A Deep Fish Fry

Quick, which team in MLB has the best winning percentage? Boston? Arizona? Chicago? Oakland? Minnesota? Any team in New York city?

No, its the Florida Marlins who at 23-14 have a .622 winning percentage. It is the best start in franchise history and they are in the midst of a 7 game winning streak.

And none of the pundits saw this coming. Which begs the question, if you were an unsuccessful GM, why are you the lead analyst for your sport?

Anywho, even good ol' BSPN, er...ESPN...is taking notice. They have acknowledged that perhaps times are changing as the Marlins have signed Hanley Ramirez to a 6 year deal (just wait for the theories to start coming out about how the Marlins are going to shop the young superstar). Even paying great complement to Ramirez calling him one of the 5 best players in baseball.

About time someone noticed, huh?

It's still amazing to me that a sport such as baseball can be overlooked in some places by even their talking heads. Still, the Marlins are getting it done and right now, look unstoppable. Dan Uggla has been red hot hitting 3 home runs in the Nationals series sweep along with 7 RBIs. The starting pitching has been much more consistent and the staff ERA over this streak is a paltry 2.20.

Now they will head into Cincinnati who is nursing a 15-23 record. Seems to be at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Marlins. But they will have their work cut out for them.

Lineup Shuffle: Hanley Hits Third

Is this a good idea? Well, only if the Marlins are planning to play Alfredo Amezaga everyday at center.

Fredi Gonzalez adapted his lineup to suit his current situation - which is losing Josh Willingham to the 15 day DL (retroactive to Sunday) and nursing along a banged up Mike Jacobs who is having problems with an irritable finger. (Jacobs received cortisone treatment on the finger and is cleared to play, returning last night to the lineup.)

So what did the lineup look like? Amezaga lead off followed by Jeremy Hermida, Hanley Ramirez, Mike Jacobs, Dan Uggla, Luis Gonzalez, Jorge Cantu and then the pitcher spot.

The Marlins put 6 runs on the board last night, so it seems it shook things up. Four of those runs, however, came from one man - Dan Uggla - who crushed 2 pitches for home runs last night. But here is what does work also - hitting Hermida second.

Hermida is a patient hitter who can work the count. He is also a dynamic enough hitter to be able to do what a #2 needs to do - adapt. He can work the count and get on base if he needs to or he can drive in a run if the lead off hitter gets on. As a lefty, you could also squeeze a runner with a bunt or possibly put a hit and run on as he will be coming out of the left-handed box which can by more time. More importantly, Hermida looked comfortable in the 2nd slot going 3 for 4 last night. He has the ability to drive in runs and put the ball in play, which means more action at the top of the lineup for the Marlins, too.

Uggla also looked like the same hitter in the 6th spot as he was in the 2nd spot. Which he admitted in a post game interview last night. So, if Uggla is going to have the same hitting approach, why put him back at the #2 spot?

This was also a chance for Hanley to become more of a run producer instead of a table setter. Despite his excellent on-base percentage, Ramirez also has excellent numbers that project to good run production. With the Marlins missing Josh Willingham at the moment and testing Mike Jacobs' health, they needed some kind of protection in the middle of the order, something they may have lacked in the Dodgers' series. Although I think Hanley is better suited to hitting first, as he is a potent weapon, we can try (again) to see him at the third spot as long as Willingham is out.

Also, it was interesting to finally see Amezaga lead off. The guy is a scrapper and makes pitchers work. What better person to have lead off than some one like that? The problem is, he is not an everyday player and when he isn't in the lineup, who will lead off?

For now, it seems Fredi is experimenting. It paid off last night against the Dodgers but Hanley still is showing signs of being in a slump (which doesn't matter where he hits right now).

Unproven Marlins Smack Braves in the Mouth

Unproven?

Hanley Ramirez is probably the best hitting shortstop in the game today, hitting .292 with 17 home runs as a rookie and pushing it to 29 home runs last season with a .332 average. And now?

Dan Uggla has shown himself to be one of the most powerful bats at his position, logging over 25 home runs for two straight seasons. His bat is starting to heat up again this season.

Yet both are unproven.

Josh Willingham has steadily had an OPS over .850 these past two seasons. He has always shown himself to be a patient hitter, but his offense hasn't translated into a .300 batting average. Right now he is showing that.

And according to the Braves, he is unproven.

Mike Jacobs, Jorge Cantu - if they are unproven, then that should be a compliment. Because they are actually working on proving themselves to be much better hitters than they have shown in the recent past. For Jacobs, it is about hitting better in situations and manufacturing runs. Cantu just has to show his 2005 season was not a fluke.

As with the rest of the Marlins, they are all, collectively, showing signs of massive improvement. So, if they are unproven, then perhaps that could be construed as a good thing as the Braves found out just how unproven the Marlins offense is - to a tune to a 7-2 rout.

The Marlins jumped out with 3 early runs in the first inning - a home run from Hanley Ramirez and another from Mike Jacobs. Both have 7 on the season.

This Marlin offense has proven something after 21 games - they are confident and they are not just about the longball. They are starting to generate runs the old fashioned way, too.

The Braves, in their arrogance, represent what the rest of the baseball media has become - a bunch of money chasing prognosticators. Gone are the days when the talking heads would actually talk about baseball skill, instead they focus on who spends the most money. As if that were a testament to worth. Check 2003 when the lowly Florida Marlins shocked the world - except for this fan - and won the World Series.

Funny thing is, I picked this team to grab 87-90 wins this season. After 21, they are well on the pace.