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:
The Marlins could be doing this to establish the most value for Nolasco. Getting a jump on the thin starting pitching market this season may allow the Fish to set the price for starters. Setting their own price could get them a better return, especially from a free-wheeling team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, than if the Fish waited until any bigger fishes like Yovani Gallardo or, if the market gets to that point, Cliff Lee become available.Nolasco's fate has been sealed ever since the Marlins initiated their massive trade with Toronto last year. With his $11.5 million 2013 salary, plus his impending free-agent status, Nolasco would never be part of Miami's long-run plans. It's only a matter of time before he's gone. We'll always have the memories (of the haircuts and wardrobe). Read more...
Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria personally mandated the lineup card change that flip-flopped starting pitchers Jose Fernandez and Ricky Nolasco in a doubleheader Tuesday and left Marlins players furious with his continued meddling, three sources with knowledge of the situation told Yahoo! Sports.Nevermind the fact that the difference between 38 degrees and 42 degrees to someone who has lived below the 30th parallel all his life isn't even noticeable, it's as if Loria wants Redmond to fail. We're not huge proponents of team chemistry, but forcing your rookie manager to break protocol and give a 20-year-old rookie privilege over a veteran and staff ace is not exactly a great clubhouse move.
Loria insisted Fernandez, the team's prized 20-year-old rookie, pitch in the first half of the doubleheader at frigid Target Field instead of the scheduled Nolasco because the day game was expected to be warmer. The temperature at Fernandez's first pitch (38 degrees) was actually colder than at the beginning of Nolasco's start (42 degrees).
"I had nothing to do with the decision," Loria told FOXSports.com on Friday. "I was informed of the decision by the baseball department. I told them it was their call.Loria could certainly be telling the truth, but his past actions have not exactly made him a trustworthy character. Certainly there will be more to follow. Read more...
"I don't make decisions on who to pitch and when, how to go about it — that's not my role. Sometimes they call me and tell me what they're doing. But I don't call them up and say, 'This is what is going to happen.' That's not true."
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| 11. Giancarlo Stanton will realize this photo is a double-entrende for what happens to Marlins fans when he hits a home run. |
Via SB Nation, Ricky Nolasco was sporting a new haircut last night:
Six months after taking exception to a Chris Volstad wild pitch and charging the mound to start the brawl, Nationals center-fielder Nyjer Morgan claims Ricky Nolasco hit him with a pitch on purpose in the first inning of the Nationals spring training game against the Marlins on Sunday.To quote GOB Bluth, come on! Read more...
When given the chance to take the high road Sunday afternoon, Nationals manager Jim Riggleman declined, and instead said, "Nolasco is the only one who really knows if he threw at him or not." Nolasco denied hitting Morgan on purpose.
Before accusing him of headhunting, Morgan and Riggleman may want to consider the entirety of Nolasco's outing Sunday afternoon, his first game action of the year. Immediately after hitting Morgan, Nolasco issued a four-pitch walk to Alex Cora. He also hit another batter in the first inning. Nolasco himself admitted his control was not sharp, telling the Miami Herald, "I was just kind of all over the place."
It's difficult to accuse a pitcher of aiming at you (and connecting) when he can barely find the strike zone.
Must have been that team meeting Dan Uggla called.
/sarcasm.
I don't blame Uggla for trying, but as the old saying goes, you're only as good as the next day's starter. In this case, that would be Ricky Nolasco, who delivered this line:
Overview: The Marlins continued the odd sequence road trip by losing two of three in both Houston and Colorado, giving them thier first sub-.500% week (2-4).
Positives: Dan Uggla his having an unusually strong April. Normally a slow starter, Daniel is hitting .324 and OPS-ing .973, both well above his career averages. Ricky Nolasco has continued his excellent form following up his complete game in Philly with an eight inning masterpiece in Colorado.
Negatives: Losing the first two to the Astros was unexpected and laregly due to a bullpen meltdown, Tim Wood and Burke Badenhop the culprits. Also the team lacked clutch hitting and was unable to add on to their leads in those games.
