You are browsing the archive for Joe Mahoney.

Avatar of jonnylons

by jonnylons

Joe Mahoney Drawing Raves; Could Provide Much Needed Power to Offense

April 28, 2013 in Regular Season

th-1If he keeps hitting like this, his nickname should be “Bazooka” Joe Mahoney.

Through Saturday, Mahoney was 3 for 6 with RISP. He hit his first big league home run, too. His .276 AVG shows a modest ability to be successful in the box, but he he drawing raves from his staff. Mike Redmond speculates about Mahoney fitting into the 4th slot – behind Giancarlo Stanton.

“That’s what is kind of intriguing about him. He’s got all that pop, but he can shorten his swing up and punch a ball up the middle or punch a ball the other way. Ultimately out of your No. 4 hitter, we’d love to have him put it in the seats, but I don’t know that he really is a No. 4 hitter. That’s kind of what we’re trying to find out.”

At 6’6″, he is the Marlins tallest first baseman since, well, Derek Lee. Lee had a long, loopy swing that could yield power but also lots of strike outs. Mahoney seems to be able to adapt and has a pretty good approach at the plate. Whether or not that can translate into long term success remains to be seen but with Logan Morrison and Casey Kotchman both working their way back, Redmond is looking to give Mahoney his shot. And let’s face it, no one is fooled into believing that Greg Dobbs is the interim starter – his role is better suited to coming off the bench.

If Mahoney can continue to impress and drive the ball, he may make things a little easier to bear until Morrison comes back. If he becomes a quick study, he may push Morrison to surrender some playing time. Heck, he may even finally fool old Hightower, too.

Tags: , 4 Comments »

Avatar of jonnylons

by jonnylons

With Marlins Offense Anemic, Some Changes Must Be Made

April 21, 2013 in Offense, Regular Season

ap-marlins-spring-baseball-x-largeThe good news is, the Marlins have the pitching and the defense to make a push for a strong run. They could, potentially, rattle off 5-10 wins in a row. Then there is the bad news – the offense just plain sucks. They can’t scratch out runs, let alone score runs in bunches.

Nothing new to report there. The Marlins knew they were going to be challenged at scoring runs and there was a recognition that there would be a power outage this year. The lone power threat, Giancarlo Stanton, has yet to hit a home run or even an RBI in his 43 ABs. But there is hope – Stanton is not the only hitter in the lineup with the ability to hit for power and as soon as some of these injuries sort themselves out, he may actually be getting some protection in the lineup.

Justin Ruggiano has 3 home runs right now, hitting 2 on this road trip in Cincinnati on back to back nights. When you look at the lineup, he is hitting behind Greg Dobbs in the 5th spot. Why not slide him behind Stanton to give him a little more protection?

Manager Mike Redmond is trying to get blood from a stone here, but his strategy appears to be sound. He has Stanton batting 3rd so that he will be guaranteed an AB in the 1st inning. Sounds good except pitchers tend to be a little more adjusted after the first two batters and the next inning they start changing their pitching approach around. The thought is that Stanton will be able to sneak in there with RISP and get something going. So far, that hasn’t happened.

The Marlins best overall hitter right now is Placido Polanco who, with RISP, is hitting .467. In fact he is hitting .286 when ahead in the count and .304 when behind in the count. Although he is more apt to hit in the #2 slot, he could slide down and be an effective turn over hitter in the first inning if anyone gets on base in front of him or if he just needs to get on to extend the inning for Stanton.

Which then leaves us with Ruggiano. He offers better protection behind Stanton because not only has he demonstrated he has pop in his bat, he is a pretty good high pitch hitter and if a pitcher walks Stanton to get to Ruggiano, his control may slip a bit and he could very well leave a pitch hanging for Ruggiano to do something with. Even if that doesn’t play out, Ruggiano is a better option behind Stanton than anyone else in the lineup and it is time for Redmond to recognize that and scrap the Dobbs experiment.

Speaking of Greg Dobbs, it is time to get Joe Mahoney some time in at 1B. Not only does he offer a big defense target for the defense over there, but he is a lefty bat with lots of pop. If he could get going, he too could offer something this lineup is lacking – the ability to score runs in bunches and drive in runs.

The Marlins don’t strike out – which is a good thing. They are currently rated 6th in all of baseball with a 6.83 K per game average. What is more telling though is that they are 3rd in the league with regards to sacrifices per game – the Fish are sporting a 0.61 average for sacs per game; only San Francisco (0.72) and San Diego (0.76) are above them.

