Burning Fantasy Baseball Questions: Miami Marlins

January 5, 2012 @ 09:36:53

By Tim Heaney
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

KFFL answers important fantasy baseball questions for each Major League Baseball team as spring training approaches. What must fantasy baseball players know about the Miami Marlins?

How will Hanley Ramirez rebound while also changing positions?

You can blame a lot of his 2011 letdown on a left back strain and a troublesome shoulder, which underwent surgery in September, but injuries hardly present the whole case. We've seen hints of Han-Ram's poor disposition: questionable effort; spats with former skippers Edwin Rodriguez and Jack McKeon; a tense clubhouse attitude; and his latest wavering acceptance of moving to third base with the acquisition of shortstop Jose Reyes.

Han-Ram ready for change?

The hot corner probably fits Ramirez's body type better, but the move, for someone who could take such things personally, might intimate the team doesn't fully trust him to be The Man. Uh oh. With the right player, a polluted psyche can corrupt skill. Rodriguez recently inferred that the Reyes arrival would weigh on Ramirez's already delicate nature. Is the fiery Ozzie Guillen the comforting factor Miami thinks he can be?

Enough psychobabble: Ramirez's perturbing ground-ball increase over the last two seasons has diminished his pop upside. A healthy shoulder should provide more thump, but he's a safer comeback candidate for batting average - thanks to his top-notch BB/K - than for leaving the yard. That being said, Ramirez was sparked by a move to the cleanup spot (.304-6-28) during his final 138 at-bats of last season, so maybe with his approach, location matters. He wasn't as aggressive in hack-taking last year; letting him rip could reignite him.

Even with reaching 20 taters in question, Ramirez's swipes, opportunities to drive in Reyes and impending dual positional eligibility add some luster. (Would it be shocking if Han-Ram retained 6 qualifications for at least 2013 thanks to a Reyes injury?) The Marlins could still trade him; his skills, if recovered, will work in any environment. Sticking in this lineup won't hurt.

Many will consider him a worthy investment in the late section of the first two mixed rounds. On the five-category surface, it makes sense. A return to 2010 numbers would make him elite again. The underlying cerebral factors, however, make him more volatile than many will believe or admit, meaning those who take the plunge should, in all fairness, also receive a bottle of antacid.

AL East Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox New York Yankees Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays	AL Central Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals Minnesota Twins	AL West Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Oakland Athletics Seattle Mariners Texas Rangers
NL East Atlanta Braves Miami Marlins New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Washington Nationals	NL Central Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Houston Astros Milwaukee Brewers Pittsburgh Pirates St. Louis Cardinals	NL West Arizona Diamondbacks Colorado Rockies Los Angeles Dodgers San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants

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Tim Heaney

Since the Boston University alum joined KFFL in 2006, his work has been featured by USA Today/Sports Weekly and Yahoo! Sports, among numerous publications.

Tim competes in Tout Wars and LABR and appears every Wednesday on 1570 AM WNST in Baltimore, as well as frequently on Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio.

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