We Will Soar came on at a party I was at last night here in Wisconsin. It was probably the best moment of my life. I drunkenly sang every word, and everyone was like wtf is this a song about baseball.
### We’re curious to see if Marlins shortstop Jose Reyes can replicate last year’s league-leading .337 average or revert more to his career mark (.292, never higher than .307 before 2011). “I changed a bit last year – it was the first time I hit a lot to the opposite field.” Reyes, who missed 36, 29 and 126 games the past three years, said “my legs are strong,” but added he cannot improve his durability because “sometimes when you run, you pull a hamstring. That’s part of my game.” But Reyes (39 steals last year) said he won’t run less. Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio (40 steals) and Hanley Ramirez (20) hope to create base-path havoc. ### The Marlins’ lack of a stadium naming rights deal isn’t for lack of effort. At one point, they thought a deal would get done with Pepsi but it fell apart. Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/#storylink=cpy
Marlins hitting coach Eduardo Perez: Healthy Hanley Ramirez 'is MVP material', plus players sent down JUPITER -- By the time Eduardo Perez replaced John Mallee as the Marlins hitting coach last June 8th, Hanley Ramirez was already playing like damaged goods -- sitting on the disabled list with back pain and a mere .210 batting average. The player Perez is seeing this spring hardly resembles that guy. "We got three key free agents everybody talks about. I say we got four," Perez said Sunday morning, about three hours before the Marlins were set to take on the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium. "My other free agent is Hanley... We got a top notch free agent third baseman. He's MVP material." Ramirez, who hit a career worst .243 with 10 homers and 45 RBI in an injury-plagued 92-game season last year, has been hammering the ball this spring. Saturday, he smacked his third home run of the spring (second in Grapefruit League action) and is now hitting a team-leading .473 (9 for 19) with four RBI, four walks and three strikeouts in eight games. In January, Perez expressed his concerns to MLB Network about how the 28-year old Ramirez would handle a position shift to third base and how off-season shoulder surgery might impact his bat. After spending his off-season training in his native Dominican Republic with two-time reigning home run champion Jose Bautista, Ramirez looks like his old-self -- only better. The key, Perez said, is that Ramirez's back is healthy. Ramirez is also 10 pounds lighter. "What I can see that's a good sign is that he can guide the ball to right-center, and not lob it into right field. Now, he's driving it into left-center and left field," Perez said. "The [home run] he hit [versus the Twins' Carl Pavano Saturday on a 2-2 pitch] was middle in. The one hit in Port St. Lucie [March 11th vs. Mets] on an 0-2 count was down and in. "He's getting the head of the bat out. He's throwing his hands out and his hips are being used to perfection. It's a big deal for him. I think he's going to again be one of the top players in the league and maybe the top player in the league. "It helps that he's seen this organization has done everything to help this team succeed. I think that right there is what really, really drives him. It's a good team on paper. Now, we just have to put it together on the field." MARLINS TRIM SPRING ROSTER General manager Mike Hill spent Sunday morning playing grim reaper inside the Marlins clubhouse, letting a group of 11 know they were being sent down to the minors. Those optioned down to Triple A New Orleans: third baseman Matt Dominguez; outfielder Kevin Mattison; pitchers Tom Koehler, Dan Jennings, Sandy Rosario and Alex Sanabia. Left-hander Brad Hand and right-hander Evan Reed were optioned to Double A Jacksonville. Catcher Kyle Skipworth, infielder Jeff Dominguez and right-hander Elih Villanueva were reassigned to minor league camp. Hand, who has shown signs of improvement with his control by staying consistent with his arm slot, didn't take the news poorly despite making 12 starts for the Marlins last year. "It was great to get a few starts, get your feet wet and get to know what it takes out there," Hand, 22, said of his stint with the Marlins last year. "I haven't gone more than two innings [this spring]. I'm looking forward to getting stretched out and get ready for the season."