So what gives? Well, there has been an attempt to call the Marlins LOB City, but they are not the worst. Their current average is 13.67 LOB per game, 15th in MLB (the worst is Detroit 18.71). The team is putting the ball in play, getting sacrifices when it needs to, and is right in the middle when it comes to leaving men on base. Here’s why – hits per game. The Marlins are 30th in MLB with a 6.72 average. The best? Detroit with a 10.24 average – which is why their LOB average is so high, When you hit that much a game, you are guaranteeing that you will leave men on.

The input from the Marlins is low but they are definitely maximizing their output as much as they can. They are putting the ball in play, they are not striking out, they do sac to get runners over, but they just aren’t hitting enough to score runs. Very rarely do the Marlins actually get more than one hit per inning – as their average testifies. So, what is the solution? Bunch up all the power you have and give it a chance to make a bigger splash.

Redmond has spread out his power bats a bit trying to generate scoring opportunities in each inning but it flat out doesn’t work. The Marlins need to isolate their power and give themselves a chance to score in bunches every couple of innings or so. To do that, they need to have Stanton protected by Ruggiano, the only guy proven right now to hit with power. They can then follow him with Mahoney or Dobbs. Then turn the lineup over again with the bottom of the order.

Basically, the Marlins have a plethora of #2 slot hitters – guys who can hit behind a runner on base, but not necessarily have the ability to drive them in. If you look at those types of hitters on this roster, you have Donovan Solano, Placido Polanco, Rob Brantly, Chris Coghlan. Juan Pierre is a leadoff hitter and Adeiny Hechavarria is inconsistent to this point to really have a proper appraisal of what kind of a hitter he can be. He may be a #2 guy, but he can hit with some pop from time to time, too. If he can continue to cut down on his K rate, he may offer some interesting upside to complement his stellar defense.

All of this is prologue towards Logan Morrison’s eventual return. What kind of a hitter he will be once he returns remains to be seen, but he has the promise and the ability to be a major offensive threat while holding down 1B. With his return, he could be better served to bat behind Stanton or even in front of him. The core of the Marlins power then becomes Ruggiano, Stanton, and Morrison but until that day arrives, the Marlins will have to take their chances with what they have.

Another good thing to keep in mind is that Stanton is a notoriously slow starter. He usually fares poorly in April but gets hotter as the season moves along. He has the ability to carry a team’s offense, but that probably won’t surface until he gets more ABs and gets hot moving towards May.

Keep an eye on Christian Yelich, too. He is not healthy yet, but he will get some ABs in AA Jacksonville. If he gets hot down there, and Juan Pierre continues this “funk” he is in, the Marlins may be tempted to call up the wunderkid and see what he can do. Yes, there is the possibility that we don’t see him anytime until after the All Star Break so that the clock is not started early on his arbitration but if the Marlins are serious about winning (ahem, Jeffrey Loria) then they will make that call much like they did with Jose Fernandez.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments »

Avatar of jonnylons

by jonnylons

Marlins Spring Training 2013: Observations 3/2

March 2, 2013 in Spring Training

Still taken from MLB.tv game against Mets. Yelich would hit a home run in his first AB.

Still taken from MLB.tv game against Mets. Yelich would hit a home run in his first AB.

Taking in the game today against the Mets in Port St. Lucie, a couple of things jumped out at me.

Christian Yelich is the real deal. This kid is ready for the big time. He could step in and be an everyday OF and possibly win ROY. Of course, the Marlins want to control his contract as long as they can and probably are in no need to rush them. I already predicted that he is going to be a late season call up, a la Miguel Cabrera in 2003. (But I am not saying the World Series is in this team’s sights.) He does have to fill out a bit physically, but when he does, this kid is going to be an annual all-star and possible batting champion.

Jake Marisnick also looks big league ready – at least defensively. The good news is, he has the tools to be a very good hitter – with power, speed, and average. He K’s a lot, but his long swing has been shortened and he looks the part. He passes the “eye test” and looks confident in the box. When faced with a 1-2 count in the top of the 6th with runners on 2nd and 3rd, he sacrificed a Chone Figgins in. Marisnick also made a spectacular catch in CF early in the game – he was playing shallow and got back to make a catch on the track and he did so effortlessly. He is so good, he looks like the CF of the future for the Fish – and that means Yelich will be pushed to LF.

