Tino Martinez spoke to Fox Sports about the incident that led to his resignation, and boy he sounds like a guy convinced that the world is against him for no good reason:
Martinez said he decided to speak out after talking with friends and asking them, "Do you realize I'm out of baseball basically because a couple of players didn't pick up balls in the cage when I asked them to? As a coach, when I asked them to pick up the balls, why didn't they just say, 'Absolutely, no problem, I'll do it right now.'"Read the whole thing here if you wish, but here's a summary:
Added Martinez: "I started thinking about it, thinking I've got to say something, not just let it go away. I've had a great reputation in this game for years. I walked away from the game with integrity. But now, to have a couple of kids try to ruin my name, I felt I had to say something and fight back."
Hitting coach Tino Martinez resigned his position on Sunday. Not because the Marlins are slashing .232/.291/.337 (second worst in the majors), but because he's a jerk:
Martinez said he once touched a player in anger, grabbing rookie Derek Dietrich by the jersey in the batting cage early this season. Dietrich, recently demoted to Triple-A New Orleans, was among the players to complain about Martinez.Martinez actually tried to resign on Friday, but Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria (who hand-picked him to be hitting coach last offseason over the objection of manager Mike Redmond) wouldn't have it. Then a Miami Herald story detailing players' complaints about Martinez forced ownership's hand.
I'm ready be @Marlins hitting coach. #homecoming
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) July 28, 2013
Jose Fernandez may be a rookie, but he knows the fastest way to the Diehards' hearts. The Photobomb Expressway:
Of all the people we could have sent down, why these two. If we are trying to get younger why send these 2 down. I'm excited to see yelich and marisnik called up, but upset to see ozuna and Dietrich sent down while they were succeeding.In 57 games, Dietrich has amassed 0.0 WAR, making him the proverbial replacement player (for now). In this case, replacement = replacable. Ozuna's defense has been stellar, but he needs work on his swing, as mentioned above.
We want ozuna and Dietrich BACK!!!!!!!!
They were good!
I wanted Yelich and Marisnick called up, but they should've left Ozuna and DietrichWhen the Marlins fail to make the playoffs this fall, we'll know the reason why...
Got to say I would have rather seen Pierre, Palanco or Solano go down or even traded but as a Jacksonville native I will still get to watch these two gems play.We're sorry you live in Jacksonville. Stay strong.
Ozuna was hitting .265 with 3 HR and 32 RBI and 31 runs that's more RBI & runs than Stanton. Eventually Stanton will be traded. Ozuna belongs in the Bigs and has earned it!LEAVE GIANCARLO OUT OF THIS
Trade DietrichSuggesting the Marlins trade someone when their value is tiny? Is that you Beinfest? Read more...
Logan Morrison: "You know we're clean. We haven't scored a run in 37 innings." #marlins #braun
— clarkspencer (@clarkspencer) July 22, 2013
Maybe we were overrated. Maybe we aren't as good as we thought we were.It's as if acquiring a bunch of high-paid players from a team that lost 90+ games isn't sound strategy...
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| Not cool, Jays |
Shortly after Logan Morrison spilled the beans on Twitter, the Marlins' told reporters that the team will be wearing 1956 Miami Marlins uniforms tomorrow (above) in Milwaukee as part of the Brewers' Negro League tribute (the Brewers will wear 1923 Milwaukee Bears unis). Below is a photo of the Marlins' unis, which look almost exactly like the version we posted last week:
A blue and orange combo would pay homage to the old Miami Marlins (see left), which I think would be pretty cool.
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Redmond said he never thinks about the long-term innings limit Fernandez is on when he takes the mound. He said he goes "solely on how he's doing that day."The Marlins are being very cautious with Fernandez, and that is wise considering their chances of making the 2013 playoffs are effectively zero. The team took a bit of a risk in calling him up at the start of the season (and thus starting his arbitration clock early). Losing him for significant time due to injury stemming from overworking him is something the team cannot afford.
