2012 MLB Handicapping: Miami Marlins
The last time that Florida made it into the postseason was in 2003 when it went all the way to winning a World Series title.
MLB Team Betting Previews- Miami Marlins
Odds to Win the NL East: +550
Odds to Win the National League Pennant: +750
Odds to Win the World Series: +1400
2012 Projected Win Total: 84.5
The Marlins have finished over .500 in just four of the eight seasons since that magical run and hit rock-bottom last season with a fifth-place finish in a five-team division with an overall record of 72-90.
It is out with the old and in with new starting with a name change to the Miami Marlins. This reenergized franchise begins a new season with a new stadium, new uniforms, new manager, and hopefully a whole new attitude that quickly gels to turn things around in a hurry.
At least that is the expectation of the thousands of fans that have apparently decided to jump on this team’s bandwagon for 2012.
Leading the charge up the hill will be new skipper Ozzie Guillen, who established himself as one of the more colorful characters in the sport from his days in Chicago.
It still remains to be seen whether or not he can deliver another winner to South Beach to rival the basketball team in town.
The first thing that the new-look Marlins did this offseason was look to add a quality bat to a lineup that hit .247 last season and was ranked 11th in the NL in scoring with 625 runs.
That addition was former Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, who was last season’s NL batting champion with a .337 average. He joins Hanley Ramirez, Logan Morrison, and Giancarlo Stanton to form the nucleus of talent in this lineup. Morrison enters his third year in the Majors and the 22-year old Stanton already has 56 home runs to his credit. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
The other big offseason acquisition was Mark Buehrle, who was a key part of Guillen’s starting rotation with the White Sox. He will most likely fill the No.2 slot in Miami’s rotation behind team ace Josh Johnson, who is back after missing most of last season with a shoulder injury.
Rounding-out the back-end of the rotation are Anibal Sanchez, Ricky Nolasco, and former Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano. Sanchez and Nolasco are both proven entities and Zambrano could be the steal of the year if he can keep his head screwed on tight for an entire season.
Another key addition was closer Heath Bell, who held that role with San Diego for the past five seasons.
2012 Outlook
There is no doubt that Miami should finish much better than last season’s 72-win fiasco, but you still have to temper your expectations for a team that looks pretty good on paper, but has a lot to prove on the field. If everything goes according to plan, the Marlins should contend for a playoffs spot, but the newness is bound to wear-off as the dog-days of summer settle in.
The expected fade down the stretch adds the value to the ‘under’ on the projected win total of 84.5 games, but it is going to awfully close either way.
Prediction: 84-78 and third in the NL East
