March 12
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Two other National League East prospects have generated most of the buzz this spring. Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez in a subtle way reminded everybody Thursday morning Stephen Strasburg and Jason Heyward aren't the only future stars in this division. Asked about Mike Stanton's chances of breaking camp with the team, Gonzalez said: "Funnier things have happened. For me to say absolutely not, I can't say that." Gonzalez added that a big factor in coming to those sorts of decisions is makeup. Stanton, 20, is off the chart in that regard, but it's still hard envisioning a scenario in which he opens the season with the Marlins. Above all else, Stanton has to play. Barring an injury, whose spot ..."
March 12
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Should Stephen Strasburg begin the season in the Nationals' rotation? Any reason Jason Heyward shouldn't be the Braves' Opening Day right-fielder? Manager Fredi Gonzalez added to the National League East prospect buzz Thursday when he answered a similar question about Mike Stanton. "Funnier things have happened," Gonzalez said. "We'll sit down and make sure it's the right move, but for me to say absolutely not, I can't say that right now, that he's not going to make the team." That's a testament to how Stanton, 20, has impressed the big league coaching staff. In Grapefruit League action he's 5 for 15 (.333) with a double and two homers. Widely regarded as the best power hitting prospect in ..."
March 11
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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No heart-to-hearts yet between Joe Espada and Carlos Tosca about the job. Having served as third base coach for Toronto and Arizona, Tosca will be an invaluable resource for Espada in his first season on that detail. That Tosca has not found occasion to pour out his more than two decades worth of experience may not be a bad thing for Espada. "If he asks me I'll be more than happy to help, but I'm under the belief that the fewer things you say to the guy, the fewer thoughts you can put in his head, the better off he's going to be," said Tosca, before the Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now!' 16-4 drubbing of the Astros on Wednesday. "I'm sure there'll be issues or ballparks or arms [to ..."
March 10
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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It wasn't the waiting that got to him. Mike Lamb didn't sign his minor league deal with the Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now! until Feb. 11. It was facing the possibility his career might be over. "It's too young to be done, but at the same time I realize it's getting to the end," said Lamb, who turned 34 in August. "That was my anxiety. Something that's been a part of my life since I was 6 was possibly coming to an end." The Marlins don't think he's done. Lamb has been on their radar since the 2007 offseason, when they tried to sign him to compete for the third-base job. Now, the assignment is significantly more limited. Lamb is vying to become the club's primary left-handed pinch ..."
March 9
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Anyone who zeroed in on right-hander Ryan Tucker on Monday might have guessed he was pitching in near-freezing temperatures instead of a gorgeous 72-degree afternoon. Tucker consistently blew into a fisted pitching hand, trying to awaken what can become vampire-like digits. After struggling through a two-inning, two-hit, two-run, three-walk performance in the 11-2 loss to the Mets at Roger Dean Stadium, Tucker revealed he suffers from Reynaud's syndrome. According to the American Heart Association, the extremities can become numb and discolored when small arteries that circulate blood to the fingers and toes are exposed to cold and constrict, or from an emotional upset. Tucker has endured ..."
March 8
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The pitching line for left-hander Sean West was not exactly what Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now! manager Fredi Gonzalez was hoping to see Sunday. Gonzalez said prior to the Marlins' spring training game against the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium he wanted to see West and his other pitchers "find the strike zone, throw strikes." West struggled a bit with his control. His pitching line: two innings, 1 earned run on one hit, three walks and one strikeout. The most telling stat for West, who was making his first start and appearance of the spring, was the 36 pitches he made, only 17 were for strikes. "Throw strikes. That's all they want to see, and I didn't do that today," West said ..."
March 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Former manager Bobby Valentine was sitting behind home plate Saturday taking notes while watching the Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now!-Cardinals' game at Roger Dean Stadium. No, he wasn't looking over the shoulder of Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez, who was rumored to be replaced by Valentine last October. Instead, he was doing homework for his ESPN analyst role. Valentine denied that he and longtime friend Marlins owner Jeffrey H. Loria spoke about the managerial job last October. "That's old news, isn't it?" Valentine said. "Jeff and I both respect the game too much and respect all managers in baseball to talk about managing when everyone has a job.""
March 6
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Considering that at roughly the same age Miguel Cabrera was hitting opposite field home runs to right off Roger Clemens in the World Series, Mike Stanton's shot to the same part of the field in a Grapefruit League game doesn't seem like a big deal. Yet Marlins fans should feel plenty of optimism after the right-handed hitting Stanton lined a Bobby Parnell slider over the right-field wall in Tradition Field Friday. The two-run, 10th-inning homer gave the Marlins a 4-2 lead in a game they ultimately won 4-3. That Stanton has power is not a news flash, but his first Grapefruit League homer illustrated he's at the plate with a plan. Friday in the 10th, that plan did not include trying to yank ..."
March 5
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Florida Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now! never lost faith in Jai Miller, even when the outfielder lost faith in himself. Entering his eighth professional season, Miller is rewarding the organization for its patience. Miller, who the Marlins selected in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, made significant improvement in Triple-A last season. His batting average and on-base plus slugging percentage rose by 22 and 49 points, respectively. Though Miller totaled 91 fewer at-bats in 2009 because of an oblique strain, he had just four fewer extra-base hits. In Wednesday's exhibition against the University of Miami, Miller, 25, displayed his power with a towering three-run homer to ..."
March 3
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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There goes Michael Neu's claim to fame. When Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now! first baseman Gaby Sanchez takes the field Wednesday afternoon against the University of Miami, Neu no longer will be the only player whio has suited up for both teams in the annual exhibition. The Marlins kick off their spring schedule at Roger Dean Stadium with their annual friendly against the Hurricanes. Sanchez will get the start at first, across the diamond from where he played in 2003 as a member of the Hurricanes. The following year Sanchez again was on the field, only this time against the defending World Series champions. "We looked at them and the way they would prepare and the way they would ..."
March 3
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Baseball teams probably won't ever have occasion to employ capologists. The Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now! and Andrew Miller might benefit from someone with that expertise about now. No one seems to know for sure what to pay the left-hander in 2010. "It's very technical because it's never happened before," said Mark Rodgers, Miller's agent. "There's no contingency for it." The four-year, $5.45 million major league contract the Detroit Tigers gave Miller after drafting him sixth overall in 2006 expired after last season. Because Miller has not accrued three years of service time to qualify for arbitration, the Marlins per the collective bargaining agreement can cut his salary by 20 ..."
March 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Left-hander Dan Jennings made it to Game 6 of last season's American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium. He resorted to hollering at fellow University of Nebraska alumnus Joba Chamberlain to get his attention. "He came over and talked to me for five, 10 minutes before stretch," said Jennings, who's struck up a nice acquaintance with the Yankees right-hander. "He came back to Lincoln in 2008 during the season when his dad was having some troubles. I was turning 21 then, so he came out with us. It's fun to pick his brain a little bit." It may not be long before some up-and-coming Cornhusker is picking Jennings' brain about being a major leaguer. The Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets ..."