"If he has a chance to win a ball game or whatever it is, and he's going good then we'll let him throw seven or eight innings," Redmond said. “I've never gone into a game going we can only let him throw six innings a day. I take it from game to game. If he has a chance to throw a complete game then I'll let him throw a complete game. If he keeps his pitches down and he has a chance he’ll go out there."
But protecting Fernandez's young arm for the long term is still important to Redmond. Fernandez, for his part, would love to pitch the entire season, but he said he has no problem with the Marlins' plans in part because they have been up front since the beginning.
Stay Klassy Miami! pic.twitter.com/C83RwZRDMS
— Erin Baehman (@GyngaSnap) July 12, 2013
18. Luis Castillo, 2003 (4.4 WAR, 106 OPS+): Castillo won his first of three straight Gold Gloves, hit .314, and scored 99 runs for the World Series champs.
17. Mike Lowell, 2004 (4.3 WAR, 127 OPS+): Lowell followed up his career year with a 44-double, 27-home run season. His .293 average was then a career high, and he topped .500 in slugging percentage for the second of three times in his career (.505).
16. Dan Uggla, 2008 (4.4 WAR, 126 OPS+): Uggla is best remembered for committing three errors, two of which came on consecutive plays. He was a monster with the bat that year, though, hitting 32 home runs with 37 doubles while piling up the strikeouts (177 - third most in the NL).
15. Charles Johnson, 1997 (4.4 WAR, 113 OPS+): The defensive ace won his third of four straight Gold Gloves and slugged .454 - not bad for a catcher. He led the NL with 2.6 defensive WAR, catching 56 of 118 base stealers (most in the NL). In his prime CJ was a marvel behind the plate.
14. Carl Pavano, 2004 (5.3 WAR, 137 ERA+): Better known as The Time Pavano Convinced the Yankees to Give Him $40 Million. He went 18-8, but could not recapture the magic thereafter due in large part to injury troubles (and later, age).
13. Miguel Cabrera, 2005 (5.2 WAR, 151 OPS+): Winning his first Silver Slugger and finishing 5th in NL MVP voting, Cabrera hit "only" 33 home runs but slugged .565 and finished third in the NL with a .323 batting average. And his best was still yet to come...And now we've reached The Pantheon. Here are the best of the best in Marlins history:
12. Giancarlo Stanton, 2012 (5.5 WAR, 156 OPS+): Sr. #Monsterdong led the NL with a .608 slugging percentage and walloped 37 home runs in an injury-shortened season.
11. Al Leiter, 1996 (5.6 WAR, 139 ERA+): He led the NL with with 119 walks, but mad up for it by giving up just 6.4 hits per 9 innings. He also threw the first no-hitter in franchise history on May 11 of that year.
10. Cabrera, 2006 (5.8 WAR, 159 OPS +): Cabrera just kept getting better, setting a career high with 50 doubles and a .998 OPS. We miss him so much. Thanks for nothing, Cameron Maybin :(
9. Gary Sheffield, 1996 (6.0 WAR, 189 OPS+): Sheff set a franchise record with 42 home runs and led the NL with a .465 OBP and 1.090 OPS. He won a Silver Slugger and finished 6th in MVP voting.
8. Cliff Floyd, 2001 (6.5 WAR, 150 OPS+): Floyd was one of the most consistent but underrated hitters in franchise history (4 straight years of at least 115 OPS+, 3 straight .300+ BA). He hit 31 home runs and 44 doubles in the only All-Star season of his 17-year career.
7. Josh Johnson, 2009 (6.6 WAR, 133 ERA+): The big righty got some notice in his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. He struck out a career-high 191 batters and was second among NL pitchers in WAR.
6. Hanley Ramirez, 2008 (6.8 WAR, 143 OPS+): Making his first All-Star appearance, Ramirez earned the starting nod in fan voting. He won a Silver Slugger, led the NL with 143 runs, and hit .301 while smacking 33 home runs.