Despite playing new position, Marlins' Ramirez swinging like old self By Scott Miller | CBSSports.com Senior Baseball Columnist The Marlins hope Ramirez can return to his numbers from '09, when he won the NL batting title. (Getty Images) JUPITER, Fla. -- Thwack! ... Whop! ... Ka-boom! Smile. You were expecting angry groans and pouting instead from Hanley Ramirez this spring? The guy is absolutely happy, in one piece (finally) and positively crushing the baseball. He is the talk of Marlins camp. He is food for the Fish. He is. ... "Excited," Hanley says. "Healthy," hitting coach Eduardo Perez says. "What I see is 2009," Hall of Famer Tony Perez, special assistant to Marlins president David Samson. Whoa, 2009. Ramirez won the NL batting title that summer at .342. Crushed 42 doubles, 24 homers, had 106 RBI and finished second in the NL MVP voting. And yes, midway through spring training, the Marlins have a great feeling that that's the Hanley who's here this spring. His left shoulder, surgically repaired last Sept. 15, is good. His lower back, which he strained early last season and attempted to play through, is great. "Everybody was on him when I got here last year, and I think it was unfair," Eduardo Perez says. "He's healthy. Right now, he's just going out and playing. "That's the key. He doesn't have to work at trying to play." Granted, it's midway through spring training and a good portion of Ramirez's plate appearances have come against pitchers wearing No. 82 and 77. Through this week, he was hitting a blistering .409 with a .519 on-base percentage and a 1.291 OPS. What the Marlins like more than those numbers, though, is his approach and his swing. "You see a pretty big difference at the plate," outfielder Chris Coughlan says. "Last year, it was almost like he was finding himself at the plate. This year, he seems shorter to the ball, more confident." That's what two good shoulders and one good back will do to a guy with All-Star skills and a lion's pride. Ramirez says he started working out this year in November, at least a month earlier than usual. "Before, when I was playing 150-some games, I'd get some rest because it was such a long season," Ramirez says. "But I didn't have the opportunity to play that much last season, so I needed that." Ramirez played in at least 150 games for four consecutive seasons between 2006 and 2009, and played in 142 in 2010. Because of the back and shoulder, he only made it for 92 in 2011. From the looks of it, he's making up for lost time. And best of all, he's enjoying it. Not only is he swinging, but he's playing next to new shortstop Jose Reyes with a bounce in his step. Looking pretty stylish while doing so, too, in an orange undershirt that, when he leaves a couple of buttons open on the Marlins' new black jerseys, looks like he's wearing a scarf in the field. Or, as someone said, an orange ascot. No small part of this (so far) great attitude stems from new manager Ozzie Guillen. It's no secret, handling Hanley is where Ozzie is going to earn a sizable portion of his salary. And so far, so good. "I love him," Ramirez says, smiling broadly. "Love him. "He's straight up. If he's got something to tell you, he tells you to your face. Sometimes, you do something and you don't even know it's wrong because nobody tells you." Guillen, as you may have heard, is not shy in telling Hanley ... or Logan Morrison ... or Gaby Sanchez. And Ramirez appreciates it. While other Marlins rave about how much shorter to the ball he is at the plate, Ramirez says he's changed nothing in his batting approach. "Same swing as the other years before last year," he says. "Last year, I was slow. I couldn't perform. "It's not fun. It's not fun when you see your team and you know they need you." Tony Perez made it a point to tell Ramirez the other day that he's seeing flashbacks to 2009 in Ramirez's game. "It's nice to see because that's what we need from him," Perez says. "He's the key to this ball club. He's the guy that can carry a team, especially the younger guys like Giancarlo Stanton and Logan Morrison." "It's nice to be 100 percent," Ramirez says. The way things stand right now, Guillen has slotted Ramirez into the three hole in the order after leadoff man Reyes and center fielder Emilio Bonifacio. Stanton, Morrison and Sanchez will follow Ramirez to the plate. The way things also stand right now, with the health nightmares of '11 behind him, Ramirez again is quick enough to turn on inside fastballs and lithe enough to take outside fastballs the other way. "It's good to be Hanley right now," Eduardo Perez says. "Are you kidding? Everybody talks about our three big free agents [Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Heath Bell], but it's like we've got a big-time free agent at third base, too. "He's a game-changer." Exiting the outdoor batting cage where Ramirez took his first steps toward what right now is shaping up to be a monster comeback season, Perez looks out at the Marlins as they stretch on an early Florida morning. "This guy is hungry," he says. "Don't ever try to test a real good, talented player with a chip on his shoulder."
