapp. Now if we turn the clock back to July 30th, the day before the deadline, if Tyler Ladendorf wasn’t traded for Orlando Cabrera would the Twins have made it to the post-season? if Shane Peterson wasn’t included in the Matt Holliday trade would Holliday end up a Card? If he didn’t end up a card, he may not have eventually signed his 8 year deal with St. Louis, and if he didn’t, would that mean that Pujols had chosen to leave St. Louis at the end of his current contract? How about our good friend Jason Knapp. Would the Indians have made that lopsided trade if Knapp wasn’t included? If he wasn’t included, Cliff Lee wouldn’t have pitched the Phillies in to the World Series last season and he wouldn’t be a Seattle Mariner right now, and of course the Roy Halladay trade would have gone much differently. 

 

Even some teams’ top prospects were drafted in that round. James Darnell, Tyson Ross, Josh Lindblom, Jay Austin, Johnny Giavotella, Anthony Gose, Cody Satterwhite, Destin Hood, Kyle Lobstien, and Derrick Gibson.

I’ve really been impressed with James Darnell. I really think that he’s going to impact the Padres soon.

Jay Austin is one of the Astros top prospects. He could be Michael Bourn in a few seasons.

Tyson Ross is currently with the Swinging A’s in Spring Training.

Josh Lindblom could be the key piece to a possible future Adrian Gonzalez trade.

Johnny Giavotella could be the next Brian Roberts.

The Blue Jays really wanted Anthony Gose in a potential Roy Halladay trade last summer.

Cody Satterwhite may see some big league time this season.

Destin Hood is a future piece in the Nationals plans.

Kyle Lobstien is a possible piece in the Rays rotation in a few seasons. 

And Derrick Gibson is jumping through the Minor League system as we speak.

 

So my point is that everyone should be optimistic after draft even if your team doesn’t draft your favorite College player or high school star. It is so exciting to see your team develop young players like Casey Kelly or Chris Carter for example. You can never be sure about a trade involving prospects and you can certainly never judge a player coming through the system. The greatest thing about Baseball is that you learn something new everyday. If I jump to the 2003 draft; round 36, I’m sure I will find a player who has an interesting story. For me, one of the most interesting drafts is the 2008 draft and the most exciting round in my opinion, the 2nd round.

If you look at Evan Longoria’s contract, you may say “well, it’s a great contract for the Rays no doubt about it, but shouldn’t other teams around Baseball be locking up their young players?” Absolutley! The most notable comparison to date is our good friend Jason Heyward. Jason has yet to play a game in the Majors as you all may know, but shouldn’t the Braves gamble on him and possibly lock him up now? Shouldn’t the Braves at least consider it? I’ve compiled a lineup and rotation of players and pitchers who should be locked up. There is one catch though, to be on this Roster, you need to be under the age of 25. Sorry Mark Reynolds! Sorry Josh Beckett! Victor Martinez, please don’t hold it against me!

 

C – Matt Weiters: I think the Orioles will be able to compete pretty soon. Not this season but I do think they will make some noise. Without Matt Weiters, I wouldn’t consider them to be a spoiler to say the least. If Weiters was locked up now, they could buy out at least two arbirtration years without breaking the bank. No, Matt Weiters isn’t Joe Mauer but some early comparables could be Mauer’s first contract. I’m sure we will all agree that the sooner the better.

 

1B – Billy Butler:  Of course Padres fans want Adrian Gonzalez in a Padres uniform until the end of time, he’s older than 25 and wants a bigger check than he is getting at this point in time.  Billy Butler on the other hand, is one of the better young players in the American League. He really put up solid numbers last season and I can only see him improving. If he remains on a year to year contract, the Royals will owe him a bigger and bigger check every year. If they can give him something like a 5 year $20-23MM deal, they will avoid the Tim Lincecum arb cases and continue to pay quality players (like Zack Greinke) team friendly contracts.

 

2B – Gordon Beckham: There aren’t too many Second Baseman in Major League Baseball who are productive, fast, and can play some defense. Gordon Beckham is in fact one of them. The White Sox did a fantastic job developing this kid and certainly were lucky to have drafted him considering the fact that the Reds, Marlins, Rays, Royals, and Giants would have loved to have taken this kid when they had the chance. Jared Mitchell is the next White Sox product to come up but for now, Gordon Beckham could be compared to Ian Kinsler and his contract. 5yrs/$22MM is what Ian Kinsler gets and I don’t see why the Sox wouldn’t give Gordon that if he can build on his strong Rookie campaign.

 

3B: Pablo Sandoval: If he can stay healthy, the Kung-Fu Panda is and will continue to be one of Baseball’s brightest young stars. Fat Ichiro came out of nowhere to come 2nd in the NL Batting Title race in 2009. My comparable is Troy Tulowitzki’s contract, but that might not even be enough if he hits like he did in 2009. Some concerns are obviously his weight, but he is committed to staying healthy and needs to be locked up if he proves that 2009 was no fluke.

 

SS – Elvis Andrus: Until my Flash Jr. (Dee Gordon) comes up and before Alcides Escobar has his fantastic rookie season, Elvis Andrus is my guy at Shortstop. The Rangers played really really well last season, and Andrus played a major role in their success. His defense is indispensible and his bat will continue to get better. His speed may net him several stolen base titles during his career, but this kid is one hec of a player overall. The most notable comparison for me, is Jose Reyes…But that is still a stretch because Elvis is only 21 and has one year of service time under his belt. Maybe a 6yr/$28MM will get it done, but even unsigned, the Rangers have to be happy with their young star.