Giancarlo Stanton is a stud, but he will be all smiles playing alongside these two guys who could probably defend the entire OF by themselves. That is a potentially star studded OF on par with the Angels.

Joe Mahoney did hit two home runs today, but they weren’t power shots. They got over the wall, probably wind aided, but he took low pitches and did a lot with them – that shows power. He is a lefty and has a Tino-like stance in the box and that means maybe this kid will get a better approach working with the former Yankee. Mahoney is 6’6″ and like Derek Lee, has a potentially long swing but seems to have tightened it up. He hits from the left, as does Yelich, Brantly, Figgins, Pierre – you get the idea.

Chris Coghlan should make the roster and get a gig manning the OF from time to time. He can play all three spots and his hitting looks like it is back to where it was pre-pie face injury in 2010. His swing continues to be short and compact, but now his legs look like they are under his swing more – and this will help him drive the ball with a bit more power. He also makes a lot of contact – something the Marlins philosophically want to see from their hitters and with Juan Pierre, Justin Ruggiano, Placido Polanco and Figgins, it looks like Coghlan will get to be a reliever for the older guys.

Lots of hits and a very competitive group of guys. Keep the eyes open on this team.

Tags: , , , 3 Comments »

Avatar of jonnylons

by jonnylons

Logan Morrison An Illustration of Everything That Was Wrong With the Marlins

February 16, 2013 in Injuries, Spring Training

logan_01_display_imageLong on potential, short on production, to my mind there is no stronger illustration of everything that was wrong with the Marlins 2012 season than Logan Morrison. He spends more time on Twitter than he does analyzing his approach to the plate and refining his game. I even caught a tweet of his during a game once – and I am sure it has happened more than that.

Let’s get something clear – I am not saying I do not like the guy. This kid came out of nowhere and became a big prospect for the Marlins as a first baseman that could just work the count and hit the ball wherever, and whenever, he wanted. Then he had some personal tragedy with the death of his father: obviously a large part of his life Morrison is now faced with living in a world without someone who had such a large influence on him. Who wouldn’t be rooting for him?

And let’s not forget that his two knee surgeries are the result of horrible handling by the Marlins. Morrison should never have been rushed to play last season and as a result, he was running around in LF in pain on nightly defensive adventures and had to get surgery in September to alleviate damage and pain in his right knee. His offense was never there, nor was his defense, and he missed most of the 2nd half of the season while only playing in 93 games. We love his antics but would love it more if he was a productive player first.

Now, he is not going to be at full strength and ready to run as Spring Training is descending upon us all. This is a decision that the Marlins made last season that they are now paying for this season. Perhaps it was all of the hype and excitement over a new ballpark and new players and all of the electricity. For whatever reason, the hangover is now that the Marlins are faced with one of their brightest prospects now at risk of becoming a wash as he has yet to put together a productive season.

So the Fish have to patch together some ideas for 1B and also find a way to bridge the offense until Morrison comes back – and when he does, it will take some time for him to get acclimated with playing everyday at 1B. That is why Joe Mahoney and Casey Kotchman were brought in, and Austin Kearns and Greg Dobbs are expected to be mixed in there from time to time.

With Morrison out, perhaps longer than he ever should have been as the result of poor choices, there is no better illustration of what went wrong with the Marlins. His production suffered and he never lived up to his billing last season. The wins didn’t come, and the team utterly and disasterly failed. And Lomo, for all of his lovable tweets and antics, has to now focus on delivering on the field instead of growing his “brand” via Twitter and other social networks. He has to get back to work, repair the damage, and find a way to deliver on a once promising future.

Tags: , , , , No Comments »

Avatar of jonnylons

by jonnylons

Spring Training: Stories of Redemption and Reclamation Many with Marlins

February 10, 2013 in Spring Training

sHmtYWwJust looking over the roster for Spring Training with the Marlins, many will recognize some of the faces but many will also fail to recognize many more. There are some familiar ones: Juan Pierre, Giancarlo Stanton, Ricky Nolsaco. There are many that will need some guidance for fans: Alfredo Silverio, Sam Dyson, Joe Mahoney.

Yet one thing is consistent this spring; no matter who is in camp it is most likely they are there to redeem themselves or reclaim their MLB careers. Well, that is pretty much anyone other than Stanton anyway.