5. Kevin Brown, 1997 (7.0 WAR, 150 ERA+): I had forgotten how good Brown was in his two years in Miami. He finished fifth in the NL with a 2.69 ERA and was also an excellent defender. He threw a no-hitter on June 10, and then a one-hitter just over a month later.Read more...
4. Dontrelle Willis, 2005 (7.2 WAR, 152 ERA+): Willis won our hearts all over again with his 22-win (franchise record) season that saw him finish second in NL Cy Young voting. His 7 complete games and 5 shutouts led the NL, he also batted .261 that year(!).
3. Johnson, 2010 (7.2 WAR, 180 ERA+): He didn't have the flash of Willis, but Johnson's 2010 season was arguably better than Dontrelle's 2005. JJ led the NL with a 2.30 ERA, with the 7th-lowest WHIP (1.105) and second-best K/BB ratio (3.875).
2. Ramirez, 2009 (7.3 WAR, 148 OPS+): Remember when Hanley Ramirez was one of the most exciting players in the game? He won the NL batting title in '09, hitting .342 and getting his second-straight starting job in the Midsummer Classic. Hanley finished 2nd in NL MVP voting; this was the apex of his career in Florida.
1. Brown, 1996 (8.0 WAR, 215 ERA+): Simply put, Brown's 1996 season was the best pitching performance in franchise history. He finished second in NL CY Young voting, led the league in ERA+, ERA (1.89), WHIP (0.944), HR/9 innings (0.3) and, curiously, HBP (16).
39. Alex Gonzalez, 1999 (0.7 WAR, 91 OPS+): Someone had to go in 1999, and it was Gonzalez. He didn't have a terrible year, but his .277 batting average was complemented by only 15 walks in 591 plate appearances.Next up, the Good Thing Your Position is Not That Deep division:
38. Edgar Renteria, 1998 (0.9 WAR, 88 OPS+): See above. El Niño led the NL by getting caught stealing 22 times.
37. Gaby Sanchez, 2011 (2.7 WAR, 113 OPS+): Gaby wasn't that bad in 2011, but in hindsight Giancarlo Stanton (4.1 WAR, 141 OPS+) would have been a better choice. Sanchez hit .293 in the first half of the season, then took a major nosedive, hitting .225 in the second half.
36. Paul Lo Duca, 2005 (1.2 WAR, 92 OPS+): Look, no one expects a catcher to do that much on offense. But you do have to do something on defense every once in awhile. Lo Duca was third in the NL with 29 runners caught stealing, but also gave up the most stolen bases (89 - for a CS% of 24.6%).Now let's pause and consider that democracy is not always the optimal decision-making mechanism. This is the Fan Votes are Flawed division:
35. Luis Castillo, 2002 (2.0 WAR, 95 OPS+): Castillo led the NL with 48 stolen bases, but got caught 15 times, second most in the league. He was solid on defense, and hit .301.
34. Charles Johnson, 2001 (2.4 WAR, 100 OPS+): CJ threw out 37 would-be base stealers (5th in the NL), but was the epitome of average at the plate.
33. Gary Sheffield*, 1993 (-0.1 WAR, 120 OPS+): Acquired in a late-June trade with the Padres, Sheffield was voted in by fans as a starter, even though he probably did not deserve it. His terrible defense (-3.0 dWAR) outdid a so-so offensive year (2.9 oWAR). His 34 errors were third in the NL. On the plus side, Sheffield went 2 for 3 with a home run in the game, so at least he acquitted himself nicely.Our next category is the Franchise Hero division, featuring two players who can do no wrong:
32. Hanley Ramirez*, 2010 (2.7 WAR, 126 WAR): Not that we didn't love watching Ramirez start in the All-Star Game for the third straight season, but this selection was based largely on his reputation (having won the batting title the previous season). He hit .300 in 2010, but in hindsight this season was the beginning of his decline into a very undistinguished hitter (though he has been very hot thus far in 2013).