A new and improved Hanley Ramirez Slugger appears to be happy and healthy, and transition to third base going well Originally Published: March 18, 2012 By Jayson Stark | ESPN.com PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- He walked through the Marlins' clubhouse door at 5:30 a.m. He could have sworn he heard a noise coming from the weight room. Couldn't be, right? Not at 5:30 in the morning. Not when the bus was supposed to leave before sunrise for a three-hour trek to scenic Port Charlotte. [+] Enlarge Scott Rovak/US PresswireHanley Ramirez has been "working his butt off," according to Marlins bench coach Joey Cora. So Joey Cora listened again, then poked his head inside that weight room and was shocked by what he saw. It was Hanley Ramirez, of all people, doing his agility drills. "What the [heck] are you doing here?" the Marlins' bench coach asked, incredulously. "Gotta get my work in," Ramirez told Cora. "The bus leaves at 7." "Okayyyyy," said Cora. Welcome, friends, to the world of the "new" Hanley Ramirez. He's a third baseman now. We're guessing you've heard about that. But as that 5:30 a.m. journey to the weight room would suggest, that isn't all about this guy that seems to have changed. He has morphed, all of a sudden, into your basic, happy-go-lucky workaholic. And that, we're guessing, would be something you'd find fairly mind-blowing. It would be another 11 hours before that bus would rev its engines and head back across the state. It would be 14 hours all told before Ramirez could climb off that bus and call it a day. All he would do in between was play nine innings at third, in a game that didn't count, on one of the hottest days of the spring -- and even do it with a noticeable smile on his face. What a concept. "He's been working his butt off," said Cora, who has become Ramirez's favorite drill sergeant. "You know, everything that you hear about Hanley -- we haven't seen that. He's been unbelievable." Hmmm. That expression -- "everything that you hear about Hanley" -- wouldn't exactly be considered a term of endearment, right? It's a term that reminds us Ramirez is a guy with a reputation to live down, at age 28. And not a good one, either. His last manager, Jack McKeon, benched him for being late on Trader Jack's very first day on the job last June. Marlins left fielder Logan Morrison ripped him that same day for making a habit of being the last player at the park. And back in 2009, his former teammate Dan Uggla once insinuated that Hanley cared more about chasing a batting title than about winning. So from the moment the Marlins committed 106 million bucks to Jose Reyes in December and told their one-time face of the franchise he was about to become a third baseman, the world wondered how Ramirez would embrace that little maneuver. Well, so far, so good. In fact, said assistant GM Dan Jennings, "You could not have scripted what's occurred any better." Two weeks into spring training, Ramirez is hitting .474/.583/.895. He and Reyes have bonded "like brothers," says hitting coach Eduardo Perez. And the big news is, Ramirez is adapting miraculously well to playing third base, with only one error (on a squibber he couldn't scoop up on the run) in seven games. Yet still, many folks wonder: Is this for real? "I don't care what happened in the past," said his new manager, the ever-loquacious Oswaldo Guillen. "I don't know why people keep waiting for him to screw up. [But] everybody is. Media. Front office. Everybody. They're saying, 'OK, when is going to be the day he's gonna show up with attitude?'" Well, if that day is coming, if that attitude is still percolating deep (or not so deep) inside, Ramirez has hidden it well. His new manager and his coaches keep watching for signs of any sort of meltdown. Haven't seen it yet. "He's smiling again," said Guillen. "He's enjoying this game again." Of course, it's easy to love life in spring training, when the pressure is off and the scrutiny is low. It's also easy to talk the talk in spring training. Ramirez has done that before, too. BEST CAREER OPS, AMONG CURRENT NATIONAL LEAGUE THIRD BASEMEN PlayerOPSAVGOBPSLG Chipper Jones .935 .304 .402 .533 David Wright .887 .300 .380 .508 Hanley Ramirez .886 .306 .380 .506 Scott Rolen .860 .282 .366 .494 Aramis Ramirez .842 .284 .342 .500 Ryan Zimmerman .834 .288 .355 .479 But so far at least, people who know him think what they're seeing is more than an act. It starts with the newfound work ethic, a regimen that didn't just begin this spring. Ramirez went home to the Dominican Republic, after the worst year of his career, and sought out a man he says has been "a big inspiration to me," Toronto's Jose Bautista, and let Bautista push him to places he'd never been before. "I never worked that much," Ramirez said. "But I knew that I needed it because I didn't play the whole season. The other years, I always played over 150 games, so I just went back, got some rest and started [working out] in January. But after what happened last year, I knew I needed to work harder to get back soon on the field." So when he showed up in spring training, only five months after shoulder surgery, he was ready to throw himself into the biggest challenge of his career -- the transition to third base after