Line of the Week: Since Ricky got the honor last week, we'll give him the honorable mention and instead recognize Brett Carroll, who starting in place of Chris Coghlan had a nice afternoon on Saturday.
2-3, HR, 2B, SF, 2 RBI
Highlight of the Week: Okay, we'll just let you watch Ricky go to town on the Rox hitters. Enjoy!
Looking Ahead: The Marlins begin a nine game homestand with three against the surging Padres. After an off day on Thursday, the Nationals come to town.
What happened to the cheapskate team with which I had become accustomed? How am I supposed to deal with the fact that I will soon be unable to blame the front office for any and all of the team's failures? Will rooting for the Marlins lose some of its charms when the team is no longer populated entirely by prospects, mediocre veterans, and bargain-basement options? Why did it take the players' union so long to make the team spend money? It's a confusing time to be a Marlins fan, for sure...
UPDATE: Frisaro confirms that the above tweet was not merely idle speculation.
The offseason is upon us, so let's hand out some awards and superlatives. On with the memories with some awards I made up...
Dontrelle Willis Out of Nowhere Award, given to the player who was completely off the radar in Spring Training that made a big impact on the team: Chris Coghlan. Who knew Coghlan, who had never played a game in left field until the night before he was promoted to the big club, would flourish in the position? Coghlan wasn't even on my radar before the season, but what he lacked in buzz he made up for with performance, solidifying the leadoff spot and getting some Rookie of the Year consideration along the way.
Jorge Julio Award, given to the new addition to team who completely flopped: Emilio Bonifacio. Things went downhill quickly for Bonifacio after his inside-the-park home run on opening day, as he posted a .309 on base percentage this year, eighth-worst among NL qualifiers.
Darren Daulton Deadline Dandy, given to the best midseason acquisition: Nick Johnson. Johnson was the perfect hitter to place between Coghlan and Hanley Ramirez, when he was healthy. Hey, it's not like Luis Ayala was getting this award.
Next Member of the Marlins Diaspora, self explanatory: Dan Uggla. Congratulations on another great year with the bat. Unfortunately, you have priced yourself out of the Marlins' 2010 payroll. And when Emilio Bonifacio replaces you, hits .215, and costs the Marlins their season, Jeff Loria will blame Fredi Gonzalez and fire his ass. Way to go, Dan.
Bret Barberie Bizarre Boo-Boo: given to the player with the weirdest injury of the season, named after the time former Marlin Bret Barberie missed a game due to a case of habanero juice in the eye: Jorge Cantu. Everyone's favorite sassy senior had to leave the Marlins' June 10 game against St. Louis with a bout of the dizzies. The problem was caused by his cholesterol medication. Cantu is 27 years old, which may make him the youngest person in America to take cholesterol medication...
On with some other, more generic awards...
MVP: Hanley Ramirez. No explanation necessary.
Best Pitcher: Josh Johnson. The only pitcher you could count on to give a quality start.
Biggest Surprise: Chris Coghlan. In a deep farm system, Coghlan was not the first player you would have expected to make an impact for the Marlins, but he did.
Biggest Disappointment: Four-way tie for Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstad, Anibal Sanchez, and Andrew Miller. Before the season, Ted said "The top three of the rotation [with Johnson] has a chance to be great... they don't need to be all stars now, just decent." I said "None of the Marlins' pitchers will get any Cy Young consideration, but not because they didn't deserve it." Josh Johnson held up his end of the deal. The rest, not so much.
Chris Coghlan, heading home.
Jeremy Hermida makes a sno-cone grab off a Ryan Howard fly ball on Sunday.The Fish beat the Phillies 3-2 last night, breaking their 3-game losing streak. All it took was good pitching, as Ricky Nolasco limited the Phils to 2 runs in 7 innings while striking out 7. How well did last night go for the Marlins? Renyel Pinto walked two batters in the eighth and still escaped the inning unscathed.
Read more...
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