Marlins not as concerned with winning this pre season

Search

LA Clippers Junkie
Joined
May 14, 2005
Messages
11,323
Tokens
JUPITER, Fla. -- Filled up on a steady diet of fielding, pitching and hitting drills, the Marlins are ready for some game action.

They get an immediate test in their Grapefruit League opener, taking on the defending World Series champion Cardinals on Wednesday at Roger Dean Stadium.

"The drills and fundamentals are what you have to do every Spring Training. But the games are when you have to get ready for the [regular season] games," second baseman Dan Uggla said.

Florida and St. Louis share the Roger Dean complex and meet seven times this spring. The Cardinals will be the home club in the opener, which starts at 1:05 p.m. ET.

Right off the bat, the Marlins will face a tough pitcher. The Cardinals are going with Adam Wainwright, a playoff hero as a closer in 2006. Florida counters with second-year lefty Scott Olsen.

"It's time to see another uniform," said manager Fredi Gonzalez, who is making his debut as the Marlins' skipper. "They've seen enough of live batting practice and coaches in batting practice. The juices flow a little bit when you see a different color uniform across the diamond."

A year ago, the Marlins won the Grapefruit League title, but, generally speaking, the club recognizes that records right now are secondary to preparing for the regular season.

"My No. 1 goal from the very beginning is to get these guys ready for April 2," Gonzalez said, referring to the season opener at Washington. "Go out there, get your work in, stay healthy and that's it right now. Wins and losses right now don't mean anything."

A year ago, the organization had a different philosophy in Spring Training. Because the roster had turned over from a veteran squad to a rookie-laden one, all but a couple of jobs were up for grabs. The team felt winning would help building confidence.

"Last year was different than this year. We had 50 guys trying to win a spot on the team," said Uggla, who emerged as an All-Star second baseman as a rookie. "Other teams pretty much had their rosters set, and they didn't have the intensity that we did.

"They were using this for getting ready for the season, and we were all peaking at this point because we had to. We were trying to win a job. Now we're a little more relaxed and we're able to use Spring Training to get ready for the season, rather than peaking right now."

As a Rule 5 Draft pick, Uggla had to seize his opportunity. If he didn't make the club coming out of spring, he risked being sent back to his original team -- Arizona.

Now established as a Marlins regular, Uggla belted a team-high 27 homers in 2006 and rapidly improved defensively.

While there was so much uncertainty about roster spots in 2006, the Marlins now have a quiet confidence because so many players now have a feel for life in the big leagues. All but center field and bullpen spots, including closer, are settled.

"It's going to be a lot more relaxed for us, and we're actually going to use these [at-bats] for a purpose rather than trying to lead the Grapefruit League in average, home runs or whatever," Uggla said.

Until now, the hitting drills the players were doing were with a cage around home plate and the pitchers tossing with a screen in front of them.
"It's not the same thing," Uggla said.

One player who hopes to benefit from Grapefruit League at-bats early is right fielder Jeremy Hermida.

A stress fracture to his right ankle limited him to five at-bats after Sept. 1. Hermida had an injury-plagued rookie season, and he had 307 total at-bats, with 146 after the All-Star break.

Getting his timing down is one of his early objectives.

"It always takes me a little longer to get my timing back to make sure everything is working in sync," Hermida said. "It takes a couple of games to get that rhythm.

"It's good to see some live pitching and good pitching in the games, where there is a little more realistic atmosphere than live BP on the back fields. It's good to get out there and get that timing down."
 

Dreamin' Big
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
3,006
Tokens
Nice info.

Did you write that? If not, make sure to give list your source so the board doesn't get in any trouble.
 

LA Clippers Junkie
Joined
May 14, 2005
Messages
11,323
Tokens
Nice info.

Did you write that? If not, make sure to give list your source so the board doesn't get in any trouble.

I didn't write it...took it off MLB.com.

Florida 0-1 -100 units so far. I think they will be a good fade this preseason.
 

Member
Handicapper
Joined
Oct 31, 2004
Messages
44,283
Tokens
I didn't write it...took it off MLB.com.

Florida 0-1 -100 units so far. I think they will be a good fade this preseason.

Yes, so are the Braves and Red Sox.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
1,106,908
Messages
13,439,553
Members
99,345
Latest member
08winlink
The RX is the sports betting industry's leading information portal for bonuses, picks, and sportsbook reviews. Find the best deals offered by a sportsbook in your state and browse our free picks section.FacebookTwitterInstagramContact Usforum@therx.com