a lifetime of playing short. And there were many, many eyeballs watching to see how he went about that. All winter, after all, the whispers persisted: Hanley doesn't want to do this. He'd rather get traded. He still wants to be a shortstop. Yada, yada, yada. You heard that so much, it's hard to believe he never thought any of it, at least in the beginning. But Ramirez says none of that was true. Whatever they asked him to do, that's what he was always going to do. "I work for the organization. I don't work for me," he said. "They decide what I'm going to do. I just want to win." And the Marlins have worked hard to convince him that his best chance to win is with him playing third and Reyes at short. "I talked to him a few times this winter," Guillen said. "I didn't expect him to be happy. But I told him he had two choices. I said, 'You gonna play very [ticked]. Or you gonna play very happy.' But I'm telling you, he's been so good for us. He's been awesome." Guillen, who played shortstop for a decade and a half in the big leagues himself, has also talked incessantly about how Ramirez was going to have to move to third base eventually. So why not now? "At the end of the day, this is his career," the manager said. "And for him, he has to be at third base. He's bigger. He's stronger. He's [getting] older. This is where he should be. … "At shortstop, you have to do too much stuff," Guillen said. "It wears you out, mentally and physically. Put it this way: If Hanley makes 30 errors at third base, he's gonna have an MVP career. If he makes 30 errors at shortstop, he ain't even gonna make the All-Star team." But Cora, who pounds ground balls at Ramirez every morning from every angle, doesn't see a 30-error machine in his future. He sees a tremendous athlete with the skill set to be a better third baseman than he was a shortstop. "He's got great hands and great feet," Cora said. "He's got a tremendous arm. … He's got great instincts. It's not easy to move from short to third. But the first day we're hitting ground balls at him, a lot of stuff came natural to him, because he's a great athlete. Either that, or he was working like [crazy] in the Dominican and didn't tell anybody." His teammates say Ramirez is well aware of how many people decided, almost instantly, that he wouldn't be able to do this. So now, every time he turns a scorcher to third into an out, a smile crosses his face and he wags a finger subtly, as if to say to the skeptics: "You STILL think I can't do this?" "Every time he makes a play, watch him," said Perez. "That's for a lot of people. And there's nothing better than special players playing with a chip on their shoulder." Then again, at least there are no chips INSIDE Ramirez's shoulder, either. The surgery he underwent in September 2011 to repair the instability in his left shoulder seems to have taken care of that issue. So he isn't only happier this spring. He's also healthier. [+] Enlarge Brad Barr/US PresswireHanley Ramirez has been swinging the bat with authority this spring. "Healthy MAKES him happy," Perez said. "And last year he wasn't. And it frustrated him." For the record, Ramirez denies the "frustration" portion of that analysis: "I don't get frustrated," he said. "Everything happens for a reason." And in his case, he decided, the reason was, he needed to "get my body stronger." So now here he is, looking as strong, as fit and as healthy as he has in three years. And that could be a gigantic development in the life of the National League East. "Look around the National League," said Cora. "This guy could be an All-Star third baseman forever. … He's got to be one of the top five most talented players in the game when he's healthy. He does everything. He's like a Nintendo guy or something." You think that sounds a little excessive? Think again. Ramirez's career slash line is .306/.380/.506, with 216 stolen bases thrown in there for fun. You know how many other hitters in the live-ball era have had a .300 career average, 200 steals and an on-base percentage and slugging percentage as good as Ramirez? Just three: Willie Mays … Alex Rodriguez … and Larry Walker. Ever heard of them? So if this man can also play third base, look out. The 2012 Marlins could have a fun year ahead of them. And so could the new and improved Hanley Ramirez. "When I was working at ESPN the last few years," said Perez, "I remember, we always talked about this was the first pick in the fantasy draft. Well, I'm telling you right now. This is no sleeper. He's up there. He'd be my first pick."
Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN Reply Retweet Favorite · Open One more on the Marlins: Scouts seeing a much, much shorter and quicker swing from Hanley Ramirez this spring. And he's raking. Buster Olney @Buster_ESPN Reply Retweet Favorite · Open Marlins No. 1-4 in their lineup could be awesome if they stay healthy: Reyes, Bonifacio, Hanley, Stanton. Major pressure on opp. pitchers.
glad to see that about his swing, he switched shit up last year and hit everything on the ground and oppo
Steve Berthiaume @SBerthiaumeESPN Reply Retweet Favorite · Open #Marlins Josh Johnson has 2.33 ERA in 4 spring starts. Johnson threw 48 of 75 pitches for strikes today vs Rays. Fastball topped out at 96.