 

OF – Andrew McCutchen: Even though last season’s performance speaks for itself, McCutchen hasn’t made it 100% clear that he is their clear cut franchise player and centerpeice for the future. That doesn’t say much though because they haven’t built around a player since Jason Bay or even Barry Bonds. And we know that didn’t work out. McCutchen absolutley deserves a Franklin Gutierrez, Curtis Granderson, or Grady Sizemore contract but I think for starters, the Pirates will settle on a Carl Crawford or something like 5/$19MM deal. Who knows, he may even be a trade piece if Neal Huntington feels the need to “keep building.”

 

OF – Jason Heyward: The only thing that needs to be said is, “Frank! Give this kid an Evan Longoria deal! Don’t you dare go year to year!!” A young phenom that is getting comparisons to several Hall of Famers and 1 future Hall of Famer certainly deserves a lucurative contract. Hopefully they can get him locked up as soon as possible but beware that if he is in the Braves Opening Day Lineup, it is a must-sign because thats when the clock starts ticking!

 

OF – Carlos Gonzalez: Whats better than a young 5 tool player? Carlos Gonzalez is among the few. Dan O’Dowd did a fantastic job bringing him over from the A’s and his second half of the season performance certainly proved to make the trade seem worth it. Carlos could hit up to 28 Home Runs this season and can bat anywhere in the lineup. He can set the table for the big guys, and can steal bases behind Dexter Fowler or before. I don’t think there needs to be any other comparison than Grady Sizemore and Curtis Granderson in terms of the contract but I would rank him among the top 5 best rising stars in Baseball.

 

DH - Kyle Blanks: If and when the Padres trade Adrian Gonzalez, they are going to count on Kyle Blanks to be a solid clean up hitter at the least. With a young nucleus of Blanks, Darnell, Cabrera, and Dacker, the Padres couyld compete as early as 2011. Kyle Blanks could be a 30 home run hitter year after year if he stays healthy and is one of the Baseball’s best young players who nobody talks about. I could see this season being his breakout year and if it is, the Padres need to be ready to spend some money (for once). He has already turned in to a guy the Padres fans want around for a long time.

 

P – Clayton Kershaw: There is only one way for the Dodgers to prevent GM’s from talking about this kid; LOCK HIM UP! Clayton is clearly the ace and no doubt about it, one of Baseball’s best young pitchers. If the Dodgers don’t lock him up, they will soon have to pay him the big bucks. He has no inning restrictions this season, and may even cut down on the walks while he is at it. Will definetly strike out 200 batters this season and when he does, the Dodgers will either be saying, “Thank gosh we locked him up” or “Okay Jamie and Frank, could you guys please solve your divorce situation so we can lock Clayton Kershaw up?” This is his breakout season.

 

P – Yovani Gallardo: The Brew Crew love this guy, and why not? He had one hec of a 2009 season and racked up 200 K’s for the first time in his career. If he has another big season, the Brewers will need to break the bank and for a small market team, they should get him signed before that big pay day comes. Matt Cain’s contract comes to mind and thats a perfect comparable in my opinion.

 

P – Brett Anderson: Billy Beane’s great work over the last few years is finally starting to pay off. With young stars like Chris Carter and Michael Taylor ready to knock balls out of the park this season, Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, and Dallas Braden among others will certainly be much happier this season than last. Brett Anderson though I think is their best youngster on he mound. He really has potential to be the next ace of his respective team, and to ensure that, they have to lock him up. If he stays healthy this season, I wouldn’t hesitate to give him a 4 or 5 year deal worth $14-22MM.

 

P – Clay Bucholz: It seems likely that Bucholz is staying. Therefore, a contract extension is definetly something for Theo Epstien to think about. Yes, Josh Beckett and Victor Martinez should come first, but with the contracts of David Ortiz and Mike Lowell coming off the books, the Red Sox certainly have financial felxibility to say the least. I think once again, Matt Cain’s contract is a pretty good comparison. Maybe Paul Maholm, but the point is that Clay Bucholz is a really good pitcher and could win 15 games in the 4 spot in the Red Sox rotation this season.

 

P – Tommy Hanson: Obviously, there are about 10 under-25 players who deserve a long term deal, Brian Matusz, Jair Jurrjens, Mat Latos, Derek Holland, Ricky Romero, Rick Porcello, and plenty more. But I’m going to take Tommy Hanson because I think that he is an ace in the making. It’s rare that a pitcher will be brought up mid-season and dominate like Tommy did. Well, with the departure of Javier Vazquez, Jair Jurrjens’ sore arm, and Derek Lowe’s sinker that doesn’t sink, the Braves need some confidence when signing pitchers to long term deals. There is nothing in Hanson’s delivery that tells me that he wont be a consistent 3.00 ERA pitcher througout his career but if that does happen, the Braves need to know that he is wearing navy and red with a big white “A” on his cap.

 

RP/CP: Daniel Bard: Leo Nunez is one of the better young closers in Baseball but he is 26 years old. Daniel Bard on the other hand, could very well be the future closer of the Red Sox let alone, late inning reliever until then. He has really good stuff and pitched very well against AL East teams. I would give him a 3 or 4 year deal now assuming that Pap won’t be wearing Red Socks forever. The Red Sox need certainty in their bullpen and Manny Delcarmen is not the answer. The answer is Daniel Bard.

 

It needs to be said that the 3 best contracts in Baseball were given to players in their first two seasons or around that time. Those 3 are Evan Longoria, Ryan Braun, and Troy Tulowitzki. A team friendly contract means so much to an organization and fanbase. The Rays obviously do buisness well but hopefully the players I talked about will get a good deal on both sides. All it takes is a good 2010 season!