Fredi Gonzalez has been waiting for his big chance for a long time as he managed 10 years in the minors.  Gonzalez compiled a 608-596 (.505) record in the minors.  He also coached with the Marlins from 1999-2001.  Gonzalez will have some pressure to produce right away as he replaced the National League Manager of the Year Joe Girardi.

The Marlins like the young arms that they’ve collected for their bullpen, but they didn’t feel confident that any of them could handle the closer’s role which explains the trade that brought in Jorge Julio.  28 year old righty Jorge Julio has outstanding stuff but he hasn’t always gotten good results.  Still, the fact that Larry Beinfest wanted him as his closer should speak volumes as he’s brought in Armando Benitez, Todd Jones and Joe Borowski the last three seasons and all of them have done well.  Julio was 2-4 with 16 saves, a 4.23 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in 62 games with the Mets and Diamondbacks last season.  Batters only hit .210 against Julio and he whiffed 88 batters in only 66 innings last season which shows what kind of dominating stuff he has.  Still, he walked 35 batters and allowed 10 homers last season so he has some things he needs to improve on.  Look for Julio to save 30+ games for the Marlins this season.

24 year old lefty Taylor Tankersley will be the top set-up man for the Marlins this season.  He was 2-1 with 22 holds, 3 saves, a 2.85 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in 49 games.  Batters only hit .228 against him and he whiffed 46 batters in 41 innings show that shows you what kind of stuff he has.  He does need to improve his control as he walked 26 batters last season and that’s too many for a pitcher that is throwing late in ballgames.

28 year old righty Kevin Gregg was brought in from the Los Angeles Angels in a trade over the winter.  He was 3-4 with a 4.14 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP in 32 games (3 starts) in 2006.  Batters hit .280 against him with 10 homers in 78.1 innings last season so he hasn’t done a good job of missing bats lately.  Also, it speaks volumes that the Angels never really trusted him with a lead as he only has 4 career holds in 117 career relief appearances.  Don’t expect miracles out of him in 2007.

Soon to be 28 year old righty Henry Owens was acquired from the Mets in the offseason.  He pitched in 3 games for the Mets last season and he was 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP.  In AA ball last season, Owens was 2-2 with 20 saves, a 1.58 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP in 37 games.  Batters only hit .137 against him and he whiffed an amazing 74 batters in only 40 innings!  Still, Owens has only pitched in 3 games above AA ball despite his advanced age, so the AA numbers should be taken with a grain of salt.  It will be interesting to see how Owens pitches in 2007 for the Marlins.

27 year old righty Matt Lindstrom was another pitcher the Marlins brought in from the Mets.  He was 3-4 with 13 saves, a 3.38 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP in 46 games in A+AA ball.  He whiffed 70 batters in only 58.2 innings last season.  Like Owens, Lindstrom dominated the low levels at an advanced age so we’ll see how he does against the big boys starting next week.

24 year old lefty Reynel Pinto was 0-0 with 3 holds, 1 save, a 3.03 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP in 27 games for the Marlins last season.  Batters only hit .190 against him and he whiffed 36 batters in only 29.2 innings last season which shows you what kind of stuff Pinto has, but, he walked an amazing 27 batters last season and he will not be in the majors long if he can’t cut down on the walks.  His 3.03 ERA was very, very lucky last season.

25 year old righty Randy Messenger was 2-7 with 9 holds, a 5.67 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP in 59 games for the Marlins last season.  Batters hit .296 against him last season with 8 homers in only 60.1 innings last season.  He does have a great arm but his pitches are very straight so don’t expect a better season than he had last year.

31 year old righty Nate Field was 1-1 with 4 holds, a 4.00 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP in 14 games for the Colorado Rockies last season.  He whiffed 14 batters in only 9 innings for the Rockies so he might have something left in the tank.  The fact that Field is 31 years old and has only pitched one complete season (2004) in the majors has to speak volumes about his flaws as a pitcher.

The Marlins decided to cut three of their “old” guys today.  Relief pitchers Mike Koplove and Felix Rodriguez will be able to look for a new job starting today.  Rodriguez was 1-0 with 1 save and a 1.64 ERA but what cost him his job was the 9 batters that he walked in only 11 innings.  Mike Koplove was 0-1 with 3 saves and a 8.22 ERA.  He struck out 11 batters in only 7.2 innings but he allowed 16 baserunners and that’s simply not acceptable.

Centerfielder Alex Sanchez was the other player to get the axe today.  He is a horrible defender in CF and he was only 7 for 43 (.163 batting average) with 5 steals.

This was a good trade for the Marlins as they really needed a stopper with some experience to finish games this season.  Julio was 2-4 with 16 saves, a 4.23 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP in 62 games for the Mets and Diamondbacks last season.  Batters only hit .210 against Julio last season but he walked 35 hitters and gave up 10 homers.  Julio did show off his arm strength as he whiffed an amazing 88 batters in 66 innings last season.  Look for Julio to have a good season for the Marlins as their stopper.

Jeremy Hermida is out indefinately with a bone bruise on his right kneecap after he fouled a ball off of it.  He was having a pathetic spring as he was only 2 for 35 (.057 batting average) with only 1 run scored and 1 RBI.  He will likely be replaced by Joe Borchard and Cody Ross until he can return.  When Hermida returns, the Marlins need him to live up to the hype.