Orel Hershiser says Marlins third baseman Hanley Ramirez poised for MVP-type year by Joe Capozzi Terry Francona and Orel Hershiser gave their thoughts about the Miami Marlins today during an ESPN conference call. Hershiser said he thinks Hanley Ramirez is poise for an MVP-caliber season. Here’s an edited transcript of what they said: OREL HERSHISER: I love the acquisitions of the Marlins. Spent a lot of money and brought in a lot of talent. And I think the first issue will be melding these guys together and creating some chemistry. So they’re all pulling on one end of the rope. I think the Phillies are definitely vulnerable with the injuries with Utley’s knee and with Howard’s Achilles and now the infection. It would be really important for the Marlins to get off to a fast start, I think, because then Philadelphia has a pretty easy schedule early on the first month or two, but they’ll have a very weak roster as far as when they have a chance to be at full strength. And they’re always going to be in it as pitchers they have, but the Marlins can pitch right with them, and they’ve got a lot of exciting players and Hanley Ramirez looks poised to have a huge year, even an MVP type year. And I think it’s going to be a very tight race. And I think the Phillies might end up more like the Giants where they just outpitch and don’t score much. Their bullpen will be a key. And I think the Marlins have a chance to have a very good all‑around team. TERRY FRANCONA: From my side of it, I think the NL East has become intriguing, and Orel and I talked so much about it the last couple of days, along with Dan, that we probably share a lot of the same sentiments. It was really neat this winter to see the Marlins become really relevant during the winter meetings. And that doesn’t ensure you’re going to win the division, but they made a lot of interesting acquisitions, and they became a player. And like Orel said, Philadelphia is a little bit beat up. Now they have tremendous pitching. That’s not going away anytime soon. Atlanta basically has the same team that had one of the best records in baseball until August 25th, and the Nationals are really trying to be relevant in that division also. So it’s going to be interesting. I tell you what; it’s going to be a lot more competitive than it’s been in the past with those four teams I just said. (Any concerns you guys have about the Marlins?) OREL HERSHISER: I think when you see guys coming off down years that have tremendous talent, I don’t worry about it. Because I think that really kind of perks at their ego and they really go into the off season going I am going to get better. They’re not trying to maintain greatness. They’re slightly embarrassed, and they say I’m going to make some changes and really come in and make a statement. I think you see that with players sometimes, especially great players like Hanley. I think he’s going to be on a mission. It’s very hard to have success and to continue it because you have to find that thing that drives you and puts you over the top. And very few have that. And I think Hanley had a tough year, and he’s going to be on a mission. That’s going to be ‑‑ I just can’t wait to watch him play. ” TERRY FRANCONA: I guess my thought is if you go into spring training and you need or expect several players to have big years to win, you’re probably not ready to win. I’m not saying that’s the Marlins. I’m talking in general. But, again, they made an impact in the winter meetings. And they’re going to be tough to play. They have some things they have to answer. Can Josh Johnson stay healthy? If he does, he’s a force. But there’s some things that haven’t happened for a while. And it will be fun to see how it plays out.
Someone needs to write the story... "2 Key Members from 2003 Marlins Break Faces Trying New Things In Offseason While Hanley Looks Like MVP"
marlins/rays on sun sports right now, JJ just hammered a ball off the wall scoring rowand. JJ looks healthy
### The Marlins are delighted that Carlos Zambrano is throwing harder than he has the past two years, according to management. He has 17 strikeouts in 14 spring innings after posting a career-low 6.2 per nine innings with the Cubs last year. The Marlins hope it was an anomaly that opponents hit .276 against Zambrano last year, much higher than his .235 career average. One concern: He has been dreadful against the Braves and Phillies since 2009. Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/#storylink=cpy
The marlins going into the water is a nice touch. Other than that, surprisingly tame. Was expecting more of a wild slot machine jackpot effect.
remember when we signed Reyes and everyone was all like "but how will he get along with Hanley?!?!?! Hanley is going to be pissed!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!"
Hanley has been tweeting some real :aero: shit lately between those 2 Makes me wonder if it's legit or if he's just poking fun at all the people who said it wouldn't work Or both