Alfredo Silverio, the Marlins Rule 5 Draft pick from the Dodgers, was in a horrific car accident this time a year ago, heading into Dodgers camp looking to establish himself as an everyday major leaguer and getting ready to lock down an outfield spot. The young player had shown great promise across the board – he could play defense, could run, and could hit with power and had pretty good contact skills. This summer, he is expected to make the Marlins 25 man roster (or he will revert back to the Dodgers organization) and with his speed, he could play anywhere in the OF defensively. Will he be able to reclaim his career?

Chone Figgins was supposed to be in the final year of a mega contract he signed back in 2010 with the Seattle Mariners. Instead, the Mariners paid him the $8M they owed him for this upcoming season and told  him to go away. He has been invited to spring with the Marlins on a minor league contract and if he makes the team, is only owed the league minimum. Still, even though the speedy utility player (who has played a lot of third base) has had a horrific three year stint with the Mariners, his move to Miami offers him a change of scenery and camaraderie with buddy Juan Pierre – who has recently returned to the Marlins in the twilight of his career to help this team. Will Figgins be able to redeem himself and the money he was expected to earn? Will he be able to reclaim a future career here in south Florida, or anywhere in MLB?

There are many in this scenario. Joe Mahoney, former minor league player of the year with the Orioles, is looking to redeem himself. Kevin Kouzmanoff, a solid third baseman for years in Kansas City, is looking to reclaim his career. John Maine, a one blue-chipped prospect with the Orioles and eventually a solid pro with the Mets, hasn’t pitched in the bigs in 2 years but had looks from the Rockies, Red Sox, and Yankees. Matt Downs had a solid 2011 campaign with the Astros but hitting .202 last season landed him in Miami trying to reclaim his career.

The key thing here is getting a bunch of competitive players in camp, all trying to win spots and prove themselves, in order to change the atmosphere of this team. Last season, there were unreal expectations poured upon this team just because they signed some checks. We see now, a year later, that those checks could not be cashed. It was a Ringling-style PR campaign that went wild, whatever the intentions, and this team flamed out before even Showtime could all it a “rap” on their reality show.

Logan Morrison, who most likely will be out for the first month of the season and also will be looking to redeem himself after a season of hobbled injuries and high expectations, said it loud and clear. This team is the hungriest in baseball. No one has guarantees beyond this season; everyone is playing for a new deal, more money, or just trying to prove themselves and to win. Whatever the feelings are about this past offseason or even last season, this team is different and the fans will notice a more intense bunch as led by new manager, and former Marlin champion, Mike Redmond. If there was a fuel that could drive players, it would best be that of redemption. It certainly makes for a better story. If this 2013 team can win, they just may, as a team, redeem themselves to their fans as well.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments »

Avatar of jonnylons

by jonnylons

Marlins Competitive Spring Training and More

January 29, 2013 in Offseason, Spring Training

Looks like there is a lot of discussion about things on the field all of a sudden for the Marlins. Let’s sift through some notables:

Marlins add 31 non-roster players to their Spring Training roster and the Sun-Sentinel has the names. They have more players reporting to camp (71) than wins last season (69). Competitive advantage? Or bargain hunting?

Beinfest notes the talent pool and the potential openings will lead to better competition on the field. Interestingly, in regards to selecting new players, character seems to play a larger role in the evaluation portion. How that is quantified, remains a mystery but is certainly the most subjective part of the Marlins’ analysis of assets:

“When we’ve done our homework on the prospects coming back, the makeup of the player has been important,” he said. “So we feel we’re bringing in guys that are one, winners, and two, high quality people that are going to perform and work hard every day.”

Rule 5 draft pick, Alfredo Silverio looks to resurrect his promising career in the OF a year after a very severe car accident. He has shown an ability to hit, run, and field the ball. Justin Ruggiano is the slated starter for CF but depending on what this guy can show, and he is expected to be on the 25 man roster (or he goes back to the Dodgers), the Marlins may have a talented young player in the OF. If anything providing depth.

The Logan Morrison story continues to grow into a big concern. His knee surgery and the bad handling of it project him to not be able to get into the lineup until about one month into the season. In the meantime, who will man 1B? The Marlins picked up Joe Mahoney from the Orioles, a 6’6″ 1B/OF to get some depth. He may get in there as the Opening Day starter, which would be a scary thought for some. Then again, maybe Kevin Kouzmanoff slides over there. An interesting note is the fact that Mahoney grew up a Yankees fan and Tino Martinez is the new hitting coach. Not that there is any correlation, but Mahoney is a lefty that can play the corner infield and maybe Martinez will show him a way to cultivate a solid professional approach.

 

Tags: , , , , No Comments »