31. Jeff Conine, 1994 (2.8 WAR, 130 OPS+): Conine had a better year in 1994 than his other All-Star season, but he didn't win MVP in the 1994 game, so that knocks him down a few pegs.These guys all had better All-Star years, but were still clearly deserving of the honor. It's the Better Seasons in the Portfolio division:
30. Mike Lowell, 2002 (3.0 WAR, 116 OPS+): Lowell was better in 2003, but
29. Lowell, 2003 (2.7 WAR, 128 OPS+): Lowell had his best season with the Marlins in 2003, hitting a career-high 32 home runs despite missing the last month of the season with a broken hand. He also won the NL Silver Slugger for third-basemen.
28. Conine, 1995 (2.6 WAR, 135 OPS+): Not the most distinguished season, but Conine did win ASG MVP thanks to his decisive home run.
27. Dan Uggla, 2006 (3.0 WAR, 112 OPS+): He had better years to come, but 27 HR and .480 slugging as a rookie is nothing to be ashamed of. Uggla finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting, behind teammate and winner Hanley Ramirez and Ryan Zimmerman of Washington.These two appeared in the midsummer classic during their only year with the team, making them the One-Year Wonder division:
26. Miguel Cabrera, 2007 (3.2 WAR, 150 OPS+): His last All-Star year with the Marlins was his worst, but he still hit 34 home runs with a .965 OPS.
25. Cabrera, 2004 (3.4 WAR, 150 OPS+): 33 home runs, 112 RBI in his first full season in the majors. Yeah, he was pretty good.
24. Castillo, 2005 (3.6 WAR, 108 OPS+): Castillo won his third straight NL Gold Glove, hitting above .300 for the fifth time in seven seasons.
23. Dontrelle Willis, 2003 (3.9 WAR, 127 ERA+): The Rookie of the Year and folk hero of the 2003 World Series team, Willis could do no wrong.
22. Armando Benitez, 2004 (3.4 WAR, 319 ERA+): Led the NL with 47 saves, and had a crazy-outlier .176 BABIP. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good (and even better to be both).Rounding out the first part is the One-Timers' Club, both of whom made one All-Star appearance as Marlins (though both made additional appearances with other teams):
21. Moises Alou, 1997 (3.5 WAR, 130 OPS+): Alou slashed .292/.373/.493 en route to a World Series title. Sheffield was arguably better among his teammates, but he did not make the All-Star team.
20. Ryan Dempster, 2000 (4.2 WAR, 121 ERA+): Hard to remember, but Dempster was once the ace of the Marlins' staff (shudders). He had 8.3 K/9IP, but benefitted largely from having no other good All-Star candidates on the team that year.Click here to read Part 2. Read more...
19. Bryan Harvey, 1993 (4.0 WAR, 257 ERA+): Harvey was third in the NL with 45 saves for the expansion Marlins, helped by a career-low .240 BABIP. His 0.841 WHIP was absurd.
Via Billy Corben, check out the shoulder patch on that uni. So awesome, it makes up for the Mets-like blue and orange color scheme. We really wish Jeffrey Loria had taken a cue from the minor league Miami Marlins uniforms when the team rebranded two years ago, but alas.
The Body Issue of ESPN The Magazine is out today, featuring our favorite purveyor of #Monsterdongs, Giancarlo Stanton.
Here is a behind-the-scenes look at his photo shoot:
If you could change something about your body, what would it be?Read the whole thing here. Read more...
GS: To have better legs. They're not as cut as my upper body. It's harder to put weight on the legs with our schedule. Upper body isn't used all day -- you swing and throw -- but you're on your feet for five to eight hours a day, so the rest has to be maintenance for your legs. It's fine, I'm not a bodybuilder, but if I had to change something it would be that.
Today at Fish Stripes, Micheal Jong has a measured piece about the legacy of Ricky Nolasco, who holds most of the franchise pitching records (including wins and strikeouts). But we know where his most important legacy lies:
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Here are some things you may find hard to believe:
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