Top 20 PRE-SEASON Marlins Prospects in Review

    This is the PRE-SEASON list. That means it was generated BEFORE THE SEASON STARTED and that the grades were PRE-SEASON. Anyone complaining about the grades based on 2006 performance will be smacked up the side of the head with an Abraham Nunez autographed bat.

1) Jeremy Hermida, OF, Grade A
     Hitting .286/.378/.410 after a slow start and injury problems. He'll be fine.

2) Anibal Sanchez, RHP, B+
    3.15 ERA in 15 starts for Double-A Carolina, with a 92/27 K/BB in 86 innings. Has a 6.60 ERA in his first 15 innings with the Marlins. A solid campaign thus far, developing nicely.

3) Scott Olsen, LHP, B+
    6-4, 4.24 in 16 starts for the Marlins. A solid major league starting pitcher.

4) Yusmeiro Petit, RHP, B+
     Was 2-3, 4.21 in nine starts for Triple-A Albuquerque. For the Marlins, is 1-1, 7.41 in 17 innings so far, though his 12/2 K/BB is strong.

5) Chris Volstad, RHP, B+
      8-7, 3.74 in 18 starts for Class A Greensboro, 73/26 K/BB in 108 innings. Good control but hasn't dominated quite as much as people expected.

6) Josh Willingham, C-1B, B
     .271/.353/.475 for the Marlins with 11 homers. Has cooled after a hot start but these numbers are exactly what they should be based on his minor league record. An OF now.

7) Aaron Thompson, LHP, B
     6-4, 3.15 in 17 starts for Greensboro, 96/26 K/BB in 103 innings. A bit more dominant than Volstad.

8) Ricky Nolasco, RHP, B
    6-6, 5.00 in 72 innings for the Marlins. Should improve with time.

9) Gaby Hernandez, RHP, B
     9-5, 3.40 in 17 starts for Class A Jupiter, 103/30 K/BB in 106 innings. Certainly holding his own.

10) Hanley Ramirez, SS, B
      Hitting .271/.337/.413, another guy who has cooled off after a hot start. Has stolen 26 bases.

11) Travis Bowyer, RHP, B
      Hasn't pitched this year due to arm problems. Looks like the Twins traded him at exactly the right time.

12) Josh Johnson, RHP, B-
      8-4, 2.21. Can't argue with that, though he needs better command to sustain it in the long run.

13) Sean West, LHP, B-
      3-4, 2.77 in 13 starts for Greensboro, 68/18 K/BB in 74 innings. Has outpitched more-heralded teammates Volstad and Thompson on a per-inning basis.

14) Chris Resop, RHP, B-
       4.67 ERA in 29 games in Triple-A, has a 3.38 ERA in 8 innings out of the bullpen in the majors. No reason he can't be an effective middle man.

15) J.T. Restko, OF, B-
     Hitting .228/.324/.342 in 42 games for Class A Jupiter. I thought hew as a sleeper but this has not panned out. Still young enough at 21 to rebound.

16) Kris Harvey, OF, B-
      Hitting .268/.318/.466 with 14 homers for Greensboro. Good pop but on-base skills are sketchy.

17) Mike Jacobs, 1B, C+
      Hitting .278/.351/.494 with 11 homers, 24 doubles for the Marlins. I was worried about his batting average and OBP but that hasn't been a problem.

18) Reynel Pinto, LHP, C+
      7-2, 3.26 in 15 starts for Albuquerque, 80/37 K/BB in 77 innings. Has allowed four runs in seven major league innings. Triple-A numbers are quite impressive given the context.

19) Ryan Tucker, RHP, C+
      3-8, 6.27 in 15 starts for Greensboro, with 71/42 K/BB in 70 innings. Struggling due to control problems.

20) Brad McCann, 1B, C+
     .226/.280/.347 with 7 homers for Jupiter. Another offensive disappointment.

Comment:
    More good than bad, I'd say. Ramirez has been a nice surprise, Hermida is doing better, Willingham and Jacobs are providing power, Olsen is pretty solid and there are good signs from some other pitchers. There are some disappointments towards the bottom of the list, but that's what Grade C+ prospects are all about. This team has a nice core of young talent and should improve in '07 and '08.