2014 Outlook: Miami Marlins

When I look at the Miami Marlins, I see another team that future is incredibly bright for.

Sure you can look at the stand out guys like Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton, but the Marlins talent goes much, much deeper than that.

Would you believe me if I told you they have not one, not two, but three guys that could be ace caliber pitchers in this rotation? Would it surprise you if that list doesn't include Jose Fernandez? Because it doesn't.

Would you also believe me if I told you this team has not one, not two, but three sluggers capable of hitting 20 or better homers in the next three seasons? Would it surprise you that list doesn't include Giancarlo? It doesn't either.


While a lot of teams have visions of the future on their minds, the 2014 Miami Marlins could very easily have competing in 2014 on their radar.

Like I said, the headline names of Jose Fernandez and Giancarlo Stanton are going to be major players in this team's success. If the Marlins are to do anything, they must have their superstars on the field more games than not. But again, the talent on this team is so deep, it goes well beyond those two guys.

I have to admit, being a former pitcher, pitching is my passion and so I'm going to start with the pitching. This rotation may be one of the most underrated in the entire league. While it's outlandish and completely insane, I think the one through four of Fernandez, Henderson Alvarez, Nathan Eovaldi, and Jacob Turner is will soon be almost as good as Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister.

Almost.

I know I'll get laughed at and I'll get killed if people chose, but when you sit back and look at how this rotation was actually put together, it's not so crazy to comprehend.

The guy I've probably been watching the longest and I'm most high on is Henderson Alvarez (left). To give you an idea of how athletic Alvarez is, he was a shortstop and only started pitching when he was signed by the Blue Jays at age 17. A few years ago I heard an interview with Peter Gammons or John Heyman where one of them said "Alvarez has 18-game winning stuff" which caught my attention and I started to pay attention to this 2011 Futures Game participant. Now, I don't hear every word out of those guys' mouths, though I do listen to what they says pretty intently, but that's not a phrase you just throw around for a young pitcher. His no-hitter at the end of last year should also prove the 23-year old will be something special. While undersized, Alvarez athleticism makes him one of just the many high impact arms the Marlins will roll out every day in Miami.

The other guy I'm very high on is Jacob Turner (right). He came over in the Anibal Sanchez deal in 2012 from Detroit. The Tigers long thought highly of Turner though he never really put his skills into production. Also a 2011 Futures Game participant, Turner got some action at the big league level for Detroit in 2012, but struggled out of the gate, then moved to Miami where he pitched rather well. He got his starts and innings increased last year. He started the year strong but faded towards the end. I look for Turner to build on his top prospect billing this year and to have a 10-15 win season in what should be a full 25 or 30 starts.

The final guy I'm high on, and he may not be as good as the other two, but he's still very solid is Nathan Eovaldi (left). Eovaldi was a part of the haul the Marlins got for Hanley Ramirez. At the time it didn't look like Miami got much, but Eovaldi has always had the ability, and now in Miami he can put it all together. Because of injuries, he didn't make his season debut until June, but he pitched six innings in all but three starts en route to a 4-6 finish. I think if Eovaldi can keep himself healthy, he's big and strong enough to log 150 to 175 innings for the Marlins, and I can't say I'd be surprised if he wins 12-15 games, provided Miami can score runs. (Which I think they can)

The biggest downfall to these three guys is they have all had their share of injury problems in their past, and that's in large part to why their stock is not so high right now. Fortunately, they don't seem to be hampering injuries and if they are all healthy, these are guys that can keep this awful bullpen off the mound.

On another positive note for all these pitchers; they play in a massive stadium. Giving up homeruns in that park is very tough to do, which will translate into normal mistakes being outs. That can only be a good thing. And other than Philadelphia, not another park in the division is really known for being a hitters park.

On top of these three guys, the Marlins have an ace in waiting in Andrew Heaney who could make his debut later this summer if needed. The Marlins have no shortage of starting pitching arms to keep adding to an already terrific rotation.

Nor do they have any shortage of sticks.

Well that is a bit of a stretch. Big bats they have no shortage of. Of course everyone knows of the power Giancarlo Stanton possess, and we all know the hype Christian Yelich gets, but there's a couple other guys that could make this lineup a lot better than people might give it credit for.

Marcel Ozuna is a big time power bat. He's a little undersized, but packs a huge punch into a big, long swing. After he turned 19, Ozuna hit 20 homers in four straight minor league seasons, even after being traded. And then in 2013, he was called up from Double-A and while only clubbing three homers, he hit for 17 doubles and a handful of triples on his way to a .265 first year average. I think this guy is on his way to a big time career where he will be a perrenial home run hitter. I think a fair comparison might be Mark Trumbo in Arizona, or even a David Wright type player. A ceiling of being a 20/20 player is not far fetched.

The final young stud I'm going to talk about is Jake Marisnick. This kid kind of gets stuck as the guy behind Christian Yelich, but for a while, I was actually higher on him than I was Yelich. Marisnick got his opportunity at the big league level last year, and he flopped. But we've seen so many prospects have the same luck, and then end up figuring it out on their way to solid careers.

Like Ozuna, Marisnick was called up straight from Double-A last year, that was somewhat of a theme in the Marlins organization in 2013. But unlike Ozuna, Marisnick has yet to play a game at Triple-A. He was called up because of injuries the Marlins had all over the field, and got a chance. Needless to say, he did not make the most of his opportunity offensively. Instead Marisnick really struggled, and I watched a few Marlins games, and he flat out looked lost.

But, that doesn't mean he isn't a good player. Marisnick is very skilled. His skills won't blow you away, but he works hard and makes the most of the talent he was blessed with. Unfortunately for him, he's been traded as a young player then has bounced around from level to level, and has never really been able to get himself settled.

I don't know what the Marlins have planned for the youngster this year, they've been pretty quiet on his end of things, but make no mistake about it, if he can stay healthy, they've found something special in this guy.

Of course when you add the three young outfielders to the superstar Stanton, that means there's an odd man out somewhere. The Fish tried out Yelich at first some last year, which I could see being an option, but again, Yelich is so athletic, he is almost better suited for leftfield.

Now, all this is to say, the Marlins are on the upswing, but this year could be a tough time for them if they can't stay healthy and these young hitters are slow to come along, which many are known to do.

I think the Marlins make great improvements this year, and I think these kids start giving Miami residents a reason to be excited about baseball again, beyond the Hurricanes.