Hanley Ramirez To Get Long Term Deal

Looks like things are going in the right direction for the Florida Marlins.

First they line up a new stadium, which is being designed and in the pre-construction phase at the old Orange Bowl site. Then, with their meager $21M payroll, they are starting to win games and are in sole command of 1st place in the NL East.

And now, they are looking to wrap up their rising star, Hanley Ramirez, to a long term contract. Reports are it is going to be a 6 year deal worth around $70M. This is also a good sign because it means the Marlins would avoid salary arbitration for the first time in a long time with a star player - in fact, it seems to be the first time in a long time the Marlins have committed to keeping a star player in Miami. Ramirez is eligible for arbitration at the end of this season but is now looking to sign the richest deal in franchise history.

The details are not official yet, but it is looking like a lock. Stay tuned.

Marlins Sweep Brewers

No sausage races, just cold cuts. The Marlins are running hot these days and treat their guests rudely with a sweep coming off the heals of a series win against the Padres. They outscore the Brew crew 25-10 in the sweep, and have even won 5 of their last 6 games.

With tonight's win, the Marlins are 6 games over .500 at 20-14 and hold sole command of the top spot in the NL East.

The Marlins young pitching seems to be coming around a bit as Badenhop has served up two quality starts in a row. The offense is clicking even with Josh Willingham on the 15 day DL.

Next up? The Washington Nationals. The Marlins will look to continue to dominate their rivals to the north and build on their first place hold.

The Fish Farm Report: Starting Pitching

At MarlinsNation, we work hard to bring you the latest news on our guys in teal. I wanted to start a weekly report on the minor league prospects that should be on every true MarlinsNation citizen's radar. We are going to start with the "Fish Farm Report" which will discuss players that could help out the big fish.

This week, we are growing concerned over the lack of consistent starting pitching. There is no need to regurgitate the stats as it is clear that after Olsen and Hendrickson, the rotation is - to put it nicely - swimming belly up more times than not. The ERAs are 6.10 (Nolasco), 7.20 (Badenhop) and 9.12 (Miller) and are supposed to anchor the end of the rotation. Right now, it is taxing the bullpen and with Matt Lindstrom going down with back stiffness again, the pitching is thinning when it should be surging.

Badenhop registered a quality start his last time out against the Dodgers, but the Marlins couldn't get the win. Nolasco blew up on the mound yesterday, but in his previous start in Milwaukee he got the win. Miller has been up and down in each start. I like Badenhop to stick as the #5 starter, and perhaps Nolasco can come around - but the Marlins cannot gamble on it for too long if they are to continue to "develop" Miller.

Here are some potential replacements that can be found in the minors. We are focusing on AA Carolina since the Marlins seem to like mainlining from their AA franchise to the bigs. The reason is simple as AAA Albuquerque plays in the Pacific Coast League which is known to be a hitter-friendly league due to the higher elevations.

1. Chris Volstad. A 2.61 ERA in 38.0IP over 6 games started should be attractive enough. Throw in 29 Ks and 10 BBs and a 1.03 WHIP and he is a worthwhile callup. The only question is do the Marlins want him to be arbitration eligible before the stadium is built (in 2011) or after? Expect to see him after the All Star break. Before if we start getting even more desperate.

2. Ryan Tucker. Probably the most impressive overall pitcher right now the Marlins have. He has an insane 1.08 ERA in 33.1 IP for his 6 game started. He also has 34 Ks and 15 BBs over that span with a 1.08 WHIP that mirrors his ERA. He is getting it done.

3. Brett Sinkbeil. Was looking good recently until his latest start - 7 ERs in 6 IP. His ERA is currently at 4.41 and he has given up 17 ERs on the year in his 34.2 IP. He has dropped a bit in consideration at this time mostly because of his latest outing but also he has 14Ks and 13BBs on the year. That doesn't translate so well at the MLB level. If he can right the ship and turn it around, he may indeed prove to be a solid addition - if the Marlins get desperate enough.

4. William Glen. At 30 years of age, he is a veteran still trying to catch on with a big league club. His numbers show his maturity; he has moonlighted back and forth as a starter and a reliever. His numbers as a starter - in 3 games so far - are looking pretty good. He might project as a middle relief guy for the Marlins, but still someone to keep on our radar. 14 Ks in 13 IP and only 7 BBs as a starter with a 2.77 ERA.

5. Rick Vandenhurk. Don't forget about Rick Vandenhurk, the guy pitched very well last season while toiling in AA Carolina and got a call up. He had a solid spring and won a spot in the rotation but was quickly jettisoned after he was shelled and his location was spotty. Sound familiar? Andrew Miller fans should recognize that description, although it is [painfully] obvious that the Marlins are not going to rush to judgement on their big trade acquisition. Vandenhurk currently is on the DL with upper arm tenderness which the Marlins don't feel to be too serious.

Nolasco Still Struggles

According to scouts, Ricky Nolasco is hitting the numbers on the radar gun that are impressive. Several times he hit the 95 mark on the gun with his fastball, and his curve was maintaining good velocity in the mid 80's. Yet in 4.2 innings last night, he gave up 10 hits and 6 earned runs.

The problem is his location. He has the stuff, but he is not making his pitches. One noticeable trait is his curveball which was breaking pretty hard last night, but it wasn't making it for strikes. It broke too much.

Ironically, Nolasco was a bit more wild in his last appearance, his first win of the season, in Milwaukee. He walked 4 batters in 5 innings pitched. Last night, he only walked 2.

Right now, Nolasco is too inconsistent to really be looked at as a starter. Yet, the Marlins have little answers due to all the injuries to the starting rotation over the last season. Unless the Marlins are going to call up Chris Volstad or some other minor league prospect but they face getting more of the same from Andrew Miller or Burke Badenhop. Perhaps sliding Doug Waechter into the rotation may help.

The Marlins are obviously desperate for some quality starts. Nolasco does not seem ready to give them that.

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).